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A Welcome Return to Rapture

by Armando Avila

Back in 2007 Irrational and 2K games took us into the world of Rapture for the first time and exposed us, through the eyes of an airplane survivor named Jack, to this wonderfully morbid underwater dystopia. Two years later 2K Marin takes us back to Rapture, but this time from the perspective of the first Big Daddy. As the undertaking begins there is a sense of familiarity since we are visiting Rapture again, so it isn't an entirely new experience in that sense, but seeing the world from the eyes of the first Big Daddy helps to create a new perspective to enjoy. An issue I have with the game though is that it doesn't seem like much of an improvement was made in terms of graphics and how this game looks. It doesn't ruin the experience in any way, as the game still looks good, but one would think that the textures wouldn't be as fuzzy as they were two years ago. 

When I first heard news of a sequel I was in the camp that cried "Blasphemy!" since I didn't see the need for a continuation to the story of the first finely crafted game. But as I soon learned that, while this sequel may be unnecessary, it is still very much a fun romp through the world of Andrew Ryan's Rapture. As I just mentioned that the first game's story is so unique, that I was skeptical about a sequel. And I was right in that sense that because the story, while still very good, isn't anywhere as near as enthralling or memorable as the first's. A new antagonist named Sophia Lamb has created a cult following among the surviving inhabitants and makes things difficult for you by sending splicers your way to create trouble. All the while you are trying to figure out what your connection is to all this.  

In order to fend them off you are now capable of dual wielding plasmids and weapons, which is a very welcome addition to the gameplay. It's one of those things that I just didn't think about beforehand, but now that it's there, I couldn't go without it. I'm also the type of gamer that hates escort and protective missions like a passion, but you are forced to protect the little sisters if you want to gather more ADAM to be more powerful. So I "knew" I was going to hate these segments too, but I was pleasantly surprised at how much fun it was to protect these little girls from the splicers coming at you from all directions. Especially knowing that a big sister fight was possibly coming after harvesting ADAM and taking the little sisters back to their tubes, I found this to be a very tense experience since I wasn't sure if I'd have enough. Though, with a little strategy, I was able to conserve enough resources to give the big sisters a tough fight.  

Though the story may not be as shocking, I found the pacing to be much better. Granted the first few hours may take some pushing to get through, but once it gets going it really doesn't stop. There's a sensation to keep going and find out who this Sophia Lamb person is and how exactly it is that you're the first Big Daddy and what connection there is between you, the little sisters, and, a formidable new foe, the big sisters. 

Speaking of little sisters, there is a segment towards the end of the game that parallels the big daddy segment of the first. While many gamers loathed that portion in the first, one would be happy to find that the segment in part two is vastly superior and very engaging. The gamer is offered the chance to see Rapture from a rose colored, yet twisted perspective. Now this is a portion that occurs late in the game and while I'm on the topic of the end of the game, the ending is much more satisfying than that of the first. I actually felt some sort of closure this time around. 

So while Bioshock 2 doesn't break new ground, it doesn't do anything bad, but it improves on certain gameplay issues from the first which is all anyone can expect from a sequel. And the story isn't as memorable either, but it is told in a better fashion and I found myself on the edge of my seat more often in this game. The protective missions aren't nearly as bad as I would have thought, but rather very enjoyable and tense. In the end, this may not have been a necessary sequel, but I still recommend you to take a dive in a bathysphere to return to the world of Rapture.