This September each instalment, and their DLC, will be remastered and packaged in a single release priced at $60 or your local equivalent.
This September each instalment, and their DLC, will be remastered and packaged in a single release priced at $60 or your local equivalent.
Fans of the BioShock franchise have reason to be a little bit more cheerful this evening. 2K Games, publishers of each installment and parent of developers Irrational Games, have confirmed today that the entire franchise is being remastered for the next generation consoles and (with the exception of Infinite) PC.
In co-operation with Blind Squirrel Games, 2K have given each title a visual upgrade to meet next-generation console standards. BioShock Infinite was one of the most visually stunning games released in the last fews years, and bringing that level of fidelity to the dark environs of pre-fall Rapture will be a highly impactful experience to anyone who was eager to pick up the game but put off with legacy weaknesses. That’s especially the case on PC, where current releases of BioShock 1 & 2 often require workarounds to play correctly.
Whilst next-gen consoles are the obvious focus for this remaster, PC versions will hopefully now include adaptations for improved keyboard/mouse control, texture quality and general graphical settings. BioShock Infinite in particular was a significant cut above the previous releases in this regard.
BioShock: The Collection will be available on September 13th 2016 and include all three of the original games and their respective DLC (with the exception of BioShock 2’s multiplayer content). The package will be priced at $60, which given the current direction of Sterling could wind up being closer to £100 on release.
Contents:
BioShock
– The video series, “Director’s Commentary: Imagining BioShock,” featuring Ken Levine, creative director on BioShock and BioShock Infinite and Shawn Robertson, animation lead on BioShock and animation director on BioShock Infinite.
– Museum of Orphaned Concepts: Walk through a Rapture-inspired virtual museum that gives you a behind-the-scenes look at discarded concepts that never made it into the original game.
– Challenge Rooms: Outside the story of BioShock, tackle puzzles, splicers and Big Daddies. And achievements, of course.
BioShock 2 (**Multiplayer will not be included)
– Minerva’s Den: A self-contained BioShock story, presenting a side of Rapture you’ve never seen before. Use expanded combat abilities with the experimental Ion Laser and chaotic Gravity Well Plasmid, unique to Minerva’s Den, as you face off against the Lancer Big Daddy.
– Protector Trials: Take control of an Alpha Series Big Daddy woken out of hibernation just before the events of BioShock 2.
BioShock Infinite
– Burial at Sea – Episode 1 & 2 Add-On Packs: This major two-part DLC pack completes the BioShock trilogy by taking the series back to where it all began. Return to Rapture just before the events of the original BioShock!
– Clash in the Clouds Add-On Pack: Face 60 waves of challenges across four additional maps for leaderboard glory and unlock areas to explore in The Columbian Archaeological Society hub museum.
– Columbia’s Finest Pack: Combines the contents of the Industrial Revolution Pack and the Upgrade Pack and includes 500 Silver Eagles, five Lock Picks, six unique Gear items, and two weapon upgrades: Comstock’s China Broom Shotgun and Comstock’s Eagle Eye Sniper Rifle.
– The video series, “Director’s Commentary: Imagining BioShock,” featuring Ken Levine, creative director on BioShock and BioShock Infinite and Shawn Robertson, animation lead on BioShock and animation director on BioShock Infinite.
– Museum of Orphaned Concepts: Walk through a Rapture-inspired virtual museum that gives you a behind-the-scenes look at discarded concepts that never made it into the original game.
– Challenge Rooms: Outside the story of BioShock, tackle puzzles, splicers and Big Daddies. And achievements, of course.
BioShock 2 (**Multiplayer will not be included)
– Minerva’s Den: A self-contained BioShock story, presenting a side of Rapture you’ve never seen before. Use expanded combat abilities with the experimental Ion Laser and chaotic Gravity Well Plasmid, unique to Minerva’s Den, as you face off against the Lancer Big Daddy.
– Protector Trials: Take control of an Alpha Series Big Daddy woken out of hibernation just before the events of BioShock 2.
BioShock Infinite
– Burial at Sea – Episode 1 & 2 Add-On Packs: This major two-part DLC pack completes the BioShock trilogy by taking the series back to where it all began. Return to Rapture just before the events of the original BioShock!
– Clash in the Clouds Add-On Pack: Face 60 waves of challenges across four additional maps for leaderboard glory and unlock areas to explore in The Columbian Archaeological Society hub museum.
– Columbia’s Finest Pack: Combines the contents of the Industrial Revolution Pack and the Upgrade Pack and includes 500 Silver Eagles, five Lock Picks, six unique Gear items, and two weapon upgrades: Comstock’s China Broom Shotgun and Comstock’s Eagle Eye Sniper Rifle.
