BioShock: The Collection

Quotation forthcoming.

Bioshock 2 and Infinite are a little underprivileged in terms of remaster work. But in a package so full of content and gaming excellence you can’t help it but scream “welcome to the circus of Values!”.

BioShock is an experience, a revelation, a religion. It's the answer to the question "Can games be art?" and this is the best possible version of it.

The Bioshock Collection is the perfect way to revisit this amazing franchise in glorious FULL HD graphics.

Quotation forthcoming.

BioShock: The Collection is a great homage to one of the most important video game franchises of all time. This collection presents us a ultimate versions of the three games, each one with graphics looking like they were released in the last few months.

If you've already played and loved the three original titles plus their DLC then some mild visual upgrades and a handful of extras might not be enough to justify the purchase. If, however, you've never sunk into the haunting depths of Rapture, this is the time to sort it out.

If there is a must when it comes to remasters, it's BioShock: The Collection. Blind Squirrel made a superb work adapting for 1080p and 60fp an already superior franchise. If you haven't played any BioShock yet, this is the best moment and, if you are into Ken Levine's work, BioShock: The Collection has to be on your shelf.

Three masterpieces in a single pack. If you never played them, this is your golden opportunity.

BioShock is an outstanding franchise that hasn't aged despite a change in hardware generations. This collection is a great excuse to revisit Rapture and Columbia (for some players) and an excellent starting point to discover this world for the very first time (for others). Console owners should feel appreciated, PC owners not so much (another case of a port being done poorly).

Whether you’re new to the series, or a returning veteran, there is almost no excuse to not pick up BioShock: The Collection. It contains some of the very best games ever made in the past decade, and they’re all still well worth playing today.

As often, this BioShock Collection will prove its value to those who didn't play the three games it contains in the first place. The others will find an honest but modest remaster of three wonderful games.

At a reduced price, Blind Squirrel offers a complete edition of the Bioshock trilogy, with all additional content released so far: the offer is attractive for old and new fans, enriched with many graphical improvements: finally Rapture can be explored at 60 frames per second on consoles too.

With three great games and additional content that some would say is even better, The BioShock Collection is worth picking up for pretty much anybody interested, be they existing fans of totally fresh to the series. Despite some annoyances, each game run.

It’s an exceptional all-in-one package for those who have been considering jumping into the franchise. While it’s unfortunate that there’s a noticeable decline in the remaster job after the first Bioshock game, it’s still greatly improved from their original releases.

It's impossible not to recommend Bioshock The Collection to anyone who missed anything about this series, a whole game or even only one of the downloadable contents: yes, the three games are this good, and the work made on this remastered version is good, albeit not perfect. When all is said and done, we're talking about three of the better games of the last console generation.

While Bioshock The Collection offers a lot of content with three awesome games and every DLC, the absence of more extras and the lack of Bioshock 2’s multiplayer makes it "just" a well-crafted compilation.

BiShock: The Collections is a must have for those who haven't played the series yet. It offers what you can expect of a remaster, but it certainly lacks extra content.

There’s no denying that the Bioshock series is an ambitious one, and that it features some much loved/derided games. Bioshock Collection is the current definitive way to experience those games on consoles, but there’s little new for long-term fans beyond a bit of spit n’ polish.

BioShock The Collection brings the famous trilogy in the hands to the newcomers of the current generation. Despite some bugs, it's a must have, on consoles especially.

BioShock: The Collection is a good remaster, with graphics visibly improved. It includes all single-player content from the three games and that makes this collection perfect for those who have never played a BioShock in their life, but the lack of fresh new content makes it less suitable for longstanding fans.

As a veteran returning to play through the three games of BioShock: The Collection is a pleasure, but it’s a bit disappointing to watch the updates and behind-the-scenes content to each entry gradually decline. The original BioShock receives the greatest overhaul and flourishes with new textures and lighting that bring it almost up to modern standards, and a Ken Levine retrospective, while BioShock Infinite is essentially the PC version.

There’s always a man. There’s always a city. There’s always a lighthouse. And there’s always a reason to revisit one of the finest trilogies in the modern gaming.

A modern masterpiece flanked by an okay sequel and a round-off that still delights. This isn’t the Big Daddy of PS3 trilogies, but it’s a circus of value. [December 2016, p83]

Despite there being no real improvements or enhancements to any of these games, it is hard to deny the quality of these three games. The BioShock franchise consists of three of the best games we have seen in the past decade and these are the best versions you can get of them. There isn't much in new content but the base content of this collection alone is an incredible value.

Even when the stories drop the ball, the allegories make them invaluable parables for this year in particular.

BioShock The Collection combines the three 2K Games for a reasonable price. On top of that, the games are polished and upgraded to the standards of today. And that makes the games feel like new.

The games are probably a bit too young to be considered retro or nostalgic, (Infinite is only three years old), but they do bring with them a lot of fond memories. If you’ve never played them before, the series feels fresh and new.

As for extras that are included in BioShock: The Collection, BioShock is featured with Museum of Orphaned Concepts which was on the previous PS3 version, and the new director’s commentary in the form of golden reels. BioShock 2 has Minerva’s Den and Protector Trials DLC. BioShock Infinite has all episodic add-on content and weapon backs.

These are stories worth telling, and if you've somehow avoided all of the spoilers so far, taking a journey through Rapture and Columbia is a great way to spend a rainy weekend. But if you already own them, you don't need to double-dip outside of a deep sale and thus, a chance to venture into Minerva's Den.

BioShock: The Collection is just one iconic, influential game and its two excellent sequels packed together in one box. These kinds of games come around rarely, and if you’ve not played any of them, you absolutely should.

Bioshock the Collection is an incredible package quality-wise. 2K made some history of videogames with this series and offering it in a graphically improved package for the price of one AAA title feels just right.

BioShock: The Collection successfully brings three of the best games from the last-generation to the current-generation, but not without a few hiccups. Everything you loved, or hated, about the originals is still intact. The gameplay, art style, engrossing plots and the wondrous cities continue to provide plenty of incentive to give back into the ocean or fly into the skies. While Blind Squirrel Games has done a good job remastering the original BioShock for a new generation, it is disappointing to see the effort put into each entry decline.

BioShock: The Collection is the best way to experience the world of Rapture and Columbia. All three games and their DLC look great and, despite a slightly creaky port of the first game, perform well. Unfortunately, series veterans won't find anything new, meaning that the visual upgrade and the convenience of having everything pulled into one package are the only reasons to return to games that you may have already experienced multiple times.

Time has worn some holes in each games’ reputation, but these are still three of the most ambitious and daring action games of modern times.

The Collection’s biggest missed opportunity is that it doesn’t do much to win over players who have poured dozens of hours into these three games...but for anyone looking for the best versions of three exemplary games, look no further.

What really endures about BioShock is the beauty of the design. Rapture and Columbia are fantastic and very cohesively thought out, so they both feel like distinct but fully realised worlds.