BioShock 2 (PS3) is another trip to Rapture and it is a trip worth taking.
Hey little sister who's the only one?
Hey little sister who's your superman?
Hey little sister who's the one you want?
Hey little sister shot gun!"
-Billy Idol "White Wedding"
BioShock is a game that always makes me go "WOW!" especially when I first saw it for the XBOX 360 (I thought how fortunate for XBOX360 owners because this is going...to...be...EXCELLENT).
Fast forward and BioShock is announced for the PS3. I can't begin to tell you how excited I was. It was a must buy so I didn't wait for a price drop I bought it the second it was out. BioShock received a "10" and it deserves it. I have played this game multiple times and I can't get over the beauty and mystery of Rapture.
So, one would think that the sequel would be something that would send me over the moon right? I was pretty excited about the previews and was thinking to myself "oh yeah-this ranks as a MUST BUY!" sadly, that wasn't the case. You see I let myself be taken in by all the mixed-reviews and the "it's-not-as-good-as-the-first" comments. The biggest one (and one that even shocked me) is the whole "didn't need a sequel" and "Rapture not as good this time around". Is the magic of BioShock really gone?
I picked it up for $9.99 ($10.86 after tax). I think I was meant to get it because it was the last copy. I can honestly say that I didn't know what I was missing! I'll say it right now: BioShock 2 does A LOT of things right (some parts are even better than the first). What are these you ask?
**SPOILERS AHEAD**
-The drill and dual wielding. Oh yeah nothing like drilling the bad guys (not happy about the whole "fuel" bit, but oh well. Both hands are up this time too. You can zap a foe with lightning and bust them upside the head or blast them with a shotgun with the other. THAT is pretty cool!
-Underwater bits. Okay, for me it's the little things. In the first BioShock I loved looking out the windows and seeing the ocean. Now I get to walk in it as a Big Daddy. Granted these parts only last for a minute of two, but it's still pretty cool.
-Decisions decisions. Yeah, there is a bit of karma/morality stuff going on here. I LOVE a game that let's me choose my actions/dialogue and there are some parts here where you have to decide what you're going to do.
-Big Sister GO! remember in the first BioShock you had to get all the pieces to turn into a Big Daddy? yeah, well here you get to assemble pieces for the Big Sister (her presence throughout the game is creepy, giving a sense of urgency to the proceedings, and offers some tough fights) and let me say that the sequence is beautiful. Seeing things through the eyes of a Little Sister is pretty cool, but I thought the gathering of pieces here was much smoother.
Returning to Rapture I really did feel as though 10 years went by. I felt a certain haunting feeling returning to the bloody, littered, and rusty hallways seeing familiar locations. The magic has definitely not left this eerie place. A few new faces have entered the fray and some of them are a royal pain! the powers are all here along with some pretty cool weaponry. The one thing I do love about BioShock 2 is the tension. I'll admit it: some parts made me jump a little as I felt like I was engaged in an underwater survival-horror game. Plus, with the all-powerful Big Sister making her presence known (at first it's tense and then later it becomes kinda old hat) with that loud screeching noise (RUN!) makes the proceedings even more dramatic and harrowing.
It's not perfect however as I had two issues that kept this from being a perfect "10" like BioShock.
Issue #1: Escort the Little Sisters. Attention video game makers: I HATE ESCORT MISSIONS! granted, these segments don't last long and they even included a little "this way" whisp to guide you to the Adam-filled corpses, but when you have THREE Little Sister per level with two corpses each and fighting off hordes of enemies while she gathers the Adam is a bit much for me. I hate those Spider Splicers too!
Issue #2: It ends a bit too quickly. I don't know maybe it's just me, but getting the Big Sister on my team and working with her is pretty cool (what a powerful ally!) and just as things are getting thrown into high-gear it's all over. Wait! what?! that's it?! I might be a bit greedy here, but I wanted more! I guess this will leave us wanting "BioShock Infinite" even more. Honestly, I wanted an epic final boss fight (nothing too complicated of course), but oh well.
It also includes multi-player which I haven't tried (yet), but I'm sure there is some fun to be had there as well.
Please do me a favor if you haven't played BioShock 2: DO SO. I can't believe I waited as long as I did! the experience is enjoyable despite my two minor issues because really these a few points off the board, but that's the only thing wrong with it in my opinion. Also remember that a sequel to BioShock was a pretty tall order too. The end result however is something that really does the series proud and, in my opinion, is not inferior to the original (as a matter of fact it holds its own quite well). I'll be playing through BioShock 2 again and much like the first BioShock I'll probably be playing it again down the road. Enjoy it!