Bioshock 2

I have been waiting impatiently for Bioshock 2 since the words "Would you kindly" twisted my world around and made me feel like an ignorant whore. I don't mind saying that I enjoyed that experience. The flavor, gameplay and story combined to form an amazing experience. The payday after it released I rushed to the store to purchase it. While driving on the way home I almost crashed a few times as I was smelling my new disc and box. (I always like to smell my new stuff)

I had myself a smoke when I got home, in order to get into the proper mood for playing a new video game. A quiver of excitement flew through me as I watched the opening scene.....I beat the game 2 days later. It took me around 16 hours to make my way through the single player.

Graphics - 9

The visuals were simply amazing. The disturbing world is brought to life on my PS3. The careful use of color and retro style, forms a tapestry that sucks the player in. Fans of the first game will not find much different here.

Gameplay - 8

Burning splicers alive while shooting them with a machine gun has never been smoother. The additional plasmid slots provide some interesting combos. Rapture is still a joy to explore and the level design makes it easier to scour the game for hidden items like recorders or weapon upgrade machines.

Story - 6

In my opinion this is the area where the sequel lacks. The first Bioshock had me hooked throughout the entire game. Maybe, the first game set the bar too high. It seems to me that the story of Bioshock 2 didn't need to be told.

Multiplayer - 7

I really enjoyed the multiplayer in Bioshock 2 even though I frequently found it difficult to find a game. After I learned to only wait for a particular game type for about 20 seconds before moving on, finding a game was much quicker. I enjoyed the many options they give you to decimate your opponents. As you rise in rank, you gain access to more upgrades and abilities. At first, I found it a bit odd that I was a level 1 playing against level 30s. This seemed to be unfair

I was very eager for the DLC that came out in March. When I paid the $5 and went to download the content, I saw that it was a very small file, around 158 kbs. The small size meant that I was paying to unlock content that was already on my disk. That kinda pissed me off. If the content was ready to go when the disk shipped then why do I have to pay extra for it? I feel like chopping up parts of a game that are already finished in order to bilk people of extra bits of cash is a dangerous trend.