DLC Review: Bioshock 2: The Protector Trials
Anyone that played the original Bioshock through to completition would probably agree with the following statement: the Little Sister protection mission sucked. The gunplay was imprecise, and the slow lumbering movement made the whole thing drag. Thank god it only lasted a few minutes.
With that in mind, when it was revealed that Bioshock 2 would focus more on the Little Sister protection, it would be an understatement to say that many were sceptical. Having said that, those that read our review for Bioshock 2 would know that the teams that worked on the game achieved the impossible by making the protection sections thrilling tactical battles.
Despite these sections being fairly enjoyable, I was disappointed to learn that the first piece of single player downloadable content, The Protector Trials, was not going to be a continuation of the story but more of a score attack based combat mode in which you have to defend your Little Sister from wave after wave of Splicers.
I was so disappointed that, even though I downloaded the Protector Trials on release day, I did not actually get round to playing it for about a week. So you can imagine my surprise when I found that the Protector Trials are actually quite a lot of fun.
The premise of the Protector Trials is simple; you are an Alpha series Big Daddy that is working for Dr Tenenbaum. Your task is to protect a Little Sister while she collects Adam, the energy that keeps Rapture going, and stop the followers of Sofia Lamb from taking any for themselves. There are six levels, with each level being based on an area in the main game such as The Adonis Bath House or Simon Wales’ Church. Every level has three trials that get increasingly more difficult; completing each trial awards you with a star rating and will unlock more levels to play in.
Protecting The Little Sister is the aim of the game.
You are unable to choose your own weapons or plasmids, as each trial has its own unique weapon/plasmid loadout, which goes a long way towards creating an element of challenge, especially when you are only armed with some of the less useful plasmids. However, completing all of the trials in every level unlocks a final bonus round for each level in which you can choose your own combination of weapons, plasmids, and gene tonics.
Before the onslaught beings you can wander the level in order to get the feel of the land and hack vending machines, health stations, or the odd gun turret. When you are ready to begin simply place the Little Sister near the specified corpse and prepare for all hell to break loose. Killing Splicers gives you money which you use to buy more supplies from the vending machines.
Once the Little Sister begins her task a small metre will appear on screen indicating how far along she is in her gruesome work. If the Little Sister is able to work without being interrupted by a Splicer then you are awarded with a multiplier which will increase the amount of Adam she will harvest for you. If a Splicer does manage to get through your defences the Little Sister will shriek and give you a few seconds to take care of it before your multiplier disappears.
Enemies range from basic grunts to the more advanced Alpha Series Big Daddies
Completing each trial awards you with a gold star, and a grade depending on how much Adam your Little Sister was able to harvest. The entire add on revolves around the collection of Adam, not some arbitrary score that is awarded by completing certain tasks, and as such once you have completed each trial there is not really any reason to play it again, barring the lust for achievements.
You could be forgiven for thinking that the add on would get boring, but the fact that your weapon and plasmid load out is different for each trial keeps things fresh. One trial in particular takes away all of your weapons, and does not give you any money, meaning you are unable to purchase any health packs. This challenge was a highlight as it really plays with the Bioshock’s combat formula, forcing you to play in a completely different way.
Completing the trials and earning all of the stars unlocks concept art and animatics (cut scenes that were cut out of the main game, made up of the storyboards) that give some insight in to the direction the main game’s story was originally going to take. One of the best animatics is a more fleshed out origin for Subject Delta, complete with full voice acting.
Preventing Splicers from bothering the Little Sister is the key to gaining more Adam.
The only way I could see them improving the experience was if they included some sort of points system, with online leaderboards, that awarded points not only for the Adam you collect, but the number of Splicers you kill, or the ways in which you kill the Splicers, for instance. This would potentially bring some extra replay value and some much needed competition between friends and rivals alike.
Review Round-Up
Graphics: 4/5 This game is pure Bioshock through and through. Every level manages to look familiar, but different at the same time.
Gameplay: 4/5 The developers of Bioshock 2 have done the impossible; they have made protection missions fun! Sure, you can simply stand there and gun down your enemies, but the only way to get a decent amount of Adam is to set up traps and use your plasmids carefully. Having no choice in your weapon/plasmid selection adds a real element of challenge.
Sound: 4/5 The only new dialogue to be found is a short introduction by Dr Tenenbaum, at the start of each level, and as you progress through each trial you will hear messages over the intercom from Sofia Lamb commanding her forces to strike you down. Voice acting and sound effects are as high quality as you would come to expect from a Bioshock game.
Story: 2/5 While there technically is no story, the inclusion of deleted scenes fleshing out the back story a bit more proved to be very interesting.
Longevity: 3/5 Most of the trials are easy enough to complete, even if it means you will get a mediocre score. No matter how you perform, so long as you survive to the end then you will still earn your stars. Letter grades that are also awarded are only of any importance if you want the achievement/trophy for getting at least an A on every level.
Overall 4 Wrenches to the Skull out of 5
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The Protector Trials offers up a surprisingly fun series of challenges, which force you to think tactically and potentially change the way you play Bioshock forever. The Protector Trials is currently available to download on Xbox Live Arcade for 400 Microsoft Points (about £3.20) and on Playstation Network for £3.99.
– Luke Mears
