Platform: PS3/360/PC

Number of players: 1 (Story mode), Up to 12 (multiplayer)

Genre: First Person Shooter

Age rating: 18

Publisher: 2K Games

Welcome to Rapture. Back when the original Bioshock was released in 2007 (or 2008, for the Playstation 3), those words signified the beginning of an epic journey that would be classed as one of the greatest narratives of videogame history. Easily one of my favourite games, I regardless found myself a little concerned when Bioshock 2 was announced. Did we need to hear those words again?

The conclusion that I reached, was no. The sense of awe you felt as you saw Rapture for the first time simply could not be replicated again. Wandering through a failed utopia ripped apart by civil war, as the feral residents ('Splicers') tried to kill you at every turn, was an intense experience in the original. Bioshock 2 shows us an even more decrepit Rapture, and even more deformed and generally angry citizens, but it just doesn’t have the same sense of atmosphere.

It feels very much like a forced endeavour, as though the idea to make a sequel came around only when the developers saw the sale figures. The fact that a new leading figure, Sofia Lamb, is suddenly introduced to take the place of Andrew Ryan despite never having been mentioned before is somewhat suspect, as is the fact that so many locations used in Bioshock 2 were previously unseen. But, being able to explore some of the more residential areas of Rapture, such as slums and even an amusement park, brings a whole new level of depth to the fallen city.

The storyline is also arguably less gripping, having lost the sense of mystery that was so alluring in the first, and it seems to have retained a fair few ideas from its big brother, with some set pieces that seem quite familiar. That said, it is still an intriguing story. You play as one of the original Big Daddies, an Alpha Series, who unlike later Daddies had been paired with their Little Sister by an unbreakable bond. Left for dead, you awaken in Rapture without your Sister, and if you don’t recover her you die.  Making the story much more specific and personal to the protagonist is to be applauded, as is the slow discovery of facts about his history as you progress. However, there are certain elements that were not addressed fully. For example Tenenbaum, from the original game, makes a welcome cameo but then seemingly disappears and isn’t mentioned again.

Playing as a Big Daddy was one of the big selling points of this game, but I have to say it feels rather underwhelming. You just don’t have the sense of power that is carried by the other Daddies; crucially because you are an Alpha model. Meaning, Splicers are still a significant threat to you, and you aren’t really very tough at all. However, it does have its advantages; namely, the massive drill made famous by the Bouncer Daddies in the original. As great and iconic as the wrench was in the original, it can’t quite compare to just how brilliant it feels to charge the full length of a room at blinding speed and bury your drill into a troublesome splicer. The game does go some way to really make you feel like a Daddy; each step carries that loud, dull thud that we learned to dread, and every now and then you’ll give off a roar of pain when hit.

The Splicers themselves have really stepped up their game too, and often appear in groups as well as being a lot tougher. The best thing about being a Big Daddy, however, is that you can now dual wield plasmids with weapons, significantly improving your efficiency in combat, and letting you make full use of the new and improved plasmids. Whereas levelling up a plasmid in the original game would simply upgrade the power (apparently; the increasing toughness of enemies made it hard to notice), they now gain an additional effect. For example, Incinerate begins life as a lowly level one plasmid, letting you throw a small fireball at enemies. Level that up to two, and you can create a larger blast to attack groups. Get it to the esteemed level 3, however, and you can fire a constant stream of incendiary goodness, fully catering to your inner pyromaniac. The potential for tactical gameplay is far greater this time around.

Another notable advantage of being a Daddy is the ability to swim. Before you get excited, the swimming sections are unfortunately very linear, but do make for an interesting change of surroundings as well as giving you the chance to harvest a little extra Adam from sea slugs (that being the currency used to buy ability enhancing plasmids and tonics, newcomers). You only really get to swim in order to traverse between areas, so it seems a little pointless.