BioShock 2

 PC
User Score
8.2

Generally favorable reviews- based on 2165 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,638 out of 2165
  2. Mixed: 406 out of 2165
  3. Negative: 121 out of 2165
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  1. BeeSting1
    Jan 1, 2021
    8
    Experience the life Big Daddys and Little Sisters.

    This was a good sequel to Bioshock. Experiencing Rapture through the shoes of a Big Daddy is interesting. Cool thing is you get to wield a big ass drill. You can launch yourself around and deflect projectiles, giving the game a completely different approach if you didn't want to use guns. There is a much larger variety of enemies in    Experience the life Big Daddys and Little Sisters.

    This was a good sequel to Bioshock. Experiencing Rapture through the shoes of a Big Daddy is interesting. Cool thing is you get to wield a big ass drill. You can launch yourself around and deflect projectiles, giving the game a completely different approach if you didn't want to use guns. There is a much larger variety of enemies in Bioshock 2. The game challenges your use of plasmids and weapons more so than it's predecessor. I love how the game grouped the gene pools together, such that it's less cluttered when managing. Though I wish there were plasmid previews before purchasing, cause I never know what some plasmid upgrades actually do. The explanation is not that good. I still wish there was an easier way to manage your weapon and plasmid shortcuts though. You get so many along the way, that you can easily get mixed up during an intense battle. There were times where I just settled with a less optimal weapon because cycling through to the right one would take too much time, and I'd take too much damage. Though with multiple play throughs, I can imagine speed running through Bioshock 2 would be quite fun.

    The narrative is one of the strong points of the game as usual. There are plenty of dialogue that enriches the story as you progress. Plenty of characters have various agendas, and don't always align with the ideologies of Sofia Lamb. This draws into question of their real intentions. I was questioning my ally for a majority of the game, assuming he had ill intentions. But in the end, he proved to be a good guy, who sacrificed himself. I enjoyed the ending as well. It nicely reflects the moral choices you've made on your journey.    … Expand
  2. gotterpotter56
    Mar 26, 2023
    8
    Сперва скептически отнёсся к игре, но потом игра расцвела. Тотальное улучшение во всех аспектах. Геймплей стал динамичнее, а локации более детализированными. Хотя история не так удивляет, как оригинал, она не плоха. Крепкий сиквел.Сперва скептически отнёсся к игре, но потом игра расцвела. Тотальное улучшение во всех аспектах. Геймплей стал динамичнее, а локации более детализированными. Хотя история не так удивляет, как оригинал, она не плоха. Крепкий сиквел.
  3. TheSRG
    Sep 9, 2022
    8
    The first game had a structure that broke its spell, but it still had a great story set in the best places in the game world. It was nice to have new mechanics
  4. petrkozak13
    Dec 13, 2021
    8
    Playing as big daddy was unexpected turn and I'd say it's almost as good as the first Bioshock.
  5. Leonsjm
    Jun 11, 2022
    8
    aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
  6. AngryGeek
    Jun 8, 2022
    8
    It is one of my favorite games with its mysterious and tense atmosphere. We're going back to the city of rapture.
  7. Clusteronex
    Jun 17, 2022
    8
    Стрельба по сравнению с первой частью стала намного лучше, как и графика, но добавились моменты растягивающие игру, по типу сбора адама сестричками. Этого можно и не делать, но тогда прокачка ячеек для плазмидов и самих плазмидов осложняется. Долго пытался найти биндинг оружия и плазмидов, а оказалось что это все в настройках, очень неудобно да и при прокачке плазмида все они сразуСтрельба по сравнению с первой частью стала намного лучше, как и графика, но добавились моменты растягивающие игру, по типу сбора адама сестричками. Этого можно и не делать, но тогда прокачка ячеек для плазмидов и самих плазмидов осложняется. Долго пытался найти биндинг оружия и плазмидов, а оказалось что это все в настройках, очень неудобно да и при прокачке плазмида все они сразу путаются и приходится назначать по новой.
    ps Прокачанный заклепщик является лучшим оружием по моему мнению ( разве что он не берет больших папочек ) попадание в голову по исследованному противнику наносит огромный урон. Арбалет тоже вещь классная, но появляется он ой как не скоро, да и скорость перезарядки оставляет желать лучшего
    Hardest difficulty    … Expand
  8. HeitorCampos
    Mar 13, 2023
    8
    Better than the prequel in many ways, but worse in many other ways. It´s not as memorable or as purposeful, but it is really good.
  9. Naked_Snakee
    Apr 7, 2023
    8
    Just text (crutch) to save the game to the list. Such things. Maybe I'll do a review later.
  10. Magikcarp
    Jul 19, 2023
    8
    Gameplay - 8
    Plot & Characters - 8
    Storytelling - 8
    Pacing - 8
    Music & Sound - 7
    Replayability - 5
    Performance - 10
  11. KarlL
    Feb 10, 2010
    7
    Not much has changed from the first game, almost feels more like a quick expansion pack then a real sequel. All the wonder of the first game has been lost however since this is your second time through. All the fear is missing aswell since your character is basically an armoured tank, making you feel impervious to most of the dangers.
  12. TaylorM
    Feb 12, 2010
    7
    I am rating this game as if both components of the game get their own 0-10 score rating and then I am averaging it. That being said, the singleplayer gets a 10, and the multiplayer gets a 3. It's not because the multiplayer is bad. It is actually a really well implemented idea in terms of gameplay. It's because MATCHMAKING is bad, no dedicated is bad, which is the same problem I am rating this game as if both components of the game get their own 0-10 score rating and then I am averaging it. That being said, the singleplayer gets a 10, and the multiplayer gets a 3. It's not because the multiplayer is bad. It is actually a really well implemented idea in terms of gameplay. It's because MATCHMAKING is bad, no dedicated is bad, which is the same problem with MW2. So far most of the matches I've played have been lag city for everyone but the host who could "see all of US lag." I'm tired of sacrificing "ease-of-use" for a crappy multi-player experience. Matchmaking itself isn't my major complaint here, its the lack of dedicated servers. L4D and L4D2 have matchmaking and dedicated servers, so why is it so difficult for other developers to implement this system? The most disappointing part is the fact that based on the GAMEPLAY of multiplayer alone I could see myself playing it as much or more than TF2.… Expand
  13. GordonF
    Feb 19, 2010
    7
    There are way too many flaws in this release to qualify it to be universally acclaimed. Firstly, the graphics are actually a downgrade from the first Bioshock, textures are markedly lower in resolution, absolutely no support for Anti-Aliasing and Anisotropic Filtering, those cannot even be effected upon the game from outside the game with ATI Catalyst. This is 2010, Win7 is on DX11 and There are way too many flaws in this release to qualify it to be universally acclaimed. Firstly, the graphics are actually a downgrade from the first Bioshock, textures are markedly lower in resolution, absolutely no support for Anti-Aliasing and Anisotropic Filtering, those cannot even be effected upon the game from outside the game with ATI Catalyst. This is 2010, Win7 is on DX11 and this game runs natively on DX 9 - What the hell is this nonsense? why the hell graphics menu offers "run DX10 textures" option is beyond me, because as far as the progress of technology is involved, shouldn't option be a " Enable DX 11 Tessellation" instead? I was, and am deeply let down by this release, part of the reason why I upped by rig was because of the anticipation of experiencing the great Bioshock on awesome DX11 rendering, and I cannot possibly feel more cheated at this point in my life. Tech aside, nothing in this game breaks new ground, everything else is pretty similar as before with the exception of one new splicer, the big sister, and new big daddies. The playthrough is noticeably shorter, and the storyline wasn't as creative this time round, but it was still all good and decent fun. I didn't bother with the multiplayer because my main appeal was to the bioshock universe. This should've been an expansion release instead. I am disappointed, I really am.… Expand
  14. TheWeasel
    Feb 18, 2010
    7
    Nothing that hasnt already been done before in numerous Dungeon and Dragons styled FPS'ers not to mention a slight improvement upon the original Bioshock game. Plasmids are more interesting to 'level up' but really donot present the level of character development that is hyped up to. Graphics while nice donot have the same feel as nor direct iconography that Bioshock Nothing that hasnt already been done before in numerous Dungeon and Dragons styled FPS'ers not to mention a slight improvement upon the original Bioshock game. Plasmids are more interesting to 'level up' but really donot present the level of character development that is hyped up to. Graphics while nice donot have the same feel as nor direct iconography that Bioshock represented. More of an underware Tomb Raider with Art Deco, instead of the vibrant and stylised Bioshock original. The sound is superb but what else is to be expected in this era of gaming and digital audio files. 7/10 Fluff but tasty fluff.… Expand
  15. justinscustoms
    Aug 27, 2010
    7
    Being an avid fan of the original, I have to admit that I entered this game with fairly high expectations. Off the bat there seems to be no real changes to the major game mechanics or graphics which came as a small disappointment as the game could had used at least a few improvements on the overall physics system I however can assume this was an attempt to keep game play level for the PCBeing an avid fan of the original, I have to admit that I entered this game with fairly high expectations. Off the bat there seems to be no real changes to the major game mechanics or graphics which came as a small disappointment as the game could had used at least a few improvements on the overall physics system I however can assume this was an attempt to keep game play level for the PC and Console versions of the title. The game environment offers a lot of fresh areas while still keeping the same overall feeling as the original and even makes a few open improvements by offering some more open, less claustrophobic areas. the story is where I felt I was a little let down on here. The ending of the original presented a very real challenge for a sequel so I understood this but the real shortfall was the lack of painting detailed portraits of the new characters. Moments in the original gave you a true feeling of how unhinged the characters were and gave you unsettling thought process to digest while trying to unravel your own and that was slightly lacking in this title.… Expand
  16. Akadrud
    Jun 2, 2014
    7
    First Bioshock was a masterpiece and, if i didn't play it, i would give the second chapter a higher score. But.. there's some new things but not so many and though we have another really good story behind the game.. i don't think it is involving as the first. Graphic is the same, looks like recycled. And it's short, but if you can buy it ina bundle for cheap (like i did) it's a good experience.
  17. TheMitherer
    Nov 2, 2011
    7
    Took me over two hours to get it to run properly. Eight different weapons, each with 3 types of ammo, and six or more plasmids. What am I? A concert pianist? I didn't find the hacking change to be an improvement at all and the story didn't hold my attention in the slightest. As far as I was concerned the story was just trying to get through a level whilst making yourself more powerful.Took me over two hours to get it to run properly. Eight different weapons, each with 3 types of ammo, and six or more plasmids. What am I? A concert pianist? I didn't find the hacking change to be an improvement at all and the story didn't hold my attention in the slightest. As far as I was concerned the story was just trying to get through a level whilst making yourself more powerful. Voiceovers and fighting got very tedious towards the end. Having said all that it was enjoyable to jaunt through Rapture again even though it was with a sense of post mortem deja vu. New weapons and enemies are decent enough, but the trips along the sea-bed seemed very pointless. And where the hell were the soundsets for the vending machines? Anyway, a reasonable buy at current prices and a good buy if you are a Bioshock maniac.… Expand
  18. AlienSpaceBats
    Oct 9, 2013
    7
    Even though it's a complete rehash of the first game, and suffers from an extremely malignant case of consolitis (with low-quality textures and 360 button graphics all over the place) I prefer this one. Taking on the role of a Big Daddy and interacting with the little sisters plays a large part in this, but endlessly shooting up splicers eventually gets too boring after a while. As ever,Even though it's a complete rehash of the first game, and suffers from an extremely malignant case of consolitis (with low-quality textures and 360 button graphics all over the place) I prefer this one. Taking on the role of a Big Daddy and interacting with the little sisters plays a large part in this, but endlessly shooting up splicers eventually gets too boring after a while. As ever, an average FPS with above average narrative.… Expand
  19. Sasori261
    Jan 21, 2012
    7
    To me, the original Bioshock was better than this one. It seemed by trying to make a multiplayer, they just forgot about the singleplayer. The game was good, but it seemed that they should've focused on the singleplayer a bit more because I found the multiplayer terrible and that the multiplayer downgraded the singleplayer expierence. I also didn't like the idea of the game and should'veTo me, the original Bioshock was better than this one. It seemed by trying to make a multiplayer, they just forgot about the singleplayer. The game was good, but it seemed that they should've focused on the singleplayer a bit more because I found the multiplayer terrible and that the multiplayer downgraded the singleplayer expierence. I also didn't like the idea of the game and should've gone with another idea. Overall, I would suggest if you're a Bioshock fan, to not buy the game unless you want to play a sequel that is disappointing compared to the original.… Expand
  20. PrincessRose
    Sep 8, 2015
    7
    Even though I disliked Bioshock, I thought I'd at least try this game though it's sort of more of the same, I liked playing as a Big Daddy at the end of the first game so I thought it may make me enjoy this game more.

    I enjoy this game more, overall the game is much more fun. I don't feel bored playing it like I did with the first Bioshock. I like the story of being a Big Daddy, the    Even though I disliked Bioshock, I thought I'd at least try this game though it's sort of more of the same, I liked playing as a Big Daddy at the end of the first game so I thought it may make me enjoy this game more.

    I enjoy this game more, overall the game is much more fun. I don't feel bored playing it like I did with the first Bioshock. I like the story of being a Big Daddy, the story is very interesting and gameplay has improved you can now use both a plasmid and weapon at once, it makes things quicker instead of feeling so sluggish like the first Bioshock was so slow having to switch between a plasmid and a weapon.

    And I like that hacking seems better and you can now hack cameras as well instead of just destroy them.

    I reccomend having several saves as saving can be glitchy. I saved my game and it crashed in the process deleting the save that I was saving over, I previously had 4 saves and now had 3, so it must of deleted the save which caused it to crash or the crashing caused it to delete?? Iam not sure.
    It's a joy to be able to alt tab out of game without getting a black screen of death.

    When you open a map, you can't close it again by pressing the map key, but by clicking on a button at the bottom of the screen that says close or by pressing B on a XBox controller with no way to remap the key for PC controls. Controller exclusive controls on a PC game is annoying.

    I like this game much more than the first Bioshock.    … Expand
  21. alanmacd
    Nov 19, 2014
    7
    After the joy of the original I was ready to like this game. A lot. Back to Rapture! And, to its credit, game-play is smooth, the enemies are more varied and, in many cases, tougher and the weapons are inventive. However, it seems like the game lost its soul somewhere. The haunting, beautiful visuals of the first were lacking. The story was simply less compelling, absent the wonderfullyAfter the joy of the original I was ready to like this game. A lot. Back to Rapture! And, to its credit, game-play is smooth, the enemies are more varied and, in many cases, tougher and the weapons are inventive. However, it seems like the game lost its soul somewhere. The haunting, beautiful visuals of the first were lacking. The story was simply less compelling, absent the wonderfully crafted Ryan. I cared about the characters less. I felt like I was playing a competent, first person shooter. The first time around, I felt like I was taking part in a masterpiece. This...was just a video game. A good one, but just a game.… Expand
  22. sscott0829tw
    Feb 19, 2020
    7
    + Combat is better than the first
    + Interesting story with memorable characters
    + Better ending than the first + Great Graphics + Big Sisters are so fun to fight - Feels a bit like a DLC for the first game, a lot of UI and Items are exactly the same. - Too short to beat - No new powers to use, weapons feels like a reskin of the first game - Fighting with your daughter is amazing    + Combat is better than the first
    + Interesting story with memorable characters
    + Better ending than the first
    + Great Graphics
    + Big Sisters are so fun to fight

    - Feels a bit like a DLC for the first game, a lot of UI and Items are exactly the same.
    - Too short to beat
    - No new powers to use, weapons feels like a reskin of the first game
    - Fighting with your daughter is amazing but you can only do that for like 30 minutes.
    - though the NPC's are interesting, you don't see them or interect with them very much.
    - no final boss fight, and reuse boss fights too many times.    … Expand
  23. zimmer600
    Nov 20, 2017
    7
    Comparing the first and second parts of BioShock, I definitely give the palm of the championship to the original game. From the continuation, after all, I wanted to get much more vivid emotions and rich impressions. But it is important to understand that it is with unreasonable expectations that most of the claims to BioShock 2 are connected. If we consider it in isolation from itsComparing the first and second parts of BioShock, I definitely give the palm of the championship to the original game. From the continuation, after all, I wanted to get much more vivid emotions and rich impressions. But it is important to understand that it is with unreasonable expectations that most of the claims to BioShock 2 are connected. If we consider it in isolation from its predecessor, we get a very atmospheric, deeply worked shooter with complex non-ordinary mechanics and a tolerable script. It all depends on which side to look at.… Expand
  24. njja02
    May 15, 2018
    7
    A sequel that ends up feeling too much of the same. Still has that amazing atmosphere and world. But its story and characters failed to fully grip me.
  25. dandalis
    Oct 10, 2017
    7
    Bioshock 2 is quite an imprvoment gameplay wise over the original, story and narrative is also pretty good if not on same level with first one, its only fault is having number 2 on the box which for many people means returning to an already explored setting, but for me who never completed original Bioshock, the sequel felt like a pretty fresh experience.

    Where it falls short for me    Bioshock 2 is quite an imprvoment gameplay wise over the original, story and narrative is also pretty good if not on same level with first one, its only fault is having number 2 on the box which for many people means returning to an already explored setting, but for me who never completed original Bioshock, the sequel felt like a pretty fresh experience.

    Where it falls short for me personally and why i cant score it higher than i'd like to is down to its PC port with constant crashes if you run the game in DX 10 mode, even then in DX 9 game can crash, it even crashed right when i was saving which corrupted and deleted my save file. If you dont manually save every 5 - 10 minutes you risk losing progress and waste the time of your life by doing it again.    … Expand
  26. KingJailson
    Apr 10, 2019
    7
    Excelente jogo, não o melhor de todo o BioShock, mas um bom jogo, apesar de ainda rolar crashes durante a jogatina.
  27. Vanco
    Jun 4, 2019
    7
    Not as fun as the first Bioshock but still a good game. Improved combat mechanics.
  28. Relkad
    Apr 18, 2020
    7
    Not a must-play but explains the game's environment in a beautiful way.
    Also,kinda story-driven
  29. Rassane
    Sep 11, 2023
    7
    Está opacado por Bioshock infinite y Bioshock 1, por ello se "cree" que es muy mal juego la gente pero realmente es un juego que está bien, obviamente es el más flojo pero tiene una historia entretenida y la jugabilidad para mi es mejor que los otros juegos.
  30. handheldfever
    Jan 15, 2022
    7
    Though this game was an unfortunate step down from the first, it still holds up alright in it's own regard and was a lot better than even Bioshock infinite.

    The new gun system was an improvement. Now each weapon gets 3 upgrades at power to the people stations, which adds a little more variety. I really like the ability to combine cyclone traps with other plasmids. Though the method of    Though this game was an unfortunate step down from the first, it still holds up alright in it's own regard and was a lot better than even Bioshock infinite.

    The new gun system was an improvement. Now each weapon gets 3 upgrades at power to the people stations, which adds a little more variety. I really like the ability to combine cyclone traps with other plasmids. Though the method of doing so is a little clunky unfortunately.

    The new plasmid system is also good. Plasmid upgrades are more interesting and contribute more than the first game. The down side is that there might be times where plasmid upgrades get in the way of others. And the need to charge plasmids is annoying sometimes. Like electro bolt for example. I think it would have worked better if the chain lightning was passive without the need to charge, and the big storm move was more like the way Infamous did arc lightning. Especially if you have to charge for both the level 2 and 3 conditions to be met. I'm also not a fan of the scout plasmid and would take a returning sonic boom over that one any day. Either way, the new plasmids are a great new addition.

    The new hacking tool is a good addition. It helps to avoid the repetitive pipe minigame from the first Bioshock. However, after a while, I kind of started to miss the old system. I think it would have been cool is if hacking the normal way would have used the original method while doing it with the hacking tool would have used the new one

    Some of the mechanics carried over from the first game also unfortunately don't work as well here. While I like the idea of the new research camera, I feel like it created more problems than it solved. Not only is it disorienting to switch between the camera and other weapons, but it's always so hard to try to remember which methods I used to beat an enemy before so I can use a new method. And because you have to use it in a fight, you can't take pictures of little sisters or stand back and take pictures. You also can't take pictures of multiple subjects. I feel like the research camera should have been dropped. It was cool in the first game, but by the second, it was overstaying it's welcome.

    The new story is cool, but unfortunately it creates problems and plot holes.

    The med kits and eve hypos also could have been improved. Unlike the first game there's no way to manually use an eve hypo. So I have had many times where I was over capacity and I just fired plasmids in order to drain my eve and force a hypo to be used.

    Unfortunately, there have been a lot of technical issues. This game has crashed on me a lot. Apparently it has something to do with DirectX10 or draw distances or something. I don't know. But it's bad. Sometimes it will crash as soon as it opens. Even after I lower the graphical settings and shut down every background task on my computer. Because, I guess the PS1 graphics were just too much for my RTX 3070.

    In it's defence, this game was designed for Windows 7, which no one uses anymore. So, a little leniency is fair. Plus, I'm sure that if I made the game emulate windows 7 in launch, that might also help.

    In general, this is still a solid follow up to the original Bioshock.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

5
#5 Best PC Game of 2010
12
#12 Most Discussed PC Game of 2010
13
#13 Most Shared PC Game of 2010

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
88

Generally favorable reviews - based on 36 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 34 out of 36
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 36
  3. Negative: 0 out of 36
  1. PC Gamer
    90
    Similar and slightly improved mechanics make this a worthy sequel, despite a sadly less-memorable story. [Mar 2010, p.70]
  2. Vandal
    86
    A conservative return to Rapture, but full of quality.
    Read full review
  3. VideoGamer
    90
    If 2K had managed to tell a story that equalled or bettered that found in the original, we'd have been left with an unquestionably better experience, rather than just a more exciting, smarter shooter.
    Read full review
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