BioShock® 2

Absolute masterpiece!

the underrated and ignored middle child of the bioshock franchise. gameplay wise Id say this one has the most depth of the series but narratively it just feels boring, like they are checking off boxes. the dlc is fantastic though and the multiplayer while simple and clunky is a fun experience. if you buy this game at all get it purely so you can play the multiplayer seeing as its not available in the remaster.

good

This 15 year old game keeps crashing and I don't even like the gameplay, it feels like a downgrade from the first game

BioShock 2: Ah yes, the sequel nobody asked for but we all secretly played anyway. Because who doesn’t want to experience the joys of underwater single parenting while being constantly harassed by philosophy majors on bath salts? Truly the dream.

The Best BioShock game.

Good game, multiplayer is still fun after all these years!

It's Bioshock 2

Bioshock if it was good:

Awesome game!

Put it down very quickly as a kid and went back to see if I was being uncharitable - I was not.
The new dual wielding is clunky with button bloat compared to the tighter controls of the first game.
New antagonist is a lazy counterpart to Ryan.

KEEPS ON CRASHING

Fantastic blend of action/puzzle oriented gameplay with an intellectual twist about the dangers of political philosophies when they are executed to the extreme. Extremely stylish, great looking. Big fun!

It keeps crashing, I want to play the game though but it seems impossible to how many crashes it has in one specific area of the game

greatness

"Masterpiece" not more to say

its good i guess

honestly best game I've ever played.

a masterpiece
the best of the bioshock games
(also the Minerva's den DLC is awesome)

my favourite father simulator

Idk why some people don't like the plot in this game. Of course in the first game the story was way better, but still, this one is legacy of the original, even on it's own this story is good, especially with such variety of endings

eh llorado como 3 veces con este juego

better port then the first game & i hate it how they force you to re beat the game again if you already have beaten it in the remastered version

One of the best atmospheres for a game and a super interesting open world to explore with alot of lore. Scared me when i was a kid and still is creepy to me now! x2

Repeated white screen crash. A great game destroyed by "remastering"

I have played through all of the bioshock series several times. I love the entire environment. I wish it would never end. Brilliant.

I fw with ts. cheap and underrated.

The Cream Cheese Complexion Man would be pleased with this game

Best one in the series in my honest opinion, story is good, but not as good as the first one, however, the gameplay is really where it shines, the hacking is much less infuriating, the combat is more varied (since you duel wield weapons and plasmids) not to mention the sheer amount of combos you can do with plasmids and weapons, always worth a replay

2007’s BioShock won a multitude of awards which left people wanting more so of course in 2009 we returned to Rapture all over again. This time though it’s a bit more damp, in disrepair and full of characters who want to make your life difficult.

The story of BioShock 2 isn’t anything to write home about but returning to Rapture, learning more about its history and the new characters you’ll meet a long the way makes up for a story which essentially takes the worst part of the first game and turns it into a full game.

If you’ve played BioShock you’ve played BioShock 2. Everything plays the same, it feels like you’re returning home and that’s not a bad thing. One change brought to the table though was multiplayer, which sadly while fun had its problems. The main one being its lack of popularity, but for those delving into this game now, in 2025 I am pleased to say there is a friendly and active community who still play the PC MP regularly.

Personally, with BioShock 2 you get more bang for your buck with a DLC called Minerva’s Den which is excellent and also the protector trials and multiplayer. It’s worth giving it a shot if you haven’t already.

Love this game, Back when 2k made amazing games
MAKE THE 4th GAME UNDERWATER AGAIN

10/10
The characters' premise fits my needs of perspective.
This might not mean anything, and I apologize if this isn't misleading.
I don't leave bad reviews, all efforts are a perfect score.

Once I started launching the game using DX9 all of the stability issues I was having vanished.

With that out of the way, this is one of the best single-player FPS' I've ever played.
From a Combat gameplay perspective its superior to the first game in every way.
Every gripe I had with the first games combat was gone. B2's approach allows for so much more experimentation and noodling with the builds than the first game. The game is more linear and has less back-tracking but its for the better and stronger for it as an experience.

While it doesn't have the strength of the first games story or as memorable a setup, the story it does tell is still a really good one and if you try play as the Savior its even more satisfying.

There's not really very much I can criticize about it. I was hooked from start to finish.
I would have liked a NG+ where you kept your leveled up gear and allow you to max everything.
The enemy roster did start to feel a bit samey near the end. But that's it.

I loved everything else about this game.

Also Minerva's Den is a phenomenal DLC, it's absolutely worth playing.

This was an enjoyable game. Many core gameplay mechanics are kept the same as the previous one, but there are certain changes, like hacking and some plasmids are slightly altered. I didn't really like the atmosphere of this one, unlike the original which I quite liked, but still an experience I enjoyed.

Crashes a lot, even with fixes. Got it on sale, but honestly game should be free if they can't be bothered to make it work like just about any other game made in the same time period. It being an older game isn't an excuse; tons of older games function perfectly fine on modern systems (even without remasters).

it keeps crashing....

(MINOR SPOILER REVIEW)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
BIOSHOCK 2

Alright, so... wow... just wow, I was not expecting that from the sequel. The gameplay is straight up an upgrade from the original's. The fact that we play as one of the previous enemies on the franchise, the big daddies, is amazing, showing us what it feels like, and dont get me started on the part that we play as a little sister , even though it was a small section, I was genuinely on the edge of my seat. Or when he have to fight the Big Sisters , that was PEAK gameplay!
I did not notice MUCH difference on the SFX and OST comparing to the first game, which is not bad, the first game's soundtrack is amazing. Also the story didn't get me TOO invested as I feel it wasn't as exiting as the first one's, but also that's a bit unfair to compare.
Though I DID have a lot of fun playing this game, would definitly recomend if you liked the first game. 8.5/10
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Minerva's Den

The gameplay did not changed much exept for the additions of new plasmids and tonics, also I finished it in a couple hours ( I like to play games blindly ). Though I have to admit that the Story was very good from what I remember. If you liked BIOSHOCK 2 I think you'd like this DLC as well. 8/10 [b/]
[b] (Even though I just finhed playing it, I genuinely can't remember most stuff, srry my memory is terrible)

Riddle me this. How is the remastered supposed worse to play than the OG? Am I gonna install and find out? Hell no, lol. And further the riddle, how is Bioshock 1 (OG and RM) more stable than its sequel? Did I hear you want more riddle? Well hear you go, 2K would rather force a launcher than fix their games; at least the launcher is gone, too bad the fixes never happened, lol.

This game is old and crashes at cutscenes and screen changes. Literally a weighted coin flip that you'll be fine, but 75% of the time of a crash not happening isn't 100%, if you get what I mean. The real psychological horror of this game is hoping that the game doesn't crash while saving.

Welp, normally I do these "shit on a game not working" reviews and drop the game, never to touch it again. However, this is one of my favorite games, and I'm a masochist by heart, so I'll grit my teeth, be pissed for every crash, and rejoice when Eleanor puts on her armor and kicks ass... and hopefully it won't completely break down before that. You'll probably just buy this from the Bioshock Collection, so, read for your own entertainment, probably, lol.

So I may as well do what I normally do for reviews of games I beat, even though I haven't done so on Steam yet.

Pros
-I mean, all Bioshocks have something good compared to the rest. 1 had a killer story and plot twist, Infinite had great talent behind it and more memorable character with a neat plot twist.
--While 2 has less stressful hacking while also having remote hacking
---You're a Big Daddy... and that's just rad.
----I mean, you have a drill for your melee... that's f'ing cool
---Big Sisters look cool af
---Personally I think its an underrated story
---Multiple endings, which is determined by more than just healing little sisters

Cons
-It crashes... alot
-Characters are the least memorable in this one. I do like the Lambs
-No really, save, it crashes alot
-The twist wasn't as great, not even comparable to 1 and Infinite
-Crash... eh lot
-Kind of a really easy game, honestly.
-Did I mention it crashes, yea, it crashes.

Super Con
-It crashes way too much

Super Duper Con
-DO NOT SAVE IF YOU CHOOSE TO QUIT THROUGH THE GAME MENU, WHEN IT PROMPTS YOU TO SAVE, YOU LAUGH HARD AND SAY NO! FAILURE TO DO SO WILL CORRUPT YOUR ENTIRE GAME AND YOU HAVE TO COMPLETELY SCRUB THE GAME OFF YOUR COMPUTER, REINSTALL, AND START OVER.
--so like, just Alt F4, or play until the crashes tell you to get off and you never have to worry about leaving of your own accord. lol Honestly, we should praise the crashes for tell us to get off for a bit. Lol

this game is so good and has the best premise and story but i can't recommend it due to the constant crashing and changes you must make to the game files just to be able to play even on good hardware got to the point that the game wouldn't even open and would just crash on launch which is such a shame considering how good the game play is.

Despite the fact that Bioshock 2 is one of my favorite game of all time, I cannot recommand this PC port.
Why ?
Because, it's crashing ALL THE TIME. It's impossible to play more than 20 minutes without the game quitting. I've tried differents fixes and yet the issue remains.
It's really unacceptable to sell a game in such state. If you want to play this great gem, you will have to go for the console version (xbox 360 or ps3) where the game play perfectly (maybe two crash in 80 hours of gameplay). Don't worry about not being able to play with a mouse/keyboard, Bioshock 2 feel way better with a controller.

Also, the DLC "Minerva's Dent" is sold separately on Steam (for 10$!) but on GoG, the DLC come free with the game... So even if you want to try the PC port, Steam is the last place you wanna go.

This game is a stupid death simulator. Firstly, I completely cleared the territory, but the game doesn't care and it will shove enemies at you again, although there is very little loot and you are simply destroyed. Secondly, the main character is very large and immobile, which many bots take advantage of. Thirdly, the most important point is the crashes, which already start to bother you in the very first minutes of the game, but if you lower the graphics there are fewer of them (although my laptop can handle this game). As a result, I do not recommend you take it.

The game is old and tents to crush every now and then. I search the forums and found out that starting the game with -dx9 command works a little better. Still had a couple crashes but overall it was running smoothly.

As for the game itself, it is Bioshock, one of the legends of gaming industry. The story was captivating. There was one time where i lost myself in the game so much that i forgot to save. My computer shut down and i lost almost two hours of progress but i played the same chapter without being annoyed (normally i would quit the game and play another time.) So it is a great game with a great gameplay and a freat story. What else would you want from a game??

BIOShock Old School, Great Game, Good Story, XBox controller on Steam Great! Love this game a must have in you inventory!

This was one of the first shooters I ever played. Years later and its still my favorite game of all time and one that is still a blast to play even after numerous repeats. Simply put, the game has an amazing story, fantastic gameplay, and plenty of interesting enemies. To match them is a broad array of weapons to try, and plenty of genetic abilities to sling, allowing you to create combinations that will leave your foes a mess on the floor! A diamond that shined brightly in its time, and still glimmering among the greats a decade and a half later!

i really liked the atmosphere and gameplay so far.

1 issue: Where can i adjust the controller "speed"? its sooooo slow

2. issue: Games crashed after 90min. Well okay try again. Cant be that bad. Second crash after 1min after restart. Third crash again after a few minutes...

well i guess i will skip the second part... i really liked the first moments .. but that sucked.

Bioshock 2 is a must play for fans of the franchise. But this classic version is buggy and broken. Way too many crashes. Yes I have tried a variety of fixes. And yet the crashes still occurred. The Fontaine Futuristics level is a nightmare to play in particular.

I also faced microstutters and uneven FPS here and there.

It is too much effort to make this game work. Plus the developers/publishers are not inclined to patch what is an amazing but broken game as it stands.

Note on MP: More or less dead but there are servers and players still around. Some recommend doing solo play to 100% the MP achievements. We'll see about that.

Overall Rating

I beat the story on remastered and I only play the original for the multiplayer which is a lot of fun. This game is great the story and the multiplayer both

Please buy Bioshock 2 so i can play with more people on multiplayer :(

Plays surprisingly better than the Remastered version - noticeably less crashes.

To put simply: my favorite video game of all time.

The first Bioshock is a great game, but it isn’t perfect. It suffers from odd level design and a messy final act. But despite its short development time, Bioshock 2 takes everything great about the first game and streamlines it. Gone are the old PC-era RPG elements and bullet-spongy bosses. The way research works in this game promotes more variety in gunplay, pushing players to try plasmid and weapon combos they might normally not. This makes 2 extremely replayable.

The story here elaborates on a small but important part of Bioshock: the Big Daddies and Little Sisters. Putting you in the shoes of an “old-school” Daddy that supposedly existed before the events of the first game, Delta somehow manages to help us feel so much more than Jack ever did.

Our relationship with Eleanor is moving and organic. Lamb feels like a great successor villain-wise to the loud and proud Ryan. Bioshock 2's story is weirdly similar to Neon Genesis Evangelion, but with a Socialism-fearing American twist. Through themes of fatherhood battling unrighteous use of equality and unity, our actions feel much more fleshed out than the black-and-white “choice” in Bioshock (which is ironic considering that game’s main message). This game makes your choices feel like they really matter.

2 abandons a plot twist and a final boss to focus more on its spectrum of endings, which feel natural based on our choices and their influence. If Delta is good, Eleanor becomes good. If Delta is evil, Eleanor becomes evil. If Delta made mixed/nonsensical choices, Eleanor becomes broken and confused. This is especially great with how thought-provoking some of the choices are: like does Gil deserve to live, or should he be mercy-killed as he previously asked? Not to forget the Mark Meltzer subplot, which is its own whole fascinating journey that was originally revealed through an ARG before 2 released.

The multiplayer is pretty great despite how often people cite it as feeling "tacked on." Clearly a decent amount of love was put into it, even if it is unbalanced (all you need is Electro Bolt and the damage-upgraded crossbow).

This was my first Bioshock game, but I think even if I had played the first game first, I’d know that this is the better game. And probably the greatest shooter of all time." Love is just a chemical, we give it meaning by choice." Wild that some people think this story is weaker...