BioShock 2 Remastered Review (Theoran)
Once I completed Bioshock 1, I was ready to jump into Bioshock 2. I had a better foundation of the world, and I was ready to dive even deeper into the lore of the world. Bioshock 2 takes what we learned of Rapture from the first game and adds even more background. We learn more about the war between Fontaine and Ryan but also about the growing feud between Ryan and Lamb. We learn more about the history of Big Daddies and Little Sisters and how tragic their creations truly were. We also learn what happens to Little Sisters when they grow up. Learning all this new information reinforced the decisions I made to save all the Little Sisters in Bioshock 1. Entering Bioshock 2, I was ready, once again, to save them all whether that was the point of the game or not. Lucky for me, it was!
From the opening cut scene to flashbacks of the past, you learn of your history with Eleanor. My desire to save Eleanor grew as each story moment occurred. I had to save her! I had to save the Little Sisters! I would not fail. With each level my need to saving them all grew. Lamb knew I was coming for her. She had sent her entire Rapture Family to stop me, but she knew that my quest would not be deterred by the mounting piles of dead I left in my wake. I was… inevitable. In an act of sheer desperation to stop the unstoppable force that I had become, she did the unthinkable. In the end, forgiveness won. For Eleanor, the Rapture dream was over. I taught her that evil was just a word. For me, mercy was victory. I sacrificed, I endured, and when given the chance... I forgave. Always. Lamb believed the world was irredeemable... but she was wrong. In forgiving, we left the door open for Lamb to be redeemed.
It’s hard not to compare Bioshock 1 & 2. Bioshock 2 is a more streamlined version of Bioshock 1 while 1’s story is more shocking than 2’s. Having a gun in one hand and a plasmid in the other at the same time is a huge improvement. Though, the research mechanic still detracts from the action. I found 1’s levels to be more interesting than 2’s and there’s not a single level that comes close to 1’s Fort Frolic. The level where you see through the eyes of a Little Sister is hugely entertaining and heartbreaking and provides a unique prospective. I also liked that Bioshock 2 introduced Big Sisters and steered away from having a lackluster final boss fight. I also liked that the decisions made in game impacted the ending. In the end, there’s not much 2 could have done to compete with the iconic twist from 1. Still, I did enjoy 2 and found it an extremely fun experience.
The Protector Trial DLC missions were extremely fun and challenging. This game mode forced me to rely on weapons and plasmids I never used during gameplay and that made the experience even more enjoyable. Completing all the Protector Trials was a joy and a nice addition to the game.
Lastly, I highly recommend looking over the suggested tweaks found here: https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/BioShock_2_Remastered. To help with crashes and other issues. I found Bioshock 2 to crash frequently in the early levels of the game. It did this so often that I ended up saving the game about every 15 minutes. Still, even with stability issues, I love and would recommend this game.
I also made a spreadsheet to track overall progress for things like research, audio logs, tonics, and plasmids. It can be found here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/a7xqqx6d1hb3rdo/AABlwqrssmdvTz3jCfpau1d5a?dl=0