I still remember many of my experiences with the original Bioshock. From the early encounter with the maniac splicer that attempted to get inside the elevator to the one that had a magnum in a baby stroller calling it out as her child. Perhaps what was most impressive was the story of how a society that wanted to be free from things it considered a hindrance, itself transformed to a psychotic society yet still maintained a hint of humanity. The reason why I remember my experiences in Bioshock is because the game was a stunning and truly amazing experience. Unfortunately, there is nothing that comes close to this in Bioshock 2.

Part of what made the first Bioshock great was its introduction and development of its psychotic inhabitants. There is only one addition to the team of splicers in Bioshock 2. The Big Sisters and slight variations of Big Daddies still mostly feel like regular Big Daddies. Except this time around there is a lot less sense of accomplishment as the main character is much stronger. The weapons are pretty standard for an FPS and the special powers are slight variations from the original. Add these points together and it feels like you are still playing the same game.

As we had already thoroughly explored the world of rapture in the original’s hefty 25 hour campaign, it was very important for the sequel to have a very strong story to hook the player. Blockbuster titles are defined as those that hook the player in its first couple of hours. In the case of Bioshock 2, the story only gets going in its last couple of hours. Due to the game's mechanics being very similar to the original, not only did this make the first seven to nine hours a difficult to get through, but it was also a rather numbing experience.

Perhaps what is most disappointing is the game’s unimaginative level design. Most areas in the game felt homogenous. The pathways and the levels in general were narrow. It actually made me feel claustrophobic. Worst of all, this transformed a game of exploration, discovery and adventure to a regular corridor shooter.

The system of saving Little Sisters required players to take each sister to a particular corpse and defend her from waves of splicers as she sucked adam from the corpse. Each sister could devour from two corpses, and there were usually three sisters each level. Multiply that by eight levels and you get a very mechanical and tedious process in order to get the ‘good’ ending.

Given that the game has received positive reviews, I do consider the possibility that maybe I just did not get it. But I also believe that the reviews have been less critical than they could have due to two reasons: (i) nostalgia and (ii) the reluctance to give a sequel of a game that you loved a low score.

The first reason comes out as rather ironic given how gamers harshly criticize people that buy cheap movie based games. But these two reasons are hard to spot as they are often integrated subconsciously in one’s thoughts. Looking back at some of my old reviews, I would be lying if I said that I have never been affected by either of those factors.

A lot of feedback that is going around state that people would enjoy Bioshock 2 if they enjoyed Bioshock 1. I strongly disagree with that. A more accurate statement would be that you might enjoy Bioshock 2 if you have been enthusiastically waiting to get back to the world of Rapture. If comparisons have to be made, B2 is just like the first one, but without a soul.