Bioshock 2

This review is intended to help educate potential buyers of Bioshock 2 about a few of the major downsides of the way 2K has decided to sell the game. If you've already made up your mind to buy it, or already own it, this review isn't for you. If on the other hand you're on the fence, I'd love to point out a few things that are very troubling about Bioshock 2:

1) The game REQUIRES online activation. If you are a serviceman/servicewoman stationed in Baghdad (or anywhere in the field without internet) you're totally screwed. Requiring an internet connection to activate is offensive in itself, but coupled with the other major issues with this game's DRM scheme, it just keeps getting worse.

2) The game limits the number of times you can install it. I don't care if they give me 1,000 installs, any limit on how long I can use a game I paid for simply isn't acceptable. I'm not paying for the 'privilege' of installing how ever many times 2K or anyone else thinks is appropriate. If I buy a game, I want to actually BUY it, meaning I OWN IT and CAN DO WHAT I WANT WITH IT. If I buy the game and don't like it, how can I resell it? How can I verify to the person I'm selling it to that it has installations left? This is just a petty and insulting way to treat paying customers. I don't want to have to come crawling back to 2K or Microsoft to explain why I might need more installations for a game I already gave them forty or more dollar for. And what if they close their doors at some point in the future? How can I be guaranteed I'll still have access to my game?

3) Securom, the DRM package used by Bioware, installs with the game and there is no option to install it without Securom. That means you get a program running in the background when you play the game that can create issues for other programs on your computer. Don't believe me? I experienced all sorts of issues with the Securom that installed with Mass Effect I including it screwing up my drivers for my optical drives because it didn't like the fact that I has DeamonTools on my computer. I don't want crapware or potential security threats loading on my computer alongside the game!

4) You MUST create a WindowsLive account if you want to access certain parts of the game. I hate WindowsLive and everything to do with it and don't want to create accounts to play my game. I want to install it, run the game, and be on my merry way. Forcing creation of an account is what marketers call "forced opt-in" and it opens you up to all sorts of information mining so that Microsoft or whoever collects the data can sell it to marketing companies. Forced opt-ins just flat out suck and I hate when companies force you to jump through their hoops to play their game.

SO WHY DOES THE GAME COME LOADED UP WITH THIS NONSENSE????

2K would say its to fight piracy. I say bull-****. DRM doesn't affect pirates as they're already downloading the widely available and free versions of this (and any other game) from torrent sites. To the inevitable idiots who will spam the comments of this review accusing me of being either a pirate or too poor to buy the game: 1) I own literally hundreds of games and paid for every single one of theme and 2) if I was a pirate I'd already be playing the game from a torrent site without any of the limitations of DRM. Bottom line: if you want to pirate the game, it's pretty amazingly easy. I don't pirate because I'm honest, but neither do I give my money to game makers who like to insult my intelligence by telling me DRM is 'necessary' or that force me to install crapware on my computer.

Thanks but no thanks. I'll take a pass on this one.

**********UPDATE 02/17/2010**********

I had the opportunity to play Bioshock II on my friend's Xbox. Frankly I wasn't impressed with the game itself. It's very much a copy of the original game with very little that is new. I thought the game would center around being an all powerful Big Daddy. You do play as a Big Daddy, but you're not any stronger than the human character starting out in Bioshock I. I expected them to let you be more powerful but also introduce more powerful / numerous opponents. Instead, the same collection of splicers come in twos and threes just like the original game. So as a Big Daddy, it takes 2-3 melee hits (with a huge-*** drill bit mind you) to kill a splicer. It takes them 4-5 melee hits to kill you. That's just simply stupid considering when you fight another Big Daddy it takes a HUGE amount of firepower to bring one down. The whole concept of being a Big Daddy is diminished because you really are not any more powerful.

It's like they took EVERYTHING from the first game, just tweaked it a bit, and called it a new game. There is nothing new that feels significant. The weapons are not exciting, and some of them feel almost useless (the shotgun for one). Only the spear gun and rivet gun have a satisfying quality to them.

You still have the same simplistic moral choice (harvest or rescue Little Sisters), the same voice over the radio guiding you, and the same antagonistic voice prodding you along as you progress through the game. You get plasmids in the same order (electricity, then fire, then ice) and use them to solve the same problems as before (opening doors with electricity, melting snow with fire, etc...). Really it feels like they just redid the first game with less compelling characters and a less compelling storyline.

I'm actually VERY glad I didn't buy this game, even if it were DRM free because it isn't that interesting. It's a rehash of the first and doesn't have anything really remarkable to distinguish it. Honestly, I've played MODS that were free that provided a better gaming experience than this. A good example would be the BT MOD for Oblivion which made Oblivion feel like an entirely new game. For the price 2k is asking (full retail for a new game!) it's just ridiculous.

There are much better options out there. Go get Mass Effect II if you don't have it yet, or even Call of Pripyat from the venerable STALKER series. Both are a lot better than this.

Final thoughts:

It doesn't bother me if you want to buy this game and install it. I just want you to have all the facts before you do. If you don't agree with my perspective that's fine--this is a free country (assuming you live in the USA). Bottom line: some people do care about protecting consumer rights and I'm one of those people. Agree or disagree, I think everyone should have the right to information about the product they're buying. Especially when the game itself isn't even that great.

For those who spend time disconnected from the net, you cannot save your SINGLE PLAYER game in progress unless you are connected to Windows LIVE. I have no problems when I am connected, my LIVE account works and the ability to save works at that time, but I'm not connected all the time, especially while traveling. So as a warning that was not given prior to purchase, do not bother unless you will be connected full time to the net while playing. This causes me to give it a single star review as it is completely unusable to this road warrior.

The game play and graphics are as beautiful as the original, just disappointed that single player mode requires an Internet connection to save the game. Works great on my HP dv6 laptop. Unfortunately I will never get more than an hour into the game, and with no save due to no connection this game is going bye-bye.

***update, see K. Black's comment for single player offline save game work around***

I loved Bioshock 1 and was anxious to part with my cash for the sequel, but unfortunately I echo what has been said by many - I will put my money elsewhere because of the insulting "protections" of this game. Requiring an online Games for Windows account to save your game? Get serious.

The original BioShock was a breath of fresh air for me when I played it about three years ago. The combination of an unorthodox presentation, a unique setting, and non-derivative gameplay mechanics made it, in my mind, one of the best games of all time. Certainly, it had some flaws, but was, and still is, an instant classic.

Now, almost three years after the original, Take Two has decided to create a sequel out of the game, after seeing how financially successful it was.

The sequel takes place in 1970, ten years after the events of the original game. Andrew Ryan is dead, and now, a collectivist called Sofia Lamb is ruling what remains of Rapture, attempting to culture a socialist utopia out of the previously capitalist Rapture that Ryan created. The protagonist is a Big Daddy called "Delta", and he is trying to search for his daughter, Eleanor, who was once a Little Sister.

What gripes me most about this game is how unchanged most of the game is, in comparison with the original. Sure, they may have introduced some new enemies (like the Big Sister) and some new weapons (like the Rivet Gun), but by and all, the core gameplay remains unchanged. Even the level design is more or less the same. You are thrust down a linear pathway, and unlike the first game, you never get the opportunity to revisit areas you have cleared out previously. It's still all good and fun, but I feel that 2K Marin could have done a much better job at creating a real sequel, instead of merely recyling old assets from the first game into a new game that they call a "sequel".

There is multiplayer as well, featuring ranks and unlockable weapons/plasmids as you level up, but it feels very tacked-on and obviously is not the reason why most people are buying this game. Furthermore, there are no dedicated servers either, since BioShock 2 uses Games for Windows Live for matchmaking.

And finally, I would like to say a little something about the DRM. There are two types of DRM in this game: SecuROM, and Games for Windows Live. SecuROM is used for the physical DRM (i.e., you need the disk in the drive to launch the game) and GFWL validates the game via a product key to unlock achievements and multiplayer for the player. I don't find SecuROM to be much of a hassle (you can always use a no-DVD crack to bypass the disk check), but I do have a problem with GFWL, since you can only activate the game 15 times before you have to call Microsoft for more activations. I find this atrociously anti-consumer and a complete hassle for those of us who reformat often. That said, I don't seriously find the DRM used in the game to be a major problem as a whole, but the whole limited activations thing is a joke and simply inconviences the end user in the long run.

Overall, I give this game a 3/5. It's fun, but worth only $20-$25 at best.

If you want this game without DRM (Digital Rights Management for those who don't know), download a stolen copy. That way you can install the game on all your computers and any computers you may have in the future. If you want to limit the number of times you can install this game BUY it. It's that simple. AND, I too am like another reviewer who said I am not a criminal, I have the money, and (generally) DO NOT steal games. I am a proud owner and consumer of maybe 150 games. Don't treat us like criminals please... and I won't rate your game with one star.

Loaded with all sorts of fun hidden objects, great if your good at hacking machines and things to really make you think. Oh, oops, I wasn't describing the game, just the installation. I will never buy a Games for Windows title ever again...correction...RENT. First you need to install WindowsLive AND setup an account, even if you don't want to play online. It does not say that in the EULA that to create a save you need to access the internet through WindowsLive, I see why th program is required now. The DRM to play the game is ridiculous...enter the code for installation, verify online to make sure your copy is legal, and the disk needs to be in the drive, same old.
But in all fairness, they do warn you on the back of the case itself. It states: "Other Requirements: Ability to save game, earn achievements, receive title updates and online play requires log in to Games for WindowsLIVE; requires disc in drive to play; software installations required (included on disc) Microsoft Visual C++ 2008 Runtime Libraries, Games for WindowsLIVE client, Games for WindowsLIVE Client Patch, Sony DADC secuROM, Microsoft DirectX."
Sony really wants their name attatched to that...too bad, now I will never knowingly buy a sony product again, glad I delayed buying a PS3, and bought a Samsung TV instead of a Bravia.

Mass Effect 2 got it right though...no DRM just a disk check, it also only connects to the internet to download add ons. You OWN that game. I'd say I hope that 2K and every other company responsible for the DRM falls to the recession...but that would make alot of customers lose out on many games due to DRM, one of the many reasons to despise it. I havent played this game much but it's prob because I feel I'm constantly being played by the game makers instead.

My first encounter with GFWL was when Bethesda decided to release some addons through this miserable route. I swore then never to deal with anything GFWL. I was excited when Bioshock 2 was announced and, going against my better judgement, preordered the game, got it, loaded it up and....

1. The game would not go past the opening videos. Made a restore point, updated my video drivers, game would not even launch. I restored and for some bizarre reason the game actually got going...great joy.

2. Short lived. I have battled since then with game freezes, screen going blank, and some crashes. Looking at various other forums tells me I am not alone.

3. When I could play I enjoyed what the game gave me. Very similar to the first game but I liked that. For me the battles were tougher that Bioshock 1 at normal hardness level and the addition of the brutes and big sisters...well I got killed a lot. Without the problems I would have given a much higher rating. If you are looking for a good, non-buggy experience try Dragon Age or Mass Effect 2

They aren't kidding, you guys. I'm a veteran gamer -- years of this, and I loved Bioshock 1, but it took me three days and nine attempts, on three different e-mail addresses before I could get Microsoft Windows Live to accept any account. And I had an account already for my XBOX (which they wouldn't recognize). Finally, when I got the game running, connected, and patched (you can't patch it without a Windows Live Account) it locked up on every system I have. (Mac Pro running XP SP3 in bootcamp, Radeon XT1900, 6GB, Athlon Quad core running Window 7 Home Premium 3GB Ram, Radeon 2400XT. Three installs later, still locks up a minute into the game.

I have no idea what the game play is like, but anything that's this difficult just to get running, is not worth your time or money. truly a nightmare dealing with the DRM.

The other players are not kidding. This is terrible. Hate the game, not the players.

Taken in tiny chunks Bioshock 2 is, on a purely superficial level, almost indistinguishable from the first game. The graphics and fast-twitch combat are just as good as the first game, it's a competent shooter with an inherently cool setting, and it does make a handful of tangible improvements over its predecessor - like being able to wield plasmids and weapons simultaneously, and some improved water effects. But it doesn't really rise above its predecessor so much as it tries a little too hard to copy its most successful elements, and never really finds a voice of its own.

Gameplay is straightforward, to the point of being simplistic; it's pretty much a run around and shoot things game, which works fine to a point, but the game is also stuffed full of padding - mostly the sub-missions where you guard Little Sisters while they harvest Adam, which start out harrowing but quickly get repetitive and dull. A handful of levels are total knockouts (one memorable one involves escaping a building while it's in the process of flooding, in what feels like real time), and the weakest levels are still competently done. A handful of new enemies liven things up, in a way, mainly by having annoying special abilities that make them harder to kill. In terms of gameplay it's a competent game, really, with a few standout points of excellence. Bioshock 2 just doesn't really bring anything *new* to the table, and doesn't improve on the existing stuff enough to make much of an impact. And even with all the padding it's still a surprisingly short game.

The real problem with Bioshock 2, though, is the story and plot elements. The first game had all the same flaws as the sequel (except perhaps the repetitiveness), but the straightforward on-the-rails shooter elements were disguised behind an absolutely masterful loyalty to the themes of the plot. All layers of the game - the vending machines, the insane splicer enemies, the creepy Little Sisters, the ubiquitous journal recordings, the characters themselves - were direct reflections of the central themes of the game. All the characters - even the insane ones - had their own motivations and objectives, and the conflict in the plot even down to individual levels always came from variations on those same central themes. That, coupled with an exceptionally strong opening and some truly creepy environmental design, made for a deeply involving game. Bioshock was scary and threatening and made the player feel constantly in danger, even though it was next to impossible to actually lose, and that was what made it work.

Bioshock 2, on the other hand, trades in the thematic elements in the plot that supported the atmosphere for new central themes - what sounds like a mushy version of Socialism and a take on fatherhood that's difficult to relate to. There are a few good minor surprises, but the game's story just feels forced, and none of the characters - including the PC - ever really came alive. Without any sense of connection with the characters, the game lost any particular sense of urgency, and even the game's legitimately well-done attempts at creepiness and horror mostly just sort of fizzled. There are also a few glaring logical flaws inherent in the premise of the game - it's set ten years after the first one, which means there's really no explanation for how exactly Rapture still has unlooted containers, people or even air still in it, considering the condition it was in in the first game. It also undermines the sense of imminent doom that Bioshock 2 tries to emulate from the original game, where it felt like the city was going to literally collapse around you at any moment; after all, it's lasted ten years with conspicuous leaks in every room and no discernible food sources, and you're playing as a nigh-invulnerable tank.

And of course, the control scheme is an annoyingly direct remapping of console controls. The only nod to the PC's vastly more versatile control options are weapons hotkeys; you can't even scroll in menus using the arrow keys. It mostly didn't bother me outside of trying to use vending machines, but there's really no excuse for game companies to continue using such awkward interfaces for game menus on a PC.

I also have to mention that the game has some deeply annoying copy protection systems, not least of which is the still-broken Games for Windows Live. I have yet to play any game with GFWL where the program actually works with any consistency, and Windows Live managed to keep my version of this game unplayable for the first two days thanks to mandatory login and overtaxed servers. There's also Securom and limited activations to contend with. If the game had opt-in Windows Live and a disc check instead, I'd be able to recommend it, if only to shooter fans... but this game is simply not worth the DRM issues it creates. I wouldn't have bought it myself if I'd thought to do the research beforehand on the DRM it came with.

Overall, I can't shake the feeling that there's a great game hiding somewhere under Bioshock 2. But it's bogged down by needlessly padded gameplay, a lack of engagement with the setting and plot, and a few gaping plot holes. It's not a bad game, and shooter fans will find something to enjoy in it, but it just doesn't live up to its predecessor... even to the point that it's unlikely anyone going back later to replay the first game will miss anything they added for the sequel. It's a good game, but it's far from a great game, and once you factor in the disastrous DRM it's just not worth buying.

I've seen that quite a few people have given this game one star for DRM or the like. I will admit, I was NOT thrilled that you had to activate it, run through Games for Windows, etc, etc. I've never been a fan of GFW, as it seems that a company steeped in PCs is stuck on consoles.Personally, I haven't had any problems running the single player experience, with the DRM and all, but the multiplayer is flawed by design. (EDIT: I've been having problems with the game freezing, but I have no proof that this is due to the DRM functions). But if you are willing to put up with it, then this is a great game to play.

Of course, I was a deep fan of the first one. The problem with #2 is that it's a LOT like #1, from the general game mechanics down to the videos that come with new plasmids. (Example: the "Enrage" plasmid is now the "Hypnotize" one, but it's exactly the same except for the name)

GRAPHICS: 4/5
About the same as the first one, don't expect realism. Perhaps the slightest of boosts in quality from the first.

SOUND: 3/5
Identical to first.

PLOT: 4/5
Good plot, as to be expected from a Bioshock game

GAMEPLAY: 4/5
As I said before, I was a big fan of the original game, and 2K seems to have improved every part of it. Hacking is now MUCH simpler, rewarding, and fast. The guns are take-or-leave. Collecting research and adam is also a much more involved task. The reason that I didn't give it a 5/5 is that, once again, the game is lacking *originality*. Frankly, the hacking is the most evolved part of the game, and that's just the method for doing it and adding extra rewards for doing it really well. Meh.

CONTROLS: 0/5
I don't know what drunken monkey made up the control schemes for the game, but they are completely idiotic. While they can be easily fixed on single player, there is no easy way to choose a weapon in muliplayer, it's all one button press (I'm used to hitting the number keys, why change it?)

MULTIPLAYER: 2/5

It's MW2's multiplayer just without the skill.

I do give them credit for trying, and it's an interestingly done idea. The problem? Take all the problems that people had with Modern Warefare 2, apply a bioshock skin, and you have the multiplayer. No servers, just automatching (WHY DO PC DEVELOPERS DO THIS? Servers are one of the reasons why playing on a PC is so much better than consoles. Instead they want us to play on a console with a keyboard, where you say you want to play a game and it responds "Ok. Sit down and shut up while I spend half an hour finding 6 random people for you to play with). It really detracts from the game experience.

Oh, and that includes the whole "hosting the game on a player's computer" idea. I tend to get host (unfortunately) because I have a fast connection, but for reasons unknown I lose connection frequently. Thus, whenever I lose connection the game stops. But I don't mean everyone has to stop for a second to regain their link, I mean it STOPS. It reads it like everyone simultaneously dropped and ends the session. And god forbid if you're not the host, because if the host drops then the game still ends, unlike MW2 where it finds a new one. It's simply game over.

As for the actual playing of multiplayer, its so-so. Unless you are lucky with a headshot (rare with these guns) then the firefights invariably end up with a bunch of people circling around with shotguns and trying to melee each other. I can see it getting mediocre quickly. While you do get better weapons and plasmids, I can see the game devolving into a grenade-fest quickly. Although there is a nice ranking system, almost identical to the aforementioned MW2.

Overall, do NOT buy this game for the muliplayer. You will regret it.

OVERALL: 3/5
I'd love to give this game a 5/5, but there are simply too many flaws that cannot be overlooked, such as the Games for Windows (I shudder to even type that accursed name), the DRM, etc. Do not pick it up expecting an entirely new experience, because you really won't find one. But if you want to play the new and improved version of Bioshock 1, then this is the game to do it with. That includes BS1's complete lack of muliplayer, because for all intents and purposes you don't have it in 2 either.

I suppose to summarize it, if you loved the first one, you'll probably like the second one. If not, then stay far away.