Bioshock 2 - Review
Bioshock 2 is an atmospheric sequel to the 2007 game, Bioshock. It now features online multiplayer, although unfortunately, it does lack the length of its predecessor.
If you played the first Bioshock, you wont have a problem settling back into the controls. Almost every control is the same as the original Bioshock, apart from Med Pack usage, and the aiming.
A welcome addition is the ability to Dual-Wield Plasmids and Guns, as it eliminated the sometimes annoying switching from Bioshock. The new weapons are absolutely amazing, with favourites being the Speargun and Shotgun.
A variety of the weapons have been seen as they were used by Big Daddies in the previous game, including a Rivet Gun, Drill, and Machine Gun. Bioshock 2 is a very enjoyable game to play although it does not really try any new tricks, something that is fast becoming unforgivable.
Clearly the best thing about Bioshock 2 is its storyline. You play a Big Daddy called Delta, who was separated from its Little Sister, Eleanor, and is trying to find her. To mention any more of this compelling storyline would ruin it, so I leave it for you to find out. Lets just say, it has everything, and will have you hooked.
Graphically, Bioshock 2 is extremely detailed, especially in the underwater portions, but it is not anything that we have not already seen.
Bioshock 2 does a very nice job of portraying the underwater city of Rapture, but again, nothing new here. Rapture is still very detailed, and it has a couple of new locations, which is perfect for fans of the original.
One of the major setbacks for this game was its length. It has an average completion time of around 9 – 12 hours, which is not very short, but could have been so much more, especially as the original was around double the completion time.
This time around, Bioshock 2 gets online multiplayer, which adds a fair bit of replay value and will be a buying factor for many people. Multiplayer comes in 7 different modes, two of which have a single and team based mode.
The modes are:
Survival of the Fittest: A 'free-for-all' mode where each player gets points for killing each of the other players. Whichever player has the most kills or 20 kills at the end of the match wins.
Civil War: Similar to 'Survival of the Fittest,' but in this mode players are divided into two teams and the team with the most collective kills at the end of the match wins.
Last Splicer Standing: A variation of 'Civil War' in which players do not respawn after being killed. Each match consists of several rounds in which players attempt to outlive the players on the enemy team.
Capture the Sister: A 'Capture the Flag' style mode where players are divided into two teams. One team has to protect a Little Sister while the other team tries to steal her and place her in a vent on the other side of the map. The team protecting the little sister will have a randomly chosen player be a Big Daddy. After a pre-determined amount of time, the teams switch roles. Whichever team has the most captures at the end of the match wins.
ADAM Grab: In this mode there is one Little Sister on the map and the player must seek her out and maintain possession of her as long as possible. The first person to hold onto the Little Sister for 3 minutes wins.
Team ADAM Grab: A variant of 'ADAM Grab' where players are divided into two teams. The objective is the same, but victory is determined by a collective score rather than individual scores, and the first team to hold the little sister for 5 minutes wins. Turf War: Players are split into two teams and each team must reach pre-determined points on the map to capture that point. The team with the most control points over the longest time wins.
Bioshock 2 is a fairly short game, although with amazing graphics and a great storyline, and the excellent addition of some very good online modes, this is a perfect excuse to escape to Rapture once more.
8.5/10 – Amazing weaponry, extremely detailed graphics and the welcome addition of an online multiplayer mode make this a good sequel to the original. Unfortunately the disappointing completion length really let the game down and leave you frustratingly wanting more.
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