Game Review: Bioshock 2
Happy belated VD day (that’s Valentine’s Day for everyone else). To express her undying love for me, my wife bought me Bioshock 2, a game filled with mutated, morlock-looking inhabitants of the near-deserted and decaying underwater city of Rapture. More specifically you as the main character blasting, drilling, and stomping your way through the underwater city of Rapture as one of the previous game’s most popular antagonists, the Big Daddy. You’re actually Big Daddy Delta, the prototype created 10 years before and recently “awakened” after being killed by the main villian in this game, Dr. Lamb. She has returned to Rapture to reboot the Little Sister program, kidnapping little girls from all over the world and spiriting them to Rapture to convert them into the creepy little Adam-collecting angels we all know and love. It’s your job as Delta to rescue them and your original Little Sister, the prototype and also the daughter of the good Doctor.
Objective: 7 This game takes place about 10 years after the original and utilizes many of the same ideas and gameplay. You have to fight your way through various areas of Rapture (none are repeats of the original game, keeping things kind of fresh). I’ve read plenty of posts boasting a 6 hour play time. I think that’s a total waste of $50 plus dollars (and suspect that it’s a steaming load in some cases). I’m a player who likes to explore every nook and cranny and the game map has plenty of rooms and areas to keep you busy for hours. I had a play time of about 20 hours or so and had a total blast playing. I give the Objective a 7 only because it’s a fairly linear game. You can go just about anywhere in the level you’re in, but once you advance to the next one, there’s no going back. I’d have really liked to see a more open environment like the first game, giving the player the ability to go to just about any level at almost any time (as long as you’re at a train station or bathysphere of course).
Theme: 9 I love the theme of this game and it’s predecessor. Everything from the gorgeous scenery, both indoors and out, to the weapons and clothing, the items (specifically the technology) and even the background music just enhances the gameplay to the maximum. Unlike the previous game, being a Big Daddy allows you to walk around on the ocean floor for a different view of the city of Rapture. The weapons, the items you utilize in-game, and the “everyday” items that are part of the backdrop utilize a wonderfully designed retro-technology. The artists took the design of things that were around in the 40′s and 50′s (radios, guns, automatic doors, etc…) kept the general design and aesthetic but added touches to show modern functionality. It fits so well in game that they are details that are sometimes overlooked, but it really enhances the experience to just take a few seconds to take this all in. The music will be covered below.
Gameplay: 8 It’s one of only a few first-person shooters I’ve played, but I got used to the controls fairly quickly, and the developers worked out some of the kinks from the previous game. Health items, ammunition, and vending machines are scattered around and are readily available unless you don’t know what you’re doing. Which is the situation I was in for the first level or so of this game. Once I got the hang of it, I was always full up on everything I needed.
Sound: 9 The soundtrack was by far the best of any game I’ve played this year. I love the 40′s tunes, some I remember from old Black and White movies I saw when I was a kid. They don’t play constantly in every area like they seemed to in the original, but I think that kept things from getting annoying or stale. The voice-over talent was very well done as well, with the accents, inflections, and phrases used invoking a real early 20th century feel. It’s like watching old Three Stooges shorts or a Crosby and Hope flick, or listening to the old radio serials. One standout is Armin Shimmerman (Quark from DS9, the principal from Buffy) playing the enigmatic Andrew Ryan to perfection. I didn’t even realize it was him through 2 games. I looked up the cast on IMDB.com thinking I recognized Dr. Lamb’s voice. I was wrong about her, and blown away that he played Ryan. He plays the character as a Howard Hughes/Walt Disney/Charles Foster Kane (Orson Welles) personality with the booming voice to match. I have to put this game up at the top of my list with Arkham Asylum for sound, music, and voice quality.
Replay Value: 7 I really want to play this game again, but I need some serious decompression time before I attempt it again. Plus I’ve got other games to play (Assassin’s Creed II, God of War III, Final Fantasy XIII). With the infrequency that I play lately, I won’t get a second shot at it for about 8 months.
Total Score: 8
I really enjoyed this game and as I’ve said in the past, you’ve got to love a game that pays attention to the small details. The background mattes are gorgeous and if you look, there’s plenty of stuff hidden in plain site. One thing to look for is one of the many posters hung all over rapture. Many are advertisements for products that were sold around rapture (or are still available in the vending machines or in the Gatherer’s Gardens machines in the form of Plasmids). One in particular is a propaganda poster about the movement to reclaim Rapture, showing a fist raised in defiance. Around the wrist is a tattoo of chain links, the same tattoo worn by your character in the first game. Look for it if you play.
I’m about 80% through God of War III so that will be my next Game Review post. Thanks for tuning in.
-CWD
Date: June 16, 2010
Categories: Video Games
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