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Oct 1, 2021 · Thanks to the 2016 remastered re-release, BioShock 2 runs perfectly on a modern gaming PC. That being said, you shouldn’t expect much from the ‘remaster’—it looks basically the same as...
- 2K Marin makes its mark with a big, metal boot.
- Verdict
By Charles Onyett
Updated: May 9, 2012 7:41 pm
Posted: Feb 9, 2010 9:40 pm
Take a moment to consider how bizarre this game world really is. It's set in an underwater sprawl of surface-style skyscrapers, a city called Rapture. Filling the pressurized space is a society founded by an industrialist named Andrew Ryan with the notion that there'd be no limits on what the individual could accomplish. It was all a spectacular failure as the civilization that developed on the ocean floor turned to genetic modification. Gradually their sanity was devoured by their unrestricted experimentation as they ripped each other to shreds and withdrew into private pockets of insanity. It was a city so rotten and morally oblivious it spawned Little Sisters, girls who roamed Rapture's leaky halls performing the repulsive task of plunging needles into the dead and extracting and ingesting genetic material. Between all the twists of plot was woven an entertaining style of gameplay in the first BioShock, making for a mix of powerful play mechanics, mood, and joy of exploration rarely seen, and one that wound up resonating with the public, making the game a critical and commercial success.
To those who've been playing games for years now, it wasn't exactly surprising that Irrational Games made a great title. The studio had been doing just that since System Shock 2. The bigger unknown was how the folks at 2K Marin, founded with members who worked on the original, would handle the sequel. As it turns out, they did a damn fine job. It's a rare thing for games built with this kind of big budget to take seriously a thematic cohesion between setting, story, and gameplay, yet that's exactly what we get here.
BioShock 2, unlike its predecessor, is split into single-player story and multiplayer competitive modes, so in that sense it's a bigger title. The gameplay, at its core, is largely the same. You use a combination of weapons and special powers called plasmids to battle your way through freakish enemies on a quest that leads you deep within Rapture's recesses, uncovering all manner of ghoulish secrets on the way. The progression structure remains intact as well, so you'll move through a number of discrete stages where you'll be assigned tasks unique to that area before getting back on the path to the story climax. While it'll feel initially very familiar, it won't be long before you start to run into some of the changes 2K Marin has made, all of which are welcome and help refine the gameplay formula to make for a better play experience.
It's going to be a familiar experience for anyone that played the original, but BioShock 2's improvements to gameplay and its more focused storyline make for a game that's more playable and easier to digest. Some of the sense of awe and mystery is lost in transition, but the strength of the setting and more interesting implementation of moral choic...
- Charles Onyett
Feb 9, 2010 · Pros. +. An emotionally involving story with a strong final act. +. Rapture is a more fully realized universe. +. Endlessly customizable combat. Cons. - Chaotic and confusing multiplayer. - Not...
- Charlie Barratt
Feb 9, 2010 · Much like its predecessor, BioShock 2 is slower and more methodical than your average shooter, but combat feels much more natural and effective than it ever did before.
- 6 min
- Lark Anderson
Feb 9, 2010 · FPS. Set approximately 10 years after the events of the original BioShock, the halls of Rapture once again echo with sins of the past. Along the Atlantic coastline, a monster has been snatching little girls and bringing them back to the undersea city of Rapture.
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- M
Feb 11, 2010 · Short Version: BioShock 2 is an excellent game - mostly because it's exactly like the first BioShock. For every minor improvement 2K Marin made to the sequel there's a missed...
BioShock 2 reviews, pros and cons. Liked: Combat balances tactics and outright chaos. Excellent level design. Disliked: Story doesn't quite live up to the original.
