Bioshock 2 Remastered Cinematic Playthrough
0Return to Rapture as Subject Delta - the original Big Daddy. Once more, you're forced to scour the utopia found on the ocean floor, but this time it's to recover your beloved Eleanor! Stop at nothing to recover her and bring her home. After all, she's family, isn't she?
00:00 - Intro
4:06 - Adonis Luxury Resort
12:14 - The Atlantic Express
28:01 - Ryan Amusements
53:22 - Pauper's Drop
1:23:19 - Siren Alley
1:56:13 - Dionysus Park
2:31:16 - Fontaine Futuristics
3:14:24 - Persephone
3:28:01 - Inner Persephone
3:57:37 - Credits
REVIEW: 3/5
Bioshock 2 is a fairly controversial entry in the series; some people will argue it ruin's Bioshock's legacy while others maintain that it's the best that the series has to offer, which I suppose is par for the course. I, for one, was more than happy to gear up for another outing in Rapture as the setting had me completely enamored in the first game, and I knew you played as a Big Daddy, so I was ready to inspire fear in the scum of Rapture just as had been done to me. As far as I was concerned, I was prepared to love Bioshock 2.
Let's talk about the thing I was most excited for- playing as a Big Daddy. Unfortunately, for the most part, I really didn't feel as if I was commanding the awful power of a Big Daddy as I roamed the underwater city. After having fought a good number of them in the first game, I thought I was in for a power trip, but I felt just as flimsy as when I played as Jack. This could be explained by Subject Delta being the very first Big Daddy, and as such, equipped with lesser armaments and equipment, but you even fight other Alpha models in the game and they're much tankier than you. There's an argument to be had about gameplay versus story, like you can't expect to be an all-powerful monster fighting a bunch of mooks, but I think they should have leaned into it.
If they really didn't want the player to have the exact power level of the Big Daddies, you could have Delta's role be more of a "Big Daddy to-be", where he was maybe mentally conditioned to care for his Little Sister, but hasn't quite made the physical transformation yet. Either way, I did not get the level of power I was hoping for. The closest I experienced was when I had a full fuel gauge for the drill and full Eve. With that combination, I was able to zap whoever and grind them into paste, and it felt incredible. If the whole game were balanced around that level of power, maybe with larger groups of enemies or more complicated objectives beyond just running and fetching whatever macguffin is required at the moment, I think it could've much more easily sold the illusion of piloting a Big Daddy.
As far as atmosphere goes, I think they nailed it. You're still in the same Rapture you're used to, but it's given in to rot and decay even moreso than in the first game. You can tell that this is nothing more than the vestiges of the grandiosity that once graced the city, and you're merely lurking amidst the debris. I really enjoyed Sofia Lamb as the antagonist in your ear the whole game as well; you could tell she truly believed that what she was doing was right, but wasn't above using some sinister and snide remarks to manipulate people into getting her way. She wanted the salvation of Rapture, but was blind to the fact that it was no longer salvageable, and as you progress, her desparation becomes very apparent. This alongside Eleanor's occasional glimpses into her past create a very lonely feeling world that you're in, and strengthens your resolve to reunite with her.
While I didn't necessarily get the power fantasy I was expecting, Bioshock 2 still did a good job in making me feel more powerful than the first game. First off, the weapons were all weapons you've seen used by the Big Daddies and they all felt like they were heavy-duty armaments that your average man couldn't use. Specifically the drill; this thing with the ice plasmid that had a percent chance to freeze an enemy was absolutely busted. I constantly found myself needing fuel for it because it was my go-to in every scenario. They also added dual wielding in the form of plasmids and weapons. You no longer have to swap to plasmids in lieu of a weapon, instead your left hand is utilized and your right hand continues to wield a weapon. This feature alone cleaned up a lot of what clunkiness I felt Bioshock's combat could have.
While I think that Bioshock 2 was the weakest of the trilogy to me personally, (barring Minerva's Den DLC as I have yet to play that), it introduced some fun gameplay elements and I enjoyed the story; I feel like I was able to gain insight into Rapture and its history that wasn't available to me just from the first game. It's definitely a no-brainer pickup for any level of Bioshock enjoyers!
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