Bioshock 2, as some of you probably know, is a very good game. While it uses some Skinner Box techniques, it is less bad then, say, Diablo 3. It is one of the few games where I have ever felt strongly attached to characters or sheer revulsion at certain actions.
It would probably help if I explained the story of the game. This game is set in the underwater city of Rapture, founded by the hardcore Objectivist, Andrew Ryan. Due to events in the previous game (which I haven't played), Ryan is dead. Also, his city has fallen into decay due to genetic splicing that gives the users super powers while also turning them into raving addicts. It's understandable. I mean, who wouldn't want to be able to zap people with lightning?
Back to the story. In the gap between the first game and this new one, a new power has arisen to replace Ryan: Sofia Lamb. Where as last game was an in-depth study of how pure capitalism fails, this game is a look at how Communism fails. Lamb is a megalomaniac, constantly threatening you while saying she cares for you. She goes on rants about Ryan's "monument to the self." And she is willing to sacrifice her daughter, Elena, for "the greater good."
Why do you care? The simple answer would be "because she's Communist!" The answer the game provides is she's taken your Little Sister. You see, in Rapture, the whole system of gene splicing is powered by this substance called ADAM. And there is this sickening, yet strangely heartwarming, system in place for gathering. Little Sisters gather ADAM. Splicers, the ADAM addicts, try to kidnap and harvest the Little Sisters. Little Sisters need protection from this, so Big Daddies were created to viciously murder any Splicer stupid enough to come close. In return for guarding the Little Sisters, they give the Big Daddies all the love a daughter could give their father. However, what makes this system morally repulsive is that these Little Sisters used to be normal little girls. Now they are being forced to wander around, harvesting and ingesting a substance that quickly drives them insane.
You play as a very special Big Daddy (see the image below). A prototype who was bonded to a specific Little Sister. That Little Sister just happens to be Elena Lamb. If you don't find her and save her from her deranged mother, than you die. It's also more than that. The entire story establishes that you were a better parent then Lamb. You still are. You are ready and willing to drill, shoot, and barbecue any person who stands between you and Elena.
On the way to Elena, you will have to gather ADAM to get new abilities. This means you have to adopt Little Sisters and lead them to corpses to gather ADAM. Once the Little Sister begins gathering, you will have to defend her as every Splicer in the area will descend on you. When the Little Sister has gathered from two corpses, you have the option of either leading her back to a vent, where you can set her free from the curse of being a little sister, or at any point you can Harvest her.
This game is very, very good at making you feel despicable for harvesting a Little Sister. It isn't a question of one character wagging their finger (or insanely huge drill) at you and saying "Bad Daddy." I accidentally Harvested a Little Sister once and the look on the poor girl's face... and normally, they trust you. They love you like a father. Harvesting a Little Sister is one of the most awful things you can do in this world. And the only reason you'd do it is for greed and a lack of pragmatism. I haven't finished the game yet, but it's up there with Crysis.
No comments:
Post a Comment