A while back, I wrote a review of Bioshock that really did numbers (It got 4 likes). I didn't care for it that much. I didn't review Infinite, but I didn't like that game either. So imagine my surprise when Bioshock 2 ended up being one of the best shooters I've played.
So first off, I have to admit that I made the very conscious decision to play this game with vita-chambers off. This pretty much erased my paramount problem with the first game, the lack of any punishment for dying. I'm pretty sure the first game had this option too, so I may go back and play it that way, because I find that a properly maintained sense of difficulty/consequence is one of the most important things in a game. I also turned off the quest arrow because I found it really annoying, and the game thankfully was still pretty navigable, both with the map and diagetic landmarks.
However, aside from that, I still find Bioshock 2 to be superior to its predecessor in several ways. I went on a pretty long tangent in my Bioshock review about why hacking was so dumb because there was never any reason not to hack and hacking itself was annoying. In this game, hacking is a great mechanic. First, it's a short timing minigame that's a little more difficult. Second, it takes place in real time, meaning you have to be aware of your surroundings when doing it. Third, even more decision making is introduced with a dart gun that allows remote and auto hacks. Accidentally triggering an alarm for bots and immediately successfully hacking afterword to save your skin was always such a risky but great feeling.
Generally, I also enjoyed the tools here a lot too. Lots of the guns and technology are characteristically makeshift, but they're also really cool. Aside from that, the mix of basic encounters, Big Daddy attacks, adam gatherings, and Big Sister chases made me consider which ammo types and plasmids I should use for each situation. I would've experimented a lot regardless, but the video camera gives one extra bonuses against enemies for actually experimenting against enemies, a great mechanic for a game with so many options. The point is, the gameplay here is surprisingly great.
Most of my issues come from me thinking the game was a little too accomodating in a few ways. One example is that the game always tell you which code to use for any door lock once you find it. I remember peering through a broken wall and seeing a tonic on the other side, and going to the door on the map to get it. I saw the code that the game presented to me and punched it in despite not remembering where I got it. After entering the room I then saw that some now deceased woman had wrote it on the wall in a way that would've been visible from the hole, and I likely would've spotted it if I wasn't focused on the tonic. I suppose me looking through triggered the game into giving me the code despite me, the player, not actually seeing it. It's a small moment, but it demonstrates the fact that the game will present these potentially great moments and then ruin them entirely due to over-accessibility. Even when I was well over halfway into the game, it would still patronizingly point out that I should use my medkit and other details despite already having an audio cue that does a far more effective job at it. It's not a dealbreaker, but it holds the game back from excellence.
Storywise, it's good. I liked Sinclair as a character, and some of the audio logs are interesting, but I never really understood why this series was so acclaimed in terms of storytelling. It far too often feels like a 'tell don't show' game, and while I appreciated pretty much always having control of Delta (Which is coincidentally my username as well), I don't think this comes close to the best of the medium. Although I do think this is a bit of a step down from Bioshock simply because Ryan has a far more commanding presence, It's not nearly enough to neutralize the far improved gameplay.
Visually, the game is great. Rapture is even more decrepit and run down than in the first, leading to a great blend between nature and the old timey architecture. The audio was pretty good too, but the game can occasionally be a bit overbearing with stereotypical horror music when silence would be far more effective
Overall though, I had a great time with this one. I'll definitely try Minerva's Den soon. 8/10.
So first off, I have to admit that I made the very conscious decision to play this game with vita-chambers off. This pretty much erased my paramount problem with the first game, the lack of any punishment for dying. I'm pretty sure the first game had this option too, so I may go back and play it that way, because I find that a properly maintained sense of difficulty/consequence is one of the most important things in a game. I also turned off the quest arrow because I found it really annoying, and the game thankfully was still pretty navigable, both with the map and diagetic landmarks.
However, aside from that, I still find Bioshock 2 to be superior to its predecessor in several ways. I went on a pretty long tangent in my Bioshock review about why hacking was so dumb because there was never any reason not to hack and hacking itself was annoying. In this game, hacking is a great mechanic. First, it's a short timing minigame that's a little more difficult. Second, it takes place in real time, meaning you have to be aware of your surroundings when doing it. Third, even more decision making is introduced with a dart gun that allows remote and auto hacks. Accidentally triggering an alarm for bots and immediately successfully hacking afterword to save your skin was always such a risky but great feeling.
Generally, I also enjoyed the tools here a lot too. Lots of the guns and technology are characteristically makeshift, but they're also really cool. Aside from that, the mix of basic encounters, Big Daddy attacks, adam gatherings, and Big Sister chases made me consider which ammo types and plasmids I should use for each situation. I would've experimented a lot regardless, but the video camera gives one extra bonuses against enemies for actually experimenting against enemies, a great mechanic for a game with so many options. The point is, the gameplay here is surprisingly great.
Most of my issues come from me thinking the game was a little too accomodating in a few ways. One example is that the game always tell you which code to use for any door lock once you find it. I remember peering through a broken wall and seeing a tonic on the other side, and going to the door on the map to get it. I saw the code that the game presented to me and punched it in despite not remembering where I got it. After entering the room I then saw that some now deceased woman had wrote it on the wall in a way that would've been visible from the hole, and I likely would've spotted it if I wasn't focused on the tonic. I suppose me looking through triggered the game into giving me the code despite me, the player, not actually seeing it. It's a small moment, but it demonstrates the fact that the game will present these potentially great moments and then ruin them entirely due to over-accessibility. Even when I was well over halfway into the game, it would still patronizingly point out that I should use my medkit and other details despite already having an audio cue that does a far more effective job at it. It's not a dealbreaker, but it holds the game back from excellence.
Storywise, it's good. I liked Sinclair as a character, and some of the audio logs are interesting, but I never really understood why this series was so acclaimed in terms of storytelling. It far too often feels like a 'tell don't show' game, and while I appreciated pretty much always having control of Delta (Which is coincidentally my username as well), I don't think this comes close to the best of the medium. Although I do think this is a bit of a step down from Bioshock simply because Ryan has a far more commanding presence, It's not nearly enough to neutralize the far improved gameplay.
Visually, the game is great. Rapture is even more decrepit and run down than in the first, leading to a great blend between nature and the old timey architecture. The audio was pretty good too, but the game can occasionally be a bit overbearing with stereotypical horror music when silence would be far more effective
Overall though, I had a great time with this one. I'll definitely try Minerva's Den soon. 8/10.