Brother None(?) reviews Bioshock 2. With such statements as 'overly dramatic pieces of tripe' it doesn't come with much surprise that the conclusions are not entirely positive.
More information.All throughout my time playing this game, I couldn't help but feel the game was shouting “I'm unnecessary!” at me. Contrary to what game publishers would like to think, not every successful property warrants a sequel, and while there might have been some potential in BioShock for a sequel or spin-off, the cop-out of handing it to another division to just bang out a cash-in title shows, painfully so. It's hard to play this game without being aware that it's just cashing in, from the feel of it being just a level pack, to the derivative story, to the somewhat half-assed ideas added by the new studio.
If you absolutely adored BioShock and couldn't wait for more, I could imagine the very similar BioShock 2 could fill the need, though it'll do it somewhat deceptively as it's really filling the emptiness with – well – more emptiness, not adding but at points even detracting. To me, BioShock already disappointed after its hype, and BioShock 2 just adds insult to injury. Yes, the gameplay tweaks improve the shooting action, and it is unquestionably a better shooter than its predecessor. But the game suffers under having no evolution in the RPG elements, repetitive level design hurting the fun, and a terrible story dragging along throughout. At only 12 hours long, I'd have a hard time advising people to buy what is essentially a competent – but at points heavily flawed – map pack with a multiplayer patch.