The conspiracy theories here about how the article writer didn't actually play much of SS2 are cringeworthy as fuck.
I'm always up to presume the worst about vidya journalism. However, the article manages to be still rather interesting. Learn to hate game journos, they deserve it.
Also don't get why some people here have a sort of hate boner for SS2. Is it a combination of Looking Glass fanboyism & hatred of Ken Levine?
"everyone can agree that SS2 started pretty much degenerating upon reaching the Rickenbacker (hell, maybe even sooner) and ended up becoming a mess on the Body of the Many. An article on that would be far more interesting."
I don't agree. Thoroughly enjoyed the game from start to finish.
I love both. Honestly, I even enjoy a tad more SS2, 'cause it's the first one I played. Very
different game from SS1, though. About the quality, the fact that everything after the Rickenbacker was rushed is rather obvious. I dimly remember Levine trying to say that even the
ending was a hack job, but I do remember that there were many ideas for the last levels that could not be implemented 'cause time and budget. Like, a level with access to open space.
From the point of view of the end user, the Rickenbacker is the last level that still mantains
gameplay coherency. You can still somewhat play most "classes" and everything is still roughly viable. Afterwards, the inherent problems of SS2's weapon systems start to worsen, the level design takes a dive (the platforming is mediocre) and the combat, already middling, hits the nadir with the brain of the Many and the SHODAN fight. Still enjoyed the logs, though.
Why it's bad? Body of the Many has a very
unbalanced, even if "realistic", selection of enemies, and scarcity of resources that seems born more of poor playtesting than careful tuning. Sure, if someone goes Standard Weapons he won't notice as
everything dies because Assault Rifle, but the other classes\weapon preferences get hit
hard.
I don't think they truly planned another ending as Levine says, though. The cinematic is
terrible (DON'T YOU LIKE MY NEW LOOK) but it's a mistake that can be forgiven in such a good experience. I like SS2, but I do mantain the opinion that the earlier levels are far more well-designed than the later ones, a mistake we don't find in SS1, where even the last levels have new situations and well-designed encounters. Diego boss fight is crap, though.