Gamescom 2016: BioShock: The Collection Wants You to Kindly Head Back to Rapture
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Tuesday, August 30, 2016 @ 05:43 PM
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Tuesday, August 30, 2016 @ 06:43 PM
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Tuesday, August 30, 2016
BioShock and its sequels are among the best games ever made; it’s as simple as that. And this bundle includes all three titles plus all of their accompanying DLC. It seems like a no-brainer really. Having said that the first game came out way back in 2007 so can it really hold up against the big hitters of today? We went hands on with the complete BioShock: The Collection, messed around under the hood and had a look at just what you can expect.
First of all the remasters look great. All three games have been rebuilt to run at 60fps in 1080p (assuming they didn’t already) and the graphical overhaul is obvious. We went back and played the old Xbox 360 versions just to be sure and the differences are easy to spot. First of all the game obviously runs a lot smoother, but there has also been a lot of texture work done as well. Character and enemy models look a lot better, far less blocky than their original counterparts, and animations have been improved and smoothed out.
The best enhancement comes in the form of improved texture details, adding tons of depth to previously stale backdrops in some areas. Water, particle and flame effects are also a lot prettier to look at too, and the lighting in the first two games is far more subtle rather than just having blocky pools of impenetrable darkness to get lost in. All three games look superb, though BioShock Infinite hasn’t had much done to it due to how recent it was. It already ran pretty much perfectly. However, Rapture has been brushed up to look its absolute best, enough to make the return trip seem worthwhile at least.
Nonetheless, while the graphics overhaul is well done it remains a subtle set of enhancements. The overall gameplay and story of BioShock is identical to what you may remember, as the stories have not been tinkered with and the great voice work is still present and correct. It’s easy to remember just how great some of the characters were and enjoy it afresh.
That being said the combat still lags behind the story in terms of consistency and merit. The weapons never feel like they have any heft to them and you’ll find yourself using the same few guns and plasmids for almost every situation. Sure it’s fun enough, but takes a back seat to merely enjoying the location and seeing what’s around the next corner.
While it would be enough to get all three games for a low price, it’s nice that the team has seen fit to pack all of the DLC in here including some that players may have missed the first time around. Sure the multiplayer aspect of BioShock 2 is missing, which is a shame from a completeness perspective as it was never as bad as people made out, but most of the rest is top notch.
The challenge modes from the original BioShock are forgettable, as are the Protector Trials from the sequel and Clash in the Clouds, while diverting, added nothing to the plot of Infinite. The real jewels here are Minerva’s Den from BioShock 2, Burial at Sea from Infinite and the Director's Commentary for the games from Ken Levine himself. All of the story DLC is first class, some of the best released for any game, and the commentaries give a lot of insight into the making of the series as a whole. Well worth a listen.
So as a package, one offered at below full RRP no less, BioShock: The Collection is a must buy for anyone that may have missed BioShock first time around. If you’ve played all three games before then the graphical improvements may not be enough to tempt you, as for the most part the game looks and plays identically. It might not be worth shelling out just for some remastered visuals. Of course, you also have the chance to earn some sweet, sweet achievements all over again and the trip back to Rapture, especially after so long, may well be a tantalising prospect. Choices, choices then – but that’s always been what BioShock was all about.
BioShock: The Collection is out for Xbox One, PS4 and PC on 13th September in North America and 16th September in Europe.