Storyline

As many of you may or may not know, they did slightly alter the storyline from when it was first announced to when it was released.  Initially, the story in this game doesn’t seem nearly as engaging as the first; for whatever reason, while it was good, it just didn’t drag me in like the first did.  However, I was pleasantly surprised in the end, as the plot twists in this game are just as incredible and well executed as the first one.

Don’t worry, I’m not going to spoil anything.

Graphics

The graphics aren’t terribly different from the first BioShock, running on the same engine, and with about the same level of detail.  In fact, in many instances, it doesn’t look like they even changed things from the first; which isn’t exactly a bad thing.  The big change are the little sisters, changed from almost zombie like children to truly adorable little things.  This is probably since you play the role of a Big Daddy, and they are predisposed to the little sisters (obviously).

There also are more effects in this game, though that could be more to do with story line than graphics.

Gameplay

The gameplay in BioShock 2 has recieved a massive overhaul.  In the first game, you toggled between using weaponry and plasmids, switching hands according to what you were doing.  In BioShock 2, you find yourself dual weilding in a way, with plasmids mapped to secondary fire and weapons to primary.  If you ask me, this is a big improvement.  My biggest stumbling block in BioShock was remembering to toggle between plasmid and weapon, with that gone, the combat seems more fluid, and it’s definitely a lot easier to work.

Hacking has also received a big upgrade.  The hacking system now is a simple moving arrow that you have to stop on the proper section of the bar to advance through the stages.  You can even get a bonus with many hacks.  In addition, you also have a remote hacking gun, which allows you to fire hacking darts, basic hacking at a range, auto-hack darts, same thing except it’s an automatic hack (obviously), and it’s third ammunition is a mini-turret, deploy-able where needed and, if I might say, very useful.

Overall

Overall, I give this game a solid 10 in 10, definitely worth at least a rental, and I recommend a purchase myself, to anyone who enjoyed BioShock.