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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 A brilliant evolution |
| Review Date: March 12, 2010 |
| Reviewer: A. Whalen, Raleigh, NC, USA |
I just finished playing the singleplayer campaign. I have to admit that I absolutely adored the first Bioshock and was waiting for this one's release with tremendous anticipation. You may think that biases me towards a positive review; but it also sets me up for bigger disappointment when things aren't quite up to snuff.
First, setting aside the issues that have compelled other reviewers to give the game one or two stars: Games for Windows Live is annoying as hell but did not cause the game to crash for me. It simply caused a long delay in the game start-up sequence while GFWL signed in, not allowing any other actions. I would have opted not to log in if I had the choice.
The single biggest disappointment is that this one, just like the first one, crashes instantly using DX10. My prior gaming rig wouldn't even start up a level without crashing; I'm now on a gaming laptop with a 260 GX card, completely different specs, and it still crashes straight out of the starting gate. That's REALLY disappointing. Is DX10 really THAT finnicky that they can't even do basic QA on the thing?
Overall the game stability was OK. There were about a dozen freeze-ups / crashes that hosed the whole machine and forced me to hard-reboot, but at the same time, my new gaming rig (Asus G72GX) hasn't been the most reliable anyway... I'm as liable to blame the computer as I am the game.
Now for the actual game. It is an evolution, not a revolution. Everything is a little bigger, little better, a little more realistic, a little more fun. The graphics and environments are better, the sound is better, the voice acting is better, you can explore more and do more in this game than the last (such as walking underwater and picking up & throwing enemies with Telekinesis 3 plasmid, just like the gravity gun in HL2!) but there is no concept that is fundamentally different about this one from the last. That's not a bad thing; the last game was brilliant, and boatloads of fun. This one was just different enough to know that a lot of work had been done on it to make the environments more realistic and engrossing, to make the physics and character models more realistic. Unless my memory is failing me, there's a fair bit more "elective exploration" in this one than in the last one; in the last one there were a few rooms and hideaway spots that you needed to look for, that you wouldn't see if you just followed the game's prompts, but all of the large spaces were by and large explored fully just by playing through the game. In Bioshock 2, there are rooms and large spaces all over the place that you won't see if you don't go looking for them.
The only part about the game that seemed to be pretty cheap is the cutscenes; it's not subtle that they cut corners there. There is far less (almost none) animation in the cutscenes. Just flashing still images, or nothing (blank). A lot of really neat scenes could have been animated and would have been enthralling to see, but instead, your screen simply flashes white and you hear some noise in the background and the gameplay comes back in a different scene. I guess you have to fill in the details with your imagination.
Overall, if you liked/loved Bioshock, can be patient with GFWL, and don't mind being stuck in DX9c, forget about all the whiners, buy the game, and have a blast. This game is good enough to buy NOW (that is, it's good enough to justify the sticker price). I had very high expectations (with the bar being set by the first game) and was not at all disappointed, despite early frustration with the total instability of the game running in DX10.
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A great sequel
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| Review Date: March 12, 2010 |
| Reviewer: E. Eilertsen, Gilbert, AZ USA |
I am only half way through the single player game and have put in about 15 hours into the multiplayer side. I feel that the SP game is a really nice enhancement to the story of the original game. Did it need to be told? Maybe not, but if you are going to tell another story, at least make it with this quality. The campaign is pretty well paced and the new enemies are fun. I like the NPC characters too. I do wish the Big Sister encounters were a little more random. And again, I have not finished the story yet, so everything could take a dive... but I doubt it.
I am also really impressed with the MP side. It starts out slow but once you level up enough to get the machine gun, the game really starts to get frantic. As you progress in levels, you not only get new weapons, weapon upgrades and new plasmids, you also get radio messages about the civil war that occurred in Rapture (before the first game). It is a nice way to integrate the multiplayer side into the story of Rapture but it isn't a very deep experience. I was having a lot of freezing problems in Win7 though. If you are having the same issue, try running the multiplayer in DirectX 9, it fixed my problems (Start > All Programs > Games, right click on the BioShock 2 icon and select "Run Multiplayer - DirectX 9" from the menu). Hopefully they will patch this soon.
Is it as good as the first one? Of course not. The first Bioshock is a masterpiece! But this sequel does not disappointment. It feels like the developers didn't want to rock the boat too much with a proven system but this is NOT a cash grab in anyway. It has great production values and a good story. If you enjoyed the first one, and don't expect this one to be better, I don't see how you can go wrong with this sequel.
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Bioshock 2 rocks, only wish it was longer
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| Review Date: March 12, 2010 |
| Reviewer: J. W. Nichols, Seattle, WA |
Bioshock 2 rocks! Just about as good as the first, but then again the original Bioshock was my first 1st-person-shooter, so I may be biased. I only wish the solo storyline was longer. I have yet to get into the on-line mulitplayer setting . But the rest is all good.
Be aware that they have not patched all of the bugs yet, so expect some crashes if using Windows 7 home Premius.
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No idea how good game is since I can't play due to issues with GFW!
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| Review Date: March 10, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Texan in Ohio, |
| I was really looking forward to this game but requiring an active connection in order to even save the game is ridiculous! The game comes up and states that it must update in order to even play the first time. It tries to update and logs out of Windows live and then fails to update. Nothing that I have tried works. Windows live team has been extremely unhelpful. Nothing works. Complete waste of time and money. Don't pay for a game that doesn't work and won't allow you to play it whenever you want. |
A worthy sequel
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| Review Date: March 10, 2010 |
| Reviewer: aardman, San Francisco, CA |
First off, I find all the SecuROM reviews quite frustrating and disappointing, especially when they fail to mention anything about the game itself. Yes, I know the game has copy protection in it, and I know what that means. I find it mildly annoying, but far from a deal breaker. I suppose it's a philosophical difference -- not everyone cares about this issue to the same extent. Using guerrilla tactics to flood the review forums with shrill opinions makes me suspect you have an ax to grind. If copy-protection bothers you this much, then don't buy the game, and let everyone else make their own decisions on the matter.
Now, about the game itself. Overall, I really enjoyed Bioshock 2. The reason I only gave it 4 stars out of 5 is because that sense of awe and surprise at seeing Rapture for the first time are gone. This is natural, since the game is a sequel that happens in the same location with fairly similar characters. The graphics are somewhat improved, especially some of the water effects, but nothing earth-shattering. The use of "Achievements" in the game is a nice touch, I found it a lot of fun to gather as many as I could, as well to discover the secret ones.
The story turns out to be very compelling and enjoyable overall. It starts off a bit slow, but grows into its own, and it gets very good towards the end. For me, the story is probably the single most important factor in a game, and Bioshock 2 delivers. I felt that the game was in some ways complementary to the first one: it adds additional detail to the history of Rapture, introduces new characters but relates them naturally to the original protagonists. My only complaint about the story is that it felt a bit shorter (time-wise) than the story in the original. Still, combine this with the same gorgeous visuals, and it's a very solid experience overall.
The ability to use both plasmids and weapons at once is great, I almost can't conceive of how I played the first game without this! The new foes, in particular the Big Sisters and the Brutes are very worthy opponents and are blended nicely into the story. The new hacking system is much better than the original one, I particularly enjoyed the "distance hacks".
The music is superb, Garry Shyman has delivered another fantastic soundtrack, which works beautifully with the mood and the story.
Overall, a great game, well worth your time if you enjoyed the original. |
Not as good as Bioshock 1, and missing controller support
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| Review Date: March 10, 2010 |
| Reviewer: William Hiles, Middleburg, VA |
After long anticipating getting Bioshock 2, I preordered it from Amazon, waited for it to arrive, and then found that not only do you have to have the CD in the machine, but you MUST have a Windows LIVE account to play the game. Then, to add insult to injury, the game doesn't support playing with a USB controller. None of this was identified in the marketing hype leading up to its release. And, it isn't until you agree to the license that you discover these things.
Why is this an issue...
1) Why do I have to have a CD in a drive if I also have to log onto LIVE?
2) I live way out in the middle of no-where and have dial-up... yes, dial-up for internet connectivity. At 18.2k, being online is not much of an option let alone getting updates.
Now on that controller thing... Bioshock 1 supported a controller. And they say that they spent all of their time "getting the UI right for the keyboar". But, I don't think they did anything. First of all...if they spent so much time getting the UI right for the keyboard, then why are the mouse buttons reversed by default? Why would the left button fire the right hand gun, and the right button fire the plasmid with the left hand.
As for the game... pretty much the same games as Bioshock 1 in a bit of a different map. Graphics are about the same. Remember how you played Bioshock 1 and you got to the point that you thought was the end of the game and then had to become a Big Daddy? Well...no such surprise in this one. Just play, kill, and you are done. No twists to the plot, no interesting strange surprises. And the new weapons are worthless compared to the ones that you probably used the most in Bioshock 1...Fire, Freeze, and bullets. The new stuff is practically useless.
I was absolutely mesmerized by Bioshock 1. I was let down by Bioshock 2. And on top of that, the DRM is positively abnoxious.
Scott
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A review of the actual game.
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| Review Date: March 9, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Keonyn, Minnesota, USA |
It seems people would rather use review space to rant about Games for Windows Live and the DRM used by the game than actually talk about the game itself. Now, I'm not a fan of these restrictions either, but they're far from oppressive and aren't too easy to get around if you simply look around. Regardless, "Bioshock 2" is a game, which is something nearly half the reviews, or even more, have neglected to even talk about.
The game itself is an interesting return to the underwater city of Rapture. What made the original so great was the amazing style and detail put in to the unique setting, as well as the attention given to the games atmosphere. While the shock factor of the setting itself is gone, since we've all been there before at this point, it still retains the same quality that made the original the impressive title it was. The game remains a stylistic masterpiece with a sense of atmosphere and ambience that is arguably unsurpassed.
The storyline itself follows a similar path regarding corrupted ideals and good intentions being twisted by insanity. It also borrows a number of elements from the first game as far as story goes. This time, since you're playing as a Big Daddy, you can adopt the little sisters and help protect them as they harvest. This generates a survival mini-game of sorts, almost similar to the Little Sister escorting portion of the original game.
The gameplay itself also sees some improvement with the ability to wield plasmids and your weapons at the same time. Now this can be occasionally problematic for twitchy people (like me) as it can sometimes cause you to fire the wrong gun and waste Eve/ammo by mistake. That's not really much of a problem though, and the benefits of the new system easily outweigh any detractors it might have. The multiplayer portion is also pretty fun, but probably nothing you'll be playing for years to come. It's a good way to kill time, but it's not breaking any boundaries and isn't going to compete against the likes of BC2, MW2 or TF2 (a lot of 2's there).
While Bioshock 2 is unfortunately plagued by the DRM software included and the Games for Windows Live system, it is otherwise a great game that lives up to the standards set by its predecessor. The DRM software isn't as restrictive as some people claim, but it is still entirely unnecessary. The GFWL system can be set up in an offline fashion, and the means of doing so can be easily found. While I definitely not agree with these pieces of software, I still do not believe that they should be a reason for anyone to not by the game if it's one they're interested in or would enjoy.
As far as the game goes, I highly recommend it, particularly if you were a fan of the first game. It does everything the first did well, and then adds even more. Install issues aside, the game itself is fantastic. |
BioShlock DRM Redux
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| Review Date: March 9, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Bible & Sword, Irvine, CA |
Like its predecessor, BioShlock II rewards its paying customers with an oppressive DRM scheme. Now in addition to well-known and universally reviled SecuRom installation restrictions, it adds a Windows Live account requirement in order to play the game. If your privacy is worthless to you, and you like games that feature freaky little girl characters, then buy BioShlock.
As an alternative, consider Fallout 3 or Mass Effect 2, both of which limit the DRM to the significantly less-restrictive SecuRom "Disk-Check" requirement.
Speak with your dollars and reward companies that respect your privacy and your independence!
Bible & Sword |
Good PC Game
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| Review Date: March 9, 2010 |
| Reviewer: A. J. Strietmann, Chicago, IL |
| This might be the creepiest game I have ever played. Overall the story and action is nice, at times it can be a little cheezy. Graphics look good, almost Crysis quality. Once you figure out some of the terminology of the game and know when to spend time looking for extras and when to rush past scenes, the gameplay is a lot of fun. It is very, very creepy though. |
Starts slow but becomes a very worthwhile addition to the series
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| Review Date: March 9, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Mitch Gant, California |
Coming into Bioshock 2, I was unsure about playing as a Big Daddy. From the first Bioshock, the Big Daddy seemed like a lumbering dolt with only one job and a one track mind. I did not see how playing as one could possibly be very interesting. While I felt the game started slow, I found it finished very well and certainly overcame my overall fears for this iteration at least to a large degree.
Technically speaking, Bioshock 2 doesn't look or sound much different than the first. Given how unique the first Bioshock game looked and sounded and I cannot say that I was upset to see and hear more of the same. I played with full graphical options running on a Q6600 with an 8800GTS video card. The game ran smooth as silk which should be expected from a game engine that is now a few years old. You do need to have a Games for Windows account which is a bit of a pain especially if all you are after is the single player experience. That said, and once this is setup it really doesn't intrude (nor does it offer any value). The only big issue I encountered had to do with a piece of looping audio that occurred on a particular level. 2K was aware of this issue, but the only "fix" was to play through until the next level with the music turned off. Not much of a fix which is frankly made even more egregious due to the fact that this very same issue occurred in the first Bioshock game as well. Exactly how many years does it take to solve this problem? The cut and paste job really showed its ugly side in this instance. Other than that, however, and I didn't encounter any real bugs outside of the occasional pain in finding the right "hot spot" to pick something up.
As mentioned, the game does take a while to pick up speed in the story department and while it never reaches the lofty heights set by the original, it still does a good job of further fleshing out and explaining rapture. I think it is unfair to believe that we could be as caught up in Rapture as our first encounter since the place is no longer new to us. Where the game really falls down, however, is in making you feel like a Big Daddy. Simply put, your character is so weak that outside of the water hitting your metal suit or the glimpse of your drill hand, and you never feel like you are playing as a Big Daddy. We all remember how hard in both games it is to put down a Big Daddy. Yet, playing as this character, you are greatly damaged by a .45 shot at a distance of football field. This great imbalance kills any possible feeling playing as a Big Daddy should offer. I certainly understand that if you are omnipotent than the game would be too easy; however, it wasn't my idea to make the game centered on the fact that you are a Big Daddy. I think 2K wanted it both ways and the fact is that making you an incredibly weak Big Daddy is nonsensical within the game world. For the most part, especially since you rarely see yourself anyway, I forgot that I was supposed to be a Big Daddy at all.
The fighting mechanic is the same as in the previous games with some new weapons and plasmids thrown in. It is still a pain to switch between all the options (including different ammo types) in the heat of battle given how fast battle progresses. Additionally, you run out of ammo in a hurry and although it is plentiful to find in the game environment, it does sometimes make battles frustrating as you fumble around switching weapons, plasmids, and ammo frequently. There are also times when getting new weapons or plasmids changes the key used to access your guns or plasmids. Having the game change the key I press for certain plasmids is very unwelcome when you are trying to juggle things quickly in a big fight. It would also help to have the game switch ammo/weapons automatically when you run out of what you are currently using.
Sadly I feel I need to specifically point out for kudos anytime a PC game allows you to save anywhere, so big kudos to 2K for allowing this in Bioshock 2. I loath checkpoint saves and sadly too many PC games have taken that lazy route if for no other reason than it often artificially prolongs a shorter game. As it is, Bioshock 2 offers plenty of content even with their save anywhere system and I felt that I got my monies worth with this one.
Certainly if you didn't like the first Bioshock than there is absolutely nothing to lure you into playing Bioshock 2. If you liked the first than you probably are going to buy (or have purchased already) Bioshock 2 regardless of reviews. The issue of not feeling much like a Big Daddy aside, Bioshock 2 offered a wonderful new trip to Rapture that further explained this tremendously enigmatic place. I highly recommend it. |
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