BioShock 2

BioShock 2 is a first-person shooter. The player assumes the character of silent protagonist Subject Delta eight years after the events of BioShock. The player explores Rapture and fights off Splicers using weapons, environmental hazards, and plasmids. Plasmids grant powers such as telekinesis and must be recharged with "EVE" before further use.

The player can equip tonics—passive bonuses varying from increased speed to reduced EVE usage. Several weapons in BioShock 2 are unique to the Big Daddy, including a powerful drill and a rivet gun. The player can use each weapon in a close-range melee attack, and may simultaneously equip a weapon and a plasmid. If the player is killed, they are revived via a Vita-Chamber.

BioShock 2 takes place in the city of Rapture, an underwater metropolis hidden from the world. Rapture was founded in the 1940s by billionaire Andrew Ryan to establish a city free from religious influences and government regulation. The city's citizens began "splicing"—genetically modifying themselves using ADAM, a substance derived from sea slugs. ADAM was used to create "plasmids" that enable superpowers, such as the ability to create lightning or control fire.

Class conflict and civil war were exacerbated by the side effects of ADAM abuse. Modified and conditioned children, called "Little Sisters", collected scarce ADAM from corpses and recycled it under the protection of armed and armored "Big Daddies". Rapture descended into civil war and became a crumbling dystopia populated by Splicers, the spliced remains of the citizenry. In the aftermath of Ryan's death during the first BioShock, the dissident collectivist Sofia Lamb and her followers, known as "the Rapture Family", assume control of the city.

2K Boston and Irrational Games's BioShock was released to critical acclaim and strong sales. Publisher 2K executive Christoph Hartmann envisioned BioShock as the first entry in a franchise, and the publisher approached 2K Boston about whether they wanted to produce a BioShock sequel in the fall of 2007. Levine and 2K Boston decided to pass on the project. Instead, several ex-BioShock developers formed a new studio based in Novato, California in late 2007, called 2K Marin.

2K Marin began work on BioShock 2 with a core team of eight in November 2007, with 78 additional personnel at the peak of development. The developers were given three mandates: that the game would ship for PlayStation 3 (the previous game was Xbox 360-exclusive at launch), that it would feature a multiplayer mode, and that it would be delivered within two and a half years. It was developed in five countries across five time zones. 2K Marin was assisted by 2K Australia, 2K China, Arkane Studios, and Digital Extremes, who was responsible for the multiplayer component.

BioShock 2 received positive reviews. Review aggregator Metacritic assigned the game a weighted average critic score of 88/100 across all platforms. Reviewers noted BioShock 2's fundamental similarity to its predecessor, but disagreed on whether the similarity was a problem. GamesRadar's Charlie Barratt wrote that it broke new ground while honoring the original's successes.

PC World's Will Herring considered BioShock 2 to have surpassed the original. V. Club's John Teti, The New York Times' Seth Schiesel, and GameSpy's Anthony Gallegos, felt that it failed by hewing so closely to the original, or else failed to meaningfully expand it.