Review: BioShock 2

rory12345

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Feb 9, 2010
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In the BBC's review of Bioshock 2, Yahtzee's Bioshock review gets mentioned in it(1:08): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nwqaICKtvQ&feature=related
 

Russ Pitts

The Boss of You
May 1, 2006
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Gametrailers in an 8 minutes review put the biggest 2 seconds spoiler... and ruined the game for most of those who seen it... including myself.
I still haven't read or seen a decent review about the multiplayer, though I'm not that interested in it, it would be know if it will be giggles and lulz or simply mayhem... or giggles and mayhem =D
I liked this review, it seems most people is starting to agree that the campaign doesn't gives a different feeling from the first. Not that I complain, but some people possibly will find it flaw.
 

Bad Cluster

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Nov 22, 2009
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Susan Arendt said:
Ok, having played through more of the game, I finally figured out the best way to describe BioShock 2.

Ok, remember what the later levels of BioShock were like? After you were used to Rapture and Splicers and audio diaries, and the whole rest of it? Levels like Apollo Square and Hephaestus (which I have undoubtedly just spelled wrong). That's what BioShock 2 feels like. It's BioShock, minus the ZOMG of having just discovered this new and wonderful environment.

Make of that what you will.
This is absolutely the best way to describe it to someone who already played Bioshock. For some it will mean good, for some bad, but it will fit them all.
 

Cliff_m85

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Feb 6, 2009
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I'm playing it now (well, not literally now...but you know what I mean). The Big Daddy suit just sucks. I mean, it's an interesting concept but it really takes away from the suspense of the first game where I was just a normal guy. Now I'm a killing machine with a gigantic drill. No real suspense yet. :/
 

Flying Dagger

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Apr 14, 2009
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rory12345 said:
In the BBC's review of Bioshock 2, Yahtzee's Bioshock review gets mentioned in it(1:08): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nwqaICKtvQ&feature=related
i apologise on behalf of my country.

Cliff_m85 said:
I'm playing it now (well, not literally now...but you know what I mean). The Big Daddy suit just sucks. I mean, it's an interesting concept but it really takes away from the suspense of the first game where I was just a normal guy. Now I'm a killing machine with a gigantic drill. No real suspense yet. :/
and that's the only thing that's making me think twice about it, in the first game you were stumbling onto everything by chance, now... well maybe the benefit is that the story can seem more driven during the early stages, i'm trying to media blackout myself so when i finally play it i can work it out as i go along.
 

BizRodian

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Nov 10, 2007
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Also, to all the people complaining about Bioshock's gameplay, how many FPS single player games are actually better? The only games I can think were Deus Ex games, System Shock 2(which I unfortunately haven't played but maybe if I played it I would feel the same way that some of the people that criticize Bioshock for being "shallow.") and Thief games...
That's the thing, those games all came out before Bioshock. It's not that Bioshock is a bad game or something, it's got a lot of great things going for it, but it still felt like it could be a lot better, and I'm just not going to get excited over a sequel if it's just more of the same. I'll buy it when it goes down in price and I'll enjoy it, but I'll be missing System Shock 2 the whole time.
 

Funkysandwich

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Jan 15, 2010
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Andronicus said:
Funkysandwich said:
Andronicus said:
Funkysandwich said:
Andronicus said:
I still don't know if I'll bother picking this up. If it's more of the same then, while the same is good, I don't think it constitutes shelling out AU$100+ for it. I liked Bioshock one, but I guess I really didn't like it that much. I'm a lot more interested in the locations you get to visit than anything else, but I might as well just check the wiki.

Maybe after a year or so, once it's come down in price a bit, I'll reconsider it.
It'll cost you about AU$75 on steam right now.

Having said that, the only thing I liked about Bioshock was the fact that I know someone called Andrew Ryan. Which was pretty funny.

The rest was a bit bleh.
Good point. Thing is, I usually only use Steam for indie games or older games. If I'm going to pick up something brand new and a little more mainstream, I'd rather pay for something a little more tangible. Besides, I don't think my broadband would cope if I only ever used Steam.

EDIT: Also, hehe, funny about knowing someone called Andrew Ryan. My first name's Andrew and my second name's Ryan. *checks Funkysandwich's location* Err, I don't know you, do I?
Do you live in Australia?

Must be pretty awesome being the evil overlord of your own underwater art-deco city.

Well, until you died, that is
Hehe, I live in Melbourne :)

Yeah, the whole dying thing was a bit of a setback in my education, but it's nice that 2K decided to make a game chronicling my life achievements, even if I don't quite remember them...
You're messing with me. You've got to be. Which suburb?
 

AizenTheAzure

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Oct 28, 2009
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I'd like to point out that the little sister stays on your shoulder while you find the corpse for her to drain the adam from. No escort involved, just a short battle while she is draining them. I honestly think the voice action is just as good so far, though I'm only on the 4th area, Sofia Lamb and Augustus Sinclair are good characters. I'm no Bioshock fanboy, I love the game, but I can see it's faults. I think that 2 has vastly improved some aspects of the game, the hacking no longer disrupts the flow of battle, and the remote hacking is very satisfying. I believe that they weren't going so much for impending dread in this game, being new to the world, alone and afraid, not knowing who to trust, as much as they are trying to make you feel powerful. Yes, it detracts from the difficulty, but I'm not playing the game for a challenge, I want the story and atmosphere, and they have captured being a raging big daddy searching the city for his long lost little sister very well. Yes, you can say it's not as good as System Shock 2, and don't get me wrong, I love that game as well, but it just wouldn't work on a console, and really I'm kind of glad that they didn't try to do that.
 

Andronicus

Terror Australis
Mar 25, 2009
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Funkysandwich said:
Andronicus said:
Funkysandwich said:
Andronicus said:
Funkysandwich said:
Andronicus said:
I still don't know if I'll bother picking this up. If it's more of the same then, while the same is good, I don't think it constitutes shelling out AU$100+ for it. I liked Bioshock one, but I guess I really didn't like it that much. I'm a lot more interested in the locations you get to visit than anything else, but I might as well just check the wiki.

Maybe after a year or so, once it's come down in price a bit, I'll reconsider it.
It'll cost you about AU$75 on steam right now.

Having said that, the only thing I liked about Bioshock was the fact that I know someone called Andrew Ryan. Which was pretty funny.

The rest was a bit bleh.
Good point. Thing is, I usually only use Steam for indie games or older games. If I'm going to pick up something brand new and a little more mainstream, I'd rather pay for something a little more tangible. Besides, I don't think my broadband would cope if I only ever used Steam.

EDIT: Also, hehe, funny about knowing someone called Andrew Ryan. My first name's Andrew and my second name's Ryan. *checks Funkysandwich's location* Err, I don't know you, do I?
Do you live in Australia?

Must be pretty awesome being the evil overlord of your own underwater art-deco city.

Well, until you died, that is
Hehe, I live in Melbourne :)

Yeah, the whole dying thing was a bit of a setback in my education, but it's nice that 2K decided to make a game chronicling my life achievements, even if I don't quite remember them...
You're messing with me. You've got to be. Which suburb?
Belgrave. D'you live anywhere around here?
 

TsunamiWombat

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Sep 6, 2008
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Susan Arendt said:
Ok, having played through more of the game, I finally figured out the best way to describe BioShock 2.

Ok, remember what the later levels of BioShock were like? After you were used to Rapture and Splicers and audio diaries, and the whole rest of it? Levels like Apollo Square and Hephaestus (which I have undoubtedly just spelled wrong). That's what BioShock 2 feels like. It's BioShock, minus the ZOMG of having just discovered this new and wonderful environment.

Make of that what you will.
My thoughts exactly miss Arendt. Bioshock 2 is Bioshock without the really SCARY atmospheric parts from the first half of the game. It' not bad, just... not as good.
 

Xelanath

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Jan 24, 2009
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messy said:
Crimson_Dragoon said:
Liked the first one and am glad to hear the second is just as good.

On a related tangent, am I the only one that noticed they included a score (4 out of 5 stars) at the bottom. That's new for their reviews and I'm not sure I like it. I always respected the Escapist for not putting in an arbitrary score (which people will just argue over).
Finally someone else noticed; seriously why the scores? I thought the escapist argued that converting a complex opinion into numbers was just pointless.
Russ Pitts offers an explanation here:
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/editorials/7148-Why-Were-Using-Review-Scores
 

Funkysandwich

Contra Bassoon
Jan 15, 2010
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Andronicus said:
Funkysandwich said:
Andronicus said:
Funkysandwich said:
Andronicus said:
Funkysandwich said:
Andronicus said:
I still don't know if I'll bother picking this up. If it's more of the same then, while the same is good, I don't think it constitutes shelling out AU$100+ for it. I liked Bioshock one, but I guess I really didn't like it that much. I'm a lot more interested in the locations you get to visit than anything else, but I might as well just check the wiki.

Maybe after a year or so, once it's come down in price a bit, I'll reconsider it.
It'll cost you about AU$75 on steam right now.

Having said that, the only thing I liked about Bioshock was the fact that I know someone called Andrew Ryan. Which was pretty funny.

The rest was a bit bleh.
Good point. Thing is, I usually only use Steam for indie games or older games. If I'm going to pick up something brand new and a little more mainstream, I'd rather pay for something a little more tangible. Besides, I don't think my broadband would cope if I only ever used Steam.

EDIT: Also, hehe, funny about knowing someone called Andrew Ryan. My first name's Andrew and my second name's Ryan. *checks Funkysandwich's location* Err, I don't know you, do I?
Do you live in Australia?

Must be pretty awesome being the evil overlord of your own underwater art-deco city.

Well, until you died, that is
Hehe, I live in Melbourne :)

Yeah, the whole dying thing was a bit of a setback in my education, but it's nice that 2K decided to make a game chronicling my life achievements, even if I don't quite remember them...
You're messing with me. You've got to be. Which suburb?
Belgrave. D'you live anywhere around here?
Nah, I live in Mt. Martha, down south.
 
Oct 19, 2008
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Good review.
Decided not to watch it till I'd played some of the game first.
Got it yesterday, and have to completely agree with the things you said.
I'm enjoying it, however I just don't feel as immersed within Rapture as I did in the first.
 

dochmbi

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Sep 15, 2008
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You know what the best thing about Bioshock 2 is? No fking mouse acceleration!!!

Mouse acceleration totally ruined Bioshock 1 for me, I later tryed playing it on the xbox 360 controller, but aiming with an analog stick just makes me feel crippled after using a mouse for more than a decade.
 

Russ Pitts

The Boss of You
May 1, 2006
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Maraveno said:
Russ Pitts said:
Review: BioShock 2

BioShock 2 is a hearty second helping that fans of the original game will absolutely love.

Read Full Article
I know it's silly russ but I'm quoting you directly anyway like this

You stated that it borrows to much from the original... But is this not what a sequel is about? What we've always wanted from a sequel?? staying true to the original with aditions fixes and tweaks and a whole new story to roll through??
Yeah that's one of the challenges of making a sequel, as I stated in the review. Some people expect THE EXACT SAME THING, yet some want something different that's flavored like the original. I think BioShock 2 is a near-perfect mix, but it does feel flat compared to the original because the original was so, if you'll forgive the pun, original.

An example of a game that took another path is Half-Life 2. The original Half-Life was wildly innovative, yet the sequel, instead of retreading the same ground, wildly innovated in other areas with flavorings of the original. The result was a game that was just as striking and powerful as the original, but also vastly different. So much so that many fans of the original game (including this gamer) felt put-off by it.
 

Darkflamex

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Jan 3, 2008
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lol, boring ass voice that nearly put me to sleep but spot on with the review!

I don't understand why everyone is complaining it's too similar to the amazing first game, how can a developer make a sequal to a vastly popular and successful game by changing the way it works completely?

That would make it an entirely different game and that's got potential failure / alienation written all over it for only the 2nd game of the series.

Yes they could of pulled off a Resident Evil 4 by changing the gameplay completely but that is only needed when a francise has gone on for far too long and a game developer needs to dramatically mix it up to make it the game interesting again, Bioshock isn't quite there yet, but by the time you played the 2nd, you might think it is.

Yes i agree that they could of mixed it up a bit more than they have, having electrobolt as the first Plasmid was just laughable at best but oh well, Bioshock 2 is still a worthy successor to it's predecessor, with it's only shortcoming being a storyline that isn't as strong as the first.

I hope they end it with this one and not go for a 3rd (and pigs might fly), that would just be taking the piss, there just isn't enough storyline to continue on the franchise (as this 2nd one proves) and another bout in Rapture would just be ridiculously retarded.
 

xDHxD148L0

The Dissapointed Gamer
Apr 16, 2009
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It wasn't as good as the first, but I still enjoyed it very much and still think its worth owning.