I liked a lot of the changes made to Bioshock in the second installment. By far the best move was the ability to use plasmids and weapons simultaneously rather than having to flick between the two. It made combat a lot more efficient and more engaging. The hacking minigame helped keep things immersive by not jumping out of the game whilst you're hacking (and the hack dart tool was a nice touch too). The new method of gathering ADAM I quite liked as well although at times I did forget that I had a Little Sister riding on my shoulder. If she didn't speak every now and again I probably would have just finished each of the stages without realising she was there. I liked the remodelled Research Camera. That was one thing that grinded me about the first Bioshock was being slapped about by a Splicer whilst you're trying to get them to smile for a photograph!
At least with this camera you can fight whilst reaping in the rewards for your troubles. Two birds, one stone.
Probably my biggest disappointment was the Big Sisters. Given the hype about them, they were kinda few and far between and they never really presented that much of a problem for me. Granted they're a pain in the arse trying to hit when they jump about the place but I didn't find them as daunting as I was led to believe they were. Granted also that I did cop it a couple of times but that was usually down to a Big Sister arriving after having dealt with an attacking horde I was batting off whilst my Little Sister was gathering. So ammo, health and EVE reserves were normally at a low point when they start shrieking about their arrival.
On the whole, I still enjoyed the game. It did feel a bit easier than the first Bioshock I felt coz there was a certain...almost "invincibility" about roaming around as a Big Daddy. It made me felt automatically a level or two ahead of the enemies. It was only the bigger baddies that appeared later that made me doubt my presence. The story was still dark and gritty as too were the environments. I found it a welcoming return to Rapture despite the anarchy that reigned within its walls
