I must admit I was ever so slightly apprehensive when I heard 2K Marin were making a sequel to one of my favourite games of all time, and they were making it without the direction of Ken Levine. My heart sank as I found out about a multiplayer component which seemed to have been shoehorned in after the online shooter boom- why would such a beautifully crafted single-player experience need to be sullied by a narrative-free frag fest. I was almost ready for the crushing disappointment when I half heartedly purchased the game.
Five minutes in and I wish I could travel back in time and bitch slap that idiot who didn't believe the sequels potential. Bioshock 2 is without a doubt a beautiful game and more than worthy follow-up to the magisterial original. Teeming with the same decadent art style and haunting atmosphere, replete with new sights and sounds to engorge the senses.
The story is solid and with the mystery of Rapture now unravelled the narrative has added structure. Its fairly linear but players will still benefit from exploring the hidden denizens of Andrew Ryan's destroyed Metropolis. 2K Marin has also balanced perfectly the role of Big Daddy subject Delta, your eyes for the duration of the game. He is an experimental prototype made over a decade in the past so while he can pulverise splicers with his drill he is still vulnerable to their attacks.
Quasi-boss battles with the Big Sisters are the games highlight, exciting and challenging, they reach heights of exhilaration previously missing from the series.
As for that multiplayer? Its....okay, following the events of the Rapture civil war, as the citizens battle each other to reclaim the fallen society, this component is like a neat little aside on the history of the city. The slow movement of the single player doesn't translate to the online games well and the matches could benefit from a higher player count but aside from that, Online Biochock is diverting enough and not a complete waste.
Bioshock 2 is a thing of beauty, tightening the story up and putting you in the suit of a Big Daddy adds a fresh spin on this already perfect FPS/RPG adventure. If they announced Bioshock 3, ill forego any fore-judgement.
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