Bioshock 2

by TAKE2

• Online and offline multiplayer modes including: Free-For-All, and Team Death Match and more.
• Return to the underwater city of Rapture where now the 'The Big Sister' is the toughest creature around.
• Play as the original the Big Daddy as you harness raw strength to battle Rapture?s most feared denizens as you battle powerful new enemies.
• New game mechanics including the ability to wield plasmids and weapons simultaneously; flashback missions detailing how you became the Big Daddy
• New game environments including Fontaine Futuristics, headquarters of Fontaine's business empire and the Kashmir Restaurant.

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0016BVYA2
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches ; 4 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: February 9, 2009
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (278 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #683 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
  • #24 in Video Games > Xbox 360 > Games > Adventure

Product Description

Platform: Xbox 360 | Edition: Standard

Amazon.com

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. View larger. Duel wield plasmids & weapons. View larger. New choices as Mr. B. View larger. 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.

Product Description

New Page 1Product InformationBioShock 2 is a first-person shooter set in the fictional underwatercity of Rapture. As in the original game BioShock 2 features a blend offast-paced action exploration and puzzle-solving as players follow varyingpaths through the overarching storyline based on the decisions that they areforced to make at various points in the game. In addition to a further fleshingout of the franchise's popular storyline players can look forward to newcharacters game mechanics weapons locations and a series first multiplayergame options.Product Features Online and offline multiplayer modes including: Free-For-All and Team Death Match and more. Return to the underwater city of Rapture where now the 'The Big Sister' is the toughest creature around. Play as the original the Big Daddy as you harness raw strength to battle Rapture's most feared denizens as you battle powerful new enemies. New game mechanics including 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 game environments including Fontaine Futuristics headquarters of Fontaine's business empire and the Kashmir Restaurant.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

63 of 81 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Good if you like the gameplay; disappointing if you're after the story February 25, 2010

By impitbosshereonlevel2

Platform for Display:Xbox 360| Edition:Standard|Amazon Verified Purchase

Fun: 4.0 out of 5 stars   

I was a bit apprehensive about getting this game - I knew for fact that I'd get it, since I loved the original so much, but I was worried that the absence of Ken Levine would be too obvious on its story. However, I kinda ignored the voice in the back of my head, and decided to get the game anyway. When the 'more of the same' reviews started coming in, I wasn't disappointed; I loved the original game enough not to mind going through a very similar the game again (I played through Bioshock two or three times; each time finding something new in the game, or the story).

The beginning of Bioshock 2 seemed promising. It's certainly impossible to top the beginning of BS1 (the whole segment up to the exit from the bathysphere is classic), but there was a lot of promise in the presentation of the new antagonist of the game, including the shrines you find here and there, and the occasional communist drivel she spouts. Once you reach near the end, however, you begin to realize that there's really not much of a twist in terms of a plot. The ending(s) is predictable, at best. In the grand scheme of things, Lamb is barely touched upon; enough to make you wonder why she was chosen as an antagonist. Many of the characters you meet in the game seem transient; the last conflict with Sinclair is almost laughable in its brevity and insignificance. In short, the story of Bioshock 2 doesn't hold a candle to that of the first game.

On to gameplay.

The Big Sisters, which seemed to hold so much promise before the game's release are nothing but another enemy - one almost impossible to beat without dying - at least early in the game on Medium and Hard. No real story is presented to explain their existence, short of a silly blurb about them being Little Sisters in a specialized suit.

The underwater levels promised early on are nothing but brief stretches of linear path, and not deserving much mention.

The Big Daddy drill is an interesting weapon in the new arsenal, but it lacks in two serious aspects: a) the drill dash is not available until later on in the game, and this move is often crucial for survival, and b) unlike the wrench, it requires "ammunition", which is often scarce to come by, especially on higher difficulty levels. You are pretty much guaranteed to drain the drill's ammo in any serious fight; therefore, you cannot depend on it in any medium- to large-scale fights.

The variety of new weapons offered in the game is great, but you'll soon learn that you really need the drill, the shotgun, and the rocket launcher. The rivet gun becomes useless almost from the beginning - even headshots hardly scathe the opponents.

The music! One of the best parts of Bioshock is the music, as it sets the mood perfectly. In Bioshock 2, music is barely heard in five or six locations throughout the game. I have heard more old-timey music waiting for the game to load, than I have throughout the entire game; making me wonder why 2K even bothered licensing the songs.

That said, the game does make some good gameplay changes, including the spear gun, which is a fun weapon reminiscent of the one in Half-Life 2. Hacking is better, if not much more realistic, as now you need to hack as you play. While the underwater moments are all-too-brief, there are a few scenes which are beautiful and deserving a lot more attention, than that given. Another excellent addition was the view of the world through the eyes of a Little Sister - if you ever wondered why they refer to the splicers as 'angels', this part in the game makes the reason all-too clear.

All said, I'm far more disappointed by the lack of a solid story in this game, than I am by the elements of gameplay. Living up to the original is not an easy task, and while I didn't expect the same level of innovation from this one, what I did get, I expected - a sequel that desperately cried out for the attention of the author of the original.

68 of 88 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A Bit More of the Same February 9, 2010

By R. Ross

Platform for Display:Xbox 360|Edition:Standard

Fun: 5.0 out of 5 stars   

Bioshock, when it came out 2 years ago, completely reinvented the way I'd played first person shooters (I had never played System Shock 2). Diving into the sea, into a world eerily familiar to mid-20th century America was one of the most blindingly original, involving experiences I ever had with a controller. My main problem with Bioshock 2 is that this feeling of originality never returns. Despite what the designers do, this new main villain Sofia Lamb just doesn't strike the same terror at Andrew Ryan did and fighting splicers and other big daddies from the other perspective- that of a big daddy--just isn't as exciting or new as i would expect. The game feels so much like more of the same, and for that I give it fun factor of 5, because it builds on a brilliant foundation, but overall i feel its lack of originality compared to the original earns it only 4.

As an addendum-- I can find no issue technically with the game- I think it's running on the same Unreal engine as the first, and I believe that was pretty maxed out in the first one so there was likely not room for substantial improvements. The new plasmids aren't really as cool as the ones in the original game either, as they seem more practical (maybe not a complaint, but being able to go vertical just isn't as sweet as shooting bees at a guy). Graphics were good, sound was just as immersive as Bioshock 1, technically I really didn't have any problems with the game. I stand by the 5 I give it for fun, but I can only really give it a 4 because it just doesn't invoke that same sense of ingenuity I got in the first game.

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars A little balance would help March 2, 2010

By Vynny VINE™ VOICE

Platform for Display:Xbox 360|Edition:Standard

Fun: 3.0 out of 5 stars   

Bioshock 2 - ahh so much promise; you play as a big daddy, there's new weapons, plasmids, big sisters and you can go outside of rapture's realm into the murky floor of the ocean.

Of course the reality here is it's the same game. Full stop. Sure it's tweaked a little and jigged somewhat but it's still Bioshock 1 and it feels little more than a user-mod instead of a full-priced game. In all fairness I just can't applaud the game makers' inability to step outside the box and advance the franchise's content by giving us more than a small upgrade. Frankly things have kind of taken a step back too - there's almost no shades of metaphorical color here, it's all black, Blam blam blam in-your-face action. No chance to take a breath and sit back and relax for a moment and enjoy the location. And with visuals like the ones found in Rapture it deserves to be savored momentarily, not run through quickly because another big sister or one of the randomly spawned brutes are after you (for the thousandth time). Audio is let down by the many pre-recorded messages which quickly become a royal pain. Main sound effects in-game are lowered in volume during these frequent and annoying playbacks and I lost count the times I got attacked because I could only hear some taped voice instead of the splicer coming up behind me. It added nothing to the game that a text-based log book wouldn't have achieved. I guess the makers had been playing System Shock 2 at some point, but they really didn't nail the point of such messages and placed far too many of them in the game.

The mechanic of dying in BS2 is also faulty. You die because you're not capable of beating whatever hard part of the game you're at and so you return to the nearest Vita-chamber. The problem is you now have a lot less ammo, less fuel for your drill, less eve and 50% of a single vial of health... and you still have to go back and fight the guys that you just lost against! This becomes especially obvious when a little sister is harvesting Adam; if you die you have to start over despite having lots most of your equipment in the last go around. So you roam around looking to stock up on inventory only to be plagued by spawning splicers in places you thought you'd cleared out. I'd just rather have my character die and reload than the current broken system of regeneration. A final stab in the eye was just as my character was getting strong enough to take on major bad guys with relative ease and I could feel things turning my way... the game ended!

Of course there's moments of brilliance - the water effects are incredible and wandering outside (brief and pointless as it is) is beautiful. The part where you play as a little sister is exactly what I wanted from this sequel, sadly it's far too short. But it's these great moments though that highlight the problems that I feel BS2 has - ultimately, the developers should have taken everything down a notch not up, let the tension build and surprise us at the critical moment...

...instead we get never ending zombies to blast away at. Meh.