Score: 11/13
Written by Alec-Ross Bower
Rapture, how we’ve missed you. 2K Games’ announcement of BioShock 2’s development was received with a mixture of excitement and cynicism. While some gamers – us included – were aching to return to Rapture, others believed turning BioShock into a series would tarnish the sheer brilliance of the first game; it did seem like 2K were cashing in on the success. Was it possible to recreate the indefinable essence of BioShock? Before we continue with this review, we’d like to point out that this is not a comparison test. The game’s antecedent was 2008’s Game of the Year, and that’s some big shoes to fill. On the front of it, BioShock 2 looks very much like a companion to the first game; the graphics and overall feel haven’t changed. But within its story, characters, and much needed gameplay tweaks is a nourished and immersive game.
BioShock 2 begins with a non-interactive introduction, and though the impact isn’t as strong as the first game, the message is clear; this is a new narrative, with new characters. Set almost a decade after Jack’s trip to Rapture, we’re placed in the heavy boots of Delta, a prototype Big Daddy. Awoken by the familiar voice of Brigid Tenenbaum, Delta is told he must find Eleanor, the Little Sister he was originally bonded too. Incidentally, if he does not find her then a fail-safe device, which is mentally-conditioned to activate if he wonders too far from her, will kill him. The only problem is, Eleanor is the daughter of Sophia Lamb, the game’s antagonist, who has the remaining Splicers, Rapture’s inhabitants, dancing to her utilitarianism philosophy. And if that wasn’t enough, she is reprehensible for the new monstrosities that haunt the creaking halls of Rapture – the Big Sisters. The plot fails to live up to the impact of the ‘Would You Kindly’ twist from the first game, but it is nothing short of enthralling. Unfortunately key plot points are delivered through innocuous lines of dialogue, with no clear indication of what’s important and what’s not. The audio diaries make a welcome return; haunting logs impart integral plot developments, which may sound lazy but in action work brilliantly, augmenting the ominous ruin that is Rapture.
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About the game
The BioShock games aren’t your typical first-person-shooters. Set in an alternate history, the games take place in Rapture; a metropolis built under the Atlantic Ocean. Taking the best survival horror elements and matching them with an immersive storyline, the first game left us stunned. Irrational Games has passed the torch to 2K Marin to develop this one, and they’ve certainly got a lot to live up to. So, is it worth returning to Rapture?
