brainygamer
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Registered: 07/13/08
Posts: 524
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| Posted 02/14/10 at 02:20 AM | Reply with quote #1 |
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I've just arrived at Fontaine Futuristics, which I assume is the final phase of the game, and I don't want this game to end. Playing Bioshock 2 has been a fantastic thrill ride for me, casting all my doubts aside.
I hate to admit it, especially since I know people who worked on this game, but I was skeptical about whether a Bioshock sequel made any sense. I feared it was a cash-in on the success of the original, and I prepared myself for disappointment. Man, it's great to be wrong sometimes, isn't it? 
I'm working on a piece for BG to expand on this (hoping, of course, that the game doesn't fall apart at the end and force me to change my tune).
In the meantime, I'm wondering if anybody else is willing to go out on a limb with me and say that Bioshock 2, all things considered, is actually a better game than the first. Maybe I'll see things differently after I finish and look back over the whole game. But for now, I've gotta say this game has held me rapt from the beginning and exceeded all my expectations. Like I said before, I really don't want it to end.
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Michael Abbott
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LouisF
Registered: 07/07/09
Posts: 117
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| Posted 02/14/10 at 04:58 AM | Reply with quote #2 |
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It's always a good thing to not be done with a game, but already looking forward to the second playthrough. Indeed, Bioshock 2 is meeting my fairly rabid expectations, and then some.
Among several things, what I think distinguishes this game the most from the first is its consistency. As good as it is to have memorable characters and levels such as the beloved Cohen/Frolic, there is always the risk of having the rest of the package somewhat pale in comparison (Heath Ledger's performance in The Dark Knight briefly comes to mind). Here, the team of writers apparently kept in mind the importance of sustained interest, and dialled down the flash for the benefit of the whole.
As everyone was rightly quick to note, the wildest quirks of the design have been addressed. Whereas the previous game was captivating in its ambition but still stumbling on a few key points, the sequel exudes confidence in the overall product, and that quality definitely extends to the narrative. Reviewing the audio logs earlier, I was shocked at their clarity, weight and generally skillful delivery. The layout of the levels, on its end, manages to be organic and eloquent at the same time, with small bits of scripting suggesting a great deal of care for the intended pacing of the adventure. It's an impressive balancing act for a game with such an open structure.
Michael, I have stopped a little further than you, and I can tell this is shaping up to be a great ending. Dramatically charged set-ups are paying off big time, with inspired aesthetic decisions. And yet, nothing ever seems to be striving for the status of "greatest game ever", something the first installment was occasionally accused of. It appears mostly concerned with doing its own thing, with loving reverence and understanding of its foundation, and that restraint, I think, is a sign of great maturity. Whether or not it should be considered a better game depends on what we value, but I think it definitely remains true to the attributes that drew us to Bioshock in the first place: a strong work of fiction, a boldly experimental stretch of the form... and a promising taste of what is still to come.
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CrashJordan
Registered: 02/14/10
Posts: 6
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| Posted 02/14/10 at 09:38 AM | Reply with quote #3 |
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After two playthroughs, I've come to the conclusion that I've enjoyed it more than the original.
Some parts of the original for me were a little, repetitive, some objectives and tasks I had to perform became a little tedious, and it took me a few sittings to get through it. That's not to say I didn't love it, as it's one of my most loved games.
But playing through Bioshock 2, I didn't have this. It was all very exciting, and the action never stopped.
The combat was superb, audio and graphics were incredible, and the audio diary's were very well done. The voice acting was superb, top marks for those.
It's definately met my expecations, I wasn't sure if they could pull of a sequal that could nearly come close to the original, and hey, in my eyes, they've beaten it. I honestly can't think of one think I found wrong with this game, or that I would change. It just seems..perfect.
Where they'll take the series, I cannot guess, but good things are on the way for us Rapture lovers I'm sure.
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Bus
Registered: 08/26/08
Posts: 164
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| Posted 02/15/10 at 02:22 AM | Reply with quote #4 |
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I definitely didn't enjoy it as much as the original. It felt thematically separate from the first game and philosophically muddled.
The quality I enjoyed the most about the first was the feeling of insanity and anarchy. I didn't sense that as much here. Too many sane people in Rapture. The graffiti and destruction had too much order and sense to it. The first game had no significant moments where you met a person face to face. Every time I did so here, I could feel the air going out of this place. Never felt the same despair or isolation as the first.
The concept of the "Rapture Family" as organized by Lamb felt out of place and ultimately half baked. Or at least, as it was presented to me, in my playthrough, it felt half baked. One of my only expectations for the game was that the core idea of the "Anti-Ryan" as antagonist would prove to be dramatically uninteresting due to ease of its creation was, for me, correct. I have some hope that further playthroughs or critical commentary will aid me in seeing it all more clearly and appreciating it more.
I also felt like this was more of a side story like ODST was for the Halo universe than a real continuation from the first game. The lack of returning characters most likely gave me this impression. When Tenenbaum ducked out never to return, I felt my heart break. If the city itself can be considered a character and most would agree that it should be, then I would say that its particulars were reduced to a level of normality that diminished the experience. There were still isolated moments that carried me away into some place where reality is less strongly defined but they were just that, only moments.
And through it all, I don't think I ever felt fear. Not once.
All that negativity said, I still enjoyed it a great deal. It just had very little in common with what I personally loved about the original game. I think divorcing it entirely from its progenitor is the wisest course of action for me because I did have a lot of fun and it was undeniably well made.
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LouisF
Registered: 07/07/09
Posts: 117
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| Posted 02/15/10 at 02:42 AM | Reply with quote #5 |
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You make valid points about some areas where the narrative does seem to falter, and I will take them into account when playing again. The truth is, there is such an abundance of content, and it is once again presented in such a loud, overwhelming manner, that it can be hard to pick out the merely flashy ideas from the truly meaningful ones, to draw the line between depth and redundancy. Furthermore, I don't think there can be said to be an "ideal traversal" of this type of game ; like you said, it's a matter of perception, and the best the designers can do is to suggest a path through the game, a certain, flexible order to the information. Which is also a big part of its appeal...
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Tellurian
Registered: 02/13/10
Posts: 13
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| Posted 02/15/10 at 08:07 AM | Reply with quote #6 |
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Thing is, compared with the first part, the overall narrative is somewhat weaker, while the overall execution of the narration, moral choices and especially the concluding parts are delivered a lot better.
Spoilers ahead folks, so keep your head down.
The original Rapture served more as a device of storytelling for the "grand narrative" of the game itself, all building up to the residential area and Fontaine's Home for the Poor and to see yourself how this dream of Rapture didn't quite work out as planned and how Fontaine managed to get the most out of that dysfunctionality.
Delta's story is something very diffrent, it's less a story ABOUT Rapture, but a story set IN Rapture. Even though he ultimately decides the fate of some of the city's key figures.
Maybe "weaker" is the wrong word... Just diffrent.
Bioshock 2 features less great reveals into the sinister works of the madmen under the sea. The story works on a much more personal level somehow.
Fear, well...
There were some creepy moments, but nothing really scary.
But Bioshock1 also didn't really play out that much as a horror thing. Yeah, some of the Splicer decals are kinda freaky, but...
As long as you're still the guy weilding fireballs and shotguns, the things in the dark can screech all they want.
Same thing's true for 2.
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LouisF
Registered: 07/07/09
Posts: 117
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| Posted 02/15/10 at 11:28 AM | Reply with quote #7 |
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Couldn't agree more.
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"It is easier to break the rules once you are aware of them." (Jesper Juul)
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MostEisley
Registered: 01/06/10
Posts: 18
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| Posted 02/22/10 at 09:57 AM | Reply with quote #8 |
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I can quite enthusiastically say that 2K has far surpassed my expectations. Having finished my first playthrough this weekend, My initial reaction was that I definitely preferred this second game to the first. I really bought into the "find your daughter/I AM a Big Daddy" theme. There was no big twist, sure, but some themes don't need that. The gameplay is undoubtedly better and more compelling. The narrative was more consistent from start to finish, and while not as "shocking", it was definitely more personal and affecting for me.
So if I have to pick, I'd say Bioshock 2 is a better game than Bioshock, but the two are so intertwined that I hardly think you can separate them. So much of what makes Bioshock 2 great is due to the tangents it takes from Bioshock 1. And as much as I enjoyed B2, I will not recommend it to a friend who has not played the original, because I just don't think they'd get to fully appreciate it.
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LouisF
Registered: 07/07/09
Posts: 117
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| Posted 02/22/10 at 10:06 PM | Reply with quote #9 |
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Yeah, one of the best things that can be said about the sequel is that it manages to expand on the strengths of the first without making them obsolete and overwhelming its memory. It makes the whole greater than its parts, in a way.
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"It is easier to break the rules once you are aware of them." (Jesper Juul)
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CrashT
Registered: 08/19/08
Posts: 327
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| Posted 03/02/10 at 10:06 AM | Reply with quote #10 |
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I've been interested in the work of Jordan Thomas (The Cradle, Fort Frolic) since Thief: Deadly Shadows so knowing he was the Creative Director on BioShock 2 meant I was very excited to see what form it would take. My initial reactions were not positive, but there was a moment in Pauper's Drop where I realised this game was going to be something more than it had initially appeared.
From Pauper's Drop onwards I can't say any of the game felt off, in fact I'd maintain it got progressively smarter, and more engaging with each level. Entering Fontaine Futuristics and hearing the first recorded message from Gill was I think the point I realised that I was enjoying this game much more than BioShock.
The problem with comparing the two games on a narrative level, is that the basic plot of the former is actually fairly bland. Stripped of the initial Rapture backstory and the Would You Kindly moment, the pacing can feel misjudged and there's too much down time between the confrontation with Ryan and the one with Fontaine. The story of BioShock 2 takes a while to really pick up but when I does I was compelled to finish it.
The manner in which the fate of Sinclair and Lamb is retconned into the BioShock timeline was better than I expected. Essentially Lamb was arrested and sent to Sinclair's prison\research station in Persephone and both remained there for most of the war, and the events of BioShock. The general conceit being that the down trodden and forgotten in Rapture were still scraping and existence out where they could while those in the artistic and industrial heart of Rapture were madly splicing up and murdering each other, and Jack was resolving his daddy issues.
In some ways BioShock 2 reminds me of what Alfonso Cuarón did with Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, he pushed the magic and wonder of the world to the background to tell a much darker more personal narrative. That willingness to lean towards the more cerebral, and directly emotional explains why I find it the best of the Potter films, and why I think BioShock 2 is ultimately better than BioShock.
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Justin Keverne
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Nelson
Registered: 03/18/09
Posts: 95
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| Posted 03/11/10 at 09:37 PM | Reply with quote #11 |
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| I just finished my first playthrough. I hate to be negative, but the game left me feeling a bit empty. I crave novelty in games; I really like stuff that's new, exciting. Bioshock 2 is just too much like the original to really please me. Many of the refinements are good, particularly the tactical possibilites and the combinations of plasmids. The story's reasonably good too. But it all just feels like a refinement of the first game. Same mood, similar art and sound, similar gameplay. Which of course, duh, it's a sequel! And a well crafted one at that. Still, I'm left a little wanting. |
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