'Bioshock 2' gets revenge
Published Feb. 16, 2010
It's time to get lost once more in Bioshock's Rapture, the underwater utopian city based on Ayn Rand's objectivist philosophies. This time the player assumes the role of the iconic "Big Daddy," whose sole purpose is to protect a "Little Sister," a girl used to store world's genetic altering chemical called "ADAM."
Sophia Lamb, the game's crazed antagonist, is hell bent on rebuilding the city. She stripped you of your little sister 10 years prior, and now you're out to get her back. Confused yet? Bioshock's riveting, complex storyline gives further evidence video games should be viewed as art.
"Bioshock 2" builds on the success of the original and makes minor improvements where it fell short. The hacking mini-games are faster. The plasmid interfaces are easier. The levels are more open and the enemies are even more intuitive. Dealing with those enemies has never been more fun now that you have the ability to wield a weapon and your plasmid powers at the same time.
"Bioshock 2" even features a multiplayer, which consists of typical shooter games with a twist. The creepy atmosphere and suspense filled stages makes this a game to play with the lights on.
There comes a point where "Bioshock 2" borrows too much from its predecessor. Sophia Lamb is eerily similar to first game's foe Andrew Ryan and the environments in the second half of the game lack the creative touch found in earlier levels. "Bioshock 2" never felt radically different from the first game, just more of the same. But that's hardly an insult if you were a fan of the original Bioshock.
"Bioshock 2" might seem like a disappointment when compared to the original but the game still stands above almost any other shooter out there.