Summary This game follows up the celebrated Bioshock. The story continues nearly a decade later in the underwater separatist commune known as the Rapture. Rapture has gone rogue and is now a dangerous place featuring psychotic drug addicts known as splicers whose corpses can be harvested for a tonic called ADAM, the fearsome enemy Sofia Lamb, and a host of little girls called Little Sisters who are being molded by Lamb into an army promoting her beliefs. The Little Sisters frequently harvest for ADAM. The character inhabited by the player is known as Big Daddy and is on a mission to find the Little Sister that he abandoned years ago. If he does not find his Little Sister in the allotted amount of time, then he will lapse back into a coma. Throughout the game Big Daddy comes across many Little Sisters, who he can rescue, protect, and/or harvest for their supply of ADAM, all of which give the player power in varying degrees. This is a first person shooter game, meaning that the player sees through his character's eyes and moves through his body.
Critical Analysis
The first Bioshock was extremely celebrated, so the sequel was hotly anticipated. Some were disappointed and claimed that it wasn't much different than the first, but mostly the reviews were overwhelmingly positive in terms of continuation of storyline, advances in the first person shooter element, overall aesthetic including elements such as the music, and more than anything the gorgeous visual representation. Bioshock 2 takes the original story and makes it personal by allowing the player to become one particular Big Daddy character. His quest to find his lost Little Sister provides depth as well as mystery, since the player cannot be sure who is the correct Little Sister. The aesthetic appeal of this game is perhaps most notable of all. Rapture is a now decrepit underwater wasteland, trapped in time due to the disconnection with the outside world, but also decaying, giving an eerie effect. The rendering of the place, the painstaking details such as Big Daddy's ghostly reflection as he passes by windows, the incredible articulation of the Little Sisters and Sofia Lamb - all of this is stunning. There is a dark pall over everything and light is luminous and soft when it appears, such as the light that shines from the Little Sisters' empty eyes. The artistic merit of this video game cannot be overstated. It is haunting and unlike anything else. This alone makes it worth playing, just to explore the environment created for the continuation of an arresting story.
Why I Included This Game
Although this game is rated mature and not necessarily geared specifically towards young adults, the technical sophistication, first person shooter element, and extreme popularity of the first version make it appealing to all age groups. In particular first person shooter games are quite popular with this age group.
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