Video games in a nutshell

Let the games continue!

…From yesterday’s post.

Bioshock 2 was a fitting return to the dysfunctional halls of Rapture. In many ways, I felt the game picked up right where the first one left off. Which is great, because Bioshock had a great ambience and was extremely paced.

In many ways though, it feels like the same game. Playing the role of a Big Daddy feels powerful when you get the drill charge, but most of the time the dual-wield plasmid/weapon combination doesn’t feel terribly new or different.

The new plot enemies feel largely the same, but generally less psychopathic. Sophia Lamb (spelled “Andrew Ryan”) steps in this time as the crazed leader of a dying world, and she does a remarkable job of justifying everything she does (as psychopaths are wont to do)

Interestingly, the most challenging enemy this time around are the Big Sisters–self-appointed guardians of the Little Sisters. They only come around when you upset Little Sisters, which happens when you kill a Big Daddy and harvest or protect his charge. The good samaritan act requires a substantial effort this time around–you must escort the little sisters to perform harvests, protect them while waves of splicers try to thwart you.

There are Brute Splicers this time around, too, who manage to charge and lob random bits of floor at you, but they pale in comparison to the Big Sisters.

The multiplayer is standard fare, with several different modes of play.

Rather than an experience system, the game uses Adam to track performance. Just like Modern Warfare 2, the game tests you with challenges which provide additional Adam, like “kill 30 Splicers with Incinerate,” “brain 200 Splicers with your pipe,” or “make friends with 5 Big Daddies.”

In my experience, the network system is buggy–I’ve been disconnected several times for no apparent reason. It feels more like an afterthought than the single player game, but still a fun enough distraction.

Next up (and it deserves a full review): Heavy Rain