Why Bioshock 2 is the Best Bioshock 

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It's really impressive how many voice lines the Little Sisters have in this game. They'll give comments on every Plasmid you use, when you're in combat, when you use a vending machine, and my favorite "even daddy's toys have toys" when you use a Power to the People. If you usually save them they'll bounce happily and be glad when you want to adopt them, but if you usually harvest them they'll cower in fear and say that they'll be good really driving home how messed up it is to harvest them.

I felt genuinely proud, watching Elanor tear it up in her Big Sister suit.

I still don't understand why one of the most used arguments against BioShock 2 is that it is like the first Game and brings nothing new. But I mean is it not the reason why we make Sequels, besides Money. To expand on a already established world, to build on the predecessor, to show the aftermath or give a new Spin on things. And in my opinion BioShock 2 achieved all of them and is not only a perfect Sequel but a masterpiece in itself.

I think the devs knew they couldn't top the original game's story, so they kept it more simple and improved everything else.

Rule of Little Sisters harvesting Adam from corpse: No Harvesting Without Mini Turret

I always thought I was alone in thinking Bioshock 2 was the best one. The levels are so much more interactive and antagonists like the Big Sister were really a game changer. We were able to delve deeper into the story of rapture and that was so interesting to me. When I got to play as the little sister towards the end of the game I was completely blown away. I had always wondered what life in rapture was like for them and that gave us a little peek into their world. Amazing video!

I could say that the redesign of the little sisters are an improvement as well. The original (first generation) sisters were portrayed as little monsters that the player would have little or no emotional attachments to when it comes to rescuing or harvesting (you monsters). However, the new (second generation) sisters are more cute and innocent looking that would definitely give the player much more emotional attachments to them along with playing as a Big Daddy. Myself as a player for both games, I have this to say when it comes to my decision on how I treat the sisters. Bioshock 1: I could go either direction, be a good person and rescue them all or be a monster and have their Adam all for myself. Bioshock 2: I don’t have the heart to harvest. I am a Big Daddy after all. Rescue them all.

I think bioshock 2 is unbelievably good and the best in the series as well. This video is also super well done!

Easily the best. I'm always amused when I hear it called a rehash of the first one story wise because it's honestly shocking to see people so completely miss the point of the narrative mirroring of societal collapse under both sides of the pendulum of objectivism and collectivism.

That Big Sister scream still gives me anxiety every time i hear it

I recently re-played the series after getting the remastered bundle and my love for bioshock 2 has stood the test of time. I don't know why but everytime i save a little sister or pick her up after she is done collecting adam warms my heart. "You always save me from the monsters" "are we going to be together again?". It is impossible for me to harvest them. I did it once and it made me feel like a monster.

Bioshock 2 has subjectively the best world. A lost underwater city.

With Bioshock 2, one thing I likes is that it adds what I call "Lateral Morality" with the choice of whether or not to kill each level's 'boss'. Basically, there's two big types of moral choices: Lateral, and Vertical. Vertical Morality assumes the player wants to be good and expects that they know what the right moral choice is. Lateral Morality assumes the player can do the right thing, but asks them what.

Tbh, playing Bioshock Infinite for the first time last year made me want to replay Bioshock 2 more than anything else

One BioShock Infnite taking influence as a dad simulator: It is crazy how similar the basic plot beats of these games are. Which makes sense as Jordan Thomas was on staff for it too. Both involve rescuing a captive girl. They are both the Lamb, the divine daughter of a religious cult -- one whose leader has other motives to those beliefs. Both of which are their respective parents. They have also been given powers from a young age without their control or consent. They make an effort to contextualize the relationship between these young women as fathers to the protagonist. This all makes sense when you consider Infinite was a cobbled together mess of different plots that changed so much and the final story was likely pieced together in 6 months.

Gameplay in Bioshock 2 is objectively the best of the series. Plus people bring up Fort Frolic but no one recalls the orphanage in Bioshock 2 which was a great and creepy level.

Minnerva’s Den is so good - the peak of the series right there imo. Regarding Infinite Matthew Matosis has an incredibly good critique of that game that I’d highly recommend checking out. Crowbcat also covered much of the cut content, changes, and awesome stuff from the early demos which we never got.

For me, the twist in BioShock 2 was discovering that your choices influenced and guided Eleanor into the person she'd become. It's comparatively quite different from 'would you kindly', but it is a revelation--as I don't think it's clear up until that point that your choices are actually affecting and guiding this other person. That being a father, a parent is an actually explored theme beyond simply escorting a disney princess through an ideologically-incoherent theme park is a feat of this game--BioShock 2 takes parenting a bit more seriously than many games, especially Infinite. Saving little sisters, or killing them in the 1st BioShock might make you feel good or terrible, but mostly only for yourself and in the context of expecting a good, bad ending. That still applies here, of course, but there's an added layer applied by the recontextualization of finding out that you were guiding Eleanor through your choices--some sense of responsibility for the way your choices were actually affecting and changing this other person. Kind of like the sense of responsibility that being a parent should entail. Hell, we even get more complex moral choices in killing or sparing each level's antagonist. In fact, this also makes the good/neutral/bad endings make more sense. I don't think BioShock 1's good/bad endings were illogical, but the moral choices leading to the outcomes is less natural than it is here. Here, it totally and obviously makes sense why your choices led to the outcome we get. Better yet, where Infinite's (stupid) father-daughter story told through multiverse wackiness undermines and sidelines its ideological themes, BioShock 2's heart actually meshes pretty well with the ideological themes about community versus individuality, the self and the common good. Eleanor's monologues during the endings reflect on themes of forgiveness, community, conscience and change. Family is a theme in Lamb's ideology/religion quite obviously running parallel with the actual idea of family that we get with Delta and Eleanor. The cold, lifeless husk of a concept sharing only the same word--family--compared with the actual thing, animated by familial love. BioShock 1 engages with objectivism by showing us the dead city, about how the ideology kind of made this outcome inevitable. BioShock 1 also wants to engage with family but for whatever reason its rushed. Family is not a proper answer to the ideology of Ryan in 1 so much as it is a convenient way for the narrative to end happily. At the very least, it ties in with the idea that Jack had no actual family--so maybe he would've wanted one? There's just not enough time or presentation given to those ideas in the 1st game to give them proper weight. There're the big daddies, little sisters. There's the false memories of family, there's Atlas's false family blown up in the submarine, and there's Jack's family of saved little sisters in the ending--but there's not really enough connective tissue to get all these ideas to hang together for some kind of real takeaway. One could say that, like with Lamb's ideology, Ryan's anarcho-capitalist market forces hollow out the family and use it to keep goods and money flowing--big daddies and little sisters, and there're audio diaries that would justify that interpretation. But the 1st game doesn't really have a positive answer to Andrew Ryan's beliefs. It really just leaves us with the negative: this clearly didn't work (I do like the way the ideology meshes with the twist--Jack's father literally telling his son to overcome his upbringing and uh..literal brainwashing by pulling himself up by his bootstraps and choosing to be a man, not a slave, dammit! Proceeds to be literally beaten to death because he believes so completely in his ideology. For some, this moment is almost tragic--to me it's tragic comedy.) EDIT: BioShock 1 and Infinite actually do want, I think, to meld heart and mind--they just don't pull it off while 2 does. (BioShock 1 is of course a much better game than Infinite, just pointing this out) I agree about wanting an extra level in 2! BioShock 1 overstays its welcome and the last levels ended up feeling like filler, but it is a nice chance to play the game with a decked out build, full research. BioShock 2's gameplay is so, so much better and there's so much more opportunity for different combinations of tonics and plasmids, but it wisely tries to not overstay its welcome and keep the pacing tight. I just wish I could get a little bit more, maybe like 1 or 2 more levels? But still shorter than 1. In the end, heart, family and love do win out over Lamb's ideology in BioShock 2, but it's earned. Instead of being rushed, BioShock 2's heart, its emotional elements are present throughout the game. In fact, its really family, heart and love that are the game's answer to Lamb's ideology. Sure, maybe Lamb sounds kind of wacky, fanatical--but the city is already ruined, its not really like Rapture was getting much worse with her influence. No, it's really through your moral choices, through guiding Eleanor rightly, through parenting that BioShock 2 answers Lamb. So that, in the end, after watching Delta show mercy to the wicked and give bad people second chances, Eleanor can--despite everything--show mercy to Sofia Lamb. In the end, having a family, helping others, serving the common good doesn't mean rejecting your own self, your own ego, your own good as Lamb wants us to--it often means seeing all the ugliness of human vice and sin in others--and still choosing to forgive them, knowing that same darkness is a part of yourself. We have to see ourselves in others. --forgive me for all this writing! I'm a graduate student in political theory, can't help myself.

Short answer: You have a drill xD

I think bioshock 2 is so wholesome and nice and i love the endings

The thing about bioshock 2 Is when you hear a little sister shout daddy help! It genuinely makes you determined to save her from the splicers You feel like a big daddy and you feel like a badass

I’m always nervous when I go to tell people that Bioshock 2 is my favorite cause people usually start throwing stones. The first one is obviously fantastic and a classic but I always enjoyed 2 more. I won’t even talk about 3 cause I don’t have many good things to say about it.

Bioshock 2 didn’t have that twist of the other games, but it had the most satisfying endings. The neutral ending had me in tears. Bioshock 1 falls flat after the twist and bioshock infinite’s story was decent. Bioshock 1s mechanics were not perfect while bioshock infinite was a mechanical failure with a horrible money system, weapon upgrade system, and possession being too good compared to all other vigors. Bioshock 2 had the greatest combat, fleshed out plasmids, and the little sisters actually look like children instead of grotesque 3rd anime girls like infinite. So much of bioshock 2 was good and it’s criminally underrated. The argument that bioshock 1 is better because it’s iconic is such a flawed argument, compared to 2 being superior in ALMOST every single way. But that’s just my opinion I guess.

As someone who has just finished playing all three of the games for the first time ever, I couldn't agree more with what you said. The scene you play as a little sister made me pause the game for a few minutes just to reflect on how genius it is and the ending made me tear up. Great job on the video!

Bioshock 2 is one of my all time favourite games, its also cool to know that the people who worked on Dishonored, another favourite franchise of mine, helped with the making of Bioshock 2

I like how everyone is realizing that Infinite was shoehorned into the series to boost sales, all it has is a title and a quick trip to Rapture that lasts a few minutes at best to connect it to the other two games. Of course they tried to link it further with Burial at Sea, but it just makes the story even more convoluted. Every version of DeWitt and thus Elizabeth were killed at the end of Infinite’s base game, so how the hell is Burial at Sea even happening?

Bioshock 2 was my jam! I remember coming home every day from high school and playing this until I went to bed. Beat the story, np just restart and on and on and on. Such a good game.

I was 10 when Bioshock 2 launched and little me was so fucking excited to play as a Big Daddy. Like I cannot put into words how much I loved it.

Man I thought this too when I played them all recently, Bioshock and Minerva's Den are genuinely incredible

What i use to say to defend bioshock 2 as my favorite, is : "I played Bioshock 1 until its half and then stopped because i found it boring, but with Bioshock 2, i had just finished it and already wanted to play it again..."

Once I found out you couldn't carry more than 2 guns in Infinite, Bioshock 2 was immediately cemented as my favorite in the series

I've waited 11 years t o see this video

Bioshock 2 is an amazing game, it’s just as great as 1 and Infinite (even more so in certain areas). It’s always nice to see it get the love it deserves and it’s good that it’s gotten more love over the years. It’s hard to say what my favorite Bioshock game is as I love them all, but if I had to choose, I would probably choose 2 (though the other two would be close seconds/thirds).

i’m so happy i came across this video. you shared a lot of the sentiments i felt when playing bs2 and it’s my favourite in the series. the combat is so compelling and it felt like a sequel that built upon the original, but didn’t over step its boundaries. Bs2 also has the coolest fucking gameplay when protecting the little sisters while they are harvesting splicers! solid video!

I absolutely love this game much more then the first BioShock and the thing about BioShock 2 not only its story and narrative is that my only child my daughter Meara was born six months prior to this game coming out and has cemented my emotional bond of being a father to my daughter in such a way that I will never forget and my daughter even watched me play this game and at very very young age and still talks to me about it and loves this game as much as I do we both want to try to do a big daddy little sister Halloween costume combo together some day.

Bioshock 2 is criminally underrated and my favorite in the series, I’m glad it’s getting the recognition it deserves now. Also here’s my ranking on all the games Bioshock 9/10 Bioshock 2 9/10 Bioshock Infinite 8/10

B2 was the first one I played. I liked it so much that I went back and bought the first one, and I never did think that the second was the lesser sibling. B2 in a vacuum, to people like me who didn't have any expectations from the first one (beyond it being extremely well received) was truly just an amazing game that left me wanting more Bioshock.

Id like to point out that according to the audio logs, subject delta was a savage big daddy. He would routinely kill off multiple people before he was ever paired with Eleanor. He was The Big Daddy. its not just a gameplay thing that he tears through an army of splicers in Bio 2 its apart of the story. Delta was the strongest big daddy lore wise and gameplay. Sophia lamb couldnt do anything to stop him. THAT IS THE STORY. from point A to B subject delta and is massacring the remaining citizens of rapture and left that city like a ghost town when he did die from 30+ crates of TNT blowing up in his face.

The first Bioshock is intouchable imo , but the second one is also fantastic. I loved the endings, and the ending made me cry for the first and only time during walktrough of videogame.

Unmentioned: the Little Sister scene prefigures the entire graphic design aesthetic of Bioshock Infinite, soft light, dreamy, washed-out color palette, etc....

now dont get me wrong, I absolutely adore all 3 games, I love how different all 3 are while managing feel like there in the same world, but bioshock 2 is undoubtably the most refined, and I love how it was abled to do what the other 2 did with way less Also as much as I like infinite i do agree it has tons of problems, the biggest one simply being its ending which was very outta left feild and confusing

I’m so angry I didn’t see this sooner. I remember looking forward to this game, following its development, played it, loved it dearly and was extremely upset to see that everyone else hated it. Like I adore this game and to hear that people think it’s trash hurts.

Thank you for this. I’ve always said that 2 was the best in the series only to be told that “I’m just trying to be different than other people” so I’m really glad to see someone else who shares the same opinion.

BioShock 2 definitely has the best level design and the best gameplay, which renders Infinite's dull gameplay an utter joke, far more so than it would be if without the comparison. The core reason of BioShock 1 always being highly revered is its deep story and well-established lore, and the ending of that game is mesmerizing, although Ken Levine deems it poorly written and so do many gamers. I think BioShock 2's story is very good for what it is, that is, a sequel. After all, I'm not a story guy, so I play games for fun gameplay. It would have been even better if BioShock 2 had been closer to SS2 or Deus Ex with regards to player's freedom, but since in the first place, Irrational Games decided not to make the OG BioShock an immersive sim, not much could be done with the sequel even with the help of Arkane. Edit: P.S. One of the primest successes of BS2 is that every once in a while, the game really allows you to prepare for an upcoming fight, so that all the traps you could lay down become meaningful. And this bit, was especially lacking in BioShock 1, if without the hindsight for a save reload or a second playthrough.

I haven't finished the video yet, but I'm 80% sure that the AAA Dad Simulator was primarily inspired by The Walking Dead Telltale Adventure Game.

Those little sister voice transactions are so cute

literallyyy i’ve been obsessed with bioshock 1 and 2 since they came out, infinite was just so random compared to the underwater world but i guess i could see where they got it from. the first two are so amazing and have such a great aesthetic! i don’t know how people couldn’t like them!

Despite a game breaking bug near the end, I admit I loved 2 more than 1 in terms of gameplay. As for story, 1 was better. 1 had a damn good twist. But Fort Frolic was by far the most interesting level I've played in years, even if aggravating. But B2 will forever be in my heart because of the man who gave up everything for his daughter: Mark. This man is a fucking legend and deserves father of the fucking millennium award. There's not one character from a game I've played that's sacrificed everything just for their daughter. He was the one BD I felt absolutely shitty about killing... and the fact that Cindy, his daughter and the little sister he was protecting, wouldn't stop crying even when I adopted her hurt.

I also like how Subject Delta doesn't have a voice, or a face, so basically Subject Delta is us. When Subject Delta takes off his helmet it's my face.

I’ve always said this . Bio shock 2 is 10x more fun with the action and makes u feel like beast by the end of the game . The first one not so much but they have different atmospheres so it depends what u prefer

I always hate hearing about how amazing a game could have been but then the publishers say, “nah make us Call of Duty.” CoD fans don’t want an Underwater CoD rip off. They want CoD. That being said, I’m very happy with how Bioshock 2 ended up. I was soured on the remaster because it kept crashing on me making it unplayable. I haven’t touched the game since, but just recently I got it to run on my aging Xbox 360 without a hitch (ok it glitched on the very latest level and I had to restart it but the rest of the game ran flawlessly). I finished it and immediately started Minerva’s Den and had a blast. Bioshock 2 is definitely my favorite in the series and I’m happy I got to play it again without any issues. Also, a friend and I used to play the multiplayer a lot back in the day. It was fun, but it was nothing special. You got your basic game modes like death match, capture the little sister, king of the hill and their team based variants. Once in a while a diving suit would spawn and the first one their gets to play as the big daddy and clean house lol. All the maps were based on locations from the first game which was pretty cool. I also liked how the whole multiplayer mode was set against the backdrop of Rapture’s downfall, like a prequel. The best part was as you level up and unlock new weapons and stuff, you’d also unlock audio diaries of the characters and hear some of their backstory and how they got caught up in the civil war and became a splicer. It was a neat touch. I also liked how red and blue teams where Ryan and Altus respectively, so when a match started you’d hear somebody on a megaphone spit propaganda. All in all, though, it’s not important to the story as a whole and can be skipped without missing something major.

One of the main differences in how Bio1 and Bio2 were done is the scale of the respective stories. In Bio1 the story revolves around Andrew's "political party" and Atlas' "political party" who try to seize power over Rupture with Tenenbaum (not sure if I spelled it correctly) trying to set the protagonist on a neutral path, saving the city but with disregard to both villains' ambitions. Jack follows orders until the end, just acting on command (until he breaks the conditioning), doing something for someone else's sake. He has no personal stake in the story, all of his drives are purely external. And that's where Bio2 goes its own way. In Bio2 the story is grounded and personal. Internal motivation of our protagonist is what drives him to get to his daughter and the fact that a band of power hungry maniacs stands between him and his daughter is just an obstacle, not an agent to make a deal with. And that's why it didn't impress players all that much, if I were to guess. It's the same with Kotor 1 and 2, though if you remove Kreia from the 2nd game, K2 would feel like shit while if you remove K1's plot twist it would still remain somewhat OK-ish game, albeit banal copypasta of The New Hope (which it is anyways). Also, people tend to overestimate Kreia's deconstruction of the Force and the SW universe in general. It's an ok attempt but there's nothing really that eye opening about it. The only reason K2 is held in high regard is because of Kreia's character existing in that game; take her away and you've got a boring sequal no one would play; they did make slight improvements to the combat system and added crafting, so there's that.

The tapes and characters itself give you a reason to care like when you choose not to kill grace in her room like all those kind words she said and the fact I changed her mind on big daddies was amazing.

The first time I played Bioshock 2 I think Sinclair had been voiced by Matthew Mcconaughey haha

Pam, from Cannot be Tamed sent me here. Great video. I too loved Bioshock 2. For the same reasons. Your doing important work.

i hate how underrated bioshock and how praised infinite is even tought it is the worst bioshock

3:15 - That... sounds fucking *awesome!* My idea after Bioshock 2 was to be a big sister that was in stasis facing a ticking clock as ADAM starts ravaging her body and mind, giving you access to regenerating EVE and being more/entirely plasmid-focused. Trying to escape Rapture, learning about the experiments done to understand ADAM and explaining why Ryan wasn't revived by the VITA Chambers in Bioshock 1. Maybe even bring him back as an antagonist unable to let the dream of his city go, though I think that would be ill-advised since it would be painfully easy to fuck it up.

I am one of the few who enjoyed bioshock 2 more than i expected too. Just running around and fighting the splicers. Leave the map then have then fight each other. Have the big daddies also fight each other was tons of fun.

Hands down the best game in the series. I loved every moment of it when it came out and revisit it every year.

I played this game for the first time in October of 2020, I was 10 years when bioshock 2 released and my first experience with bioshock 1 was not the best because I was terrified back in 2008. I remember that people were really harsh and said that it was a cash grab. After those years I finally decided to play it, and well, it was the only bioshock that I knew nothing except I was a big daddy. And I loved every single aspect of the game. The near end of rapture setting, the eve reload animation, the combat, the mechanics, the storyline, I mean yeah bioshock 1 and infinite have those shocking endings but Idk why bioshock 2 captured me more than those 2. I love this game and I think it’s the best on the series. Maybe because the game doesn’t have a plot twist, but I don’t really know

Wow, i haven't seen too many quality BS2 video's covering why it's easily the most underrated in the series. Well done!!

I’VE FINALLY FOUND SOMEONE WHO AGREES WITH ME ❤️😁❤️😁❤️😁❤️😁❤️

I love playing Bioshock 2. It’s the game I always come back to a lot.

Bioshock 2 is not so much as a game about the history of rapture but one about the little sisters and their future. So many interactions in that game pulled at my heart and really put you in that protector role. The plot twist of 1 was great and Infinite was created to patch all the plot holes but Bioshock 2 really kick starts my paternal instincts as a Big Daddy And ill be Damned if one of those Splicing fucks touches my Daughters.

Here's what I remembered from my childhood: Bioshock 1 Fun combat, amazing story and immersive environments. Bioshock 2 Amazing combat. I don't remember the story that well. Infinite: Cool graphics. Good story and ok combat.

Bioshock 2 is my favorite game ever. I have no shame. Bioshock 1 has best story, Bioshock 2 best gameplay and main charachter( It is in tie with Bio1) and for Infinite I have nothing.

Bio 2 is hands down my favorite of the trilogy. I LOVE that I get to be a Big Daddy and take care of my Little Sisters, and help them become normal little girls again. (All but that *one* time I harvested them all *just* to see the difference in Adam, and honestly? Not worth it. You get by just as well when you get the Little Sisters to harvest after obtaining each one, *and* rescue them. Their gifts are a bonus and make up for that 'lack of adam' you get when you *would* harvest them. It was all for science I swear!) Not to mention Sinclair is just a grade A snack for me and I love his character, among all the new ones we come across, Elenore, Grace, Stanley, Gil, Lamb. Just returning to Rapture with the kinks worked out from the first game? I couldn't ask for a more perfect Bioshock game. The story is always amazing to play through, and every time I play through all three? It's 2 I always look forward to getting to.

The harpoon gun. That's what makes this game awesome. There is no better feeling than firing a spear at a splicer's face and watching him fly through the air and get pinned to a wall.

I've always thought Bioshock 2 is by far the best of the three games. It does most things better than the first game, such as the hacking (in the first game it was tedious, wasn't done in real time (which harmed the immersion factor), and sometimes in B1 you'd randomly get an impossible layout), B2 has better and more varied plasmids, the bot patching is better (in the first game the flying turrets could get lost when trying to find you), the levels (areas) are mostly more interesting, the morality system is deeper (though not by much, sadly), the weapons are more interesting, the new features (such as the new enemies, the way you have to guard the little sisters whilst they gather Adam, etc) are mostly great, and best of all, the game's enjoyment factor decrease as the game progresses (as it does with the first game after the big revalation). Bioshock 1 does have a more memorable story and more memorable characters, though. As for Bioshock: Infinite, it's often very beautiful to look at, but it's a real shame that the gameplay is so simplified. If only we'd gotten the game as it was in the early preview videos. Bioshock 2 is the only Bioshock game I frquently replay. The first is great (up until the half-way point, and then it really goes downhill, anyway) but feels like a collection of scripted events. Infinite is well worth playing, but if so simplified that it's often forgettable, and I hate the stupid and pretentious ending. But B2 is extremely replayable, I find.

This is a great video, you’re going places with this content I think

I find the Little Sister Moment at the end of the game to be just as fantastic as the Would You Kindly twist in the first game. I think they're both equally unexpected and surprising, even if one does not constitute a twist. I was enjoying the second game up until that segment, but that was a revelation that elevated the entire affair.

I loved how they explored the big daddy little sister concept in this. You get to be the big daddy, you get to collect little sisters, guard them as they harvest, hell you even get to play as a little sister in one part as mentioned up there! It's cool seeing how your actions make the later part of the game look. The little sister level you will see "daddy" and how he treats the people he chose to kill or spare. You get to hear how Eleanor acts whether its corruption or saved. But I think what really got me the most, was when you finish gathering the items for elaborate as a little sister, you get to experience what you've been doing to the sisters in the game. You get to either be harvested or cured. And thats really good for realizing your actions

I literally just finished beating this game😆

Best one of the series. Much darker and depth.

Bioshock 2 was the first Bioshock I played and it led me to play 1 and Infinite. It’s just as magical as the other 2 and my personal favorite of the series. The amount of times I’ve played through the game is countless.

In Bioshock 2 you get to play as the most badass character of all Bioshock games, a Big Daddy. It is also the darkest game of the trilogy (that is a big plus for me). The gameplay is the best by far, the plasmids and weapons are really fun to use and upgrade. I also appreciate all the freedom you have to come up with strategies to overcome your enemies. Without a doubt, this is the best Bioshock game.

Bioshock 2 do be an outstanding sequel that people seem to sleep on tho

It was the first BioShock I ever played and that's before I touched the first game which I also enjoyed playing.

The first game will always be legendary, especially the twist but I agree. The second holds so many memories and makes me really consider what it means to be a father. I played it when I was single, but seeing how Eleanor reacts to you really hit home for me. It made me realize, even though this is fiction, how deeply a father’s actions can affect a child. It inspired me to be a good father and husband. And I met a lifelong friend through the online games, so that’s a bonus too

I played all 3 Bioshock games back to back for the first time recently and I honestly enjoyed all of them.

I remember thinking Bioshock 2 would be horrible... Multiplayer? No Levine working on itetc.. I was so sure it would suck, but when the game came out I gave it a chance and boy I am glad I did! The campaign was fantastic, enjoyed it more than the 1st.

I loved Bioshock 1, it was my first xbox 360 game! Bioshock 2 was my favorite though; the story, gameplay, and soundtrack was so good and the multiplayer was a hidden gem. I had 100% achievements for both games on 360 before the multiplayer map pack. I just wish the remaster gave Bioshock 2 a new game plus mode like the original remaster and put the fucking multiplayer back in. Hated Infinite though, I consider Singularity my unofficial Bioshock Infinite.

currently replaying the trilogy to take up time while i wait for totk. and while i absolutely love 1 and the other 2 dont take away from its legacy, im just excited to get back to bioshock 2. i have such fond memories of that game

Currently replaying this game and realizing how amazing it is. I'm having such a good time getting platinum. I love Mark Meltzer, hope they explore his character in the upcoming Netflix adaptation

I don't know. For a game that is completely centered around the relationship between Big Daddies and Little Sisters, the game doesn't really do much with it. The main thing is that you defend them. Which is okay, but ultimately it's not that much different since your little Sister can't die. She stops harvesting, but she won't die. The main problem with the game for me are therefore two things: 1) Despite playing as a Big Daddy I never felt like one. Both in terms of sturdiness but also in terms of respect. Splicers still attack you on sight even though the only reason to start combat with a Big Daddy is to get the little sister. Secondly, even after a good amount of health upgrads, you never feel as sturdy as the Big Daddy you know. Now I get that this is kind of the problem with a game. If you would be too powerful, it would defeat the purpose, but this is where point 2 comes in. 2) You don't really have to care for your little sister. She is sitting on your shoulder for the most part, having no effect on how you behave. And it could be okay if the game wanted to make a commentary about how this relationship is just for gains from both sides and therefore you not really caring about them is expected, but then they also give you the option to rescue them. Which defeats the purpose. So what I would have liked from the game is that you are actually way tankier than you are in the game. But instead, you always have to look out for your little sister. Now, I know that escort missions are kind of a problem in games, but again, the advantage is that you don't have to care too much about your own safety (at least to some degree). So the gameplay would feel different from the first game, because instead of using plasmids and weapons in a way that lets you avoid most damage, your main goal is to throw enemies away so that they can't overrun you and one steals your little sister. The way it is now, you can forgive people that they forget they play a Big Daddy and not just a normal person like in Bioshock 1. The point is you could change the beginning of the game in that you are not a Big Daddy, but Eleanor was taken from you for experiments. And the story wouldn't change. And I think it says a lot about the story when such a vital aspect of the story can just be rewritten without it affecting the rest of the game. They chose to tell a story about a Big Daddy and a little sister, but completely missed the mark on what this would mean gameplay wise. It's a nice game when only looking at gameplay and story in isolation, but a below average game when looking at the combination of the two. I mean, even the ending is the same old thing where all it does is give you a different cutscene and there is a way too obvious path to the good ending. I mean, even it's best moment, where you play as a little sister, fails to deliver on what a little sister is. Don't get me wrong, it's cool to see it from her eyes, but why do Splicers don't care about her running around? You know, the reason they are usually around Big Daddies? It could be an actually super interesting contrast. The nice colors compared to the horror of having to navigate this level without actually being seen. Instead, Splicers just don't care about you and again, the game fails to deliver on the one thing it has going for it: its medium. So when you ask why Bioshock 2 and even this scene don't get remembered as much as Bioshock 1, then because of this. Because the game was way too focused on SHOWING you the story through visuals while forgetting to let you EXPERIENCE the story through gameplay.

Subject Delta is a chad.

Your comment about the player's reaction to the arrival of big sisters changing gradually from "oh crap!" to "bring it on!" is ON POINT!! It's exactly what went through my mind while playing.

My XB1 sadly died about a month ago so until I can get the funds for a new/better one I dug out the old 360 slim, blew the dust off it and got it fired up. I have been finding pre-owned games on disk for next to nothing cost wise. Mostly around £1 or under! I have been picking up loads of them, and about 2 weeks ago got BS Infinite which I had played a few years back, and a few days back found Bioshock 2 for like 99p. I've never played this title so I don't really know the story of the Daddies and Little Sisters yet but this weekend I plan to just chill and game so I can't wait to get stuck in - even more so after watching your review on it! So thank you. I am hoping my few hours on Infinite has kinda prepared me for the overall feel and vibe of the game. I honestly can't believe the level and quality of games I've been picking up for around 1 quid. I can't wait to get stuck in. ATM I am bouncing between Skyrim (which I found a copy on disk that had all DLC's) BL2 with pretty much everything - another bargain find on disk, and Diablo 3 which I own and played a LOT on PC a while back. I am thinking bout using my capture card to record my gameplay of these older classics soon too. Anyway just felt like commenting and saying cheers for the insight to the game, can't wait to smash it over the weekend!

I forgot this games story compared to the other bioshocks so I just assumed it was the worst one, This brought back memories of actually how great it was. The multi-player was absolutely banging 💯

I wish the protagonist was the surface father who came to look for his child. Besides that it was a good game

9:14 -- EXCELLENT use of lyrics from an underrated Elvis Pressley song, my dude. **applause**

Bioshock 2 has always been my favourite game in the series, because of all the points that you've covered in this awesome video! Thank you for making it!

YES bioshock 2 was always my favorite, especially with Minervas Den oh my god it was so good.

bioshock 2 is the best bioshock imo. it always has been. I feel like those who call it bad never played it. it does nothing but expand on the world in every way , environmental story telling , gameplay , graphics , and imo story (but that one is the only thing that's debatable here)

Great video! As a huge fan of all the bioshock games i never understood how someone could like the first game and not the second.

bioshock 2 was the first one i played, and honestly i think that was the best place to start. feels weird to say, but 2, 1, 3 really was the perfect order to play them in. they're all incredible though, and i actually loved the staggering twist at the end of 3, as one of the most nihilistic motions in art history.

Going to be honest... * I will NEVER knock the original Bioshock; it has a fantastic story, an astounding setting that bear in mind one of the most difficult things to digital simulate is the elements of Fire & Water. Which it simulates really well, a gorgeous atmosphere, engaging gameplay. -But upon thinking back; the slow combat (swapping between weapons/plasmids), the hacking (unless you have the correct tonics) can get fiddly as well as the ambiguousness of 'saving the Little Sisters' (just so as you know, the "Harvest" option NEVER EXISTS FOR ME) are you doing the right thing? & of course the sense of vulnerability as Jack Ryan. If I wanted to play as a vulnerable character I'd play FNAF, Slenderman, SCP Containment, Outlast etc. * With Bioshock 2 which I played on PS3 & revisited on PS4; found the gameplay, combat, hacking that much better! & the sense of responsibility as a Big Daddy acts as a form of intenseness. Oh yeah there's the sense of clarity when saving the Little Sisters... It still has me weeping knowing I'm doing the right thing for them! **When I think about it; Bioshock 2 in a way DOES have a "Would You Kindly" moment... ... This is the moment Sofia informs you how Eleanor (who has been telepathically following you) has been learning how you act & behave with your morality choices!! It was a BIG Uh-oh moment!! * & OH YES! there's the enormous gratification when you smash, pummel, brutalise the thuggish bullying splicers! For me; the splicers have degraded into hideous, sadistic, cowardly bullies... Hunting, tormenting, taunting & slaying those weaker than them! & the fact your something that can match them in a quality over quantity fight... }:) * & oh yeah! Minerva's Den is icing on a satisfying cake!

This video is really well put together and I agree with it completely.

Not that it really needed one; but the plot twist is that Eleanor's been watching over your shoulder the entire game. If you saved or harvested the Little Sisters, she'll do the same to the one you briefly play as, "just like you showed me". If you killed or spared the three main NPCs, she'll do the same to Sophia. You keep mentioning that this "Triple-A Dad Simulator" has no plot twist, when the fact that it's a "Dad Simulator" *is* the plot twist.