LogFAQs > #950693778

#22 Bioshock 2 (Playstation 3, 2010)

I know I am certainly in the minority with this opinion, but I think Bioshock 2 is a significantly better game than the first one. Not better in every way, but improved enough in most areas that I don't second-guess myself on this.



Yes, the first game really nails the atmosphere, and the first visit to Rapture was incredible. And of course it's no secret that I think Bioshock is incredible. But Bioshock 2 is so much more fun to play. One of the most substantial improvements is the ability to wield guns and plasmids simultaneously. In Bioshock, it always felt like you had to make the choice whether to deal with enemies using one or the other, or deal with an awkward juggling back and forth. No longer the case this time, and it makes you so much more deadly. And once you get fully upgraded, you can dish out damage in incredible ways. It's a really neat power trip that was not possible before, and Bioshock 2 gives you the hordes of enemies needed to show off what can be done. In all, the game moves at a much faster pace, largely to its benefit.

The story this time revolves around a prototype Big Daddy, Subject Delta, and his need to be reunited with his Little Sister, Eleanor. He was put into a coma before the events of the first game, and revives ten years later in a Rapture that has since gone completely defunct. Unfortunately, the Little Sister he had is the captive daughter of Rapture's new ruler, who is the polar opposite of Andrew Ryan from the first game. Instead of taking secularism/individualism to the extreme, Sofia Lamb is a radical zealot/collectivist who has established her own dictatorship and religion with Eleanor as a sort of Messiah figure. The philosophical stuff is not as interesting or well-written as before, but it's also not as essential to the story. At its core, Bioshock 2 is about the father-daughter relationship between Delta and Eleanor, and it comes off pretty nicely in that respect.

Bioshock 2 is also notable for having a pretty hefty story DLC, which some people would say is the best thing about the game. Minerva's Den is a stand-alone campaign with new weapons, plasmids, and a pretty neat story, which is on par with the main campaign in quality. It's short but incredibly well-paced and a lot of fun for the 5-6 hours that it takes.



If there is anything negative I could say about Bioshock 2, it's that it just was not as revelatory as the first game, and Rapture starts to feel a little old after a while. The game starts off very slowly and takes time to dabble in the familiar before really ramping up and showing us anything new. The second half of the game has a bit of a different feel to it and really helps a lot to make Bioshock 2 feel like something new and exciting again. If it didn't take so long to get there, this would probably have been a top ten game for me. But as it stands, it's still an incredible experience and well worth playing if you liked the first game.

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At least your mother tipped well