Wow so I beat the game and logged 4 hours on multiplayer and I love all of it. The story gets way better near the end and the multiplayer is just loads of fun. Bad idea, with a cheesy "rewards" premise. But if you ignore all that it just feels like more bioshock. I love how it has the MW unlock system ( you get something new every level for 40 levels) and your own apartment to walk around. The view always gets me. So far I'm almost rank 13.

Got burned on the DRM on the last one. Not touching this one with a 10 feet pole.

I just completed the single player today. My impressions are that it felt a little short. The story felt rushed at the end, and they introduced characters without explaining their significance, then abruptly took them away. That isn't to say the story was bad, I actually found the setting and the idea much more involved and intriguing than the original, which I loved. The gameplay was fun and the plasmids did mix things up a bit, but some were over powered in comparison to others, and the progression of the game was extremely familiar (The plasmid progression, as well as the order of obtained weapons). Many of you will be glad to know that the annoying liquid-tubing hacking mini-game has been thrown out in favor of a much more accessible system, and the camera was replaced with a recorder, which adds a nice twist without slowing down combat.
Now onto multiplayer. It was, quite frankly, bad. The mechanics are clunky, the graphics took a step down from the single player, there doesn't seem to be any microphone system, the matchmaking system will often take upwards of 2 minutes to connect, and it really seems like they could have done without it.
P.S. I have a strange question. In the PC game, what is the hotkey for using EVE hypos? I went through the whole game not being able to figure it out, although I'm sure it was just me being stupid.

I disagree about the multiplayer. I've been playing 5 hours straight without a problem. The graphics look great, and of course they don't look as good as the campaign, it's multiplayer, it's not supposed to. It takes me 5 seconds to connect. Was it a bad idea to add multiplayer to bioshock? no. Was it a terrible concept? YES. I'm glad it's in, because it just added another 20-30 hours of game time for me. Whereas the first only gave me around 20 total, to beat the game on easy and then on hard, going slow on hard to get all of the collectibles.
My only complaint about the story is... WTF HAPPENED TO TENEMBAUM?! She was in the previews, and at the beginning of the game. Then you never saw or heard from her again.

I was wondering the same thing. Where in the HELL did Tenenbaum disappear to?
Oh well, I'm glad she left. She's such an irritating character.
I just finished BioShock 2 earlier tonight, and put in some MP time (surprisingly--I'm not the MP sort of guy unless it's co-op only). I really didn't want to come out feeling this way, but: I enjoyed it. I really, really, disliked the first one. The gameplay was so bland, the art style was cool, but at the same time ruined since it was exaggerated to such a degree that it became cartoony, the weapons were generic and unbalanced, the story was pretentious and predictable garbage, ending was absolutely awful, and Ayn Rand was a stupid twat who couldn't write for beans. Everything was improved in this game. And wow! big sisters were actually a challenge! One thing that really bugged me about the first one were the big daddies, touted to be nigh invincible, a force you really have to prepare yourself for, but everytime you come up against one, it felt the same, and you always came out thinking That's it?

They patched the activation limit out of that sucker so fast I didn't even have time to complain... what was your issue?
This one, as far as I can tell, has no DRM at all assuming you don't want to play multiplayer, which I don't. Games for Windows Live offers me an offline profile to save my game and unlike the Steam version the boxed version does not have SecuROM activation, just a disc check.
Anyway, the game...
Good not great. Expansion not sequel. That pretty much sums it up. The level design it remarkably worse, they really needed some extra help in that area. The rest is about the same, but feels less fresh for obvious reasons.

They did a massive overhaul of the story late in development and I assume Tennenbaum was changed because of that. A year ago there was one Big Sister who was the main antagonist and Tennenbaum was a big part of that, now they have Lamb and I assume replaced Tennenbaum with Sinclair.

My issue is that I don't pay full price to rent a game. I didn't find out that the game was dependant on the exsistance of their servers to operate until after I bought it so I felt cheated.

Bioshock 1 still requires for retail versions: a) executable download from SecuROM servers b) SecuROM internet activation (unlimited, but still an online check) and c) SecuROM disk check.
2K didn't patch out any activation limit, they just flicked a switch so that SecuROM servers allow you to have unlimited activations. 2 years on, they haven't patched out any of the SecuROM server stuff to enable offline installs.
Bioshock 2 has plenty of DRM: a) date check with SecuROM servers b) executable download from SecuROM servers c) activation with Games for Windows Live if you want to play multiplayer and d) SecuROM disk check.
Games for Windows is ok in my book because you can create an offline profile, but you're mistaken in saying the SecuROM involved is just a disk check. It relies on SecuROM authentication servers being active just like serial activations.
I don't mind internet activations for downloaded games, but for retail ones you expect a better product.

Ummm, that's what I said, and your sentence does not make sense. They patched out the activation LIMIT.
The Steam version has a SecuROM activation but the retail does not, that was part of the updated news on the DRM you must have missed. The original release said SecuROM and everyone assumed activations, but on the boxed copy it is just a SecuROM disc check. Steam had additional DRM which is common now-a-days, for whatever reason.
So my boxed copy has a disc check, which I am fine with, and Games for Windows Live, which you can create an offline profile for if you don't want to play multiplayer, which I don't. For me it is practically DRM-free.

Well I was taking your comment about being burned as if the DRM actually prevented you from playing the game in some way, not just a complete moral issue with it.
I don't like activation DRM either, but as long as I can crack it or it gets patched out eventually I don't obsess over it. Steam is much worse in my opinion, since it's all account based.

I got the first one off of Steam for $5 and haven't really played it past the first level. I'm sure I'll get to it eventually.... graphics are great, sound and music are great, atmosphere is great but the game play is pretty generic/mediocre and I just don't have an urge to play it.
The sequel doesn't strike me as any different other than multi-player ability -- I'll just wait until it's $5.

A few seconds on Google turned up this thread. It supports your claim that Securom is only used for a disc check, although it seems GFWL requires online activation whenever you install the game even if you choose to just create an offline profile. It's also suggested that there are some kind of activation limits associated with GFWL, although no details are given.

Same issue with Tenenbaum as others. Where did she go to? Did anyone find any tapes regarding her? I thought I got them all, but I could have missed every one that had anything to do with her character at all...

DRM is all detailed here.
PS. 1.0.0.1 patch is on Live now. Changelog here. Borks the multiplayer...

It has the typical disc icon for SecuROM disc check, then it installed and launched the game without ever asking for a key or activating. I then launched the game and it let me start a new game without activating GFWL.
Now in order to save you need a profile, which you can make without signing into Live, an offline profile. I can't say for sure I guess that you can do so without ever putting your key code in, I know other GFWL games allowed you to do so and I don't know why this one would be different. I used the code since I have a GFWL account and don't mind though, so I cannot say 100%.
I played GTA4 and Fallout 3 completely offline though before I got a GFWL account going.