BioShock 2 is rated M for Mature, it's not for the kids.
Story
Set eight years after the events in the original BioShock, Rapture is a very different place. You are Delta, one of the first Big Daddies, charged with the protection of a Little Sister as she gathers ADAM. Ten years prior Sophia Lamb, the woman now in charge of Rapture, made you kill yourself because her daughter was the Little Sister that was paired with you.
Dr. Brigid Tenenbaum has revived you to help her. On the surface she had heard reports of little girls being kidnapped off the coast. Tenenbaum, the woman who created the process of turning little girls into Little Sisters, came back to Rapture knowing someone there was doing it and using her process to create new Little Sisters. Something she hoped would never happen. Upon your revival she tells you that your paired Little Sister, Eleanor is still alive and that you need to not only rescue her, but that if you don't get to Eleanor a fail-safe designed to keep Big Daddies from wandering away from their Little Sisters will kill you. She also wants you to rescue the other Little Sisters.
Sophia Lamb has other plans for her daughter and would rather see you dead, permanently. Unlike Andrew Ryan, who believed in the power of the individual in the first game, she has organized much of the population of Rapture into a cult like collective she refers to as The Family. It up to you to save Eleanor, the other Little Sisters. Along the way you find out what happened to Rapture and the bigger plans Lamb has that go beyond the city's walls.
Along with the main single player story, there is sort of a prequel story for the multiplayer portion of the game. It is set just prior to events of the original BioShock, with the multiplayer battles being played as sort of the internal war that brought Rapture down in the first game.
Controls
2K Smartly didn't mes with the controls to much. They did change the "inject EVE" and "use First Aid" from the X and B buttons to the D-pad. This reflects the new ability to use plasmids and weapons at the same time. It was quick to get used to and the game will remind you what button to press when you get low on health, EVE, or ammo. Otherwise they fairly the same as before and work well for a FPS game.
Gameplay
The gameplay is pretty much the same as the first. As noted above you can now use plasmids (various powers) and weapons together. Additionally as a Big Daddy you now have access to their weapons, the drill and rivet gun. Other new weapons are introduced also, a .50 machine gun, a spear gun, and a hacking tool launcher. The first two are pretty much reworked versions of the machine gun and crossbow from the first.
The hacking tool launcher is new and allows you to hack machines from a distance. This is a welcome change from trying to find a way to get as close as possible to the machine to hack it.
Semi-surprising is how not so tough a Big Daddy is, at least you in particular. Granted it is a game balance, but you seem to die a lot easier than the Big Daddies in both BioShock games. Good thing the VitaChambers still work and bring you back to life.
The moral question of what to do with Little Sisters is also back. In this one though they ad a little twist, since you don't have the one you are paired with you temporarily "adopt" Little Sisters from other Big Daddies. The trick is you have to defeat them first. After defeating a Big Daddy you have the choice of adopting or harvesting the Little Sister. If you adopt her then she will ride on your back as she guides you to bodies to harvest ADAM from, which she then gives to you. Once found, you have to protector from the Splicers, the people of Rapture that are addicted to ADAM. Not an easy task at all. Once she has harvested ADAM from two bodies you can then take her to a vent where you will be give the choice of saving her or harvesting her. If you save her she will give a certain amount of ADAM and possibly later other plasmid powers. If you harvest her either earlier or after gathering ADAM, she will give you more ADAM than if you save her, but there will be no chance of plasmid power ups later. Depending on how you deal with the Little Sisters will determine the final ending of the game. There is six possible endings, two each for good, neutral, and evil.
Either way once you have dealt with all the Little Sisters on a level you will have to deal with a Big Sister. Like you they are armored, have weapons, and can use plasmids. Unlike you however, then are very quick, agile, can jump higher, and climb walls. Defeating a Big Sister a lot harder than another Big Daddy or a group of Slicers. Thankfully they give you a little warning via her scream.
Why the big deal over ADAM? ADAM allows you to buy plasmids and gene tonics from Gatherer Garden machines. Plasmids being more powerful than weapons in most cases and gene tonics are helper powers that do things like give you more healing from a first aid pack or make the needle on the hacking mini-game move slower and many more benefits.
Graphics and Sound
Graphics are pretty much on par with the original.Very clean and very well done. There is a lot more water effects in this game to reflect the deterioration of Rapture and some part of the game have you outside the city in the ocean itself. Sound is excellent. The voice work is great and the soundtrack is great at setting the mood for environment. Early on the combination of lighting, music, and story really gave you the a scary creep factor. Something that after a while will drop a bit but when they need to amp it back up it's all used effectively.
Overall
Originally BioShock was supposed to be a one-off game, no sequel was planned. When it became a huge hit 2K decided to make one. Thankfully they also decided to keep the quality up too instead of just doing a quickie cash-in. The game is excellent, giving frights, making you think about moral choices and being downright fun. They kept what was good about the first and improved on then gameplay. The game really does make you think a bit, moral choices aside. Instead of Andrew Ryan's freedom of the individual and disdain for the oppression of government and religion (which they touch on in one level), they focus on collectivism. Sophia Lamb's outlook is the opposite in that she believes in working together for good of the group or "family."
And the feel of the game. Certain parts had me feeling goosebumps, cold chills, they created some very good atmosphere, along with some fast action. There were also a few "gotcha" moments too when what you think is just a dead body would suddenly jump up and attack.
Again 2K put together a very good game that stands up well with it's predecessor. A well written story, good voice acting, and great gameplay, I'm loving it. I give it a 5 out of 5.
How does a Big Daddy go to the bathroom? I still don't know, but some of the toilets in the game you can flush. :D
BioShock 2 is rated M for Mature for Blood, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language. Available for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PC.
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