[h1]I Counted Every Crash This Game Threw at Me[/h1]
[i]Set approximately 8 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 has been snatching little girls and bringing them back to the undersea city of Rapture.[/i]
[h2]Story[/h2]
You play as Subject Delta, the first successful Big Daddy prototype. You're bonded to a specific Little Sister named Eleanor Lamb, and your primary goal is to reunite with her. The antagonist is Dr. Sofia Lamb, Eleanor's mother, who leads a collectivist cult that stands in contrast to the original game's objectivist philosophy.
[h2]Gameplay[/h2]
BioShock 2 is a first-person shooter, where you explore and fight your way through Rapture. Combat blends traditional gunplay with Plasmid powers, hacking security systems, and setting traps, giving you a wide range of options. You can now use Plasmids and traditional weapons simultaneously.
[b][u]Little Sisters & Moral Choices[/u][/b]
Little Sisters can be found in each level, always guarded by a Big Daddy that you have to defeat. Afterwards, you face a choice: you can adopt and protect them as they gather ADAM from corpses and choose to harvest or rescue them later. Rescue for less ADAM and a humane path, or harvest for more ADAM at the cost of her life—a choice that affects your ending.
[b][u]Weapons & Ammo[/u][/b]
You have access to a variety of weapons, including a drill, rivet gun, hack tool (can produce mini-turrets), machine gun, shotgun, spear gun, grenade launcher, and a camera used to research enemies for damage bonuses. Each weapon can be upgraded thrice at Weapon Upgrade Stations. Every weapon has 3 ammo types.
[b][u]Plasmids & Tonics[/u][/b]
Plasmids are genetic superpowers, almost like spells. EVE is the fuel (like mana) for Plasmids. You can find or buy EVE hypos. Each upgrade adds new mechanics—not just more damage.
Gene Tonics are passive upgrades, and unlike the first game where they had three classifications, they now fit into a more customizable loadout system, making it easier to tailor your build to your playstyle.
Plasmids and Tonics can be found or bought at Gatherer's Garden machines using ADAM. Here you can also buy Plasmid Slots, Gene Tonic Slots, Health Upgrades, and EVE Upgrades. Some Plasmids and Tonics have enhanced versions.
[b][u]Hacking[/u][/b]
Hacking returns in BioShock 2 with a new real-time minigame. A needle moves across a bar, and you must stop it in specific color zones. Green means success, blue adds a bonus, white causes damage, and red triggers an alarm. The difficulty increases as the game progresses, with safe zones shrinking and harmful zones expanding.
You also have a Hack Tool, which lets you hack things from a distance. You can hack security systems like turrets, flying bots, and cameras, but also vending machines, safes, and health stations. You can also skip hacking with Auto-Hack Tools or buyouts. Hacked bots and turrets will fight for you, cameras will send friendly bots after enemies if they spot any, vending machines have lowered prices, and health stations deal damage to enemies instead.
[b][u]The Protector Trials[/u][/b]
Includes the first single-player DLC, focused on combat challenges. You play as an Alpha Series Big Daddy tasked with defending a Little Sister as she gathers ADAM. Each trial uses preset weapons, Plasmids, and Tonics, and rewards stars and grades based on difficulty and your performance. The goal is to complete all trials, earn stars, and unlock rewards like concept art and the Master Protector Gene Tonic in Minerva’s Den.
[h2]Multiplayer[/h2]
BioShock 2 has a multiplayer mode, which serves as a prequel set during Rapture’s civil war. Players assume the roles of different test subjects and can use plasmids, tonics, and weapons to fight across iconic Rapture locations.
[h2]Enemies & Bosses[/h2]
Enemies from the first game make a return, while also adding some new ones. There are more versions of Splicers and Big Daddies.
[b]Big Sisters[/b] are the most memorable new enemies—agile and dangerous mini-bosses that appear after dealing with all Little Sisters in an area. They're even tougher than Big Daddies.
The enemy AI is good. They react to noise and traps. They will also for example seek water if set on fire and use health stations if injured. Every enemy can be looted when killed.
No boss fights, but there are some unique enemies. These are scripted encounters—more story-driven than regular enemies.
[h2]Environment[/h2]
The game is set in Rapture, an underwater dystopian city in the 1960s. The game encourages and rewards exploration, as levels are semi-open, with multiple paths and secret areas. The environment is highly interactive. Water can be electrified, and oil puddles can be set on fire to kill enemies. Rapture is filled with security systems that can be hacked and turned to your advantage or used to set traps. Almost everything is lootable—crates, trashcans, cabinets, desks, lockers, cash registers, and more. You can find dollars to spend at vending machines scattered throughout the game.
[h2]Visual Design & Sound Design[/h2]
The world of Rapture is a beautiful yet chaotic underwater city in decay. Many areas are crumbling, with leaking pipes, debris, and fish swimming past shattered windows. Neon signs are frequent, illuminating Rapture in vibrant colors. Big Daddies are hulking figures—flesh and organs fused into armored diving suits, armed with a drill or Rivet Gun. Little Sisters, twisted by ADAM, have yellow eyes and pale skin, reflecting its cost on the human body, until they’re rescued or harvested. Big Sisters are slim, feminine figures—both mechanical and organic—heavily armored with dark metal and glowing red parts. Splicers are grotesquely mutated, often wearing elegant and tattered masquerade outfits and eerie masks.
Big Daddies emit deep, intimidating moans, Little Sisters speak in eerie, demonic tones that shift to innocent childlike voices when rescued, and Big Sisters have a high-pitched shriek. Splicers often mutter to themselves, revealing their location with unique, unsettling dialogue. Rapture is filled with ambient 1940s-60s music from in-game radios or phonographs, and the constant sound of lapping, dripping, or running water, adding to its haunting atmosphere and reminding you that you’re deep beneath the ocean.
[h2]Constructive Criticism[/h2]
The game crashed constantly—sometimes exiting to Windows, other times turning the screen white mid-fight while still running. Lowering graphics settings didn’t help. Nothing helped. At the start of the last level, it crashed again and then refused to launch. I tried verifying files, running as admin, and reinstalling—nothing worked. The next day, it launched somehow, but all my save files were corrupted. I ended up finishing the game in the Remastered version using an old save I had there. In total, the game crashed 60 times!
Taking photos of enemies with the camera mid-battle on higher difficulties often leads to your death. An interesting thought, but mostly annoying.
[h2]The Verdict[/h2]
The story is good, though not as strong as the first game. However, the setting and atmosphere remain truly unique, and I actually preferred the level design in this one. Combat is fun and improved, offering a range of tactical options through Plasmids, weapons, and hacking. The camera mechanic is better this time but still feels skippable. Due to the frequent crashes, I can’t recommend this version of the game as it’s almost unplayable, and many others have the same issue. Play the remastered version instead!
[h2]Rating Without Crashes: 8/10
Rating With Crashes: 1/10[/h2]
