Review: Bioshock 2

Played on Playstation 3

In this game you are a Big Daddy, but not a Big Daddy. You're like the extra special Big Daddy who's all special because you're a clone or something. To be perfectly frank, the story doesn't make a lick of sense to me. To read all about the history of the Bioshock universe and the story from the first game, read this.

Visuals:

There are two sides to the visuals in this game, gory and gritty, and then creepy and gritty. You live in this world under the ocean. It has a bit of a 1950's run down post-apocalyptic look to it (basically, everything looks cool but is falling apart). There are a bunch of neat little signs and posters that are pretty entertaining. The game has a really gritty feel, but being underwater, there are some parts like look really cool, particularly when you're able to look into the ocean and see sharks and giant squid swimming by. Ok, I said gory. There's a lot of gore. I mean, you run a giant drill through people, and there's no way around that kind of mess. Now for the creepy. You're trying to find your daughter/Little Sister (it sounds like inbreeding but I've been reassured that it's not). These little girls have bright glowing eye sockets, stick needles in people and then suck out what the needle collects. At the beginning of the game, there are lots of chalk drawings everywhere which adds to the air of weirdness.

As far as watching the story-line goes, I'm just plain confused. There are a few cutscenes, but a lot of the story is told through voice messages. Even the parts that I do follow, don't really seem to clarify the situation. Perhaps I just missed something somewhere...

Audio:

There isn't much in the way of soundtrack. There is a pretty constant sound of running water so as long you have an empty bladder, it's pretty relaxing. The fights do get a bit loud as you run the drill through your enemies. The previously mentioned voice messages are pretty cool as the people have neat accents. To add to the creepy factor, the Little Sisters have creepy little horror movie voices.

Involvement:

The most involvement opportunity I see is for your boy to spend an hour trying to explain the story to you. There are some cool advertisements in the game for which you can be on the look out, but there's just not much for a second person to do.

Overall:

Ok so, the story line is my biggest hang up. I just don't get it. If you can, read up on the story before watching this game, and I would even suggest watching the first one before hand. So, does it pass the Wifey Watchability Test? Yes and no. Here's the deal, if you are a new gamer-girlfriend/wife, this game will probably be too much for you. However, if you are able to get past the gore (and have some knowledge of the story-line), an experienced gamer girlfriend/wife will be able to appreciate this game for what it is. It is a beautifully put together psychological suspense/horror movie made into game form. While creepy, the creepiness is also really cool! (Once again, for the experienced gamer gf, those without a history of desensitization will probably freak out if exposed to those game.)

SO, do I like it? Kinda. Could I watch it for hours on end? Probably not. Will you like it? Maybe.