SIDE NOTE: As I’ve mentioned before, the original Bioshock was an outstanding experience. The atmosphere, character development, and overall quality presented made it an absolute must-play experience. I strongly suggest to any that have not played the first to do so. Bioshock 2 will be a more enjoyable experience if you do. Also, you will miss references to the first that only veterans of the first will understand and appreciate. There will be spoilers of the original in this review as well, so it’s in your best interest to play Bioshock.

After original protagonist Jack Ryan took care of Andrew Ryan and Frank Fontaine (Atlas), it was unclear as to how a sequel would even work at this point. Bioshock seemed to have a clear and definitive end, but 2K Marin manages to make the sequel another outstanding experience, but there are a few issues. Taking place 10 years after the original; you now get to take control of the first Big Daddy known as “Subject Delta”. Your goal is to be reunited with your Little Sister, and find out whose the mastermind behind Rapture once more. Without giving too much away, this story is somewhat hit or miss. The first two-thirds of the game aren’t nearly as interesting as the original, but the game picks up immensely in the final hours. It becomes evident that no character in the series will ever fill the shoes of Andrew Ryan or Frank Fontaine in terms of overall quality, but who is here definitely keeps the story interesting.

One of my biggest complaints with the title is that Rapture just isn’t as enigmatic as it once was. What made the first game stand out as such an incredible affair was the sense of paranoia and mystery that Rapture upheld. For one, playing as a Big Daddy does not make you feel nearly as defenseless as Jack Ryan did. The fact that you are what was once looked at as the biggest threat in Rapture takes away from that sense of vulnerability. Although the newly introduced Big Sisters put up quite a fight, it still doesn’t stack up right.

Complaints aside, Bioshock 2 is still undoubtedly a worthy addition to the series. After playing the Big Daddy segment in the last game, I wasn’t too sure as to how much fun playing one would really be. Many refinements have been made to the gameplay, and it’s all for the better. Subject Delta doesn’t control nearly as tank-like as one might think, which was a major relief for me. Your drill, as you would expect, is your default weapon. Now I’ve never really been a big fan of first-person melee in video games, but 2K Marin managed to make the drill feel just about as right as it could. Amongst the drill will be returning weapons such as a shotgun, machine gun, and others. New guns introduced are really just the weapons from the original, but made to suit a Big Daddy. Instead of a pistol, you now have a rivet gun. The crossbow has been replaced with a spear gun. My personal favorite due to it’s convenience (although not a weapon) is the hack tool. This allows the player to shoot a dart at anything they want hacked, and hack it from a safe location. Power To the People machines are also back, so every weapon here can be upgraded to the players liking. Yes, the upgrades are just as cool as ever. Plasmids are also just as important as they always were, but no real refinements have been made other then the fully upgraded form of each, which is absolutely killer.

From a visual standpoint, Rapture looks just as good as it always had. There haven’t really been any changes technically, but the beautiful art style that 2K Marin has preserved is still intact and looks great. The frame rate is locked at around 30, but an option from the menu will change it to 60. You will sacrifice some of the visuals though, so I’d recommend keeping it the way the developers intended. The sound, once again, is absolutely outstanding. Audio diaries found around Rapture are just as compelling as ever, and add extra depth to the already ominous world. Voice acting is just as strong as ever, but for some reason the lip syncing on some characters look off. And as usual, the soundtrack is stellar and fits the time period perfectly.

Surprisingly, the addition of a multiplayer component is what pushes Bioshock 2 from “Great” to “Outstanding”. Digital Extremes did a terrific job in making a fun, competitive online whilst still preserving the essence of Rapture. The multiplayer, which takes place in 1959 (10 years before Bioshock 2) is made to act as testing grounds for Sinclair Solution’s new weapons and plasmids. It doesn’t really mean anything, but is a clever way for the game to provide an online experience without it seeming forced. The modes here are Civil War, Last Splicer Standing, Capture the Sister, ADAM Grab, Team ADAM Grab, Survival of The Fittest and Turf War. These are all game modes we’ve seen in previous games, just made to fit the world of Rapture. A class structure, similar to that of the Call of Duty series is here as well. Players can select their 2 main weapons, plasmids, and tonics. You will unlock more as you go, so it will add a little bit of depth and keep people coming back for even a little while longer.

So does Bioshock 2 live up to it’s predecessor? No. To be honest, I haven’t played too many games in the last few years that even could. But for what it’s worth, Bioshock 2 is a very enjoyable experience. 2K Marin did a great job with preserving Rapture while managing to create a new story that didn’t seem too detached from the original, and Digital Extremes provides a well made multiplayer element that is definitely worth checking out. All of this comes together to make a worthy addition to the Bioshock series. Now Bioshock is supposedly going to be a trilogy, so I’m interested as to how an end will be made to Rapture.

9.0/10

GameTrailers TV aired the first gameplay footage of 2K Marin’s BioShock 2 and, well, hit the jump to see the clip and then i’ll give you my thoughts.

Personally, I think it looks a lot like the original. This is no bad thing, I mean why fix what’s not broken right? I was apprehensive about playing the whole game as a big daddy but this has quelled my fears somewhat. Definitely looking forward to this one, oh please don’t suck.

There’s been a little confusion as of late as to BioShock 2 and it’s subtitle. In the original trailer the title seemed to be “BioShock 2 : Sea Of Dreams”. After a recent logo released from 2K the subtitle was gone, leading people to believe that it had been removed. It then returned albeit briefly and now 2K have announced that the subtitle was the title of the original trailer (although it was considered for the full title) and will not be used for the final game.

I guess that’ll be a few people happy. It seemed many didn’t like the subtitle. I was indifferent to be honest. Something could have the worst title in the world, as long as it’s a good game I don’t care.

[By Anthony]

The first piece of BioShock ‘exclusive’ downloadable content is coming to the PS Store on November 20th. 2K’s erie underwater shooter BioShock recently got released on Sony’s console to much acclaim. This DLC was announced shortly before the game was announced and, although they could have included these on the disc, I think it’s great 2K want to support the PS3 with these ‘rooms’. Hit the jump for the details.

The first pack of downloadable rooms will be released on November 20th, in the U.S., for $9.99. I assume the UK release date will be around the same time (if not before). The three rooms are.

• Shocking Turn Of Events
• The I In Team
• Worlds Of Hurt

The first two rooms have you using a limited set of tools to rescue a little sister. However, ‘Worlds Of Hurt’ us a little (read: a lot) harder. This room throws everything Rapture has to offer at the player (hence the name).

This DLC also includes a new set of trophies, which is nice. I am yet to pick up the game but, I will definitely be picking it up in the coming months. PS3 Fanboy have a full description of each of the rooms here.

[By Anthony]

It looks like BioShock’s ‘exclusive’ downloadable content is getting it’s own set of Trophies. A PS3Fanboy tipster has sent in the list, which includes all but one of the trophies that gamers will be able to enjoy when the DLC gets released next month. Hit the jump for the list.

• “The ‘I’ in Team” – Rescuer
  Rescued the Little Sister in “The ‘I’ in Team”
  
• “The ‘I’ in Team” – Expert
  Rescued the Little Sister in “The ‘I’ in Team” in under 3:00
• “The ‘I’ in Team” – Collector
  Found all collectible Roses in “The ‘I’ in Team”
• “The ‘I’ in Team” – Pacifist
  Rescued the Little Sister in “The ‘I’ in Team” without destroying any Machine Gun Turrets
• “A Shocking Turn of Events” – Rescuer
  Rescued the Little Sister in “A Shocking Turn of Events”
• “A Shocking Turn of Events” – Expert
  The player has rescued the Little Sister in “A Shocking Turn of Events” in under 4:00
• “A Shocking Turn of Events” – Collector
  Found all collectable Roses in “A Shocking Turn of Events”
• “A Shocking Turn of Events” – Master Electrician
  Charged up the Ferris Wheel 9 different times in “A Shocking Turn of Events”
• “Worlds of Hurt” – Rescuer
  Rescued the Little Sister in “Worlds of Hurt”
• “Worlds of Hurt” – Expert
  Rescued the Little Sister in “Worlds of Hurt” in under 15:00, on Medium or higher difficulty
• “Worlds of Hurt” – CollectorFound all collectible Roses in “Worlds of Hurt”
• “World of Hurt” – Tough Guy
  Rescued the Little Sister in “World of Hurt” using only plasmids, tonics, the wrench, and the research camera, on Medium or higher difficulty.

Not picked up BioShock yet, but I definitely want to and as long as the DLC is at a reasonable price I can’t see why I won’t be getting that too.

[By Anthony]

2K have announced that the PS3 version of BioShock will be getting it’s own exclusive downloadable content in November. The DLC in question will come in the form of ‘Challenge Rooms’. Which will include various puzzles, tasks and whatnot set in the undersea world of Rapture.

The DLC is coming on November 20th, there has yet to be a price announced for the game but I doubt it’ll be too much.

[By Anthony]

2K are going to issue a patch to fix some of the graphical issues people are seeing in the PS3 port of BioShock. Today they detailed said patch revealing two of the things that would be fixed by the update. One of 2K’s communty managers, going by the name 2K Elizibeth, posted this partial list on the official BioShock forums today:

• Fix for an issue where large blocky pixels would show up whenever viewing the Bouncer and Elite Bouncer variants of the Big Daddy.
• Fix for an issue where white/discolored bars would show up at the right and bottom sides of the screen during the plane crash / water scene at the beginning of the game.

There are some other problems that are going to be fixed and, although there’s no ETA on this patch yet, we expect it in the coming weeks.

[By Steve]

As a follow up to Ryan’s post concerning some questionable graphics in the PS3 port of Bioshock, 2K have moved quickly to put the minds of owners of Sony’s console at rest by issuing the following statement to members of their official forums

Hey guys,

First, I want to thank you for the acute attention to detail and the Spartan level of expectation our most devoted BioShock fans hold us to, and how excited you are and attentive to the BioShock PS3 demo. When we saw a post asking about issues found in the demo, we jumped on it immediately. And you know what, you’re right. The texture in the PS3 demo of the downed Big Daddy does not match our level of quality either. This slipped by. We admit it. However, I want to assure you that this is an exception, and not a rule, and while I regret this oversight, we put a lot of love into making this game look amazing for the PS3 and I’m sure that when you play the rest of the demo you will agree that the textures are not all like this one instance.

As for the other issues and concerns, we are currently diligently working to replicate any bugs, and will report back to you with what we find. Thank you for your vigilance here and moving forward.

Isolated incident or widespread problem with the game?  Bioshock is a thoroughly enjoyable title and one that PS3 owners who’ve never experienced before should definitely check out, regardless of the odd dodgy texture.

[By Ryan]

The Incredible Bioshock is being ported to the Ps3. We know this. But it should have a graphical overhaul right? RIGHT? Well, recent screen shots beg to differ. Don’t believe it? Hit the jump and see for yourself. It just doesn’t make sense.

                                                  Can you guess which is which?

If you couldn’t tell, the top is the Xbox 360 and the bottom is the Playstation 3. Notice the blocky textures on the big copper thing and how washed out the PS3 screen shot is. Why this is? I have no idea. Cmon 2k games, you’re degrading your own game.

See? Even Big Daddy knows it.

[By Ryan]

For all of you PS3 owning gamers that never got the chance to play the ridiculously well made Bioshock, the wait is over. The game has finally gone gold, and is now being manufactured. Honestly, I don’t care if its not your type of game, you’re going to play it, and you’re going to love it. And the fact that this one has trophy support, and an extra mode compared to the Xbox 360? If you own a PS3 and don’t buy this, just set your damn console on fire. It’s going to waste. It comes out on the 24th in the UK and the 21st in the US. Buy it.