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Boasting a deep storyline set in the alternate world of Rapture, BioShock 2 promises an engaging experience for those seeking a thrilling first-person shooter. Taking place eight years after the events of BioShock, gamers who have played the original should feel quite at home in the visually-captivating steampunk world. Players with an appreciation for game aesthetics will be very pleased with the presentation - right down to the sound effects, HUD, user interface. It's not hard to see 2K Games' effort into making BioShock 2 beautiful.
Upon starting a new game, players will be presented with a short cinematic introduction to connect the storyline of the two games. Without giving too much away, the story of BioShock 2 will not make much sense unless you've played the first game. However, the game does its best to guide you with directions and snippets of the storyline throughout, so you're not just left wandering around aimlessly killing enemies. The graphics and the sound really set the mood. From the moment you're in control, you can already feel the 'loneliness' of Rapture. The ambient lighting and eerie background music keep you guessing - you never know what's around the next corner. BioShock 2 will keep your heart beating even when you're not in combat, but will reward you with moments to catch a breath once your opponents are lying dead on the floor.
Taking on the role of a Big Daddy, the 'premise' of your adventure in Rapture is to reunite with the Little Sister that you're paired with. Again, unless you've played the original BioShock, this won't make much sense at first. You'll encounter many Splicers (the common enemies) during your travels - but engage in battle with caution. Big Daddy isn't nearly as tough as you think. On normal difficulty, 4-5 hits from an average generic enemy will bring you to the brink of death. Luckily, the game will autosave for you at checkpoints and more important parts of the storyline. New players could expect to die a few times on their first playthrough. As an RPG-like first-person shooter, BioShock 2 offers more than just the traditional guns for killing your opponents. Throughout the game you will obtain different 'Plasmids' which bestow upon you with new powers, like the ability to stun enemies, shock pools of water or burn enemies over time. Our favourite power is the one that allows you to pick up random objects and throw them forward with force. You could throw something harmless as a hat and end up killing someone - just use your imagination.
The singleplayer mode should last about 8-10 hours on a thorough playthrough. The level design is quite linear and the waypoint system helps you navigate to your objective; there's even a level map - so players should have little trouble progressing through the game. In addition to the singleplayer offering, BioShock 2 also features a new multiplayer mode. However, due to the lack of playerbase and issues with Games For Windows Live (mandatory for the PC version), we were unable to test-play the multiplayer.
BioShock 2 is presented beautifully, right down to every last detail. The gameplay is challenging, the storyline is captivating, the visuals are stunning and the world of Rapture offers much to discover. The sense of not knowing what might be around the next corner breeds a sense of anticipation that is hard to find in more traditional first-person shooters. Fans of the first game will feel right at home and appreciate 2K Games' efforts in bringing the most favoured elements of BioShock over to BioShock 2. Platform reviewed: PC
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