Bioshock 2

I went with the PS3 version.

Finally, BIOSHOCK 2 arrived this week. Since I couldn't shut up about it for months now, it's only natural that I share some thoughts about the game now that I've beaten it.

First, it's only natural to compare the sequel to any game to its predecessor. Especially when it's the sequel to a game as great as the first BIOSHOCK.

In many ways, BIOSHOCK 2 feels more like an expansion to the original game. Like a side story. The plot is much more straightforward. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that the plot is pretty boring compared to the first time around. There aren't any big plot twists like in the last game.

Maybe it's just me, but the sequel felt much shorter than the first game. I never clocked how long it took me on my first play-through of BIOSHOCK, but I managed to blast through BIOSHOCK 2 in under 24 hours, with constant interruptions that I didn't have when I played the first time around. (A friend stopping by, taking care of my puppy, playing poker, etc. Also interruptions that I did have with the previous game like eating, bathroom, sleeping, and stopping to watch TV.)

There are some changes. The U-Invent machines are gone, and I kind of missed them. Hacking is ridiculously simple this time around. The older plasmids have some new features, and there's a new plasmid or two. (For instance, the one where you can scout ahead as a ghost, which I only used once.)

Big Sisters don't seem as intimidating as the Big Daddies from the first game.

The gameplay mechanics are essentially the same. The "moral choice" you make with each Little Sister is essentially the same, except it's delayed a bit this time. There are a few times where you can take out a character or spare them, and that determines which ending you get. (I went with the good ending where, I saved all the Little Sisters and spared the lives of the enemies that you can let go.)

Don't get me wrong. I actually liked the game. The simple fact is, BIOSHOCK is a hard act to follow. Combine that with months and months of anticipation, and it's incredibly hard to live up to expectations and hype. Still, if you liked the first game, you're going to want to play this, and it is a good game.

Now, I want to talk about a few spoilery things...

Spoilers follow below the jump. People reading this in an RSS reader might want to stop after this paragraph!

1) What was the point of bringing back Tennenbaum, only to have her disappear after the first few levels? It's not like we needed to bring her back to remind us we're in Rapture. Plot-wise, where did she go? Does she escape? We seem to be the ones helping out the Little Sisters throughout the game and at the end. She just swans off and leaves us with Foghorn Leghorn jabbering away in our ear for the remainder of the game.

2) I'm glad the developers were smart enough not to pull another Atlas with the guy guiding us along throughout this game. Having him be forced to turn against us rather than manipulating us all along was an alright choice. I'm sure a lot of people were waiting for the swerve, which seems a bit inevitable in a lot of games. (It was so obvious in DEAD SPACE. Ooops. That was a spoiler for that game, if you haven't played it.)

3) I thought the part where you play as the Little Sister briefly was kinda cool. Seeing how they see Rapture differently than it actually is. I did think the last game's "race against your heart stopping" final few levels was cooler though.

4) It really didn't feel like there was much variety in the boss fights. In fact, were there really any aside from Big Daddy and Big Sister encounters? Last time around we had stuff like taking on those guys for Sander Cohen and fighting Fontaine at the end. This time around, even at climactic moments, we wind up fighting the exact same characters we've been fighting all along. It doesn't feel like we build up to anything. I mean sure, it's a little tough taking on more than one Big Sister at a time, but it's not that tough.