Just got to Fontaine Futuristics. Overall, the game is great. But the complaints I do have are like what others have said in this thread. Allow me to list the pros and cons:
Pros:
- The game is harder. I'm playing on Normal, yet it feels much more difficult than the first game's normal mode. I've died A LOT, mostly because I've been out numbered. Definitely keeps you on your toes and offers more of a challenge. Which brings me too...
- There are more enemies on screen. In Bioshock 1, most of the time, you would only encounter or or two Splicers at a time. Now (especially when guarding Little Sisters) you fight three, four, five, hell...a shit load of Splicers at once. Sure, you're a Big Daddy, but you're not like the current models. You're the ORIGINAL. Alpha series. You're not as strong, so naturally, you're not going to be able to defend yourself as well as contemporary Big Daddies.
- There are more plasmids and gene tonics. Pretty self explanatory. Who doesn't like more options and more toys to play with? I really like being able to combine my plasimids with the Cyclone Trap. Plus, being able to upgrade your plasmids (not only making them stronger, but giving them additional attributes) is a neat as well.
- Added depth and new additions. This is kind of broad, but over all, there is just more things to do, more choices, more options and more strategies. You can combine plasmids with the Cyclone Trap, there are new weapons, new ammo, new plasmids and gene tonics, the research camera, new characters, new enemies, being able to adopt Little Sisters and so on and so forth. Oh, and multiplayer too, which is surprising really fun.
Cons:
- Bio but no Shock. Everyone remembers the first time you saw Rapture while traveling in the bathosphere in the first game. Who could forget the the vast, picturesque city and eery music? However, in Bioshock 2, I've yet to see anything equally as memorable or shocking. Most things that would be, I've already seen in trailers and screenshots. Perhaps that is my fault for not going on a complete media blackout. At first what seems like an adrenaline rush, soon becomes mundane, and what is at first mundane, becomes a horrendous chore. The former pertains to the Big Sisters. She's cool the first time you see her, but when you fight her over and over again, the shock wares off, especially with each encounter, you're much stronger than the last (but that isn't saying much, since the difficulty tends to fluctuate a lot)
The latter refers to adopting Little Sisters. Instead of killing them, you can pick them and direct them to dead Splicers for them to harvest Adam out of. This will then commence a scenario in which you must protect the girl from Splicers, until she is done extracting the Adam from the corpse. Again, you don't have to do this. You choose to do it. But that doesn't take away from the fact how boring and monotonous this task becomes. I guess being good isn't so easy in Rapture now is it? But this is a video game. They shouldn't make being a good samaritan so boring and tedious right?
Another thing is that the difficulty is inconsistent. There have been times where I put out a whole bunch of trap rivets and cyclone traps, only to have a handful of Splicers come out, while other occasions, I underestimate the threat and get my ass kicked because I didn't properly prepare for the assault. That isn't fair. It's annoying. Plus, you run out of ammo A LOT, and there doesn't seem to be enough cash laying around. It's not rare when I'm walking around with no fuel in my drill, no med kits, Eve or any ammo in any of my guns. Them Splicers will make sure you use everything you have.
- LittleBigDaddy. Sure, you're the first Big Daddy, so you're not going to be as powerful. However, there is no reason why Delta should take MORE damage than Jack did in the first game. I guess Jack had bulletproof vest under his sweater or something or, Delta is a huge pussy. No wonder he was a prototype
Seriously though, there is no reason why a Bid Daddy should be such a wimp. At the same time, he shouldn't have automatic God-mode either. In the first game, by the end, Jack was almost unstoppable. You could take out Big Daddies with ease. In Bioschock 2, it never feels like you're making any significant progress. I upgraded my weapons, augmented my plasmids and use the camera, but still, I hardly see any difference from how I was in the beginning. Big Daddies are troublesome, Big Sisters fearsome, Brute annoying and a group of Splicers a big pain in the ass. No matter what I do, I feel overwhelmed.
- World 1-1. Games like Bioshock and Metroid Prime allow you to explore. Of course, there is a main objective and areas that are blocked off, but at some point in the game, you are allowed to revisit and backtrack. In Bioshock 2, you cannot do either. Once you leave an area, you CANNOT go back. When you're in, say, Ryan Amusements, you can go around and wander into every room. But once you leave Ryan Amusements and go off to the next level, that's it. No going back. The game does warn you, in case you haven't gathered enough Adam. Besides being able to complete everything, without having to restart the game, it was nice just exploring Rapture and going back to places that you may have missed. It's unfortunate that the developers made the experience so linear.
Mixed feelings:
Since I haven't completed the game (though I think I am near the end), I won't comment on the story (too much). All I will say is that at least it has one. My biggest fear going into this game, was that it was going to abandon the deep and thought provoking plot of the first game, and just make it about you controlling a bad ass, ass kicking Big Daddy. The characters and the recordings are just enjoyable, if not better, than they were in the first game. Like I mentioned earlier though, there hasn't been anything or anyone in this game that really made me say, "WOW!" out loud. The first game had it's fair share of colorful set pieces and crazy characters. This game, is a little more subdued.
It isn't necessarily a bad thing, but when you're playing a game as mutant scuba diver, rescuing demonic little girls, fighting off hostile, physically deformed junkies, in an underwater city, you kind of expect everything else to be as off the wall and nonsensical. The game adds new features yes, but nothing that truly signifies they took a risk in terms of game design or plot development. Perhaps, upon finishing the game, I will be pleased that the didn't risk changing the formula that made the first game so great, and just stuck to making simple additions. Overall Bioshock 2 is a really good game. However, in a lot of ways, it doesn't have the same quality or punch that made the first game so memorable and effective.
