18th May 2010 - Bioshock 2 was released in February earlier this year to millions of eager fans of the first and was well received by fans and critics alike. With its first major DLC released not long ago, Rapture Metro is now landing with tons more features and a decent supply of new multiplayer maps.
But the first DLC didn’t go off without a hitch, with a lot of controversy that the actual content was already on the game disc and players had to pay 400MP to unlock it. This, 2K’s second attempt to get players back into the deep sea action, has a lot of weight on its shoulders to redeem the company after its poor move with the first pack. Read on to see if its worth digging out your hard earned to get access to this latest batch of content.
What do I get and why do I want it?
With the Rapture Metro Pack, you get a fair few more features than most multiplayer-only expansions offer. That’s right, despite the constant outcry from the public, there still isn’t any single-player DLC as of now, but with some promised by 2K within the few coming months, keep tuned for an announcement. But lets take a look at just what we get with this DLC;
- 6 New Multiplayer Maps
The main content on offer here is a new set of 6 maps to reign death in online. To say the least, these maps are excellent. The map design for practically every map in this game is spot-on and these are no different - in fact, some of them are even better than those already on offer. But before you go jumping on the band wagon form that little pleasantry, know this; like the first map pack, there is little chance you will actually play these for quite a while. The way that 2K has implemented the maps into the online rotation is shocking - but we are assured by the devs that its required. Unless everyone in a lobby has the maps, they wont even be thrown into the rotation and you will rarely find a lobby of players who actually care to dish out for more content.
- Rank Increase to 50
This will please those of you who actually put more time into this games online modes than you do Call of Duty, Halo or Battlefield. You’re level cap is now increased to 50, and will let those of you who are here for levelling rather than actual gaming enjoyment feel a little more complete as you have a few more levels to conquer.
- Rebirth
This goes hand-in-hand with the 50th level cap. Think Call of Duty’s Prestige mode, where once you reach the top tier you can restart it all over again and lose all your weapons and everything else you put hours of gameplay into to unlock. The catch, you get a neat little mask to customize your character with, and in Bioshock 2, that’s always a good thing. Too bad you only get one of these ‘rebirth’ levels, but its better than nothing for all you hardcore Bioshockers to put in some more of your tedious hours to redo the multiplayer levelling system.
- Kill ‘em Kindly
This is, besides the actual maps, what one would argue is the most intriguing aspect of the DLC. This adds a new game mode to the multiplayer; Kill ‘em Kindly. This is essentially a Survival of the Fittest (Bioshock 2’s answer to free-for-all Deathmatch), expect with a twist; everyone only has access to a golf club. It provides some great fun running around with friends and enemies bashing their brains out with the iconic Bioshock weapon. But without too much trouble, if you want access to this mode and cant afford the DLC, worry not, Kill ‘em kindly is available as a stand alone expansion completely free of charge! It’s a fairly big download, but its mighty fun and could have only been improved if it allowed team games or some sort of other mode than just Free-for-all.
- Character Pack
This DLC also gives you the recently released Character Pack for the game, which by itself stands at 160 Microsoft Points. This just gives you two new characters to wreck havoc as online, but its better than nothing and is a nice incentive seeing as you would normally be paying for this on its own.
How much does it cost?
This whole pack, Kill ‘em Kindly and Character Pack included, will set you back a meagre 800 Microsoft Points. Some may say that’s too much, but think about it - its only around 10 bucks, and I have little doubt that if this was available in some sort of special edition when the game came out that gamers everywhere would be praising extra in-game content for only 10 Dollars. So think about tit before you throw your arms up in a fit of rage about spending some of you Microsoft Points for quite a substantial expansion (Bungies Multiplayer Map packs for Halo 3 were all at least 800 MP and had far less features than this).
The conclusion - Is it worth it?
This is the million dollar question. Or in this case, the around 10 dollar question- Is Rapture Metro DLC worth it?
Well that all depends on your stance on the game itself - Bioshock 2. The DLC gives you quite a bit of extra content, and its really not setting you back much at all. The Multiplayer maps are awesome, and new game mode rocks the foundations of what you may have previously thought about golf clubs, there are tons more hours of fun to be had with levelling up even more and even getting a ‘Rebirth’. To put it simply, Rapture Metro is worth every penny if you love Bioshock 2’s fun and artistic multiplayer action, but if you’re more of a casual Bioshocker are would rather spend your time fighting a war above the ocean, the 800 MP price tag may be very intimidating, and your best bet would be to just go for the free Kill ‘em Kindly DLC that will provide at least a few hours of fun with some mates over LIVE.
This is how a multiplayer expansion should be and a good note for other developers when they’re organising just how much content they’re giving their loyal customers.
AAG SCORE: 8.5/10
Pros:
+ 6 New maps, and all are well designed and set-out
+ Kill ‘em Kindly is a unique and enjoyable new gameplay mode
+ Good amount of hours to keep levelling up and taking on the world
Cons:
- Bad matchmaking system results in never getting to play new maps
- Will only incite the hardcore Bioshock 2 players to pay 800MP…
-… this means even less chance to play the maps in public matches
Reviewed and Written By John Elliott