BioShock 2 Review

Game:  BioShock 2

Year (s):  2010

Company:  dev.  2K Marin, 2K China

                  pub.  2K Games

Engine:   Unreal Engine 2.5 (modified) using Havok physics

Type:  First-Person Shooter with RPG and Survival Horror elements

Metacritic Score: 88

My Score:  Not Applicable

Price (as of July 17, 2012)

Regular price on Steam:  $19.99
Lowest Buy-It-Now on eBay (new, with shipping):  $8

Game Time:  Not Applicable

Obligatory Trailer:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIopXUPVGFE

See Also: 

BioShock Review:  http://fpsandmtg.blogspot.com/2010/11/bioshock-review.html

Plot, Engine, Gameplay

The game begins with you, a Big Daddy, forced to kill yourself.  Ten years later, after the events of the first game, you wake up.  Rapture is still a violent mess. 

The game looks identical to the first.  Something to note, the main developer of BioShcok, Irrational Games, was not involved in this sequel. 

Gameplay is very similar to the first, with small changes that are mostly negligible.  The hacking minigame was changed in a fashion that is impossible for the ten percent of males (like me) who are red/green colorblind.  Hacking is, at times, mandatory, so the game became unplayable after about an hour. 

Expansions / DLC / Sequels

A handful of DLC were developed, split between single- and multi- player content.  Not all of these are available for the PC. 

BioShock Infinite is due out in 2013  This is set in a steampunk floating city, and is being developed solely by Irrational Games.  It is not directly related to the other BioShock games but is set in the same universe.

Final Thoughts

I like BioShock.  I probably would have liked BioShock 2, but the hacking function left me extremely disappointed and unable to recommend this game.