So I just got Bioshock 2 and began playing through it. And I decided that, rather than wait till the end and post one large review, it might be fun to post in chunks and deconstruct that game as I’m playing through it. So consider this kind of like a book club, but instead we’re gonna talk about splicers and guys in big suits! Note: Since I’m only through the start of the game, I may be talking about stuff here that turns out to be wildly wrong as the game progresses, since I’m working only with what I know so far from the game. I think this is a feature, not a bug, of this concept, but it may annoy those of you who are further along than me. All right, without further ado:
Spoilers for the first two levels of Bioshock 2 (through the amusement park)
My biggest fear going into Bioshock 2 pertained to the shift in main character. In Bioshock, you were just a dude who found his way to Rapture. Even though it turned out that your presence there wasn’t random, it still felt like you were just kind of a person. I have Big Man in Suit fatigue from all the Halo clones, so I’m inclined to sometimes overrate games that don’t do that. So I was a little disappointed when I found out Bioshock 2 would be about a Big Man in Suit: the first Big Daddy. But, so far, I’m actually finding myself much more drawn in by Bioshock 2′s protagonist than Bioshock. In the first game, you were more of a plot point than a character, but early on, the father-daughter machinations of the plot are much more engaging to me on an emotional level.
Part of that, too, is due to the bang-up opening sequence. I’m not a huge fan of cut scenes, and Bioshock keeps them to an admirable minimum, but the one at the start is really effective. I like that it doesn’t change perspective from the rest of the game, that it briefly sets up the three main players, and, most of all, that haunting finish, where you put a gun to your own head and pull the trigger. Its done in first person mode, and looks like the rest of the game, but you can’t actually control it or do anything to stop it – putting you in the exact same position as Delta.
And now that I’ve said control, perhaps its time to broach the subject I brought up in my Award Winning, Paradigm-Shifting post on gaming in the 2000s (that was really about Bioshock and Portal, but whatever). I’ve only just gotten into the moral dilemna section of the game, so I can’t really talk about how that’s been working. But, thinking about it, I want to re-iterate what I wish was the main point of that post: I kind of don’t care. I’m invested in the story and I want to see where all this is going and unlock the world of post-Ryan Rapture. If what I do can change what happens in a meaningful way, then great, but I’m not too invested in that idea.
But, that said, Harvest or Rescue? Looking back on the first game, I think the more “thematically correct” choice was Harvest. It was a game about the moral sacrifices we make for survival and the triumph of greed over values in an Objectivist state. But here…well I picked Rescue, mainly because I’m a boring person. But it just makes more sense, doesn’t it? You’re a father who is trying to save his daughter and given the backdrop of learning the horrifying history of the Little Sisters (so they’re all being kidnapped by Lamb, right? And in the 1950s, they were all kidnapped on New Years in the amusement park?), it just feels righter to Rescue. Plus, in the first game, there was really no difference in the level of difficulty between the two. But I’m only a couple hours in, so who knows how its going to change.
I’m also more drawn in by the new Rapture than I thought it would be. Like most of you, I was expecting some kind of fall of Rapture prequel from this game, but there’s a lot more to post-Ryan Rapture than I thought. I’ve enjoyed exploring what’s here so far (even if its felt at time like they’ve been trying to shoehorn Lamb into the game’s old world, even though she’s a new character) and I’ve liked so far exploring new parts of the city.
Conscious of the big Ryan/Atlas shift of the first game, I’ve been on the look out for some kind of major twist here, but so far can’t find anything. I will say that I don’t trust Sinclair at all. I also think that Delta really is Eleanor’s father, and that the Big Daddy conditioning took first in him because he already had that bond with her.
So, problem spots? Well, there are a few I’ve noticed so far. First of all, the graphics seem a little cartoonier than last time. Maybe its just me, but I’m not quite as blown away by this one as I was by the last one. There’s also not the same sweat-inducing amounts of creepy atmosphere that soaked the last game. The run through Ryan’s amusingly EPCOT-esque dark ride was pretty solid, but there’s been nothing here to match that first hour of Bioshock, which engaged me in a way no other video game has. And, while the new hacking mechanic is vastly superior to the old one, it still feels pretty detached and unnecessary.
There’s also the problem of the Vita-Chambers, which I must admit I’m torn about. As someone who is really only mediocre at gaming, its definitely a nice perk. And its something that gets around the pesky problem of watching your character die over and over again which, as I mentioned in the old post, really messes up storytelling and causes story deaths to lose impact. But, at the same time, it makes the game comically easy. And it almost feels like there’s no repurcussions for screwing up. Take the new Little Sister mechanic, where you have to guard them while they harvest ADAM and a swarm of splicers attack you. I died the first time I tried it and woke up in a Vita-Chamber, with the Little Sister waiting outside. It was a hassle that I had to restart the ADAM process, but that’s all it was. If the Vita-Chambers are a necessary evil, perhaps there can be other consequences. Imagine how horrifying it would be if, when you die during one of those fights, you lost the Little Sister to the splicers. Logistically, it would make getting ADAM harder, but it would certainly be incredibly impactful and lead me to take those fights even more seriously.
But perhaps the biggest problem is the game’s new thematic focus. I’m glad it isn’t just retreading the Ryan/Objectivism ground of the first game, and there’s nothing inherently wrong with making the villain of your piece female. However, given the vibe of creepy maternalism Lamb gives off in her PA addresses (referring to Rapture as a big family, for example) and the fact that the game’s storyline so far amounts to the most violent custody hearing ever, I’m wondering what exactly this game is trying to say about women and motherhood. Given that Lamb, by far the most prominent female character in the game, takes care of her family by kidnapping its children, brainwashing the men into violent hulks who will do whatever she tells them, and tries to kill Delta for just wanting some quality time with his Little Sister…well so far things seem a little problematic. Its way too early in the game to pass judgment on such things, and I have faith that it will work itself out in a way that is contrary to this reading, but the early stages touched off my misogyny radar more than I was expecting.
But there’s still a lot more game to go through. I’m engaged if skeptical and more on board with Delta than I was with the main character in the first game. I may have some early qualms, but I’m more than willing to see how this all plays out. If you’re playing along or interested, feel free to follow along with these semi-regular posts. Maybe it will even become a semi-regular feature! And feel free to comment below (but no spoilers past the Amusement Park level, or I’ll have to run you through with my power drill), since I’m thinking this could work a little like a book club. Do you like Delta? Are the Vita-Chambers still too easy? Does anyone have a reading of Lamb so far that will make me happier with this game?
Michael
ulyssesworkman
awarshauer
