Follow-up to BioShock, 2K Games' critically acclaimed and commercially successful 2007 release, BioShock 2 is a first-person shooter set in the fictional underwater city of Rapture. As in the original game, BioShock 2 features a blend of fast-paced action, exploration and puzzle-solving as players follow varying paths through the overarching storyline based on the decisions that they are forced to make at various points in the game. In addition to a further fleshing out of the franchise's popular storyline, players can look forward to new characters, game mechanics, weapons, locations and a series first, multiplayer game options. 
The new power in Rapture.
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Duel wield plasmids & weapons.
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New choices as Mr. B.
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Franchise first multiplayer options.
View larger. | The Story
Set approximately 10 years after the events of the original BioShock, the halls of Rapture once again echo with sins of the past. Along the Atlantic coastline, a monster somehow familiar, yet still quite different from anything ever seen has been snatching little girls and bringing them back to the undersea city. It is a Big Sister, new denizens of Rapture who were once one of the forgotten little girls known as Little Sisters, known to inhabit the city's dank halls. No longer a pawn used to harvest ADAM, the dangerously powerful gene-altering lifeblood of Rapture, from the bodies of others and in turn run the risk of being harvested herself, the Big Sister is now the fastest and most powerful thing in Rapture. You, on the other hand are the very first Big Daddy, in fact the prototype, that for some reason has reactivated. You are similar to the Big Daddies familiar from the original BioShock, but also very different in that you possess free will and no memory of the events of the past ten years. The question is, as you travel through the decrepit and beautiful fallen city beneath the waves, hunting for answers and the solution to your own survival, are you really the hunter, or the hunted? Gameplay and Multiplayer
In BioShock 2 players will take on the role of the original Big Daddy, not that of game one protagonist, Jack. As a Big Daddy you will have access to all the strengths and weapons of a standard Big Daddy, including the drill and rivet gun. More importantly you also possess free will and the ability to use plasmids and gene tonics genetic modifications allowed for through ADAM, a stem cell harvested from conquered enemies, or sea slugs outside the Rapture air lock, and powered by the in-game injectable serum known as EVE, which can be found, captured or purchased. Plasmids and gene tonics provide a wide range of aggressive and passive abilities which can be upgraded and arranged for quick use. The ability to use plasmids and tonics gives you a decided edge over other Big Daddies and most other denizens of Rapture, excluding the powerful Big Sisters. In addition, due to their role as a Big Daddy, players will experience a new relation to the Little Sisters. Upon defeating standard Big Daddys you are given the familiar choice as to whether to harvest or adopt them. Harvesting gains you ADAM immediately, but could alter your path through the game, while adopting makes you responsible for Little Sisters, who then accompany you through Rapture, but also provide aid and warning in times of danger. Additional gameplay features include: new plasmids, weapons and the ability to combine these two. The game also features the anticipated multiplayer modes. Several of these are team-based, allowing up to 10 players. Within these players are provided with a rich prequel experience that expands the origins of the BioShock fiction, and allows you to play as one of several characters pulled from Rapture's history before the events of the first game. Key Features - The Big Sister - No longer just something to be harvested or not, the Big Sister is the most powerful resident in Rapture.
- You Are the Big Daddy - Take control with the original prototype Big Daddy, and experience the power and raw strength of Rapture’s most feared denizens as you battle powerful new enemies.
- New Plasmids - New plasmids such as "Aero Dash" allowing for bursts of speed over short distances, and "Geyser Trap" a stream of water used as a jump pad and electrical conductor, join the ample list of Plasmids from the original game.
- New Game Mechanics - BioShock 2 contains many new gameplay mechanics. Just a few of these are: the ability to wield plasmids and weapons simultaneously; flashback missions detailing how you became the Big Daddy; the ability to walk outside the airlocks of Rapture to discover new play areas, and many more.
- New Locations - Just a few of the locations and environments debuting in BioShock 2 are Fontaine Futuristics, headquarters of Fontaine's business empire and the Kashmir Restaurant.
- Evolution of the Genetically Enhanced Shooter - Innovative advances bring new depth and dimension to each encounter, allowing players to create exciting combinations to fit their style of gameplay.
- Return to Rapture - Set approximately 10 years after the events of the original BioShock, the story continues with an epic, more intense journey through one of the most captivating and terrifying fictional worlds ever created.
- Genetically Enhanced Multiplayer - Earn experience points during gameplay to earn access to new weapons, plasmids and tonics that can be used to create hundreds of different combinations.
- Experience Rapture’s Civil War - Players will step into the shoes of Rapture's citizens and take direct part in the civil war that tore Rapture apart.
- See Rapture Before the Fall - Experience Rapture before it was reclaimed by the ocean and engage in combat over iconic environments in locations such as Kashmir Restaurant and Mercury Suites, all of which have been reworked from the ground up for multiplayer.
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 Avoid PC version |
| Review Date: July 18, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Jesus Jesus, New York, NY |
Headaches, headaches, headaches!
The first time I installed the game, I spent an hour just trying to create a Windows Live account.
I formated my drive and reinstalled the game. It has taken me another hour trying to update Windows Gamer Live.
Why do I have to go through this nonsense? I buy the game, I install it, I play it...1,2,3. This DRM crap has goto go. Shame on 2k! |
What. The. Heck.
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| Review Date: July 18, 2010 |
| Reviewer: A. Boyd, Michigan |
I have had this game open on my computer FOR AN HOUR and still have not been able to play it; Windows Live is apparently having server issues today, and won't let me log into Games for Windows, so I can authenticate the game.
The question I have is why the heck am I being asked to log into Games for Windows so I can play a single player game? Seriously? On what planet is an internet connection necessary and required to play a solo game -- I mean, that's the point of solo games. What about people who have awful internet connections? This is the US, guys, you've got a major rural population that may not have reliable high speed internet.
Either way, I'm annoyed. Even getting into Windows Live, I'm stuck waiting for Windows Live to update.
RIDICULOUS! Absolutely pointless. STOP including DRM that makes the game too hard to play in the first place! |
More of the same, only worse
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| Review Date: July 12, 2010 |
| Reviewer: John Morrison, Azeroth |
Let me begin by saying that I heartily endorse BioShock 1. It's a well-made game, highly imaginative and with a great sense of literary and cinematic style; an unfolding mystery within an enigma, well-balanced, and fun as all-get-out.
BioShock 2 uses much of the same environmental cues, swiping the greatest majority of enemies and weapons directly from 1. The story is considerably weaker, though, and (with a few bright spots, like when you get to control a Little Sister) pretty much the definition of "rehash." The reason I bought it was that I loved the first game so much-- and, like most sequels, this one was aimed at people without high expectations. "Mildly entertaining" springs to mind, but after such a great first game, that's a let-down.
I went into this one knowing the anti-usercentric installation and play issues; I had to log into Windows Live twice every time it was played. (Turns out I was using the wrong launcher. If there was an option to install the single-player-game launcher, which would only have had you log in to WL once, I didn't find it while playing.) Even then, I was frustrated and annoyed at all the nonsense you have to go through just to play a game.
Although SecuROM (the digital rights management software that secretly installs itself on your computer and runs in the background) was said to free users from the need to keep the DVD in the drive, I still had to insert the disk to play; and (being a high-school graduate) I was shocked at the poor language skills evident in the SecuROM ReadMe file. Uneducated people may be fine human beings, but I don't want them writing software that I'm required to run on my computer.
The multiplayer version looks like it was slapped on at the last minute. Despite having an ATi Radeon 5850, very nearly the best single-GPU graphics card currently available, and a motherboard & processor that are no slouches, there was still flickering and jumpiness. You also have to work your way up to the better weapons, devoid of any rank-matching system; so newbies with a pistol and shotgun are thrown up against hardcore gamers with every weapon and plasmid in the book. Not a lot of thought went into the play design there.
The good news is that I've been cured of my Rapture fandom, so I don't have to buy the inevitable BioShock 3. (Unless something changes drastically.) BioShock 1 is available paired with one of those unending Elder Scrolls games for $20, so I highly recommend that. This one? If you can get it for ten smackers, sure, put up with the nonsense and get a mild amount of pleasure from it. If they take out the Windows Live and related crud, call it a $20 deal. But for what you get, the price just is not worth it. |
Disapointing
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| Review Date: July 10, 2010 |
| Reviewer: q, |
One of the most disappointing games I've played in a long time. It's not awful: the graphics are serviceable, and the combat mechanics are pretty good. However, it's a severe drop in quality from the original Bioshock. The story is confused and uncompelling; the environments and characters are far less interesting, particularly the main villain; and there's certainly no moment that even approaches the power of the encounter in Andrew Ryan's office. Not only that, but I personally found Games For Windows Live to be a huge pain to use. It took forever to set up, and wouldn't let me save my game unless I was signed in. It's a totally unnecessary process, and it put me in a bad mood before I even started.
Again, if you just like RPG shooters this is a fine one, but it has none of the greatness of the first one, and it has the added bonus of extremely annoying DRM. |
Great game!
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| Review Date: July 4, 2010 |
| Reviewer: R. Kempke, |
If you liked Bioshock, you'll love 2! I enjoyed playing through the game, and taking in the amazing graphics. I got about 100 frames per second, on full settings. I have an intel quad core @ 2.6ghz, and a GTS 250 graphics card. Any graphics well below that will have laggy game play so watch out! If you have a console you may want to give that a go, if your computer isn't so fast.
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neat!
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| Review Date: July 4, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Timothy S. Terry Sr., Baton Rouge, LA USA |
| I game with BioShock 2 so great but problem cheat code hard to put on file and tried to find download file from internet but no luck, I play for easy did fine than med or hard. |
Its true what the reviews said
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| Review Date: June 28, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Paul Antonio Pivaral, |
Well I got lucky, i thought when STEAM had bioshock 2 on sell for [...] bucks
pro
-game is great
-rapture is still amazing
cons
-dont pay over [...] bucks for this game cause the patch you have to download on GFWL sucks
-played the game than it wouldnt save, than i would crashed, so i restarted the game and it would play anymore
-by reading the forms, the only way to play the game is in dx9 mode and deleting all your under 1kb saves
AND I HATE THAT CAUSE THE GAME LOOKS GREAT IN DX10, dx9 just makes the game look xbox 1 type...
UPDATE:
Found a fix thats works, and now i can play the game in DX10
-go to your documents and delete any save file thats 1kb and 0kb
-start game but do not sign on GFWL just yet
-go to your audio option and the top left menu turn off audio vert,
-start the game and your good to go
UPDATE ON GAME
pro
-wow, the game is really good
-shooting is much better than 1st
-again, rapture is really amazing
-now that theres a workaround to the patch game is worth it
cons
-the whole harvest or adopt choice can get really old very quick, bs 1 you just made your choice and that was it, in bs2 if you do the right thing,you have to defend the little sisters, and gets old quick
-story is kind of confusing at first but than the second half it picks up big
-havent tried the multiplayer and why should i,
final thoughts bioshock is one of the greatest games ever made, bioshock 2 improves on the mistakes of the first one but really doesnt push the envelope further....9/10 |
Barf
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| Review Date: June 27, 2010 |
| Reviewer: S. Frazer, |
The burnout husk of a title. In fact it pretty much is the first game with some crud glued on.
In the first one they managed to kill off the only interesting character like three quarters way through. So now all the theme has left is dive suits, water and creepy journals.
Certainly wasn't the clunky combat (for one, things should die when I shoot them in the head with my inaccurate wobbly gun, it certainly is hard enough to!), generic enemies or dullard storyline.
No, it was Andrew Ryan. That creepy objectivist maniac.
What we've got here is a rehash sans Andy there and it really just isn't doing it for me. Between the clunky dullness and the crashes I'm really regretting buying this, even at 13 bucks on steam. Oh and I can't even play the predominantly singleplayer game online. NICE. |
An honest review on the game, not the DRM
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| Review Date: June 17, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Brian, Granada Hills, CA |
First of all, BioShock 2, the GAME BioShock 2 (don't confuse DRM/Games for Windows Live with the actual GAME), is one of the best games I have ever played.
Second of all, don't listen to the idiotic haters out there 1-starring the game because of GFWL or DRM. I will tell you straight right now that GFWL CAN be a pain in the but. It occasionally crashes or disconnects me from games, and can be slow. Other than that, GFWL integrates seamlessly with the game and Xbox 360 friends. With more updates the program will really do well.
When speaking of DRM, well that is another story. Seriously, if you wrote a review about the DRM being "so horrible" then you obviously never bought or played the game. There are absolutely NO DRM problems. Sure they used SecuROM, but who cares? There is virtually no install limit (call Microsoft to reset key after 15 installations, not a big deal), and I understand 2K Games for their actions. I know HOW HARD THEY WORKED ON THIS GAME. When I finished the game and took it all in, including all of the sound effects, audio diaries, plots, art, guns, game play, etc, I realized that if I MADE THIS GAME MYSELF I'd want to protect it a little TOO. People put their heart and soul into these projects, and especially BioShock 2. Back to the installation process, I was annoyed by the 3-hour time the updates took to install, but the installation was no trouble. The DRM was no trouble. Nothing related to any DRM was trouble.
Now to the game. Well, what can I say without ruining it for you? Half the game is full of surprises, mainly new game play changes. I can say that EVERY SINGLE PART OF THE GAME WAS IMPROVED OVER THE FIRST BIOSHOCK. I even liked the story more than the first game. The guns are MUCH cooler, actually fighting enemies is MORE ENJOYABLE, the plasmids and guns are dual wielded (+better game play), and there are many more types of enemies, including the new batch of tough ones like the brute splicers, big daddies on steroids, and big sisters (every battle with one forced me to use most of my health packs). One plus is that the game is balanced: with the new Adam gathering aspect, you are forced to use your trap ammo (there are three trap ammo, all useful in their own ways), and the guns are designed to be more specific and useful in certain situations. You WILL enjoy this game more than the first, whether you like the story or not. Just every thing is better.
I really can't talk about the story too much because it is so freaking amazing you just have to find out for your self. I can say that you are a big daddy in Rapture during 1969 or 1970, and you have this goal to find your "daughter." There are many plot aspects and even the occasional kill-or-run choice that alters the storyline (or ending at least). If you want to appreciate the storyline to the fullest, play through the whole game (you will understand what I am talking about. The last level takes a very, hmm, interesting turn to say the least). The game is extremely scary at some points, especially if you are new to BioShock. Ohh man, if you are new to BioShock, buckle your seat belt XD.
To the multiplayer aspect, there isn't much to say. I really like it for one. It offers a level system, weapon upgrades, the basic plasmids like electro bolt, incinerate, etc, but it also introduces a useable houdini splicer plasmid. I haven't unlocked it yet but it sounds pretty legit (disssapear/reappear). The gameplay options are basic like capture the sister (obvi), deathmath, teams, territories, etc. The gameplay was altered for multiplayer and I gotta say it's pretty sweet. If you are looking for a good time where you aren't playing CoD or BC2, BioShock 2 is definitely an awesome alternative. You use your Xbox 360 gamertag, talk talk to friends on Xbox 360s with keyboard/mic, earn achievments, and earn gamerpoints through Games For Windows Live. It's awesome. |
Bioshock 2
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| Review Date: May 31, 2010 |
| Reviewer: B. D. Christian, Nevada,MO |
| This game is a true sequel to Bioshock that shouldn't be missed. It is a beautiful game and shouldn't be missed. |
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