BioShock 2 stands up well for a sequel

Over time, 2K Games’ original “BioShock” has grown into one of my few favorite video games of all time. The eerily self-contained undersea world of Rapture remains a visual wonder, and the combination of gunplay and powerful genetic enhancements still feels inventive and fresh. The true appeal, however, is in the detailed storyline and constant moral dilemmas of the main character.

The same basic statements apply to 2K’s sequel, although with a few caveats. This time you play as one of the first game’s baddies — an intimidating and easily angered Big Daddy. While traversing new areas of Rapture, you’ll quickly notice that the gorgeous graphical sheen that graced the original “BioShock” is slightly muddied, which perhaps is an unintended side effect of packing in more hours of gameplay and a mostly superfluous multi-player component.

The game’s gunplay and plasmid (genetic modifications that give your character elemental powers) selections and implementation are reliably tight, and this time you’re able to wield one weapon and one plasmid at the same time without the need for constant swapping mid-battle. Oddly, though each of the Big Daddies you fought in the first game were armor-clad powerhouses that took serious strategy and firepower to take down, the Daddy you control is curiously vulnerable to simple enemy attacks. It’s a bit of a continuity error, but it’s certainly good that the developers didn’t want to make the game too easy.

Fortunately, the sequel’s plot more than lives up to the fantastic story of the first game. Moral quandaries are still in play as you decide to rescue or harvest Little Sisters, and there are once again hundreds of recordable devices scattered throughout Rapture that reveal intricate plot points and character motivations through some of the gaming world’s finest voice acting.

“BioShock 2” doesn’t quite live up to the masterful original, and its multi-player feels like a total afterthought, but it’s still a standout game with unique combat options and an excellent story that will keep players enraptured for 20-plus hours.