PREMATURE EVALUATIONS: Bioshock 2

It should be known that the original Bioshock is, hands down, one of my all time favorite games. However, upon completion I certainly didn’t say to myself “wow, I can’t wait for the sequel” because it didn’t really need one. Everything wrapped up quite nicely, so it is with extreme hesitation that I approach the sequel.

So far, I’m about 4 hours in, having completed the first three areas of the game. It has to be said that the outset of the game fails to impress in exactly the way I feared. The best part about the original Bioshock was seeing what twisted part of Rapture was laying around the next corner, but the earliest stage here has a kind of “been there done that feeling”. I was also a little put off in the way the game just, well, starts. There is a bit of an intriguing opening cinema that contains a pretty good hook. But then, bam, there you are, searching for tonics…again.

Luckily enough, this feeling is slowly assuaged the deeper you get into the game. In fact, the second area you reach, Ryan Amusements, is really well developed and interesting. The plot starts to open up some there as well and by the time I reached the third area, I was actually hooked on unraveling Raptures secrets all over again.

I really dig the new characters. Sofia Lamb stands in sharp contrast to Andrew Ryan as the games antagonist, and despite her desire to kill you, you kind of have to appreciate what she was trying to do for Rapture (although now, she seems a bit over zealous.) I’m a little disappointed that you’re being led along by a swarthy, accented gentleman again, it seems like too much of a rehash, but the more you learn about Sinclair the more intriguing he becomes.

Combat has also seen improvements, specifically the way you use plasmids. The ability to dual wield guns and plasmids totally changes the way you play the game adding some serious strategy into the mix. This particularly comes into play when guarding the little sisters while from splicers. These sequences offer up some of the most calculated and intense shootouts I’ve seen in a while.

For the most part, Bioshock 2 has already convinced me that it’s a worthy sequel and I’ve heard the last half of the game is really something special, so I’m excited to see what it has to offer. Look for my full review sometime next week.