Onto the multiplayer
Unfortunately the same can't be said for the games story. It's still fed to you in bite-size chunks via radio messages and while they're all suitably well acted it feels like you've heard it all before and the characters you encounter along the way are nowhere near as memorable as the likes of Andrew Ryan and Sander Cohen. It's not bad, especially considering some of the retcons that have had to be made but there are parts that are woefully underdeveloped. There are characters with motives that are never fully developed and some that just seem to be there as a nod to the original. The Big Sisters are never particularly well explained either which is a shame because it leaves you with a feeling that they were never meant to be a part of the universe in the first place, that they're just thrown in to fulfill the need for something nasty enough to scare a Big Daddy.Fortunately BioShock 2 has one last ace up it's sleeve, online multiplayer. It's not just a tacked on mode as most people expected and is actually better integrated into the universe than certain elements of the single player game. It's set before the downfall of Rapture so the environments are still bright and colourful, offering a welcome contrast to the areas you're used to in the single player game. The modes are pretty standard fare, capture the flag becomes capture the sister, turf war serves as a domination mode there are the usual deathmatch and team deathmatch options but each one has a little BioShock style twist such as the inclusion of a randomly spawning Big Daddy suit in deathmatches that help keep things unique and in keeping with the game. Even the now obligatory level up system that every first person shooter has adopted since Call of Duty 4 has a little something thrown in, allowing you to use your camera to take pictures of your vanquished foes for extra experience points. Don't get me wrong It's not Modern Warfare 2 addictive but then very few games are and there's still plenty of fun to be had here.
Overall, BioShock 2 is a solid first person shooter that improves on the first game in many respects and is great fun to play, but it never manages to step out of its predecessors shadow. It's unique setting lends it an atmosphere unlike anything else and if all you want is another chance to visit Rapture then you won't be disappointed but it feels like more of a re-imagining than a true sequel. It's a very good game, but BioShock was all about the story and in that respect BioShock 2 pales by comparison and as a result falls just short of greatness.
Pro's
Unique atmosphere and setting
Fluid and well balanced combat
Multiplayer
Con's
A story that fails to live up to the rest of the experience
