Return to Rapture- BioShock 2 Review

Few console titles have transcended the confines of the first-person shooter as well as 2007’s BioShock. With its brilliantly-crafted dystopian narrative, satisfyingly malleable combat system, and immersive game world, it’s little wonder that the game achieved an undisputed level of commercial and critical success. Unlike the majority of FPSs, BioShock’s opponents weren’t mere drones- each foe was a tragic, actualized soul trapped within the confines of Rapture’s waterlogged depths.

Creating a sequel that sustains that level of accomplishment for the title must have been staggering. Despite development duties being shifted to another studio and losing a number of key contributors in the process, BioShock 2 is a consummate successor. With an absorbing storyline, an augmented arsenal of Plasmids, and a competitive multiplayer mode, the title will certainly be cherished by aficionados of the original game, and may even pick up a few new fans along the way.

BioShock 2 wisely abandons any attempts at reinvigorating Jack, the protagonist from the first title. Instead, players control Delta- a prototype Big Daddy, whose composition grants him both superior agility and autonomy. The game skillfully conveys the bulk of commandeering a massive diving suit while still allowing players to dexterously explore the title’s environments. At the commencement of the game, players are tasked with finding a specific Little Sister. As such, the title focuses less on explaining the downfall of Rapture, and more on uncovering the backstory and motivations of the lead character.

Being a Big Daddy certainly has its advantages. Foremost among these benefits is having a giant drill affixed to your right arm. Although players can sneak behind an unsuspecting Splicer to deliver an intense melee assault, splendor is granted in using the behemoth borer to disembowel encroaching foes. The game’s spear gun offers grisly gratification, as its recyclable harpoons pin vulnerable adversaries onto walls and floors. Although the title’s Plasmids offer many of the same abilities- from telekinesis, combustion to hypnosis, their evolution has been changed allowing for players to create devastating attacks.

The title’s one minor misstep emanates when Little Sisters are extracting ADAM from stipulated corpses. While this activity isn’t a requirement for advances, and often presents an interesting mechanic where players lay traps for assaulting Splicers, the mechanic is used with upsetting frequency for upgrade-seeking players. Additionally, the barrage of spawning Splicers is one of the most challenging elements of the game, overshadowing the difficulty found in fights with the game’s new antagonist- the Big Sister. 

Visually, BioShock 2 presents the same distinctive Art-Deco aesthetic as its predecessor. Since the title takes place ten years later, a number of changes have been made to Rapture. Flooded areas display signs of corrosion and infestations of barnacles, while constant leakages remind players of Rapture’s state of precarious decay. The short excursions outside on the city, along the ocean floor are particularly poignant, as abandoned items float with apparitional eeriness. The game’s only graphical anomaly is the sporadic pixelated texture which reminds players that the game is built on an aging version of the Unreal Engine. The game’s soundscape is also adeptly realized- music plays with a foreboding pop and hiss, while the game’s larger characters move with realistic thuds and powerful reverberations. 

Although BioShock 2’s single player campaign offers enough depth and sophistication to warrant the game’s selling price, the developers supplemented the game with an online competitive mode. For some this addition may seem superfluous, and possibly a way to tarnish the melancholic feel of Rapture. Clearly, fragging down the same hallways allotted for exploration would have ruined the emotional impact of the game. Luckily, the multiplayer component is set a year before the first game, as Splicers battle for cataclysmic dominance. Players can choose one of five game variants, each incorporating a leveling system not unlike Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Each subsequent slaying allows players to build up their weaponry, plasmids, and tonics.