Post by Blazen on Mar 17, 2010 21:03:22 GMT -5
Sometimes, you'd rather read a review from one of your peers than a big reviewing name. Review any games you feel need one here, format is yours to make, just make it consistent.
Name: Bioshock 2
Date of Release (DOR): 2/9/10
Console: Xbox 360
Story: The story of Bioshock 2 is new to veterans of the previous Bioshock as well as newcomers. While the player still explores the ruins of Rapture, only one of the major characters from the previous game is ever seen. Then again, this does take place ten years later. This time around, however, you play as Subject Delta, the first Big Daddy that successfully bonded with his Little Sister, in your case, Eleanor. She is taken from you and now its time to find her again in order to prevent something terrible. New characters appear this time around, however, sense the fall of rapture was over ten years ago, it seemed the people have become a bit more sane. The characters you encounter are not nearly as deranged and crazy, but at the same time far less interesting, which is disappointing as I could remember every character in Bioshock by heart and even name them in order. Also, the game seems to make a far less deal of the other Big Daddies, ironic considering you are one of them. Even the new baddies, the Big Sisters, seem to take a step out of the well deserved spot light. The battles don't feel nearly as climatic as the last game and far less exciting. It could be the fact your a Big Daddy as well makes them less daunting foes as before, but it was still a disappointment that I actually had to be reminded they existed from time to time.
However the story does do well to bring out the new antagonist, Sophia Lamb. Her reasons for taking over Rapture seem well enough, and perhaps she means what she says, but that's hardly any of Delta's concern, but it does make the player take pause. Am I truly doing the right thing, you might ask yourself once or twice. Speaking of doing the right thing, the moral choices in Bioshock 2 have been improved greatly. Now, not only is there the choice between saving and harvesting the little sisters you can pick up, there are a number of key characters that you can either spare or slaughter. All of this makes a fairly large impact on the last half-hour to hour of the game with a grand total of 4 endings. This aspect of the story was a great improvement, but the lack luster characters really hurts this trip to Rapture.
Story: 8/10
Graphics: Once again, Bioshock shows off some impressive visuals. The water effects, like before, are simply amazing. Sometimes I really feel wet when I get hit by a leaking faucet. Not only this, but the world is bright and colorful with some great changes in shade and lighting to enhance many of the scenes. The textures and detailing in the scenery is well done, making the world of Rapture come to life.
However, unlike the last game, Bioshock 2 feels much less atmospheric. The scenes, at many times, feel almost too bright. The levels also feel much more linear and less intimidating. Rapture also seems to have been a recent experiment by a drunk Martha Stewart. They certainly lack much of the 50-60's feel the last game did so well. Rapture, while alive, looks much to nice this time. Much less destructive and riot damage it seems. But this could be just the work of Rapture getting back on its feet, perhaps. Regardless, it took some of the immersion that the last game did so well.
9/10
Gameplay: Gameplay is simply put, better in Bioshock 2. Now, as a Big Daddy, you're able to hold out a weapon and a plasmid at the ready at the same time. This helps make combat much faster paced and more well executed and precise. Guns have been improved as well, they feel much more dangerous than before and much more use able. Aiming, damage, and versatility improvements make Bioshock 2 a much better suited shooter than its predecessor was.
Now back to the plasmids. There are a lot more now, but less organization required. Before it was plasmids, and several kinds of tonics. Plasmids were the more offensive tricks, while tonics were passive. Before there were engineering, physical and combat tonics. Now its just a large group of slots for any kind of tonic allowing the player to specialize Delta more from a more engineerish like class to a flat out drill specialist. Yeah, you get the bouncer drill in this. And it is sexy.
Lastly, hacking. Gone are the tedious pipe minigames that often were more of a pain then any fun. Instead a bar comes up with green, red, white, and blue sections. This bar comes up several times throughout the hacking process for different 'levels' of the hack. Green lets you go to the next level, white ends the hack and hurts you, blue does the same as green, but with a bonus (more damage for turrets, a free item from vending machines), and red sets off an alarm. Also, to make hacking even more convenient is a hacking tool that allows you to hack at distances to get the surprise on splicers or just to avoid gunfire.
Oh and there's online. I've hardly touched the online, but from what I have played its fun. Guns are balanced, plasmids require charging before effective use, and hacking is implemented and changed for the even faster paced action in multyplayer. A rank system exists and as you rank up you're given more plasmids, weapons, and ways to customize one of the six characters given. Each character is also given a back story and a well enough developed personality (for an online mode at least). Even the ability to be a Big Daddy is thrown in, and while I think its gun could be toned down a bit, they're fun to take on.
The gameplay has been vastly improved on all fronts. They even upped the difficulty a bit for a more challenging game than before.
9/10
Overall: 9/10
Bioshock 2 is a great revisit to the world of Rapture. What it lacks in story, it gains in gameplay. If you've been looking for a great sequel to one of the best games of 2007, or just another game to add to your Xbox 360, PS3, or PC library, Bioshock 2 deserves your attention. It does all the things a game should do while providing some great bonding and moral choices to make the player one with Rapture once again.
So folks, I leave you with a quote from Bioshock 2's own Gil Alexander: "You're fired! FIRED! FIRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRED!!!"
Name: Bioshock 2
Date of Release (DOR): 2/9/10
Console: Xbox 360
Story: The story of Bioshock 2 is new to veterans of the previous Bioshock as well as newcomers. While the player still explores the ruins of Rapture, only one of the major characters from the previous game is ever seen. Then again, this does take place ten years later. This time around, however, you play as Subject Delta, the first Big Daddy that successfully bonded with his Little Sister, in your case, Eleanor. She is taken from you and now its time to find her again in order to prevent something terrible. New characters appear this time around, however, sense the fall of rapture was over ten years ago, it seemed the people have become a bit more sane. The characters you encounter are not nearly as deranged and crazy, but at the same time far less interesting, which is disappointing as I could remember every character in Bioshock by heart and even name them in order. Also, the game seems to make a far less deal of the other Big Daddies, ironic considering you are one of them. Even the new baddies, the Big Sisters, seem to take a step out of the well deserved spot light. The battles don't feel nearly as climatic as the last game and far less exciting. It could be the fact your a Big Daddy as well makes them less daunting foes as before, but it was still a disappointment that I actually had to be reminded they existed from time to time.
However the story does do well to bring out the new antagonist, Sophia Lamb. Her reasons for taking over Rapture seem well enough, and perhaps she means what she says, but that's hardly any of Delta's concern, but it does make the player take pause. Am I truly doing the right thing, you might ask yourself once or twice. Speaking of doing the right thing, the moral choices in Bioshock 2 have been improved greatly. Now, not only is there the choice between saving and harvesting the little sisters you can pick up, there are a number of key characters that you can either spare or slaughter. All of this makes a fairly large impact on the last half-hour to hour of the game with a grand total of 4 endings. This aspect of the story was a great improvement, but the lack luster characters really hurts this trip to Rapture.
Story: 8/10
Graphics: Once again, Bioshock shows off some impressive visuals. The water effects, like before, are simply amazing. Sometimes I really feel wet when I get hit by a leaking faucet. Not only this, but the world is bright and colorful with some great changes in shade and lighting to enhance many of the scenes. The textures and detailing in the scenery is well done, making the world of Rapture come to life.
However, unlike the last game, Bioshock 2 feels much less atmospheric. The scenes, at many times, feel almost too bright. The levels also feel much more linear and less intimidating. Rapture also seems to have been a recent experiment by a drunk Martha Stewart. They certainly lack much of the 50-60's feel the last game did so well. Rapture, while alive, looks much to nice this time. Much less destructive and riot damage it seems. But this could be just the work of Rapture getting back on its feet, perhaps. Regardless, it took some of the immersion that the last game did so well.
9/10
Gameplay: Gameplay is simply put, better in Bioshock 2. Now, as a Big Daddy, you're able to hold out a weapon and a plasmid at the ready at the same time. This helps make combat much faster paced and more well executed and precise. Guns have been improved as well, they feel much more dangerous than before and much more use able. Aiming, damage, and versatility improvements make Bioshock 2 a much better suited shooter than its predecessor was.
Now back to the plasmids. There are a lot more now, but less organization required. Before it was plasmids, and several kinds of tonics. Plasmids were the more offensive tricks, while tonics were passive. Before there were engineering, physical and combat tonics. Now its just a large group of slots for any kind of tonic allowing the player to specialize Delta more from a more engineerish like class to a flat out drill specialist. Yeah, you get the bouncer drill in this. And it is sexy.
Lastly, hacking. Gone are the tedious pipe minigames that often were more of a pain then any fun. Instead a bar comes up with green, red, white, and blue sections. This bar comes up several times throughout the hacking process for different 'levels' of the hack. Green lets you go to the next level, white ends the hack and hurts you, blue does the same as green, but with a bonus (more damage for turrets, a free item from vending machines), and red sets off an alarm. Also, to make hacking even more convenient is a hacking tool that allows you to hack at distances to get the surprise on splicers or just to avoid gunfire.
Oh and there's online. I've hardly touched the online, but from what I have played its fun. Guns are balanced, plasmids require charging before effective use, and hacking is implemented and changed for the even faster paced action in multyplayer. A rank system exists and as you rank up you're given more plasmids, weapons, and ways to customize one of the six characters given. Each character is also given a back story and a well enough developed personality (for an online mode at least). Even the ability to be a Big Daddy is thrown in, and while I think its gun could be toned down a bit, they're fun to take on.
The gameplay has been vastly improved on all fronts. They even upped the difficulty a bit for a more challenging game than before.
9/10
Overall: 9/10
Bioshock 2 is a great revisit to the world of Rapture. What it lacks in story, it gains in gameplay. If you've been looking for a great sequel to one of the best games of 2007, or just another game to add to your Xbox 360, PS3, or PC library, Bioshock 2 deserves your attention. It does all the things a game should do while providing some great bonding and moral choices to make the player one with Rapture once again.
So folks, I leave you with a quote from Bioshock 2's own Gil Alexander: "You're fired! FIRED! FIRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRED!!!"