You can be a daddy too!
It doesn't seem to be a big improvement from Bioshock 1, in terms of how good it looks. How it all looks though is amazing. Rapture sure has taken a toll the past few years, and it shows. You got crumbled floors and plant life growing around that seem to be easily mistaken for enemies, especially if you have been doing a little drinking in Rapture, you're a terrible father. It keeps the same creepy vibe and actually shows you new places that you didn't get to go through the first time. Everything looks well put together and you will find yourself looking around for possible ammo restock and even first aid and EVE. I never found Bioshock to be scary but the overall atmosphere of Rapture remains intact. Nothing looks poorly done from the creepy hallways to the underwater parts, everything looks great, and everything is really engaging.
The Sound 20/25
The sound in Bioshock 2 can actually be sometimes unnoticeable. Other times it's pretty blatant that there is some classic oldies music. It may seem out dated but it does fit the vibe that Bioshock 2 is happening in that era. It gets really tiring after hearing "How much is that dog in the window" though. The sounds that the enemy splicers make alert you when their nearby probably looking around for something to eat on. The tape recorders remain intact from the previous Bioshock, and they do sound like recordings played back on tapes. Sometimes is really quiet in Rapture though and all you can hear is yourself bumbling around. You really couldn't ask for more.
The Story 15/25
God bless them for trying, but this story was a little lack luster than the first one, and in reality it was kind of played out. I was a little worried about them making a sequel because I knew it be kind of hard to build off the first one since it was pretty much over. But it was ok in terms of video game standards. You play as the first Big Daddy, who later you find out is named Delta. You are in search of you own little sister named Eleanor Lamb, who turns out to be the daughter of the villain in the story, Sofia Lamb. You travel through rapture pretty much stealing Little Sisters from Big Daddies. You run into whores called Big Sisters who pretty much will wreak you early on. The narrative remains fairly well told with the tape recorders but the story isn't as great as the first. It is actually pretty linear compared to the first, but I hate comparing it to the first, it's kind of unfair but that's what it has to live up to. The story was pretty short as well. Although I must say that the last mission was definitely worth hearing this story and made it feel more engaging.
The Gameplay 24/25
One of the main reasons I didn't really like the way Bioshock 1 controlled was the fact that you couldn't have your plasmids and gun out at the same time. Now you can and combos and variations of plasmids and weapons can be pulled out much quicker and it is not the least bit time consuming. One other problem that I had with the first was the silly hacking mini game. Now they give you moving needle real time hacking mini game that is equally challenging and keeps you in the action. Weapon upgrades are more helpful this time but I found myself usually sticking to the electro bolt plasmid shock to melee with drill combo. It's really beast. Other plasmids though are fun to use and they do vary. The way you gather the real gem of this game and power, ADAM is through the little sisters. The fight with the Big Daddies are really fun but sometimes they can get in the way when you don't wanna mess with them and they can't tell you accidently hit them. Throughout the game actually, and this may seem really repetitive, you fight Big Daddy, adopt the little sister, go look for corpse to gather ADAM, fend off horde of splicers, and repeat. At least it gets somewhat harder later on, but by then you get enough ADAM and gene upgrades that it's pretty easy. After you save or harvest three little sisters a Big Sister comes and wants to wreak you. But because of her predictability you are pretty well prepared for the fight. So the scare factor of her coming goes right out the window.
Final Word
They pretty much fixed everything I didn't like in Bioshock 1 except the story. I enjoyed playing as a Big Daddy and getting to take to care of the Little Sisters. So it was a very engaging game for me because I got connected with them. It was all worth it in the end because it was a satisfying play through although it was really short. Definitely an experience you shouldn't pass on. I did not try multiplayer because I didn't want to get stomped on and felt there was no need really.