TheBioShocktrilogy consists of some of the best action survival games in the industry. The originalBioShockintroduced gamers to the haunting city ofRapture where an underwater utopiahas collapsed into an apocalyptic nightmare. Its compelling story, incredible atmosphere, and unique world design made it an instant classic.BioShock Infiniterevolutionized the shooter genre yet again years later with its story of the city in the clouds plagued with mysteries of other dimensions.
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In between those two masterpieces isBioShock 2, a game that is often neglected due to the success of the others. This entry may not have drastically changed the franchise or the gaming world, but it did offer a new trip to Rapture and some fun surprises.
5Playing As A Big Daddy
It’s no surprise that the best thingBioShock 2offersthat the other two gamesdon’t is the opportunity to control one of the infamous Big Daddies. Big Daddies were introduced in the first game as hulking creations armed with deadly armor and weapons designed to protect the Little Sisters residing in Rapture.
BioShock 2follows a Big Daddy named Subject Delta and allows players to see more of what goes on between these mysterious beings. As Subject Delta, the player must traverse Rapture in search of Eleanor Lamb, the Little Sister he is assigned to. The combat is improved significantly over the original game as well. Being able to use the Big Daddy’s deadly drill and other tools makes for a much more fun experience.
4A More Personal Story
BioShockgames are always praisedfor their storytelling and overall writing. One thing that separatesBioShock 2from the others is its more straightforward narrative.BioShockandBioShock Infinite’splots were acclaimed because of the shocking twists and turns along with an epic conclusion.
BioShock 2chooses to focus more on a condensed story of Subject Delta desperately searching for his Little Sister. It manages to be a more emotional journey than the first as Delta discovers more people throughout Rapture that have been affected in different ways. Taking the time to explore human emotions and how the collapse of Rapture has affected normal people is one thingBioShock 2does much better than the other two games.
3Big Sisters
The lore of theBioShockuniverse has always intriguedfans, especially when it comes to the city of Rapture. The Big Daddies ofBioShockwere instantly loved and fans were excited to see how the sequel expands upon them.BioShock 2did that and more by introducing another type of enemy called Big Sisters. When the player encounters a Little Sister, they can choose to harvest them for ADAM or rescue them. This decision then spawns a Big Sister who will stop at nothing to keep the Little Sister away from Delta.
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While smaller than Big Daddies, Big Sisters are smarter, faster, and stronger. An encounter with one makes for some of the most intense moments ofBioShock 2due to their extreme durability and aggressiveness. Big Sisters were introduced into theBioShockworld well.
2Controlling A Little Sister
The Little Sisters of the firstBioShockwere a bit of a mystery. While it’s understood that they are simply creepy little girls wandering around gathering ADAM (a chemical that alters human genetics), how they feel about the process wasn’t really explained. It’s later explained that they are normal girls whose bodies are used to contain high amounts of ADAM due to them being the only acceptable host for the sea slugs responsible for creating the substance.
BioShock 2, however, explores the lore of Little Sisters even more by allowing the player to see through their eyes. Near the end of the story, the game briefly switches control over to Eleanor. Through her eyes, the player sees Delta as either a hero or a monster depending on what choices the player made. Eleanor also sees the rest of Rapture in a completely different way.
Little Sisters often refer to the dead people they extract ADAM from as angels, and Eleanor literally sees them as elegant nobles lying still with angel wings behind them. She also seesRapture as a beautiful utopiawhere everyone and everything is shiny and elegant. This moment not only offers an interesting look into how they see the world but also offers insight into how they’ve been psychologically conditioned into believing Rapture hasn’t totally collapsed.
1More Polished Combat Mechanics
The firstBioShockgame was not praised much for its combat. The plasmid abilities offered some fun powers but weren’t enough to distract from the clunky controls and slow combat.BioShock 2managed to improve gameplaywith better controls and new features like allowing players to use plasmids and weapons at the same time.
Freezing an enemy with a plasmid and then immediately crushing them with Delta’s drill is just one of the few ways combat is significantly more memorable inBioShock 2. The hacking ability has also been improved by removing the repetitive pipe game from the original title and replacing it with a faster-paced mini-game.BioShock Infinitedid have great combat as well years later, but it still didn’t quite live up to the hype of how fun it is controlling Delta.
The BioShock Trilogyis now free for a limited time on the Epic Games store.
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