After the incredible experience that was my delayed time with Bioshock 1, I decided that moving onto its sequel, Bioshock 2 was an order. Sequels are notorious for not living up to their predecessor, and given how revolutionary Bioshock 1 was for me, I was excited to see if its sequel managed to better it somehow. Nonetheless, here is what I thought about Bioshock 2.
Story –
Although captivating, I thought Bioshock 2’s story was a lot less… enthralling than that of the first game. Bioshock 2 follows similar story-bases as Bioshock 1, with a cast of characters that are rarely seen yet play vital roles throughout. Personally I thought that one of the main reasons I could not really get into the story of Bioshock 2 was for large portions, I never really understood what was happening. Still, I do not know why I was a Big Daddy, or why I was supposed to actually care about Sofia or Eleanor in the end? It lacked the real ‘wow’ moment that came from the first game when you find out you’ve been tricked throughout your entire journey by Atlas.
That all being said, it was still interesting, and I never really thought of it as a slog to get through, making it to the end regardless. It is just, when I finished the experience, I was kind of left with no real impact or satisfaction from what I had experienced.
World Premise & Characters –
Bioshock 2 follows a lot of the similar patterns of the first game, however it lacks the first time impressions left from your first visit to Rapture. It also lacks that kick that the cast of characters from the first game left upon you as the player, with Eleanor Lamb not really having the same footprint as Atlas. The setting and characters are still okay, but as is the case with most sequels in gaming, they do not feel like they leave the same impact as the original title. I really cannot understate how a nearly identical world and atmosphere impacts this.
Game-Play –
Bioshock 2 is the same as Bioshock 1 in terms of game-play. It has everything you’d come to expect, such as plasmid and gun-play in a horror/dystopian setting. However, there is one major difference, that being that you are now a Big Daddy.
Being a Big Daddy in Bioshock 2 was a unique play in comparison to the first game, however, I never really understood it? It made the game-play feel slow paced and generally I never really *felt* like I was a Big Daddy, especially when compared to how intimidating they seemed in the first game. I never felt like I was suddenly the character to be feared.
That being said, being a Big Daddy opened a space up for a new main enemy, that being the Big Sisters. These enemies are a lot more terrifying than Big Daddies in the first game. Their sudden arrival, combined with the announcements of their incoming created a sudden adrenaline rush that the first game couldn’t match. As well as this, they were the first enemy to actually kill me between the two games. I thought they were a great addition and allowed for a lot of tense and difficult moments.
Unfortunately though there were a few glitches throughout my play-through. There were times where enemies would become lodged in walls or floors, or more importantly, where my left hand would just vanish, and it would take spamming of all the shoulder buttons to randomly bring it back.
The game felt incredibly rushed playing through it, not in terms of development, but in terms of actual length. Once again comparing it to Bioshock 1, Bioshock 2 felt very fast to finish. This may have contributed to how unsatisfied I was with the ending, due to how quickly I got there.
Visuals –
I am not sure whether it is just a me-thing but Bioshock 2 had some absolutely awful visual experiences. This was especially the case during cut-scenes, where they would look as though they were displaying at 240p resolution, despite playing on a PS5 and a 4K TV. This was particularly the case in the final CGI/cut-scene moment of the game, I barely could see what was going on visually.
As for the actual game-play visually, I found no real issues, it looks the same as the first game.
Music –
Something Bioshock always gets right is the music. Bioshock 2 had more impactful music in my opinion, particularly in the loading screens. Songs like ‘You Always Hurt the One You Love’ and especially ‘Hush, Hush, Hush, Here Comes the Bogeyman’ left such a brilliant impression. Bogeyman sets more of an atmospheric tone that most of the actual game-play, especially with you being the bogeyman per se this time around.
Conclusion –
Generally, Bioshock 2 was a good enough experience to finish, however it really failed to leave the lasting impression that the first game left upon me. This is largely down to the repeated visuals from the first game, with similar scenery and world. Characters are not as memorable as the first game, and the story feels somewhat pointless come the end. It is a traditional Bioshock experience, but that is its downfall, it fails to really innovate in any way from where the first game was so great.
Final Score – 6/10
Nathan Brennan 