BioShock 2

09 Feb 2010

Mac Xbox 360 PC (Microsoft Windows) PlayStation 3
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8.7 rating
2301 want
6908 played
356 playing
146 reviews
Developer
2K Marin
Publisher
Take-Two Interactive
Feral Interactive
D3 Publisher
2K Games

Tags

Time to beat

Main story icon

Main story

11h
Main story and extras icon

Main story + extras

13h 46m
100% completion icon

100% completion

-
Based on 25 answers
Summary

BioShock 2 is the second game of the BioShock series and the sequel to BioShock. It continues the grand storyline of the underwater metropolis Rapture. BioShock 2 capitalizes and improves upon the high-quality effects, unique gameplay elements, and immersive atmosphere that defined the first game. It explores more brutal gameplay than its predecessor, with new enemies, weapons, Plasmids, and Gene Tonics.

Bioshock 2, in my unpopular opinion, is even better than the previous game. It is not only much more deeper in its story and gameplay mechanics than the first game, but it avoids pitfalls that most sequel narratives usually fall into, that being trying to replicate its successful predecessor.
Yes, this too takes place in Rapture and thus, have a similar artstyle as the first game, but that is where the similarities end. Each location is new and made from ground up, enemies have somewhat different sense of rhytmic combat to them, and most of all, the narrative is a fresh new story in a place you might have been familiar with.
The relationships between a big daddy and little sister was something explored in the first game, but not the main focus, hence it left a lot of room for exploration in said relationship, and this game deliver. Not only are little sisters that you find adorable to protect, but also, the humanity that carries from your big daddy protagonist is also put under a microscopic lense.
It has a satisfying gameplay loop, and the philosophical debate regarding different political ideologies at play here, like Andrew Ryan's individualism, Sofia Lamb's collectivism, and every other moral dilemma in between, like nature of justice, racism, survivalistic choices, and questions upon right and wrong between sanity dying or insanity living. All is fascinating stuff, and never felt ballooned out of someone's ass where someone is just trying to be deep instead of being deep, like in something like YIIK: A Post Modern RPG.
This game is deep, as deep as the ocean (sorry, could not avoid the pun) and you will find yourself osciallating between sympathy, empathy, and utter pure loathing upon each character as you hear their stories through the audio logs and cutscenes. However, the message in any of them is confirmed, no matter the ideology of right or wrong, children were harmed, which is the damnest thing about rapture, whether it is under the leadership of Andrew Ryan or Sofia Lamb.
And each ending reflects on your own choices and dilemmas in a really well earned way, seeing and judging your mercy and your wrath, from which the different lessons that the children takes, says a plenty about how one generation can shape the upcoming one.

The gameplay is your standard bioshock, you upgrade weapons, upgrade certain perks, and get+upgrafe plasmids as you go on. Hacking is made a lot simpler than the first game (seriously, fuck those pipe puzzles), however, some of you may find it more difficult because it is color based, and any color blind person, as i can imagine, is gonna have a really bad time with the hacking stuff. The worst part is, this version of the game has no color blind support, but I dunno, maybe the remastered version have some sort of support, am yet to play that one. If you are color blind and decide to play this version anyway, then maybe horde as many auto hack darts as you can, that may somewhat ease the pain.

Anyway, that weird caution aside, I loved the enemy encounters in this one. Just like the first game, you never know when and where the enemy may arrive from, and audio cues happen before any visual cues, so it can be fascinatingly tense at each area, especially during the little sister adam collecting parts, which arguably some may find annoying, but I found those parts to be fun. And if you set traps (which this game gives you plenty of) before sending your little sister to collect adams from the "angels", then you will have a swell time. Just know when and where to go brawl, and when to use brain, and you will get through everything with breeze, and if not, the quick save and vita chambers allow you to get back in it without much of a cost.

All in all, this is a wonderful game, ans possibly one of the best narratives i have experienced in a video game, which is an achievement, because one could say the same thing about the first game.
So yeah, play this!
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30 May 2023
this is video game 💕✨
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13 Mar 2024
I just love this game
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28 Oct 2023
U CAN PLAY AS BIG DADDY!!
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09 Mar 2024
Not as good the first but still alright looking to infinite
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07 Mar 2024
The story was kinda dull compared to the first game and, overall, it's the weakest of the series. But it's still fun.
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02 Jan 2024
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