Now I know that in the past Ive said that I hate playing FPS in online competitive matches. This is due to the fact that I tend to just really suck. I don’t have enough experience playing against other players, and that leads to me generally getting killed more than I kill others. Now I received Bioshock 2 when it came out, but I had not checked out the multiplayer mode since I hate playing online. But I was bored last night, so I decided to give it a whirl. I was not disappointed.
Between last night and today, I have logged in close to two hours online. I have definitely been doing well, and often come in within the top three places in the team-based deathmatches. Since I do fairly well, I enjoy playing it. There are a few traits to the online mode which I think are what attract me to it.
First and foremost, let me say that I have been enjoying the “Civil War” mode, which is a team-based deathmatch. I have been playing this because, by playing on teams, there are less players attacking me. When I played Resistance 2 team deathmatches, each team had like 15 players, so I died as often as I would die in any other normal every-man-for-himself deathmatch. However, in Bioshock 2 the max Ive seen are five-player teams, meaning I only have to worry about five opponents. On top of that, I have up to four buddies not only taking on said opponents, but also attract their attention. I guess what Im saying is that the having less opponents attacking me allows me to stay alive longer, and the team aspect also adds to the fun. Team-based deathmatches are far superior to every-man-for-himself ones.
Secondly, I just like the overall experience. In the Civil War mode, each team represents either Ryan or Atlas, and they have to take down the opposing side in the battle for Rapture (by being the first team to pretty much score 50 kills.) You have six character skins to choose from, and each one can be customized as far as what weapons, plasmids, and masks you will bring with you to battle (my guy is a fat old Southern colonel, which is hilarious.) Also, since the game takes place in Rapture, there are plasmids to be had, and they are fun. From freezing your opponents with ice to dashing past them and stunning them, the addition of the plasmids in the multiplayer mode gives you an edge. You do not have to rely solely on your weapons, but can use the plasmids to give yourself a little boost.
Occassionally, a Big Daddy suit will appear on the map somewhere, and the first player to snag it becomes a Big Daddy. This is a huge advantage, as the Big Daddy suit has different, more powerful weapons, and also has a large amount of armor. The team that has a player that dons the suit gains a huge advantage, and all concentration must be placed on the Daddy. The opposing team will rush to destroy him as quickly as possible (since a new suit won’t spawn until the player with it dies), so you either join your teammates in taking down the Big Daddy, or you will join behind him and defend him from the impeding onslaught. Either way, this is the point in the round where players must play a little more co-opy, and work together to either defeat or preserve the Big Daddy.
Also, there is more going on in the match then just shooting up other players. Many of the actions you can perform in the single player campaign can be done in multiplayer. There are Circus of Values machines throughout each map which will automatically replenish your character’s Eve and ammo. If you come across an unhacked machine, you can rig it so that if an opposing player tries to use it, it will detonate and kill the player. Same thing goes for gun and grenade turrets, as hacking them will cause them to target the enemy team. Also, after a player dies, their body remains on the floor for a brief period (even after you respawn), and by standing over them you can “research” them, which will allow you to inflict additional damage on that player when you next attack them.
Killing players, becoming or defeating a Big Daddy, hacking, and researching dead players all nets you XP, which comes in the form of “ADAM.” At the end of each round, your player receives all the ADAM he got, and you level up. With each level, you unlock additional weapons, plasmids, upgrades, and skill tonics, which will definitely give you an edge, and encourages more gameplay. I like this leveling up system, just as I did in Resistance 2 co-op.
And of course, last but not least, there are the trophies, which will always keep me coming back. I played through the single player campaign, but there were so many online trophies that I had to at least try for some, and I’ve already gotten five of them.
So yeah, I am really into the competitive modes of Bioshock 2, which is something I never thought I would say. The combination of gaining XP to level, the adaption of the single player world to multiplayer, and the team-based deathmatches all resulted in me having a great time, regardless of whether my team was won or lost. This definitely adds to the replayability of Bioshock 2, and I highly recommend it (as if the single player wasn’t reason enough to snag this game!)
