Some games are so good, they make it hard for the successor to live up to expectations. This is the case with Bioshock 2. The funny thing is that Bioshock 2 does everything its predecessor did, except better--the only thing missing is the surprise.
In Bioshock 2, you play as a Big Daddy. Despite your heavy frame, you move surprisingly nimble. In addition to the assortment of pistols, tommy guns, and grenade launchers, you get to wield a gas-powered hand drill, which makes for some particularly brutal encounters. The game follows the same formula as the previous game, where exploration and combat take center stage. Fighting against splicers remain as fun as ever, as you throw a combination of ammunition and plasmids into their faces, stringing together comboes with different powers to maximize damage. The game remains flexible and gives you many combat options from defense-orientated trap setting to Rambo-style full assaults. Enemy types are still the same, with the exception of the big sisters, a more limber version of the big daddy.
While the luster of exploring Rapture has worn off, the place is still detailed and interesting. The environment is still packed with video recordings to give insight in to Rapture society pre-rapture, and minor excursions into the seawater give you an up-close look at coral flora. Ruin is everywhere, the buildings crumble, drip, and leak. Debris and rubble litter the place. The music remains fantastic, echoing an era long past with classic lounge jazz and sad strings to punctuate dramatic moments.
One of the great things about Bioshock is the feeling that you're not alone, that you're only one part of a thriving ecosystem that functions without you. This is further emphasized in the sequel since it gives you direct interaction with the little sisters. AI-controlled characters roam around the world and the feeling of "scripted" is scaled back. Encounters feel more dynamic (even if they aren't) and the game is more polished overall.
Unfortunately, the feeling of "been there, done that" pervades every part of the experience and the final narrative twist isn't as powerful. While there are still some interesting perspective shifts, if you've played the first, there's nothing new here. But don't let that stop you from enjoying a fine sequel. We could all use a little Rapture now and then.
At least until Bioshock Infinite comes out.
