BioShock 2
BioShock 2 returns us to Rapture, months after the events of BioShock. With founder, Andrew Ryan, and gang leader Frank Fontaine both dead Rapture someone manages to survive The mad psychiatrist, Sofia Lamb has seized control.
The big twist? Instead of an outsider from the surface you are Subject Delta, one of the original Big Daddies (major antagonist from the first game) and your goal is to stop Lamb and reunite with your original Little Sister, Eleanor.
Delta can take utilize several weapons, a few new such as the rivet gun, and the amazingly all-powerful drill. Outside of a few encounters I used the drill exclusively.
Many of the games controls were vastly simplified from the first outing. Less categories and easier choosing and upgrading of the plasmids. Weapon upgrades remained but the cumbersome crafting system was gone entirely.
BioShock 2 is a much shorter game than the original. Where the original had multi-part goals in every level, this one had a very linear goal, one per level. It would be fair to say I finished the game in half the time the original took me.
The graphics of the game were just as impressive as the first time out, conveying a hopeless dystopia in an isolated underwater environment. The sound was on par and the music was excellent. Classic, early rock and sock-hop songs as well as some big-band goodies that just fit the mood.
Returning to the game are the splicers including a new category, the brute. They suck. Not in a bad, the game blows way, but in a "Holy crap, they're a pain in the ass!" way. And joining the Big Daddies are the Big Sisters. For Mass Effect fans they remind me of the Banshees from ME:3. They hurt like the banshees from ME: 3, too.
The boss fight was (without spoilers) way to easy, and the end was a bit Pyrrhic. (really Facebook, that's capitalized?!?) but just bittersweet enough to be satisfactory.
Summing Up:
Control: 5/5: For an FPS it was easy to control and the interface was non-intrusive enough to not result in my ass-kicking during a fight.
Story: 4/5: Once again, it felt like an old-fashioned sci-fi horror movie, just like the ones we hid behind the couch to watch as kids. Mildly cheesy, but fun.
Graphics: 5/5: Right on par with the original game but showing the improvement of time.
Sound/Music: 5/5: Great voice acting and awesome music to accompany the mood of the game.
Playability: 3/5: I'm knocking it one from the original game because of the shortness and linear aspects. Exploration of Rapture seems slightly less encouraged.
Now: On to the Confederate-racist sky Mormons of BioShock: Infinite (no, I'm not kidding).