Gamezone

by Lenzo (in association with xtravision)

You are reading an Archived Article

SHOCK AND AWE

Another deep-sea diamond

BIOSHOCK 2 (Xbox 360, PC, PS3)

WHAT A DIVE: Bioshock 2’s Big DaddyTHE BioShock games may be set in the murky, deepocean City of Rapture but the sequel to the 2007 original won't come anywhere close to a watery grave.

That's because 2K Games have created another gem of a first-person shooter, with all the excellent eerie elements of the first title combined with some nice tweaks and modifications to the gameplay.

Set 10 years after the events of the first game, you play as Big Daddy and must find your bonded Little Sister.

Rapture is now under the control of Sophia Lamb, who the denizens of the city hold up as a saviour-like figure. Standing in the way of Big Daddy are the Big Sisters, a dangerous and agile enemy.

Intense

Harvesting is still a possibility in order to gain ADAM (a substance that enables people to modify their genes), but rather than rescuing the Little Sister, players can adopt or rescue them.

Little Sisters will ride around with Big Daddy and search for ADAM to harvest from corpses; the player will need to ensure that Splicers (the dangerous Gene Tonic junkies) won't harm the Little Sister as the harvesting takes place.

In terms of combat, it is now possible to perform a melee attack with every weapon in the game.

A new feature added is the ability to dual-wield plasmids or weapons at the same time. Among the weapons are a rivet gun, an arm drill, a machine gun, a shotgun and mine traps which can be used to snare splicers.

The intense and unnerving level of atmosphere from the original has returned and you are really immersed in the greeny-blue ocean world.

The level designers and concept artists again deserve huge credit for bringing this spine-tingling underwater city to life.

The game's sound effects, score and voice acting are also top class and add to the suspense that permeates throughout the whole experience.

The game's multiplayer modes are variations on some traditional modes, including Capture the Flag, Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, and so on, but it still feels fresh and unique.

Bioshock 2 won't make the same waves as the original but only because that was, well, so original.

The latest incarnation is just as atmospheric, tense and engaging with the new gameplay elements providing an excellent experience.

RATING: 9/10

Back to Top of Page