- Platform: Windows Vista / XP
- ESRB Rating:
Mature - Media: DVD-ROM
- Item Quantity: 1
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Product Description
From Amazon.ca
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 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. Finally, bonus items included with the BioShock 2 Special Edition (see contents list below), provide the most complete BioShock 2 experience available and are destined to become collectors items.
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
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Amazon.ca Product Description
Return to the underwater city of Rapture where now the 'The Big Sister' is the toughest creature around.
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Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
By God of War
Fun:
3.0 out of 5 stars
I absolutely loved the first Bioshock game on PC. If I need to tell you why then you need to skip this review (and product) and go buy Bioshock 1 right now. Moving on then... So, like other Bioshock zealots I pre-ordered the SE (PC) to go with my original Bioshock 1 SE.
The Good
The actual Special Edition part is top notch. I mean the book, LP, posters, CD and case are splendid and of high quality. There is no denying 2K paid attention to details in the enclosed goods and didn't skimp. Anyone that likes SE games will truly feel like it was money well spent compared to some of the cheap plastic disasters of recent past *cough* Batman *cough*.
The Bad
The actual game is rather meh. Here is where it is apparent that 2K did the skimping. If a sequel is tainted with the exact same bugs as the version 1 release of the original game (that caused all kinds of a commotion over the interwebz and were eventually patched) you got to wonder WTH was going through the developers heads?
The Game
The story is very straight forward (no twists or upsets here). The SP game play is kind of fun with the new weapons and abilities. Dual wielding plasmids and guns leads to some great battles. However it all starts to feel like an endless grind of the same mission over and over and over, well basically because it is the same mission over and over and over.
Some of the environments feel like they took it right out of Bioshock 1, moved a set of stairs from here to there kind of stuff, reskinned it and called it a day. There are no graphical improvements, not that I feel like there needs to be but if you were hoping for something to take advantage of latest hardware, look elsewhere.
Going through this game I feel like the first one just had so much more personality. Remember the Medical area? How about Fort Frolic? Ya I feel the same way. Creeped me right out. Sadly the distinctiveness, sense of awe and horror that Bioshock 1 was dripping with is completely missing here. Yes there is still some gory bits and run down areas of course, but they all feel like step children of the first game. Even the characters fall pretty flat compared to the cast of the first game.
I haven't played the MP as I don't really play much MP but general sense about it from the web is it's pretty unbalanced. It will likely be a neat distraction for a while but don't expect any lasting appeal.
It's pretty apparent to me that 2K took a great game and just did their best to quickly crank out a sequel to cash in on the popularity. I play a lot of games and Bioshock 1 is one of my favorites ever. This game offers us a return to Rapture, but feels completely tacked on. If I could do it over again I would wait for the game to go on sale. As for the SE goodies... they are quite excellent and anyone into collecting game merch will be very pleased with what's in the box.
The Good
The actual Special Edition part is top notch. I mean the book, LP, posters, CD and case are splendid and of high quality. There is no denying 2K paid attention to details in the enclosed goods and didn't skimp. Anyone that likes SE games will truly feel like it was money well spent compared to some of the cheap plastic disasters of recent past *cough* Batman *cough*.
The Bad
The actual game is rather meh. Here is where it is apparent that 2K did the skimping. If a sequel is tainted with the exact same bugs as the version 1 release of the original game (that caused all kinds of a commotion over the interwebz and were eventually patched) you got to wonder WTH was going through the developers heads?
The Game
The story is very straight forward (no twists or upsets here). The SP game play is kind of fun with the new weapons and abilities. Dual wielding plasmids and guns leads to some great battles. However it all starts to feel like an endless grind of the same mission over and over and over, well basically because it is the same mission over and over and over.
Some of the environments feel like they took it right out of Bioshock 1, moved a set of stairs from here to there kind of stuff, reskinned it and called it a day. There are no graphical improvements, not that I feel like there needs to be but if you were hoping for something to take advantage of latest hardware, look elsewhere.
Going through this game I feel like the first one just had so much more personality. Remember the Medical area? How about Fort Frolic? Ya I feel the same way. Creeped me right out. Sadly the distinctiveness, sense of awe and horror that Bioshock 1 was dripping with is completely missing here. Yes there is still some gory bits and run down areas of course, but they all feel like step children of the first game. Even the characters fall pretty flat compared to the cast of the first game.
I haven't played the MP as I don't really play much MP but general sense about it from the web is it's pretty unbalanced. It will likely be a neat distraction for a while but don't expect any lasting appeal.
It's pretty apparent to me that 2K took a great game and just did their best to quickly crank out a sequel to cash in on the popularity. I play a lot of games and Bioshock 1 is one of my favorites ever. This game offers us a return to Rapture, but feels completely tacked on. If I could do it over again I would wait for the game to go on sale. As for the SE goodies... they are quite excellent and anyone into collecting game merch will be very pleased with what's in the box.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
2.9 out of 5 stars
16 reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars
FIFTEEN BOTTLES OF ADAM ON THE WALL...
Feb 9 2010
By NeuroSplicer
- Published on Amazon.com
Fun:
1.0 out of 5 stars
(I think I am having a very strong instance of deja-vu...We have we been here before, haven't we?)
Now, I want to make it clear from the start that this is not just a Warning Review, focusing on little or non advertised facts on BIOSHOCK 2. My points on the game design and gameplay follow. But first things first:
FACT 1 (UNDISCLOSED):
The game requires Internet Connection to install and play because it HAS TO BE ACTIVATED. This is nowhere to be found in the Amazon product description so be warned, you will not be able to install and play this game on a PC that cannot access the internet. This is more serious than it seems (please read on).
FACT 2 (LITTLE ADVERTISED):
BIOSHOCK 2 requires you to setup an OnLine WindowsLIVE Account in order to save the game, claim achievements and auto-update. However, similarly to Fallout 3, it is also possible to create and use an OffLine WindowLIVE account. So, this is not a major worry - unless achievements is important for your enjoyment of course. In that case, you will have to be OnLine to play even a Single-Player session.
FACT 3 (UNDISCLOSED):
This game comes with an INSTALLATION LIMIT. Some would argue that a limit of fifteen installations is large enough for anyone. I, on the other hand, would argue that the length of the chain is of little importance, as long it stays attached to one's leg. Any limit on the number of installations makes BIOSHOCK 2 a rent-a-game. For good reason.
The ACTIVATION REQUIREMENT together with the LIMITED INSTALLATIONS mean that the copy of this game that you paid full price for, well,...never actually becomes yours. The possibility of you replaying the game in the future depends on both the survival of the publisher and its willingness to allow you to so some years down the road (both major uncertainties). And, no, I very much doubt that failing corporations will have the decency and the resources - not to mention the legal rights - to develop and release an Activation-Requirement-Removal patch. The usual practice is to pull the plug and disappear into the night.
The really insulting part is that all this is done for no reason whatsoever! If "more installations are available upon request" what is exactly their purpose in the first place? Why pay for the activation servers and the phone service to give out activations upon request for ever - when you could have had a game with no Activation Limits to begin with?
And the first person who tries to answer that by using the phrase "to fight-piracy", first get me a tissue because I am laughing to tears and, secondly, please simply google to find out how that fight is going.
Most game developers/publishers (from THQ and KALYPSO to UBISOFT and EA) have realized that asking your customers to jump through hoops only for the privilege of ...buying and using your product is not the way to earn neither their trust nor their hard-earned money. Especially during a recession.
So what they did was scale back on any intrusive, draconian and (possibly) illegal forms of DRM. All except 2K GAMES and some former soviet game developers that is. Protecting one's investment and labor is only fair. Insulting your customers and stealing back the product you just sold to them in not.
Now, if anyone still cares: I tried the game on a friend's computer and it is ...not very good either.
Apparently the graphics have been left to age on their own - and have done so ungracefully. Max out the details and see the...pixels upclose and personal staring back at you! (Before anyone asks: WinXP on INTEL i7 920, nVIDIA GTX260 and 3GB of RAM).
The water/dry-land transitions have been hastily slapped together (swirling bubbles but no changing level of water in my faceplate?).
The guns are slow, hold annoyingly little ammo and are either too powerful or too hard to aim. And that is not the worst part either.
The worst part is that playing Big Daddy is a cumbersome chore! You move like crusted molasses, jump (and land) like a pig that ate too many beans and have the faceplate almost constantly obscuring your view.
If venturing into the ocean floor impressed you, well, think again: you can be directed to walk around but you cannot shoot while outside Rapture.
All in all, a mediocre game that is definitely NOT worth its DRM trouble!
My advice: wait until the price matches the product.
Now, I want to make it clear from the start that this is not just a Warning Review, focusing on little or non advertised facts on BIOSHOCK 2. My points on the game design and gameplay follow. But first things first:
FACT 1 (UNDISCLOSED):
The game requires Internet Connection to install and play because it HAS TO BE ACTIVATED. This is nowhere to be found in the Amazon product description so be warned, you will not be able to install and play this game on a PC that cannot access the internet. This is more serious than it seems (please read on).
FACT 2 (LITTLE ADVERTISED):
BIOSHOCK 2 requires you to setup an OnLine WindowsLIVE Account in order to save the game, claim achievements and auto-update. However, similarly to Fallout 3, it is also possible to create and use an OffLine WindowLIVE account. So, this is not a major worry - unless achievements is important for your enjoyment of course. In that case, you will have to be OnLine to play even a Single-Player session.
FACT 3 (UNDISCLOSED):
This game comes with an INSTALLATION LIMIT. Some would argue that a limit of fifteen installations is large enough for anyone. I, on the other hand, would argue that the length of the chain is of little importance, as long it stays attached to one's leg. Any limit on the number of installations makes BIOSHOCK 2 a rent-a-game. For good reason.
The ACTIVATION REQUIREMENT together with the LIMITED INSTALLATIONS mean that the copy of this game that you paid full price for, well,...never actually becomes yours. The possibility of you replaying the game in the future depends on both the survival of the publisher and its willingness to allow you to so some years down the road (both major uncertainties). And, no, I very much doubt that failing corporations will have the decency and the resources - not to mention the legal rights - to develop and release an Activation-Requirement-Removal patch. The usual practice is to pull the plug and disappear into the night.
The really insulting part is that all this is done for no reason whatsoever! If "more installations are available upon request" what is exactly their purpose in the first place? Why pay for the activation servers and the phone service to give out activations upon request for ever - when you could have had a game with no Activation Limits to begin with?
And the first person who tries to answer that by using the phrase "to fight-piracy", first get me a tissue because I am laughing to tears and, secondly, please simply google to find out how that fight is going.
Most game developers/publishers (from THQ and KALYPSO to UBISOFT and EA) have realized that asking your customers to jump through hoops only for the privilege of ...buying and using your product is not the way to earn neither their trust nor their hard-earned money. Especially during a recession.
So what they did was scale back on any intrusive, draconian and (possibly) illegal forms of DRM. All except 2K GAMES and some former soviet game developers that is. Protecting one's investment and labor is only fair. Insulting your customers and stealing back the product you just sold to them in not.
Now, if anyone still cares: I tried the game on a friend's computer and it is ...not very good either.
Apparently the graphics have been left to age on their own - and have done so ungracefully. Max out the details and see the...pixels upclose and personal staring back at you! (Before anyone asks: WinXP on INTEL i7 920, nVIDIA GTX260 and 3GB of RAM).
The water/dry-land transitions have been hastily slapped together (swirling bubbles but no changing level of water in my faceplate?).
The guns are slow, hold annoyingly little ammo and are either too powerful or too hard to aim. And that is not the worst part either.
The worst part is that playing Big Daddy is a cumbersome chore! You move like crusted molasses, jump (and land) like a pig that ate too many beans and have the faceplate almost constantly obscuring your view.
If venturing into the ocean floor impressed you, well, think again: you can be directed to walk around but you cannot shoot while outside Rapture.
All in all, a mediocre game that is definitely NOT worth its DRM trouble!
My advice: wait until the price matches the product.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Return to Rapture as a Big Daddy
Jun 20 2012
By Media Man
- Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase
Fun:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Developed and published in 2010 by 2K Games, Bioshock 2 is a first-person role-playing shooter with survival horror elements and the sequel to 2007's Bioshock. In this installment you play as Subject Delta, a biologically engineered human grafted into an atmospheric deep-water diving suit and as the name suggests one of the first of its kind. The story once again takes place in the alternate and fictional 1968 dystopian underwater city called Rapture where political turmoil, smuggling and genetic experimentation has caused the society to collapse into madness. The cities environment is overrun with insane genetically altered humans, robotic drones, projectile turrets and hostile camera systems. Subject Delta has been targeted for termination by Rapture's current dictator, an altruistic psychologist by the name of Dr. Sofia Lamb. Delta must survive long enough to rediscover his past and brave the perils of Rapture in order to escape with his life. Here are my thoughts on the incredibly unique and engaging sequel that is Bioshock 2;
Pros
+ Play as a prototype Big Daddy.
+ New and engaging storyline.
+ Plenty of new and different weapon types, ammo and upgrades to choose from.
+ Challenging new splicer enemies as well as the Big Sisters and Big Daddies.
+ Harvest Adam with your own Little Sisters.
+ Ability to dual wield plasmids and weapons.
+ Hauntingly eerie score by Garry Schyman fits the game like a glove.
+ Enemy/Item research and crafting system.
+ Amazingly well done voice acting across the board.
+ Vendor/camera/turret machine hacking system to get lower prices and other benefits.
+ Fun multi-player modes.
+ Randomly respawning enemies help in replenishing money, items and ammo.
+ Beautiful art deco designed environments.
+ Save anywhere, anytime (with only a few cut-scene storyline exceptions).
+ Brilliant Special Edition extras include soundtrack scores on both vinyl and CD, vintage advertisement posters and a gorgeous artbook all in a beautiful and sturdy box.
+ Emotional choices (right or wrong) really give a sense of feeling while playing.
+ Vintage music recordings from the 1940's and 1950's lend themselves perfectly to the atmosphere of the game.
+ Fast paced, frantic and well balanced combat system.
+ Simple quest arrow always points you in the proper direction of your next objective.
+ Some really great graphics, especially the enemies and water effects.
+ Non-linear gameplay compared to many FPS.
+ Grim and foreboding setting.
+ Even more unique spell-like (plasmids) RPG upgrades.
+ My gameplay time was approximately 39 hours with a fair amount of replay value.
+ No more film to collect for your camera in order to do research.
+ Plenty of ways to cleverly dispatch your enemies.
Cons
- Outdoor environments felt woefully underutilized.
- Some environment graphics still have that 2007 feel and didn't seem to be upgraded.
- Terribly annoying "tense moment" soundtrack loop bug in Siren Alley that persists until you exit the level. No fix has ever been issued for this. Quite disappointing.
- No longer able to travel freely back and forth between previous levels as you could in the original Bioshock.
- A lot of NPC story dialogue to keep track of. This can be confusing at times.
- Rapture doesn't feel as magical as it did the first time around.
- Environment of being at the bottom of the ocean in a dangerously collapsing city wasn't utilized nearly enough. Huge potential wasted in my opinion.
- Being a Big Daddy felt a bit overly powerful at times, especially when facing splicers.
- Xbox Console port.
- Ending was a bit too easy and rather predictable.
- Multi-level maps continue to be a bit confusing to read and navigate.
- Scripted enemies often made things too foreseeable.
- Vita Chambers gave you no penalty for death. (Note - you can turn them off in the options menu.)
- Changing control options doesn't always reflect on the hint screen.
- Uses Games For Windows Live. Please Note: I had many issues with the game starting properly in the beginning before I realized I had to log into Windows Live prior.
- A few technical issues such as no sound or voice from any of the Little Sisters I adopted. I found this a bit disappointing considering the bond between Big Daddies and Little Sisters.
- No Sprint key, yet again. Drill Dash doesn't exactly count either.
- Corners of the First Person view are slightly blocked by the Big Daddies helmet. While I understand the reason for realism I found this feature annoying.
Much like its predecessor, Bioshock 2 retained its story originality, artistic design and entertaining gameplay. The beautifully designed levels repeatedly brought the watery city of Rapture to life. The city itself was populated with even more unique and sinister enemies who consistently provide challenging combat sequences. All characters, enemies and testimonial recordings maintained their flawless voice acting. Right from the start the storyline hooks you quickly and leaves you eager to discover both the history and mysteries of Rapture as well as wanting to discover your own past. Bioshock 2 stands as a continued shining example of combining of all the proper elements to deliver a gaming experience like no other.
Pros
+ Play as a prototype Big Daddy.
+ New and engaging storyline.
+ Plenty of new and different weapon types, ammo and upgrades to choose from.
+ Challenging new splicer enemies as well as the Big Sisters and Big Daddies.
+ Harvest Adam with your own Little Sisters.
+ Ability to dual wield plasmids and weapons.
+ Hauntingly eerie score by Garry Schyman fits the game like a glove.
+ Enemy/Item research and crafting system.
+ Amazingly well done voice acting across the board.
+ Vendor/camera/turret machine hacking system to get lower prices and other benefits.
+ Fun multi-player modes.
+ Randomly respawning enemies help in replenishing money, items and ammo.
+ Beautiful art deco designed environments.
+ Save anywhere, anytime (with only a few cut-scene storyline exceptions).
+ Brilliant Special Edition extras include soundtrack scores on both vinyl and CD, vintage advertisement posters and a gorgeous artbook all in a beautiful and sturdy box.
+ Emotional choices (right or wrong) really give a sense of feeling while playing.
+ Vintage music recordings from the 1940's and 1950's lend themselves perfectly to the atmosphere of the game.
+ Fast paced, frantic and well balanced combat system.
+ Simple quest arrow always points you in the proper direction of your next objective.
+ Some really great graphics, especially the enemies and water effects.
+ Non-linear gameplay compared to many FPS.
+ Grim and foreboding setting.
+ Even more unique spell-like (plasmids) RPG upgrades.
+ My gameplay time was approximately 39 hours with a fair amount of replay value.
+ No more film to collect for your camera in order to do research.
+ Plenty of ways to cleverly dispatch your enemies.
Cons
- Outdoor environments felt woefully underutilized.
- Some environment graphics still have that 2007 feel and didn't seem to be upgraded.
- Terribly annoying "tense moment" soundtrack loop bug in Siren Alley that persists until you exit the level. No fix has ever been issued for this. Quite disappointing.
- No longer able to travel freely back and forth between previous levels as you could in the original Bioshock.
- A lot of NPC story dialogue to keep track of. This can be confusing at times.
- Rapture doesn't feel as magical as it did the first time around.
- Environment of being at the bottom of the ocean in a dangerously collapsing city wasn't utilized nearly enough. Huge potential wasted in my opinion.
- Being a Big Daddy felt a bit overly powerful at times, especially when facing splicers.
- Xbox Console port.
- Ending was a bit too easy and rather predictable.
- Multi-level maps continue to be a bit confusing to read and navigate.
- Scripted enemies often made things too foreseeable.
- Vita Chambers gave you no penalty for death. (Note - you can turn them off in the options menu.)
- Changing control options doesn't always reflect on the hint screen.
- Uses Games For Windows Live. Please Note: I had many issues with the game starting properly in the beginning before I realized I had to log into Windows Live prior.
- A few technical issues such as no sound or voice from any of the Little Sisters I adopted. I found this a bit disappointing considering the bond between Big Daddies and Little Sisters.
- No Sprint key, yet again. Drill Dash doesn't exactly count either.
- Corners of the First Person view are slightly blocked by the Big Daddies helmet. While I understand the reason for realism I found this feature annoying.
Much like its predecessor, Bioshock 2 retained its story originality, artistic design and entertaining gameplay. The beautifully designed levels repeatedly brought the watery city of Rapture to life. The city itself was populated with even more unique and sinister enemies who consistently provide challenging combat sequences. All characters, enemies and testimonial recordings maintained their flawless voice acting. Right from the start the storyline hooks you quickly and leaves you eager to discover both the history and mysteries of Rapture as well as wanting to discover your own past. Bioshock 2 stands as a continued shining example of combining of all the proper elements to deliver a gaming experience like no other.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great
Nov 27 2012
By Gavin Waugh
- Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase
Fun:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great came promptly within the time estimated, it was just as described.If you have never played bioshock this is still a great game.
›
Go to Amazon.com to see all 16 reviews
2.9 out of 5 stars
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