Chainsaw Hobbit
2012-07-16, 10:48 PM
Before I start, I need to say that I love the original BioShock. It is quite possibly the best game ever. The story, gameplay, atmosphere, and visuals are all brilliant and tuned to perfection. If you like FPS games, horror games, or even just a good story, you should check it out. Now.
BioShock 2 was recently on sale on Steam (and I think it might be still), so I picked up a copy. I didn't get to play it at first, however, because of Microsoft. They made me make a Windows Live account, which didn't work, because I tried to use my Gmail address. There was no warning against this, so I had to figure out what went wrong myself. After creating a HotMail address and another Windows Live account, I finally got the game to work.
First, I tried the multi-player, but found that no one but me plays it. Having no one to shoot at, I gave the campaign a try.
The player now takes on the role of a Big Daddy. This is of little consequence, because the gameplay feels pretty much the same as it did in the first instalment. This is not a bad thing, it is just not what I was expecting.
The graphics have improved by a small margin. The water looks a lot better, and lighting and shadows have improved, making the experience more immersive. Rapture has decayed and degenerated quite a bit since the first instalment, and now everything is covered in mould, seaweed, and eerie glowing plants.
One thing that made me mad are all of the arbitrary changes to the controls. They have been scrambled, making the game less intuitive. Perhaps this is intentional, to emphasize the fact that the big daddy you play is disoriented and wounded.
I haven't gotten far enough into the campaign to really judge the story, but I can say that it does not really grab me the way the first one does. Perhaps it will get better over time.
If I sounded harsh, I didn't mean to. BioShock 2 is a great game. It doesn't quite live up to its preprocessor, no one is on the multiplayer, and the Windows Live stuff is horribly irritating, but it is still a wild and beutiful ride through the aquatic hellscape of Rapture.
If anyone else has the game, I would love to have a match.
BioShock 2 was recently on sale on Steam (and I think it might be still), so I picked up a copy. I didn't get to play it at first, however, because of Microsoft. They made me make a Windows Live account, which didn't work, because I tried to use my Gmail address. There was no warning against this, so I had to figure out what went wrong myself. After creating a HotMail address and another Windows Live account, I finally got the game to work.
First, I tried the multi-player, but found that no one but me plays it. Having no one to shoot at, I gave the campaign a try.
The player now takes on the role of a Big Daddy. This is of little consequence, because the gameplay feels pretty much the same as it did in the first instalment. This is not a bad thing, it is just not what I was expecting.
The graphics have improved by a small margin. The water looks a lot better, and lighting and shadows have improved, making the experience more immersive. Rapture has decayed and degenerated quite a bit since the first instalment, and now everything is covered in mould, seaweed, and eerie glowing plants.
One thing that made me mad are all of the arbitrary changes to the controls. They have been scrambled, making the game less intuitive. Perhaps this is intentional, to emphasize the fact that the big daddy you play is disoriented and wounded.
I haven't gotten far enough into the campaign to really judge the story, but I can say that it does not really grab me the way the first one does. Perhaps it will get better over time.
If I sounded harsh, I didn't mean to. BioShock 2 is a great game. It doesn't quite live up to its preprocessor, no one is on the multiplayer, and the Windows Live stuff is horribly irritating, but it is still a wild and beutiful ride through the aquatic hellscape of Rapture.
If anyone else has the game, I would love to have a match.