Common Sense Media Review
By Chad Sapieha
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Philosophical shooter brims with mature ideas -- and content
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 18+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Play
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BioShock 2
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 21 parent reviews
Based on 50 kid reviews
Kids say this game is an intense shooter filled with mature themes, including extreme violence, strong language, and some drug and sexual references, making it more suitable for older teens rather than younger players. While many enjoy the philosophical depth and decision-making aspects of the gameplay, the game's bloody combat and dark atmosphere can be disturbing, with reviewers suggesting players should be at least 13 years old for an appropriate experience.
- mature themes
- extreme violence
- strong language
- philosophical depth
- suitable for teens
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's It About?
Set ten years after events of the original, BIOSHOCK 2 sends players back to Rapture, an underwater metropolis that was founded based on principles of extreme capitalism and individualism. It's now 1970, and the city has lain in chaotic ruins for the last decade. Its doped up denizens have come under the thumb of Sophia Lamb, a brilliant but insane psychologist who teaches her crazed, cult-like followers that extreme collectivism is the right way to go. Players journey through this underwater madhouse as a Big Daddy. A major facet of the original game, Big Daddies are genetically altered men who have been surgically grafted to the interiors of hulking dive suits. They bond with and zealously protect Little Sisters, tragic little girls that have been conditioned to search out and extract ADAM -- valuable stem cells -- from the city's many corpses. The very first of his kind, our Big Daddy is on a mission to find the girl he bonded with years ago and reaffirm his free will, which leads to multiple moral dilemmas.
Is It Any Good?
Like its predecessor, BioShock 2 delivers a surprisingly brainy narrative. Its exploration of what happens when political ideologies are taken to extremes, commentary on consumerism (the citizens of Rapture literally drove themselves mad with greed), and simple yet surprisingly moving examination of a Big Daddy's fatherly affection for a Little Sister -- is it real? Artificial? Does it really matter? -- are the sort of subjects traditionally better tackled in movies and books than games.
This brain food comes even as the game sates our animal sides. The visceral combat, which includes new and improved "plasmid" abilities, intense siege scenarios during which we protect adopted Little Sisters, and challenging boss battles against a fast-moving new enemy dubbed Big Sister, stands toe-to-toe with that of any other adult-oriented shooter. Extreme violence and intellectual thought may seem like strange bedfellows, but 2K has proven that the two can fit snugly and satisfyingly together.
Online interaction: This game features online multiplayer with open voice chat, which means players could be exposed to verbal attacks and profanity and share personal information. Common Sense Media does not recommend online play for pre-teens.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about consumerism and how it has changed (or perhaps hasn't) in the 50 years since the civilization in BioShock's Rapture was at its peak. When you see the city's walls covered in old-fashioned posters advertising better health, tighter skin, and animal magnetism via simple injections, do you laugh at the idea or does some part of you wish such products existed? Despite its fantastical setting, does this game say something about our culture?
Families can also discuss the ideologies presented in the game. Rapture was originally ruled by a man who was against socialism and government, but without laws and moral referees,ac his citizens went mad with greed and self-idolatry. Now it's ruled by a woman who reveres a collective society, but she's taken it too far as well, reducing people to little more than cogs in a machine. Is there a happy middle? Does our culture represent it? Do we lean one way or another?
Game Details
- Platforms : PlayStation 3 , Windows , Xbox 360
- Pricing structure :
- Available online? : Available online
- Publisher : 2K Games
- Release date : February 9, 2010
- Genre : First-Person Shooter
- ESRB rating :
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
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