14 DAY TRIAL // 
Going back is never easy. There's heartache. You don't know if the old gal looks the same. You don't know who's been with her for the last ten years. You don't know what her beliefs are anymore.
Rapture, to me, was very much the star of the first BioShock and I wasn't extremely excited to go back to her in the sequel.
After all, how could it ever be the same again between us when I murdered so many of the inhabitants the last time I was around, including the one man who built the old gal from the ground (or maybe the bottom of the ocean) up?
Well, BioShock 2 is an experience on par with the first game in the franchise, which will probably see more installments coming from 2K Games and its various studios.
A little lighter on story, atmosphere and pure shock, it's nevertheless much better when it comes to the fighting, introducing some nice challenges and simplifying most of the exploration of Rapture. Oh, and it's got a multiplayer mode that, although has some lag issues, could draw quite a crowd.
Plot
Rapture is still there, at the bottom of the sea, and a new ideology and power filled the vacuum caused by the death of Andrew Ryan and by the defeat of Fontaine in his super-powered form. Sophia Lamb is a psychologist who worked with Hiroshima survivors and came to the libertarian utopia in order to treat those who had problems with the underwater life. Seeing the city and the vision that powers it, she decides that her own communalism is more suited and she debates Ryan before the events of the first game. She seems to have managed to create a new social system in Rapture, with the Splicers, the Big Daddies and the Little Sisters all part of The Family, directly under her control.
The player crashes into the game universe, being early on established that they were linked with Eleanor, Lamb's daughter. As the game progresses, other characters linked to Eleanor and Lamb are encountered and a picture emerges of the plans linking the two with the main character. While the story itself might lack the gut punching moment present in the first, the ultimate payoff is much more satisfying and emotional, making it worth it to play through twice to get at least two of the four endings.
Gameplay
The basic template of the initial BioShock is still used. There are areas of Rapture that the player explores, filled with Splicers, Little Sisters and accompanying Big Daddies. The player can now use plasmids and weapons at the same time, making combat more fluid and opening up more options to deal with enemies. The Splicers also seem a bit smarter, especially in large numbers, able to circle around the player and work in team to distract them. The areas appear a bit larger and more ammo and health dispensers spread around.
The early Big Daddy model you inhabit needs ADAM, health and EVE to survive, and the Rapture you visit seems a bit tougher to navigate. The big Daddy fights are pretty much on par with those in the first BioShock and the newly introduced Big Sister battles, happening near the end of the levels, seem much less punishing than the developers let on in press statements, with a combo of lightning attacks and mini-guns or rivet bullets making short work of them.
The hacking has been tweaked so that the process is shorter and less boring and the introduction of the auto hack dart makes taking out turrets and cameras trivial. There are more plasmid-based powers to use but I found that tonics much more important, especially those that make the player dish out damage and elemental effect when being hit.
A special mention for fun goes to the gathering sections where the player needs to defend a Little Sister as she gets precious ADAM from corpses. The points where these mini last stands happen are carefully placed by the developers to allow gamers to build plans before they put the Little Sister down and even place some traps around to help in the fight. The variety of strategies is only limited by the weapons you carry and by the proximity of an ammo dispenser. Later on, when enemies get tougher, the tension escalates and the need for more ADAM is countered by that of conserving resources that can be drained in the combat.
Visuals and audio
Rapture has never looked so good, as the two years separating the titles in the series are clearly obvious in the graphics, but it would have been nice on the part of 2K to offer a bit more diversity in the looks of the levels. Dionysus Park is unique in its looks and the underwater segments, although lacking gameplay relevance, offer a nice change of scenery but the industrial feel of most of the other areas can feel a bit depressing and desolate after a while. The Family was supposed to have brought Rapture to a state of actual peace and stability before the re-entry of the player and maybe the way the areas look should have reflected that a bit more. Still, the graphics will not get in the way of the experience and there's a segment later in the game where the contrast between two ways of texturing the same area is quite well played for dramatic effect.
The audio logs continue to be among the most interesting elements of the game universe. As in the first BioShock, you can run into quite a lot of snippets linked to how the history of Rapture played out before the gamer entered it. The interactions between Andrew Ryan and Sophia Lamb are especially interesting, as are the few linked diaries left behind by the father who went to Rapture to save his kidnapped daughter, especially when you get to meet him later. The locations and contents for some of them don't make a lot of sense but they are so integral to the atmosphere that it would have been a shame on the part of the developers to dial back their use.
Multiplayer
One of the big changes for BioShock 2 has been the introduction of multiplayer, something the original lacked. Digital Extremes, which has long been involved in the Unreal Tournament series, took all the elements central to the game universe and translated them into multiplayer. There are vending machines to be emptied, Big Daddy suits to win and then use, turrets to hack, downed enemies to research for future advantages and the concept of looking for the ultimate combination of plasmid and weapon, which delivers the biggest damage and incapacitates the enemy for the longest time.
One problem is that the developers have decided that the Modern Warfare model needs to be followed, with experience leading to gained levels that grant new plasmids. The upside is a bit more interest and engagement with the game, while the downside is the fact that high level players have some advantages, like the use of those annoying bees. The multiplayer is also set to get some new content in March, with the Sinclair Test Solutions Pack adding fresh options.
Conclusion
BioShock 2 is a game definitely worth playing but those who engage in it need not expect the same experience delivered by its predecessor. There are some rough edges, the experience seems too short for me and the multiplayer offerings really don't add a lot, but the core of the videogame is brilliantly designed, well built and delivers some genuine thrills when it comes to the more complex Big Sister pre-arranged fights and to the mini last stand elements built around ADAM gathering.
It will be interesting to see whether 2K Games and its various studios will create a third game in the BioShock universe. There's certainly place for it left at the end of this experience and it could be something entirely different, with the player and some fundamental elements like the Little Sisters separated from Rapture and affecting the surface world for the first time. Just make it longer and evolve the story enough to shock as much as that of the first BioShock.
