All good things are three, right? RIGHT??! Well, let's hope that’s the case for my third chapter on this amazing blog! There’s been quite a bit of gaming going on as usual. So, while listening to Stereophonics’ great album, Keep Calm and Carry On, I’ll keep you up to date!
Before I dig into the heavy stuff, I just want to mention that Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is now pre-ordered. Hopefully, it'll deliver a far better experience for online gaming than Modern Warfare 2 did. I ordered the Limited Edition of BC2, but I don’t think it’s more than a few extra weapons unlocked. It cost the same anyhow.
Before I dig into the heavy stuff, I just want to mention that Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is now pre-ordered. Hopefully, it'll deliver a far better experience for online gaming than Modern Warfare 2 did. I ordered the Limited Edition of BC2, but I don’t think it’s more than a few extra weapons unlocked. It cost the same anyhow.
Let’s proceed with the reviews then, shall we?!
BioShock 2. BioShock 2 man! It seems to have fallen right into my lap, I just loved the original. An amazing atmosphere, truly original experience and fantastic design, combined in great fashion made the first BioShock an impossible game to surpass for a sequel.
Review
Played on: Xbox 360
Released: 2010
Released: 2010
“So it isn't as good as the first one then!” I hear you say, well yes and no, but that doesn't mean it's a bad game!
BioShock 2 takes place ten years after the original and explores what happened to the underwater, utopian, city of Rapture. You play the role of the very first Big Daddy created. I personally like this choice of angle, it gives a great insight
Graphically, I must admit little has changed, the first game made my jaw drop, BioShock 2 simply doesn't look that different. It still looks very nice mind you, but many titles have surpassed it in the last three years. On a positive note, the design of the environments are really atmospheric and a cut above most releases out there. Again, I must bring up the underwater sections, they look really cool!
So, to summarise, BioShock 2 isn't quite as impactful as the original was, and it never could be either to be fair. It lacks some of those memorable scenes that burnt the original into my memory, but it does add smaller, new and welcome elements and additions. Building on the foundation of the original, this is sequel that's obligatory to be played in conjunction with the first release.
It doesn't go wrong as a solid sequel, depicting a dark and chilling story, maybe even in a better fashion than in the original. Fans of the first shouldn't hesitate to dive into Rapture again with this. Newcomers, however, should start at the beginning with the original.
I've also played through two DLC add-on's for Assassin's Creed 2, the amazing sequel that came out last year, one of the best releases of 2009. It fixed everything about the original, has lots of depth in the story, amazing cities to explore, great graphics and was a great 25 hour playthrough.
behind the scenes of the city, things you wondered about in the first game. It gives a bigger picture of how massive Rapture was.
It also takes a lot of time to make you understand the little sisters more and a better picture of how things went terribly wrong. I really enjoyed the places where you walk outside the city walls, underwater, and parts where rooms fill up with water, showcasing cool water effects! Being a Big Daddy allows you the benefit of being constantly suited up in a diving suit.
However, it falls short on delivering some of the genius, key moments that stood out so strongly in the original, like the meeting the mad doctor or the sick artist. The shock surprise of the whole setting is dampened in the sequel, you're returning to a familiar rather than uncharted world, but then again this is natural for a sequel.
However, it falls short on delivering some of the genius, key moments that stood out so strongly in the original, like the meeting the mad doctor or the sick artist. The shock surprise of the whole setting is dampened in the sequel, you're returning to a familiar rather than uncharted world, but then again this is natural for a sequel.
That said, it does add cool new elements that surprised me, like the fights with the new Big Sisters. Or that you finally can wield plasmids while at the same time fire a gun.
The story is very good, but it takes time to pan out. I thought the first game lost quality towards the end, once the main plot twist was out of the bag, the rest felt underwhelming and rushed. BioShock 2 is the opposite, at first there's an underwhelming feeling of being back to a place you escaped and lacks the initial amazement of exploring Rapture for the first time. However, BioShock 2 builds itself slowly up to a great ending, the latter part allows you to explore Rapture in a very different way.
Combined, if you play BioShock 1 and BioShock 2 as one long experience, which I highly recommend, it will amaze you in the beginning, then water out a bit, only to build itself up to a grand finale!
Combined, if you play BioShock 1 and BioShock 2 as one long experience, which I highly recommend, it will amaze you in the beginning, then water out a bit, only to build itself up to a grand finale!
Graphically, I must admit little has changed, the first game made my jaw drop, BioShock 2 simply doesn't look that different. It still looks very nice mind you, but many titles have surpassed it in the last three years. On a positive note, the design of the environments are really atmospheric and a cut above most releases out there. Again, I must bring up the underwater sections, they look really cool!
It doesn't go wrong as a solid sequel, depicting a dark and chilling story, maybe even in a better fashion than in the original. Fans of the first shouldn't hesitate to dive into Rapture again with this. Newcomers, however, should start at the beginning with the original.
Other stuff
Next up, are some DLC's I’ve been playing. First one is the Lost in Nightmares DLC to Resident Evil 5. It’s a small, but reasonably priced, add-on that's a prequel story to the events in RE5’s timeline. It’s about the mission where Jill and Chris explore the Spencer estate, which you see flashbacks from in RE5 main campaign.This prequel story is a real homage to the first Resident Evil. It's more puzzle-orientated and the mansion will bring back fond memories from where the series began. It only takes about an hour to complete, but it's a neat throwback and back to horror elements for the franchise!
I've also played through two DLC add-on's for Assassin's Creed 2, the amazing sequel that came out last year, one of the best releases of 2009. It fixed everything about the original, has lots of depth in the story, amazing cities to explore, great graphics and was a great 25 hour playthrough.
The first DLC is rather short and tells the story of the Battle of Forli, a true historic event, and puts you up against two brothers as they capture and seize the town of Forli.
The second is about the Bonfire of the Vanities, where many people burned thousands of objects that were thought to promote sin, like art and books. This DLC is actually the best and lets you take part in many small missions, which focus heavily on assassinating the targets quietly.
The second is about the Bonfire of the Vanities, where many people burned thousands of objects that were thought to promote sin, like art and books. This DLC is actually the best and lets you take part in many small missions, which focus heavily on assassinating the targets quietly.
Both DLC's are nicely priced and I highly recommend them for fans of Assassin's Creed 2, they don't include achievements though, which is a bummer.
Well, that’s it for now! Apart from Bad Company 2, I'm not really waiting for any other releases at the moment. Which is nice in a way, so I can continue on unfinished business, aka backlog games.
Cheers!
Well, that’s it for now! Apart from Bad Company 2, I'm not really waiting for any other releases at the moment. Which is nice in a way, so I can continue on unfinished business, aka backlog games.
Cheers!