You know when a game seems really far off, so you block it from your memory in hopes it will create the illusion of coming out sooner? Well, that is exactly what happened to me. Tuesday’s release of the game I’ve been awaiting for since completing Bioshock came to me abruptly via commercial. Part of me knew it was coming out in February, but the exact date eluded me… exact knowledge adds to the waiting. Once I saw it had come out that day, I rushed to Blockbuster right away (in case you’re not aware, the best day to rent a game is the day it comes out. Which is normally a TUESDAY. The people who want it immediately usually go to buy it somewhere, and those who only kind of want to play it try to pick it up on a Thursday or at some point in the weekend. This is a bad idea if you actually want the game to be available). I was roughly a year late on playing Bioshock, so I wasn’t about to let a lot of time pass before I got to play this latest addition to Rapture’s lore.
Please note there may be spoilers.
Eight years after Jack strolled through the halls with his own brand of justice/terror, the Big Daddy “Delta” resurrects after a decade of being dead. Rapture has not withstood the test of time well. Leaks are everywhere, barnacles grow on the walls and floors, and the Splicers are just as crazy as ever… probably crazier. In the last game, the game focused on Andrew Ryan’s ideology of Capitalism, Creation and Progress without being brought down by “the Parasite” (Big Government, Religious leaders, etc.) and focusing on the individual. This time around you meet Sophia Lamb, a psychologist with a view which greatly differs from that of Ryan. She believes focusing on “the Self” is, well… selfish. And would rather have everybody succeed or suffer equally. To pull this off, she exploits the influence of religion to burn this point into the minds of Rapture inhabitants. When you walk through Rapture, it becomes very clear this is not the same place Jack left it.
The “Good”
Like its predecessor (and many games before it), Bioshock 2 gives you the choice of taking a “Good” or “Evil” path. Even a crude combination of the two, whatever tickles your taint. I’m not sure there is a special ending for dabbling in both, however. At this point I’ve only ventured through the good path.
Sinclair, the voice which guides you through Rapture, at one point reveals you can either “Adopt” a Little Sister or “Harvest” her. This is similar to the first, but the difference lies in how much Adam you really want. When you first encounter a Little Sister (after taking down a Big Daddy, of course) you’re given the choice. If you choose to adopt her, she’ll climb on your back and sniff out corpses containing Adam (if you don’t know what that is by now, you probably shouldn’t be reading this). If you choose to Harvest, you’ll get the Adam right away. Here’s where the change comes into play: you’re given the choice again when you take the Little Sister to a vent. Meaning, if you were so inclined, you could have her gather Adam and just harvest her later. That’s for the Evil path, which I will review in part two. The good path will seem like a less effective way to acquire Adam, until the Little Sisters give you rewards for setting them free. That shit adds up. In Bioshock, I always felt like I was never getting enough Adam no matter what path I took. Bioshock 2 will leave you in Adam up to your eyebrows as far as the Good path is concerned.
You’re given quite a few decisions to make in your journey. Ones which will be viewed by Eleanor, the Little Sister you were paired with before your death ten years prior. These decisions will effect how she acts when she comes out of the coma she’s in throughout most of the game. There are definitely some ethical quandaries, when on the Good path you’ll run into certain characters you’ll feel deserve the stricking hand of justice. But forgiveness is a key factor of the Good path, so sometimes you just need to walk away even though they may have done something unforgivable in their time.
This game doesn’t skip a beat when it comes to playability. You still have an incredible amount of control, more probably. And now you have a fucking Drill! Downside is it runs out of fuel quickly, so make sure you’re using it for the right cause. The upside to this is the basic melee attack with the drill is still very strong, and will take out a Splicer with great ease.
I’m a much bigger fan of the new hacking system. Although the first one had fun moments, the new system is not only more realistic (as it happens in real time instead of stopping the action) but more fun. It is also a greater test of how well you handle yourself under pressure.
Next time: The “Evil” path, enemies and final thoughts on Bioshock 2.
