9 February 2010
Bioshock 2
BioShock 2 arguably does escape the shadow of that moment in Andrew Ryan’s office two and a half years ago. Your passage through Rapture may not be a matter of free will – a challenge someone surely ought to take up with this series – but BioShock 2 argues even within the strictures of fate that mercy and compassion or bitterness and revenge ring loud enough to echo through the lives of those who follow. The result is a less openly provocative game than its predecessor, and one that will capture less attention, but while it may be damned for subtlety it is every bit as deceptive, and perhaps that’s the greater of the series’ illusions regardless of what else a BioShock sequel might have become.
(Eurogamer, 8/10)
If it wasn’t for that expanded, heightened, desperate combat, and how neatly that sidesteps into a surprisingly characterful multiplayer mode, this would be a lacklustre sequel. It’s redeemed by the surfeit of combinations, upgrades and gene tonics which allow you to truly specialise, creating a psychedelic, explosive fighting style all of your own. If there’s a third game (of course there bloody will be), it cannot be set in Rapture again. We’ve seen enough of it now. This second tour of duty with far superior toys in Bioshock 2 is everything it needs to be, though. Familiarity breeds a little contempt, but as, simply, a game in which you shoot monsters in city under the sea, it’s better in every respect.
(IGN, 9.0)
» Find the best offers for Bioshock 2
