Review: Bioshock 2

Every sequel has the unfortunate task of living up to its predecessor. Especially when the original was so ridiculously good. The second adventure through the horrific halls of Rapture doesn't quite match the excellence of Bioshock 1, but on it's own merits, it is a magnificent game.

Story

The first game saw you playing as the mostly blank slate of Jack as he is introduced to the underwater dystopia of Rapture. Tracking down and killing the man behind the city and unraveling one HELL of a twist. All the while confronting the most interesting bosses in recent memory - the Big Daddies. These mammoth walking tank-men fiercely protected little sisters. Little sisters are young girls who are conditioned to find dead bodies and drain their life force called "Adam" and Adam is used to splice one's genes to give the user super powers called Plasmids. These include the ability to throw lighting or fire or various other things from your hand.

In Bioshock 2 - you play as the first Big Daddy ever created who is known as "Delta". From the opening cinematic you are immediately aware of your actions in the first game as you see first hand what its like to be a Big Daddy and protect a little sister from raving lunatics, and what it's like to be attacked with Plasmids. From the outset, your little sister is taken from you, and your main objective is to get her back. Throughout your journey, you will learn a lot more about the history of Rapture and more importantly, the history of the Big Daddy project and how you ended up in the position you're in - giving you two main motives: rescue and revenge.

The fantastic opening scene

Just like the first game, the majority of the story comes from the environment. The developers of both games really captured the feeling of a deteriorating underwater city, and a lot of story just sort of organically grew in the player's mind just by looking around. The critical path story was delivered well through audio diaries and direct communications with the villains, but overall it's the feeling of being in a city under the sea in a perpetual state of the 1940s that makes this game's story stand out.

Hey! He's not sleeping at all!

Gameplay

Most would agree that the story of the first game outshines the second, but the gameplay in Bioshock 2 is a huge improvement over the first. The basic structure remains the same with a large arsenal of physical weaponry and Plasmid trickery at your disposal. The biggest and most interesting change is your default weapon which is now the iconic drill. Unlike the wrench in the first game, the drill is brutally destructive at close range and can be leveled up and modified to unleash extra damage and bonuses.

The other big addition is the "Big Sister". Since ten years have passed since the first game the little sisters you encountered in 1960, are now 16 years old - and they are mother effing PISSED. Designed to be a counterbalance to the Big Daddy's slow and powerful build, the Big Sisters are lightning fast and rabidly vicious. It's not really clear why they're attacking you, as they usually come out after you save every little sister in a level, but they put up one hell of a fight, man. I was sent to a Vita Chamber like 15 times in an early fight against one of these beasts.

Big Sister is waiting...

In terms of actual gameplay - you'll find yourself employing a multitude of play styles. First and foremost, you need to play the role of a scavenger. Just like the first game, you are constantly low on resources for the majority of the game - breathing a sigh of relief with every round you pick up and every medkit you stockpile.

Next, you'll play the role of a hacker. Nearly every piece of steam-punk inspired machinery in Rapture can be hacked. From security cameras to vending machines, nothing is off limits. The hacking minigame is another thing that has seen a huge improvement in this one. In Bioshock 2 you must hack machines in real time - this is done by timing a needle to land in the green zone rather than the red zone. A little less creative than the old model, but infinitely less time consuming and monotonous.

The hacking minigame

You'll likely play the role of what I like to call the "Battletank". There are areas where you simply need to unload every bullet in every gun you own. Quick reflexes and conservative saving will be your best friends in these situations.

Finally, in the most interesting role, you'll play the protector. One of the most interesting new elements of this game is the ability to adopt a little sister and have her gather Adam for you. The kicker here is that you can only gather Adam from specific corpses which the game predetermines. These are usually set in a wide open area or a room with four or five entry points. In other words - not easily defensible. What this does though is forces you to think strategically. You look for every possible portal of entry and take special care to make use of your new Plasmid-based traps and "land mine"-esque defenses. So you create your defense perimeter and then set your little sister down to gather - which your enemies can smell - and boy do they come a'runnin. Think of it like intentionally calling the horde in Left 4 Dead. Now you have to protect yourself and your little sister while she gathers the precious Adam in a horrific two minute battle that feels like 20 minutes. These are easily the most exciting and memorable parts of the game. 

 

Presentation

The guys behind the Bioshock series know how to present a game. Every single element of graphics, dialogue and music were flawless. Characters voice overs were extremely believable, the 40s-era score was beautiful and added to the immersion of living in another time period, and the graphics and design were simply immaculate. I must have added over two hours to my play time just looking around at the architecture and art that made up Rapture. Every area was wholly unique with no repeat areas from the first game - and each one was beautifully designed in classic Art Deco fashion. Vibrant colors and interesting lighting populated the landscape, making this game stand out amongst the brown and tan shooters on the market. 

Dionisus Park

Bioshock 2 didn't dethrone the original in terms of story shock value, but in terms of gameplay it blew the first one out of the water. It is immensely fun to play throughout the entire length of the campaign. And there's cool and interesting multiplayer if that's your thing.Would totally play it again and would definitely recommend you pick it up.

Review in Ten Words or Less: A more refined, fun but less shocking experience.

Finished: Bioshock 2

Between vacation, sick days and slowly deciding to give up on Alex Kidd, it has been a solid two months since I last finished a game. But last night I finished the beautiful Bioshock 2 and I was colored very impressed.

Completion Time: About 15 hours
Played as: Savior - rescued all Little Sisters and spared all meany adults.

Look for the review - coming shortly.

So...I Might As Well Be Honest...

So, I haven't been playing Alex Kidd in Miracle World. I have been playing Bioshock 2.

Why?

Because Alex Kidd is boring and difficult and Bioshock 2 is invigorating and fun. That's the most honest way I can put it. And I've started to re-evaluate the way I'm digging through my backlog. What am I trying to prove anyway? Who or what will benefit by my beating every game I've wasted money on? No one. Maybe a few fellow nerds will give me a virtual pat on the back, or maybe I'll get some ego boosting congratulatory comments on my final post, but all of the joy will be gone within a week's time.

So I'm modifying this whole blog - I'm not going to torture myself to sit through games I don't enjoy. I would still love to beat everything I own, but if I sincerely can't muster enough excitement to even turn the system on - it's not worth the aggravation.

I think the ultimate goal is to enjoy gaming without spending any money on it.  And if you're a gaming horder like me, you can certainly do just that. I've been doing it for over a year between going through games I own and borrowing from friends. And yeah, there's games I've missed out on, but at the end of the day I've been able to enjoy my hobby without risking $50 on a game I'll probably never play. Plus - there are more important things to live for than crossing a game off a menial list.

So will I ever get back to Alex Kidd? Maybe...I'm goin much easier on myself and just enjoying my free time with everyone's favorite nerdy pastime.

In terms of Bioshock 2 - It's incredible. I'm about halfway through and it's probably more enchanting than the first one.

Expect more regular updates now that I'm admitting I'm playing this thing. But also expect less frequent posts overall now that I'm not letting this thing run my life.

Still Playing: Alex Kidd In Miracle World

So, yes I've been a bit slow on the updates on this one. Mostly because I've spent the last week sick in bed playing the rapturous (get it?) Bioshock 2. But I have made progress in Alex Kidd as well.

This game is a strange brew. It was made in response to Nintendo's wildly successful Super Mario Bros, but ultimately gained much less popularity than the seminal Italian plumber side-scroller. While Alex Kidd is the same kind of game as Mario Bros, the execution of the two couldn't be different. Sega 'went for it' in trying to 1Up (boom) the Mushroom Kingdom, and they did it by implementing a ton of fresh ideas.

The "Pedicopter"

Shops peppered through various levels allow you to buy items and upgrades, you can use storable upgrades when needed, fly a helicopter, bust out a motorcycle, ride in style in a speed boat, and ponder over mysterious switches and puzzles. All of these things were used in other games like crazy, but Alex Kidd was a pioneer in this realm.

At the same time, however, the majority of the boss battles are mindlessly uncreative - you play Rock, Paper, Scissors. That's it. Now, Mario Bros can be faulted by saying they just recycled Bowser eight times, but at least the skills you gained while getting there were put to the test. It takes an incredible amount of dexterity and practice to get through some of Miracle World's later levels, only to put those skills through a rigorous game of Rock, Paper Scissors.

DARN it!

All in all though, I am enjoying it. I'm starting to breeze through the first five levels, but Level 6 is where it really starts to pick up in difficulty. It may take me a while - wish me luck!

Up Next: Alex Kidd in Miracle World

I, like every other kid I knew, had a Nintendo Entertainment System when I was a young'n. The competition to the NES was the Sega Master System - which most kids hadn't even heard of, much less actually played.

On the lucky days when I would get a good report card or did something really admirable, my parents would take me to Toys R Us to get a Nintendo game. And even though the NES library was vast beyond imagination, I was always swooned by the Master System box art. Something about that blue and white grid just made the games seem so magical. But I never owned a Master System, and I never got the chance to open one of those magically 80s boxes.

Sega Master System

When the Wii added Alex Kidd to the Virtual Console library, I had to check it out. It was a game on one of the few systems I had never laid hands on. Plus it was Sega's official mascot until Sonic the Hedgehog was released. It was a necessary purchase.

It's certainly a strange game. Your goal is to reach a rice ball at the end of each level. Bosses are defeated in a best-of-three rock paper scissors match. And your main weapon is your punch dubbed the "Shellcore Technique" in the game's manual. Shellcore. Is that like Crabcore?

Why I Never Finished It: 
It's really hard - at least at first. Where Super Mario Bros, you can get through the Level 1-1 on maybe your first or second playthrough, Level 1 in Alex Kidd is rather brutal. It took me a good 10 times to get used to the controls and finally eat the first rice ball.

Now it's time. Rock, Paper, Kill!

Review: Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal

The characters of Ratchet and Clank are ripped from another generation of gaming. The 16-bit era was packed to capacity with mascot-type characters, from the top tier Marios and Sonics to the dregs-of-the-Earth Bubsys and Dynamite Heddys. But this duo of a witty, polite robot and talking lombax are a carryover from that simpler time - except they have probably the coolest weapons in gaming history. Up Your Arsenal was their third exclusive outing on the PS2, obviously the series has had some success, but how did it really play?

Story
This is a game that has a gun that lets you turn your enemies into rubber duckies. Another one that shoots out tiny evil attack robots to kill your enemies for you. Still another that launches nuclear missiles, which explode into heat seaking smaller missiles. This game doesn't need a story, but they gave us one anyway. Here's the rundown.

You are a lombax (Ratchet) with a robotic buddy (Clank). The evil cyborg dude, Dr. Nefarious is trying to take over the world with a machine that turns everyone into robots. It's up to you and your rag-tag crew of space pals to save the day!

Your Cowardly Leader, Captain Quark

It's a pretty simple premise, but it's the multiple and varied cast of characters that makes this game's world sing. From the bumbling, cowardly leader of your crew, Captain Quark to Dr. Nefarious' unwilling assistant, Lawrence, Insomniac built and developed a group of characters that could fill in on any Saturday morning cartoon show. Not super deep or flawed individuals. No inner conflict or looming deep philosophical questions within them, but entertaining enough to keep me going.

Sadly the least well drawn character is Ratchet. He has no personality or ba-zing to his being. He's just the reluctant hero. He's not unlikable - just boring.

"I'm the hero!

The series prides itself on being funny, and to a degree it is. It just tries a little too hard most times. A comedy is at its best when it appears effortless, and Up Your Arsenal appeard to be exerting a herculean effort to make me laugh. With things like cutting off a curse word at the last minute or the old fart joke, it just felt like it was saying "HEY OVER HERE! I'M FUNNY!" the whole time. I would probably laugh more if I played this in the 12-15 year old range, but at a very immature 28, it didn't deliver the funny for me. But hey, I can't knock it. The devs made a great game, they kept it light, and made it fun. Plus like I said, this game doesn't need a story. It's got sheep guns!

Gameplay
It was interesting playing this right after Mario 64. The difference in jumping mechanics is staggering and just shows you how much time Nintendo spent perfecting Mario's running and jumping ability. Ratchet felt like he was so light and floaty compared to the mustachioed plumber. Fortunately the platforming elements are very light, and they work fine. Just interesting next to Mario 64.

Your Arsenal. Up it.

 
The real meat of the game is buying and upgrading weapons which results in a collection of the most ways to kill enemies in a video game. Seriously, there's like 20 different guns you can buy. From straight up shot gun and sniper rifle to the Sheepinator which turns your enemies into Sheep or the Infector which turns your enemies on each other. It's almost as cool as Bioshock's plasmids, just without all the mind control and syringes.

Leveling your weapons happens automatically when you use them. Each gun has five levels and each level-up provides a significant upgrade to the gun's firepower and ammo capacity. When a gun maxes  out, it changes names and adds another element - usually an explosive element - to create a whole new level of terror for your enemies. Some weapons are better for certain enemies than others, but you'll likely find a loadout of your three or four favorites and stick to those mostly.

It's not all running and gunning though. The game does an excellent job of mixing things up. One level you'll be piloting a drop ship with devastating firepower, the next you'll be in control of Clank as he solves puzzles and slips through cracks Ratchet can't squeeze into. Seriously, the variety of gameplay you see in that trailer up there is not at all misrepresentative of the game. I can promise you won't get bored. 

Up Your Arsenal also had a strong online component, but because I never bought the PS2 network adapter for my launch PS2, I didn't get to play it. And neither will you, probably. If the servers haven't been shut down I can't imagine too many people still playing it online. Split screen is always available, but I can't get my wife to play a game with robots and rodents and giant guns. Women, huh?

Presenatation
Insomniac is well known for their ability to create stunning worlds. The multiple planets in Ratchet's galaxy are all totally unique, but all of them have a distinct mark of the Ratchet and Clank series. The same way some people can hear a guitar solo and know immediately who's playing, the architecture and design of the Ratchet and Clank series is instantly recognizable. Chunky platforms, rich colors, vast expanses, huge cities - all of these are trademarks of this series, and it's all beautiful. If this were simply uprezzed to HD, I wouldn't bat an eye at it's quality. It's a fantastic looking game.

The enormity of Metropolis.

The only minor annoyance in the visuals was the transitions between scenes. Everything kind of cuts to black for a second and then the next scene starts. There's no connection which makes it really hard to follow sometimes. A very minor nitpick but it bothered me enough to mention it, so take it for what its worth to you.

The voice acting, sound design and music were all outstanding. Voice over artists played the exaggerated cartoon heroes and semi-heroes perfectly. The orchestrated music was felt like the score of a AAA blockbuster movie. But the sound design was where I think this game should hang its hat. Every single gadget and gizmo and gun and side weapon and mechanical movement and footstep and rocket explosion has the absolute perfect sound effect associated with it. This being most important in the explosions and guns with big firepower. If it's weak you'll notice it and it will take you out of the fantasy. If you don't notice the sound while you're playing, the sound is likely incredible. Or you're playing on mute.

Nefarious. What a dick.

If you're a 13 year old boy, buy this game immediately and play it until your eyes explode. If you're a 28 year old man you'll still enjoy it - maybe just skip the cutscenes. It's a beautiful game that Insomniac obviously spent a lot of time on and has a clear target market. But who's to say you can't pretend you're 13 for a few hours?

Review in Ten Words or Less:
A joyously immature romp through Explosionville.

Finished: Ratchet and Clank: Up Your Arsenal

Completion Time: 14:28
Completion Percentage: Probably about 50%

This was a fun one. A very enjoyable, relatively easy game that may have been targeted at players 15 years younger than me, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't have fun playing this.

This is the equivalent of a big blockbuster summer movie. A game that went heavy on explosions and special effects and very light on substance and story. And when I say heavy on explosions, I mean like "Wow. Those are some serious effing explosions." Everything blows up. Everything. And it's so convincing - from the shrapnel flying in all directions on screen to the vibration in the controller reacting perfectly to each and every ka-blooey - you will feel like you're an active participant in the most explosive cartoon ever made.

Definitely one for the pre-teen boy age range. Fart jokes, butt humor, tons of guns and gadgets - every 8th grader's check list for a good time.

Full review coming shortly. For now, cross another one off the list, sucka.

Proof, son.