BioShock 2 Review (Rdino123)
This one's tricky - there's a lot to love about Bioshock 2. Returning to the wonderful dystopia of Rapture is an absolute treat, especially when you're kitted out as a Big Daddy, with the firepower and weight that brings. Gameplay is definitely an improvement over the original, especially in the ability to utilise weapons and plasmids simultaneously. Hacking - 'nuf said. The game holds up well, looking quite pretty despite a decade since its release.
But it's not the quite the same - the story is nice, but it definitely doesn't have the 'coherence' of the original. The world fills a little more muddied, the characters not quite as explored to their full depth. Bioshock 1 has some BIG moments, and nothing here reaches quite that same ridiculous high. Also, the loss of the ability to backtrack, while understandable, is a bit of a letdown - in some ways, it makes the game world feel smaller. Finally, it does crash, especially early on - save often to prevent some heartbreak.
But that's all beside the point. If you liked Bioshock 1, and you want to play some more, then I can heartily recommend this. The majority of my complaints are minor, and looking back on my time, I can definitely say I had a lot of fun with this title.