Welcome back to Rapture. Bioshock 2 may not reinvent the wheel; it certainly doesn’t pack quite the same punch as its predecessor in terms of storytelling or a sense of wonder, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad in any way. The Developers made improvements where it matters the most: gameplay. As much as you may like the first Bioshock I doubt it was the gameplay that were the primary attraction. Sure the controls was functional, but the main draw has always been the setting and story. Well in Bioshock 2 the controls feels much better and going from Bioshock 1 to 2 in relatively short time makes it clear how much better this sequel looks. Bioshock 2 is absolutely beautiful and that’s first and foremost thanks to some amazing lighting. The colored lighting from the different sea plants is stunning and it ads so much life and believability to the world; you truly get the sense that this is a place that the ocean is invading.
Garry Schyman delivers yet another amazing piece of work, and even outdoes the original’s soundtrack in some ways. We get a much more nuanced score this time around and combined with the improved lighting it does so much in terms of bringing the world of Rapture to life. Schyman’s three Bioshock scores have truly been some of the best scores in videogames, period.
Overall: Bioshock 2 is an amazing sequel that doesn’t quite reach the height of the original in every regard, but it surpasses it in others.