Bioshock 2 is a welcome return to Rapture for those who haven't had enough of the underwater city.
Bioshock 2 introduced an array of new characters, some of which where briefly mentioned in the first game and others that simply seem to materialize from thin air. Audio-Diaries provide some information as to what they were doing in the first game, but their presence seems to be a little contrived. And helping Subject Delta through the usual short-wave radio is a man called Sinclair. His name appears in various places in the first game, but his reasons for becoming your ally are never clear.
The gameplay complements Bioshock 2's new protagonist. As a Big Daddy, you're supposed to bigger and stronger, and the game lets you feel like that. Subject Delta lumbers around with heavy footfalls, his guns are bigger, his plasmids more powerful. It is also noteworthy that Subject Delta can wield both plasmids and guns at the same time, reducing the amount of tedious switching that accompanied the first game. Both the guns and plasmids have been given an expanded range of uses, allowing the player to choose his own playing style. If running-and-gunning, it's probably a good idea to equip the Minigun and Incinerate and let the bullets and fire fly. If hanging back in a defensible spot seems like the only option, Subject Delta can easily set up a perimeter with Mini-Turrets, Trap Rivets and the Cyclone Trap, which can now be infused with virtually any plasmid and sit it a corner with a Shotgun and let the splicers throw themselves on your defences. And if you prefer not to fight, you can do that too. The improved hacking feature in the game and a couple of plasmids like Scout, Hypnosis and Security command will let you stroll through the game with security bots and friendly splicers doing the killing for you.
Despite the fact that you have a better range of options and bigger guns, the game still is challenging. There are still Big Daddies to take down, and as Big Daddy, Subject Delta can choose to adopt the Little Sisters and have them harvest ADAM from bodies. An army of splicers comes screaming at these points, all of them hell-bent on taking the ADAM from the Little Sister. And when you are done with all the Little Sisters in the level, by harvesting or curing them, a Big Sister shows up. Big Sisters are older versions of Little Sisters. They don't sing charming little songs in eerily echoing voices or stare at you with big glowing eyes. They look similar to Big Daddies, except lithe and nimble. They can use a variety of plasmids, climb around on walls and regenerate their health, making them one of the toughest opponents in the game.
There are some flaws that diminish this experience, however. The first is a persistent little glitch that makes Subject Delta's plasmid hand disappear. It can be fixed by reloading, unless you saved after it happened. It does not happen often, and only after hours of play, but it is incredibly frustrating when it does happen. The second flaw is the game's reluctance to move away from the first. The beginning of Bioshock 2 feels too familiar for people who have played the first. Subject Delta comes across the same plasmids in nearly the same order, finds the same (function-wise, not crushingly powerful-wise) weapons and comes to understand the Little Sister-Big Daddy relationship the same way. And finally, when moving too close to an object, you notice your gun and plasmid hand remain the same size. Even when you move close enough that a bathroom tile nearly fill the screen. It is a little unappealing to see a grenade launcher that is smaller than a bathroom tile. This is barely noticeable, however, unless you keep walking straight into walls.
Bioshock 2 also leaves the feeling that more possibilities could have been explored with the Little Sister-Big Daddy relationship. Instead of tweaking the systematic ADAM gathering process of the first game, the game might have gone a bit deeper into the lives of the franchise's iconic figures. At one point, the game lets you take control of a Little Sister, and you see the world as her heavily conditioned mind sees it. It is an unsettling experience, and perhaps the scene with the most feeling in the game. But it is the only scene that moves in that direction, and leaves you wanting more.
The game also has a multiplayer that takes places during Rapture's civil war, one year before the events of the first game. There are several characters, each with their own personalities and unlockable Audio-Diaries, and they shed a little light on life in Rapture. The multiplayer itself is technically similar to most other FPS multiplayer modes. The inclusion of plasmids and the randomly spawning Big Daddy suit, which turns the finder into an all-powerful Big Daddy make the multiplayer feel less generic and more like Bioshock, at the cost of being slightly imbalanced. Usually, the team who finds the most Big Daddy suits wins, because it is so powerful. There is still a chance for the player to rank up without getting any kills, since assists, taking research photos of dead bodies and hacking machines still yields a lot of points, lessening the impact of the overpowered features. The multiplayer can still be loads of fun if one does not approach it too competitively.
Bioshock 2 is a welcome return to Rapture. For those who have not had enough of Andrew Ryan's failing paradise, it will feel like coming back home.