SPOILERS: A New Perspective

[ddracarys]

So, I was just talking about this with my brother and we were kind of shocked when we pieced it all together. Obviously, what I'm about to say may not be the actual case but I think it's a pretty cool way to look at the BioShock series. Basically...

 

...The end of BioShock: Infinite is the start of BioShock, and BioShock 2 is the last game in the series chronologically.

 

Allow me to explain. The very last piece of story content you play in BioShock: Infinite is Burial at Sea Episode 2 (unless you played things in a different order), which ends with Atlas cracking the code of "The Ace", translating it to "Would you Kindly". After he finds this out, you hear him shout out something along the lines of "now get that son of a bitch on a plane to Rapture!". This leads Atlas to send a letter to Jack Ryan (since he is the artificial son of Andrew Ryan, and therefore the only person who would fall under the effects of "Would you Kindly"), instructing him to fly over Rapture, and cause the plane to crash (which the player experiences at the beginning of BioShock).

 

You know, you hear a lot of players who haven't played or finished Infinite say it has nothing to do with the original games. I believe these players are wrong, as Infinite is what ties the wider story together. So you see, Burial at Sea Episode 2 ends with BioShock's beginning (Jack in the sea, on top of Rapture with the plane YOU CAUSED to crash in pieces around you). In other words, if you want to know what happens after this final chapter in Infinite, you already know, because you would have already played it in BioShock! Infinite's ending acts as a restart button for the series, so to speak. Because of this, that makes BioShock 2 the official end of the trilogy, as it concludes the Burial at Sea storyline. Infinite may start off with an entirely different story, but it ends with the overall plot still moving forward. Burial at Sea literally just fills in the miniature plot hole of who we play as, which is set before the events of BioShock. Meaning the chronological order to play BioShock is:

 

1. BioShock: Infinite.
2. Burial at Sea.
3. BioShock.
4. BioShock 2 Multiplayer (cutscene after Rebirth).
5. BioShock 2.

Edited October 30, 2018 by ddracarys

[MilanYildirim]

Great job! As if Bioshock infinite was not mindfuck enough to me!  Now, you brought it into another level

[CrimsonFalzar]

Isn't this basically explained in the DLC ? The reason jack comes to rapture is because of elizabeth. The code "would you kindly" because of her, big daddys bonding with little sisters because of her everything major happened because elizabeth died ... ? 

Yes she basically caused everything that happened in bioshock 1 but I thought this was common knowledge 

 

This is unclear but I'm pretty sure givin that Bioshock 1 Starts in 1960s and Bioshock Infinte was in 1912... also kinda gives it away? either way tho

Edited October 3, 2016 by ChastityFail

[ddracarys]

Great job! As if Bioshock infinite was not mindfuck enough to me!  Now, you brought it into another level

 

Haha, I know right? According to ChastityFail this is old news but honestly it just popped to my brother and I, as he just finished Burial at Sea: Episode 2 and secured the 100% for Infinite. We started talking about the ending and somehow we managed to piece it together. Damn, now I need to replay everything in the order I mentioned so everything makes sense.   

 

Isn't this basically explained in the DLC ? The reason jack comes to rapture is because of elizabeth. The code "would you kindly" because of her, big daddys bonding with little sisters because of her everything major happened because elizabeth died ... ? 

Yes she basically caused everything that happened in bioshock 1 but I thought this was common knowledge 

 

Yeah, like I said, this is probably old news but I'm still quite shocked it took us this long to realize. I'm still kind of proud we managed to figure it out our selves via a conversation. 

[CrimsonFalzar]

 

Yeah, like I said, this is probably old news but I'm still quite shocked it took us this long to realize. I'm still kind of proud we managed to figure it out our selves via a conversation. 

Honestly when I found it I was like that's fucking awesome It felt like It tied up all the lose ends in bioshock tbh. felt like it made everything finished 

 

Even if everythings finished GIVE ME BIOSHOCK 4!!!!

 

Tho I do have to add It's sad they didn't add an updated version of multi in the collection seeing as that happens after burial at sea and before bioshock 1

 

So the timeline is :

Burial At sea 

Bioshock 2 Multi

Bioshock 1

Bioshock Infinite 

Bioshock 2

Edited October 3, 2016 by ChastityFail

[Dragon-Archon]

That sounds interesting, I like the theory .

[ddracarys]

Honestly when I found it I was like that's fucking awesome It felt like It tied up all the lose ends in bioshock tbh. felt like it made everything finished 

 

Even if everythings finished GIVE ME BIOSHOCK 4!!!!

 

Tho I do have to add It's sad they didn't add an updated version of multi in the collection seeing as that happens after burial at sea and before bioshock 1

 

So the timeline is :

Burial At sea 

Bioshock 2 Multi

Bioshock 1

Bioshock Infinite 

Bioshock 2

 

Honestly, BioShock is among the best things about gaming today and I don't want a sequel to ruin it. As amazing as these games are, I hope BioShock is done for good. Because we're never going to get a better tied together storyline / plot than this trilogy. Also, interesting, I didn't know Multiplayer had anything to do with the story, please elaborate? I know you play as Splicers in Multiplayer but that's basically it.

 

That sounds interesting, I like the theory .

 

Haha, thank you! I'm still somewhat in shock. BioShock all connects now... The stars allign... Elizabeth is a panzy... IT ALL MAKES SENSE NOW JESUS TAKE THE WHEEL

[damon8r351]

This is all practically spelled out for you in the Wikipedia synopses of the Bioshock games.

[CrimsonFalzar]

 Also, interesting, I didn't know Multiplayer had anything to do with the story, please elaborate? I know you play as Splicers in Multiplayer but that's basically it.

 

Basically Multiplayer was the Civil war in rapture between atlas and ryan which caused your player to kill each other splice more etc which caused all that destruction. 

Also If you get to level 40 in multi you acutally get to see Jacks plane in the ocean meaning he finally arrived. All those splicers ryan sent at you where from his civil war. 

Tho no one won the war it was still going on even when you where there the person who won tho was altas just because jack was his "ace in the hole" basically you killed ryan to end the civil war

Edited October 3, 2016 by ChastityFail

[ddracarys]

This is all practically spelled out for you in the Wikipedia synopses of the Bioshock games.

 

Still proud we figured it out ourselves.

 

Basically Multiplayer was the Civil war in rapture between atlas and ryan which caused your player to kill each other splice more etc which caused all that destruction. 

Also If you get to level 40 in multi you acutally get to see Jacks plane in the ocean meaning he finally arrived. All those splicers ryan sent at you where from his civil war. 

 

Wow that's very interesting. I actually have got to Level 40 and used Rebirth but I still don't recall seeing the plane. It probably did happen but I last played BioShock 2 Multiplayer a very long time ago.

[CrimsonFalzar]

 

 

Wow that's very interesting. I actually have got to Level 40 and used Rebirth but I still don't recall seeing the plane. It probably did happen but I last played BioShock 2 Multiplayer a very long time ago.

Yea basically you ended the civil war by killing ryan, then atlas lol "ace in the hole" 

here you go 

[ddracarys]

Yea basically you ended the civil war by killing ryan, then atlas lol "ace in the hole" 

here you go 

 

Holy crap yeah I actually remember this now that I've seen it again! Totally forgot about this, so damn interesting. 

[CrimsonFalzar]

This is all practically spelled out for you in the Wikipedia synopses of the Bioshock games.

Most people don't read the wiki of a game they enjoy and play it first and find stuff out while they play.

Its awesome that he/she found this out because its an awesome find

[PREDRAG-K]

Yeah, this is pretty much old news. But Burial at Sea was Ken Levine's way of tying the whole story together. It's also his way of making sure than any new BioShock sequels that 2K wants to make, won't be a part of "his" BioShock universe.

As far as the 'proper chronological order' I would disagree that Burial at Sea should come before Infinite. It's established that Elizabeth went to Rapture to kill that timeline's Comstock/Booker. It wouldn't make sense to then jump into Infinite and have a clueless Elizabeth. She only gains her full powers and knowledge after her siphon tower gets destroyed at the end of Infinite. Which leads her to start going to different timelines and killing Comstocks (including the one in Rapture).

The Rapture that Elizabeth takes you to in Infinite (to kill Songbird) is Rapture in 1960s. Everything has already fallen apart, as you can see a Big Daddy and Little Sister in the background. It's only a point in time, and she only takes Booker there to 1. Kill Songbird and 2. Show him the Sea of Doors.

The chronological order should be:

1. BioShock Infinite

2. Burial at Sea

3. BioShock

4. BioShock 2

The ending of Infinite gives Elizabeth her full powers and motivation to kill the Comstocks of the different timelines. That leads her to Rapture in 1959. Here she sets in motion the chain of events that will be Rapture's eventual downfall. She dies in Rapture, just as the rebellion is starting. Jack's plane crashes in Rapture about a year after that. Everyone is already dead/spliced and the rebellion has pretty much destroyed the city.

EDIT: All that being said, if you play it in chronological order it just isn't as special. So for anyone who is barely jumping into the series, play them in release order.

Edited October 3, 2016 by PREDRAG-K

[ddracarys]

Yeah, this is pretty much old news. But Burial at Sea was Ken Levine's way of tying the whole story together. It's also his way of making sure than any new BioShock sequels that 2K wants to make, won't be a part of "his" BioShock universe.

As far as the 'proper chronological order' I would disagree that Burial at Sea should come before Infinite. It's established that Elizabeth went to Rapture to kill that timeline's Comstock/Booker. It wouldn't make sense to then jump into Infinite and have a clueless Elizabeth. She only gains her full powers and knowledge after her siphon tower gets destroyed at the end of Infinite. Which leads her to start going to different timelines and killing Comstocks (including the one in Rapture).

The Rapture that Elizabeth takes you to in Infinite (to kill Songbird) is Rapture in 1960s. Everything has already fallen apart, as you can see a Big Daddy and Little Sister in the background. It's only a point in time, and she only takes Booker there to 1. Kill Songbird and 2. Show him the Sea of Doors.

The chronological order should be:

1. BioShock Infinite

2. Burial at Sea

3. BioShock

4. BioShock 2

The ending of Infinite gives Elizabeth her full powers and motivation to kill the Comstocks of the different timelines. That leads her to Rapture in 1959. Here she sets in motion the chain of events that will be Rapture's eventual downfall. She dies in Rapture, just as the rebellion is starting. Jack's plane crashes in Rapture about a year after that. Everyone is already dead/spliced and the rebellion has pretty much destroyed the city.

EDIT: All that being said, if you play it in chronological order it just isn't as special. So for anyone who is barely jumping into the series, play them in release order.

 

Definitely, no new comers should be here anyway due to the amount of spoilers in here. Chronological order should be something to enjoy after you've already played the games, like for somebody like me. I definitely wanna try this out, but after ROTR.

 

Anyway, I guess that's another way to look at it too. Good points on Elizabeth and her powers, I didn't consider that. I guess this is a better order than I thought up.    Well damn good on Ken because it definitely was a good way to tie everything together for sure, and as I mentioned earlier in the thread, I hope a future BioShock isn't planned or happening. The current trilogy is too good to be tainted by a crappy sequel. 

[linkdevivo]

So, I was just talking about this with my brother and we were kind of shocked when we pieced it all together. Obviously, what I'm about to say may not be the actual case but I think it's a pretty cool way to look at the BioShock series. Basically...

 

(man this would be so awkward if everybody else already knew this and im just talking to myself right now)

 

... The end of BioShock: Infinite is the start of BioShock, and BioShock 2 is the last game in the series chronologically

 

Allow me to explain.

 

The very last piece of story content you play in BioShock: Infinite is Burial at Sea: Episode 2 (unless you played things in a different order), which ends with Atlas cracking the code of "The Ace in the Hole" which translates to "Would you Kindly". After he finds this out, you hear him shout out something among the lines of "Now get that son of a - on the plane to Rapture" and after this it cuts to the character you play as in BioShock and BioShock 2 on the plane, as he causes the plane to crash right on top of Rapture.

 

You know, you hear a lot of people who haven't played or finished Infinite say it has nothing to do with the original games, but they are very wrong. Infinite is what ties the wider story together.

 

So you see, Burial at Sea: Episode 2 ends with BioShock's beginning (you in the sea on top of Rapture with the plane YOU CAUSED to crash in pieces around you). In other words, if you want to know what happens after this final chapter in Infinite, you already know, because you already played it in BioShock! Infinite's ending acts as a restart button for the series, so to speak.

 

I hope that made sense, if it didn't, feel free to make me explain it again.

 

Anyway, because of all of the above, this makes BioShock 2 the official end of the trilogy as it concludes the Burial at Sea storyline. Infinite may start off with an entirely different story but it ends with the overall plot still moving forwards. Burial at Sea literally just fills in the mini plot hole of who we play as which is set before the events of BioShock. Meaning the proper chronological way to play BioShock is:

 

1. Burial at Sea.
2. BioShock.
3. BioShock: Infinite.
4. BioShock 2.

Or at least that's how we see it. Infinite is between the original and sequel because of that one scene in the end of the story where Booker and Elizabeth go into Rapture and see it in the process of it being broken down, whereas in BioShock 2, everything was already broken and torn.

 

I'm probably just rambling at this point and it probably sounds really confusing, but it certainly was a fun conversation to have and to discuss even though it may not be canon.

 

 

i don't get it bro, this is EXACTLY what the game tells you. Anyone who plays all the games knows that burial at sea ties into the first bioshock as Elizabeth helps Atlas crack the "would you kindly" code. haha what's the new perspective? Great pic BTW, tales from the borderlands was awesome and Fiona is a great character.

[ddracarys]

i don't get it bro, this is EXACTLY what the game tells you. Anyone who plays all the games knows that burial at sea ties into the first bioshock as Elizabeth helps Atlas crack the "would you kindly" code. haha what's the new perspective? Great pic BTW, tales from the borderlands was awesome and Fiona is a great character.

The new perspective is me not knowing this! I thought others didn't too and I wanted to sound all cool and smart but I guess it's old news haha. Don't mind me, just catching up with the days. Yall are way ahead of me. Like I said though, was still pretty fun figuring this out and piecing things together.

Thanks! Fiona is a total sass lass, I love it. Borderlands in general though, I love it even more!

[linkdevivo]

The new perspective is me not knowing this! I thought others didn't too and I wanted to sound all cool and smart but I guess it's old news haha. Don't mind me, just catching up with the days. Yall are way ahead of me. Like I said though, was still pretty fun figuring this out and piecing things together.

Thanks! Fiona is a total sass lass, I love it. Borderlands in general though, I love it even more!

 

Oh ok now i get it. Yeah, playing through bioshock infinite and it's dlc is definitely an amazing experience. (Spoilers) The baby's finger in the wall scene at the end still gives me goosebumbs to this day when you find out about Anna and that you gave away the same girl you've been trying to save throughout the whole game. One of the greatest moments in video games without a doubt.

[ddracarys]

Oh ok now i get it. Yeah, playing through bioshock infinite and it's dlc is definitely an amazing experience. (Spoilers) The baby's finger in the wall scene at the end still gives me goosebumbs to this day when you find out about Anna and that you gave away the same girl you've been trying to save throughout the whole game. One of the greatest moments in video games without a doubt.

(please notice i said "sass lass")

Mindfuck 2.0 but also Game of the Year every year x2000. Love this damn story! Hahaha

[damon8r351]

The new perspective is me not knowing this!

 

Now that this is made clear, my question of why we were excitedly being told that the sky is blue is answered.

[CrimsonFalzar]

The chronological order should be:

1. BioShock Infinite

2. Burial at Sea

3. Bioshock Multi

4. BioShock

5. BioShock 2

Fixed it for ya

[IngloriousMia]

I just finished both Infinite DLC. Still wrapping my head around the ending to Episode 1, but holy crap the lobotomy scene in Episode 2...

[ddracarys]

On 10/10/2016 at 1:59 AM, IngloriousMia said:

I just finished both Infinite DLC. Still wrapping my head around the ending to Episode 1, but holy crap the lobotomy scene in Episode 2...

 

So late to this reply haha, my bad. How did you enjoy the entire series? I assume you've 100%ed them all by now.

[zeit86geist]

time line puzzle reminds me so much of the movie pulp fiction. but instead of a day, you have to puzzle a whole timeline of 3 games in the right order. 

Edited February 8, 2018 by zeit86geist

[ddracarys]

9 hours ago, zeit86geist said:

time line puzzle reminds me so much of the movie pulp fiction. but instead of a day, you have to puzzle a whole timeline of 3 games in the right order. 

 

And after it's all been pieced together, it's just jaw dropping. Seriously, BioShock has the best narrative I've ever experienced in a game before. I cannot wait to replay all the games again.

Edited February 8, 2018 by ddracarys