Bioshock 2

I recently finished Bioshock 2 and I'd like to review it for the world. Hopefully this will help you decide if picking up the game is worth it or not. In my case, it was worth it. I'll try not to compare Bioshock 2 to the first game, since it's not really a direct sequel. When I like to review or describe games, I have 3 categories, Graphics, Gameplay and Story. A good game has 2 of these, a great game has all 3.
Graphics
I was not disappointed at all with the graphics of Bioshock 2. They're smooth as silk and very very rarely were there jitters. The water effects are fantastic, and the fire/lightning/environmental effects, stellar. Seeing Rapture from actually under-water was a breathtaking experience. You get the magnitude of the city when you're actually walking on the sea floor, and looking up to surface-scrapers (Get it?). There were occasions though, where the graphic quality was a tad blurred, and I had to wait a few seconds for the high-res feel to come back to the textures and meshes. But those instances were few and far apart. Overall, I give Graphics a solid: 9
Gameplay
This is where Bioshock 2 really shines. The use of the Drill, weapons and plasmids. Hacking and mind-controlling. Dashing and ducking. Charging and guarding. All these things made the gameplay of Bioshock 2 a sheer dream. I had so much fun playing and finding new ways to vanquish foes or guard little sisters. The combination of weapons and plasmids was genius. Without needing to switch between using one or the other, one can hold an enemy still with one plasmid while pummeling them to death with the drill, or any number of weapons. A favorite thing I found to do, was set up cyclone traps, have telekineses ready and toss enemies all around the room. Never did I find a fight to be boring or repetitive. Each was a challenge, but not impossible. Gameplay gets a glorious 9.5.
Story
The story of Bioshock 2 is different than the first one, and has little to do with it. However, playing through the first game does give you little connections between the two, but the story is different enough to where you won't be 100% lost. I recommend playing the first one though, both for the connections and because the first game was a fantastic game as well....anyway, on to the story.
You play as subject Delta, the first Big Daddy assigned to a little sister. Without giving too much away, you are on a mission to save your little sister from "Sofia Lamb" raptures new semi-ruler, semi-psychopath. Throughout the game, you find audiotapes explaining how she came into power, who she meets, etc. Through these audio tapes you hear about the story in the first game, with the civil war and revolution and etc. etc. etc. No spoilers here! Without listening to the Audio tapes though, the story is not all that clear...Which is unfortunate, since sometimes you won't find Audio tapes and you may miss some key elements. The story is quite intriguing, but I believe it could have been better. Perhaps giving more history, or making you hear stuff about Sofia Lamb, rather than just finding them in tapes. Not all of us are exploring types, so we may not find it all. I give the Story an 8. Good, not great.

Brief Summary
Graphics: 9
Gameplay: 9.5
Story: 8


Total: