Big Sister is angry with you...It was inevitable that I would buy this game. Not only is it the sequel to what is easily one of my favourite games out there, it also gives me the chance to return to a videogame space unlike any other: one so unique in its theme and appearance; filled with attention to detail and personality; and set somewhere where few other games, if any, have explored, that I can't help but be excited to explore it once more. As far as I am concerned, Rapture is BioShock, so any opportunity to return to the underwater utopia is going to be taken immediately.
My first impression of BioShock 2 was one of relief. Within moments of loading the game, it felt like I was home, and while that sounds incredibly ridiculous or perhaps even hyperbolic, it's true. Those initial moments of control, when I (as opposed to who we play as: the Big Daddy original prototype known as 'Delta') was finally playing the game, were strangely calming, and I stood there for a few minutes, surveying my new surroundings and just taking it all in. This was undoubtedly Rapture, and I had undoubtedly returned, and the relaxing moments those two facts had inspired was exactly the kind of reaction I wanted from not just the sequel, but any installment of the franchise: prequel or sequel.
To take my fanboy approach to Rapture and thus, the BioShock franchise, out of the equation for a moment, it has been incredibly interesting to observe the reactions to the game that everyone else is having and correlate them with my own.* Personally, so far at least, BioShock 2 is delivering on the expectations I set upon it: it allowed me to return to Rapture, it maintains the atmosphere and personality that was so prominent in the first game, and continues to flesh out the narrative of both the city and those who populate it. Admittedly, I'm still fairly early into the game so it remains to be seen if things will change or continue, get better or get worse -- but in the meantime my impression of BioShock 2 has been positive and, more importantly, I'm glad 2K Marin, Australia and China (as well as Digital Extremes) were able to justify its existence and show that it wasn't just a cash-in but a genuine attempt to iterate on a remarkable game. It goes without saying that I'll have more about BioShock 2 soon -- this blog's name is influenced by the series after all...
My first impression of BioShock 2 was one of relief. Within moments of loading the game, it felt like I was home, and while that sounds incredibly ridiculous or perhaps even hyperbolic, it's true. Those initial moments of control, when I (as opposed to who we play as: the Big Daddy original prototype known as 'Delta') was finally playing the game, were strangely calming, and I stood there for a few minutes, surveying my new surroundings and just taking it all in. This was undoubtedly Rapture, and I had undoubtedly returned, and the relaxing moments those two facts had inspired was exactly the kind of reaction I wanted from not just the sequel, but any installment of the franchise: prequel or sequel.
To take my fanboy approach to Rapture and thus, the BioShock franchise, out of the equation for a moment, it has been incredibly interesting to observe the reactions to the game that everyone else is having and correlate them with my own.* Personally, so far at least, BioShock 2 is delivering on the expectations I set upon it: it allowed me to return to Rapture, it maintains the atmosphere and personality that was so prominent in the first game, and continues to flesh out the narrative of both the city and those who populate it. Admittedly, I'm still fairly early into the game so it remains to be seen if things will change or continue, get better or get worse -- but in the meantime my impression of BioShock 2 has been positive and, more importantly, I'm glad 2K Marin, Australia and China (as well as Digital Extremes) were able to justify its existence and show that it wasn't just a cash-in but a genuine attempt to iterate on a remarkable game. It goes without saying that I'll have more about BioShock 2 soon -- this blog's name is influenced by the series after all...
*I'll have more on these observations in my next post as they have been rather intriguing and, I think it's fair to say, quite mixed too.
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1 comment:
Would love to add a more substantial comment but I haven't played the game. I really must stop stalling and get on with starting Bioshock!
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