If you thought you knew Rapture, you haven't seen nothing yet !!
Just like the original masterpiece, developers 2K Marin have passionately created a much more dark and unknown side to the underwater utopia known to us all - Rapture. First let's get to the story. Bioshock 2 is set 10 years after the original game. People living around the eastern seaboard of the United States tremble with shock and fear as small girls disappear randomly without trace. Guess where they all end up ? Rapture. However Rapture is no more a thriving metropolis; it's a city in ruins with Splicers running the show. In Bioshock 2, players take control of 'Subject Delta', a prototype ALPHA series Big Daddy. He was the original guardian of a small sister known as Eleanor Lamb many years ago. Suddenly he's woken up by an unknown force and his mission is to find Eleanor at any cost even if it meant to kill people. The main antagonist of the game is a lady psychiatrist known as Dr. Sofia Lamb. Players also get to meet and hear from many characters who appeared in the first game. Just like the original, your actions with the harvesting or saving of little sisters play a major role in determining the finale. Last but not least, players will also meet a powerful and vicious new villain - the BIG SISTER. These armored freaks were former little sisters who have grown up and are now entrusted by Dr. Sofia Lamb to protect the little sisters. Inspired with love for their former Big Daddies , these big sisters will do anything to stop YOU.
The game play performance and controls of Bioshock 2 feel a lot better compared to the original. Players can now use both plasmids and weapons simultaneously. This allows for fluid combat that is both satisfying and engaging. PC users will be able to find the mouse/keyboard interface familiar especially if they played other first person shooters. The hacking games are better structured now and also have their own little rewards for the players. To keep it simple, Bioshock 2's controls should fit any player like a glove with easy to use controls. There are minor frame rate glitches but nothing series. Obviously the PC version runs much smoother on power machines with fast video cards.
Now comes the big question of graphics, art design and visuals. Bioshock 2 is still a beautiful game. The art work and design are top notch with small details given importance. The atmospheric ambiance lighting is top notch and you will feel scared to take a peak around the corner in spite of being a Big Daddy. The water textures feel so REAL that you would want to wipe your face every time you step onto a flowing stream. Bioshock 2 was always going to be a multi-platform game. This meant a single solid game engine that would run well in all three major platforms. However in all honesty, PC gamers' needs haven't been addressed by 2K Marin. Let's go in a bit of detail here. The console versions look good although the PS3 has the edge there with better contrast and streaming textures. The PC version looks the best BUT there is no anti aliasing support. You can force AA through nHancer in DX9 mode in XP. The game looks at its best if run on Vista or Windows 7 under DX10 with a high resolution preferably greater than 1920x1080. Overall, Bioshock 2 is as good looking as the original but it could have been better. The PC version deserves justice and hopefully there is a patch from 2K Marin for addressing the anti aliasing issues for DX10 users.
The audio score for Bioshock 2 is impressive with music from the 40s and 50s. You will feel you are not living in 2010 anymore. I suggest playing this game in 5.1 surround sound for an awesome audio experience. The sounds of the splicers are even better with difference dialogues for many kinds of splicers. Two splicers won't say the same thing every time you face them. If you hide from a female splicer she could say anything from: 'f**k you coward !" to "come to momma sonny". So it's that good.
Finally, Bioshock 2 is a game that has delivered on every promise. Rapture has never looked so intimidating, scary and beautiful all at the same time. You will go to places you have never been before and do stuff you never imagined you could have done. The controls are smooth and there are no major performance issues. The graphics are good and so is the audio. No matter on which platform you play the game, Bioshock 2 is amazing.
Please go buy Bioshock 2 today. What are you waiting for ?