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BioShock: The Collection

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BioShock: The Collection
Developer(s)Blind Squirrel Games[a]
Publisher(s)2K Games
SeriesBioShock
Platform(s)PlayStation 4
Xbox One
Windows
macOS
Nintendo Switch
Release
September 13, 2016
  • PlayStation 4, Xbox One
    • NA: September 13, 2016
    • WW: September 15, 2016
  • Windows
    • WW: September 16, 2016
  • macOS
    • WW: August 22, 2017
  • Nintendo Switch
    • WW: May 29, 2020
Genre(s)First-person shooter
Mode(s)Single-player

BioShock: The Collection is a compilation of the BioShock video games, developed by Blind Squirrel Games and published by 2K Games. The Collection features upgraded versions of BioShock, BioShock 2, and BioShock Infinite, with new textures and support for higher resolution displays and framerates. The compilation was released in September 2016 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows; versions for macOS and Nintendo Switch followed in August 2017 and May 2020, respectively.

A remaster of the BioShock series was widely rumored for years before its official announcement. After its release, the game was updated to address bugs and crashes. Critical reception of The Collection was generally positive, with praise focusing on the value of the collection and its appeal for new players of the franchise. Complaints included the relative lack of updates to later games in the collection, and technical performance. The game was a bestselling title in the United States and United Kingdom in its initial months of release.

Contents

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BioShock: The Collection contains all three titles in the BioShock series: BioShock, BioShock 2, and BioShock Infinite.[1] The games are first-person shooters, with a focus on story and character customization.[2][3] Players wield guns and superpower-granting genetic modifications called Plasmids.[4][5] Also included in the collection are the games' single-player content originally released as exclusives or downloadable content packs, including BioShock 2: Minerva's Den and BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea. The multiplayer component of BioShock 2 is not included.[1] It includes the challenge game modes from all three releases, and the Museum of Orphaned Concepts, a feature from an earlier collection in which the player explores an in-game gallery of abandoned development concepts.[6]

BioShock and BioShock 2 were remastered for the collection, with higher-resolution textures and new effects. The collection adds a director's commentary called Imagining BioShock, featuring the series' creative director Ken Levine and lead artist Shawn Robertson. Players unlock episodes of the commentary by finding new collectible objects added to the remastered BioShock.[7][8] The remastered games run in 1080p resolution at 60 frames per second on Xbox One and PlayStation 4.[9]

Development and release

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Blind Squirrel Games, who previously worked with BioShock series developers Irrational Games on BioShock Infinite,[10] assisted series producer 2K Games with development of the remastered collection. 2K decided not to remaster the Windows edition of BioShock Infinite, which already met their graphical standards for the updated console editions when using its highest graphical settings.[9] News of the remastered collection leaked from retailers and trademarks several times in advance of its June 2016 announcement.[11][1]

The collection was released on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One platforms in North America on September 13, 2016, and worldwide two days later, on September 15, 2016.[12] The collection was released for Windows on September 15, 2016, and its remastered versions of BioShock and BioShock 2 were given as upgrades for those who owned the original Windows PC editions.[13] A macOS version published by Feral Interactive released on August 22, 2017.[14] Also produced was a limited run of 450 "Ultra Limited Edition" copies of the game which included an art book, reversible poster, and coin.[15] The Xbox One and PlayStation 4 retail release is spread across 2 discs.[16]

On release, players of the Windows versions noted that the remastered versions of the games retained bugs and removed graphic options without tweaking configuration files.[17][18] 2K acknowledged issues with the game,[19] and subsequently released a patch in early October 2016 to address a lack of graphics options, crashes, better monitor support and mouse controls.[20][21]

In 2020, enhancement patches were released to increase the resolution of the games when played on Xbox One X and PlayStation 4 Pro. The patch boosted the resolution of the first two games to 1440p on PS4 Pro and 2160p on Xbox One X, and 1440p for both consoles for Infinite.[22] The collection was also released on the Nintendo Switch in May. It maintains the upgraded assets for the remasters of BioShock and BioShock 2, and runs at 1080p at 30 frames per second when docked, dropping to 720p in portable mode.[23][24]

Reception

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BioShock: The Collection received "generally favorable" reviews according to video game review aggregator Metacritic, with platform scores between 80 and 84 out of 100.[25][26][27][28] Critics generally recommended the collection for players unfamiliar with the franchise, as well as returning players,[29][33] though others, such as IGN's Jonathon Dornbush, felt that the collection's appeal to longtime players was less clear.[30][34]

Game Revolution's Peter Paras praised the updated visuals for the first two games, although they also noted that they felt dated graphically compared to modern games.[29] While reviews generally noted improved performance on most games,[30] others highlighted frame rate inconsistencies that Infinite still suffered from.[33][34][35] The games' atmosphere was regarded to have remained intact and effective, beyond the aging of the graphics themselves.[36][34]

Nintendo Life noted that the earlier game's lack of more recent genre conventions such as aim down sights or sprinting gave them a decidedly "old school" feel that took time to get acclimated to.[32] More critically, Insider Gamer's Derek Taal said that the gameplay of the early games had aged poorly, and occasionally proved frustrating.[34] Dornbush and others lamented that most of the improvements were for the first BioShock and the subsequent titles received less attention.[30][29][33][35] Other criticisms included inconsistent controls between games[37] and audiovisual glitches.[34][35]

The game was the first best-selling retail video game in the United Kingdom in its week of release in competition with seven other new releases.[38] Sales dropped by 50% in its second week, but it maintained its top position on the charts.[39] It dropped to fourth place the following week, and out of the top 10 games the next.[40][41] In the United States, the collection was the fifth best-selling title of September according to NPD Group, before dropping out of the top ten the following month.[42][43]

References

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  1. ^ BioShock was developed by 2K Boston and 2K Australia, BioShock 2 by 2K Marin, and BioShock Infinite by Irrational Games.
  1. ^ a b c Alexander, Julia (June 30, 2016). "BioShock: The Collection officially announced". Polygon. Vox Media. Retrieved June 30, 2016.
  2. ^ Gerstmann, Jeff (August 22, 2007). "BioShock Review". GameSpot. Red Ventures. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  3. ^ Sterling, Jim (February 8, 2010). "Review: BioShock 2". Destructoid. Enthusiast Gaming. Archived from the original on September 18, 2020. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  4. ^ Westgarth, Michael (February 12, 2014). "Science inches closer to real BioShock-style plasmids". Ars Technica. Condé Nast. Archived from the original on January 9, 2020. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  5. ^ Barratt, Charlie (August 17, 2007). "BioShock Plasmid Guide". GamesRadar+. Future Publishing. Archived from the original on January 3, 2020. Retrieved January 3, 2020.
  6. ^ Conditt, Jessica (June 30, 2016). "'BioShock: The Collection' hits PS4, Xbox One and PC in September". Engadget. Verizon Media. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  7. ^ McKlusky, Kevin (August 29, 2016). "The new BioShock collection features developer commentary". Destructoid. Enthusiast Gaming. Archived from the original on September 24, 2016. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  8. ^ Gurwin, Gabe (August 29, 2016). "'BioShock: The Collection' gives you even more to collect". Digital Trends. Designtechnica. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  9. ^ a b Goldfarb, Andrew (June 30, 2016). "BioShock: The Collection Officially Confirmed, Release Date and Trailer Revealed". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved June 30, 2016.
  10. ^ Pagat, Mat (June 30, 2016). "BioShock Remastered Collection Confirmed for PS4, Xbox One, and PC". GameSpot. Retrieved June 30, 2016.
  11. ^ Schreier, Jason (June 30, 2016). "BioShock Collection Leaks (Yet Again) [UPDATE: Official]". Kotaku. Retrieved June 30, 2016.
  12. ^ Frank, Allegra (September 12, 2016). "BioShock: The Collection to keep PC players waiting just a little longer". Polygon. Vox Media. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  13. ^ Nunneley, Stephany (June 30, 2016). "Those who own BioShock or BioShock 2 on Steam get remaster upgrade free". VG247. videogaming247 Ltd. Retrieved June 30, 2016.
  14. ^ Broussard, Michael (August 22, 2017). "'BioShock Remastered' Launches for macOS Computers on Steam, Mac App Store Coming Soon". MacRumors. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  15. ^ Goldfarb, Andrew (September 14, 2016). "Unboxing BioShock: The Collection's Ultra Limited Edition". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  16. ^ Sarkar, Samit (August 17, 2016). "BioShock: The Collection seems like a worthwhile return to Rapture". Polygon. Vox Media. Retrieved August 17, 2016.
  17. ^ Meer, Alec (September 16, 2016). "Atlas Sighs: BioShock Remastered PC Is A Bit Of A Mess". Rock Paper Shotgun. Gamer Network. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  18. ^ Paget, Mat (September 16, 2016). "BioShock PC Remasters Having Issues; Only Slightly Better, Steam Reviews Say". GameSpot. Red Ventures. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  19. ^ Te, Zorine (September 20, 2016). "BioShock PC Remaster Issues Being Addressed, Says 2K". GameSpot. Red Ventures. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  20. ^ Phillips, Tom (October 7, 2016). "BioShock Collection PC patch takes aim at mouse, graphical issues". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Retrieved October 7, 2016.
  21. ^ Paget, Mat (October 7, 2016). "New BioShock PC Remasters Patch Fixes Multiple Issues". GameSpot. Red Ventures. Retrieved October 7, 2016.
  22. ^ Battaglia, Alex (June 4, 2020). "BioShock: The Collection gets upgraded for PS4 Pro and Xbox One X - and the results disappoint". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  23. ^ Morgan, Thomas (June 6, 2020). "BioShock: The Collection for Switch - classic games get a solid remaster". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
  24. ^ Carpenter, Nicole (March 26, 2020). "BioShock, Borderlands games coming to Nintendo Switch in May". Polygon. Vox Media. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  25. ^ a b "BioShock: The Collection for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic. Red Ventures. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
  26. ^ a b "BioShock: The Collection for Xbox One Reviews". Metacritic. Red Ventures. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
  27. ^ a b "BioShock: The Collection for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Red Ventures. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
  28. ^ a b "BioShock: The Collection for Switch Reviews". Metacritic. Red Ventures. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  29. ^ a b c d Paras, Peter (September 21, 2016). "Bioshock: The Collection Review". Game Revolution. CraveOnline. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
  30. ^ a b c d Dornbush, Jonathon (September 13, 2016). "BioShock: The Collection Review". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
  31. ^ Bell, Alice (September 15, 2016). "BioShock: The Collection Review". VideoGamer. Resero Network. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
  32. ^ a b Vogel, Mitch (June 8, 2020). "BioShock: The Collection Review (Switch)". Nintendo Life. Gamer Network. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  33. ^ a b c Andrews, Stuart (September 16, 2016). "BioShock: The Collection review – The best way to play". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  34. ^ a b c d e Taal, Derek (September 24, 2016). "BioShock Collection Review: Atlas Shrugs". InsideGamer.nl (in Dutch). Reshift Digital. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  35. ^ a b c Brown, Matt (September 30, 2016). "BioShock Collection Review". Windows Central. Future plc. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  36. ^ White, Sam (September 21, 2016). "BioShock: The Collection Review—A Wonder to Revisit Rapture". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  37. ^ Pillon, Thomas (June 30, 2020). "BioShock The Collection (Switch)". Gameblog.fr (in French). E-Borealis. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  38. ^ Hussain, Tamoor (September 19, 2016). "Top 10 UK Sales Chart: BioShock The Collection Debuts at No.1". GameSpot. Red Ventures. Retrieved September 19, 2016.
  39. ^ Staff (September 26, 2016). "BioShock: The Collection claims second UK No.1". MCV. Biz Media. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  40. ^ Hebblethwaite, Luke (October 10, 2016). "'FIFA 17' holds on to No.1 ahead of 2K's 'Mafia III'". UKIE.org. The Association for UK Interactive Entertainment. Archived from the original on January 2, 2017. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  41. ^ Hebblethwaite, Luke (October 17, 2016). "EA's 'FIFA 17' tops the chart for a third consecutive week". UKIE.org. The Association for UK Interactive Entertainment. Archived from the original on October 23, 2016. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  42. ^ Grubb, Jeff (October 20, 2016). "September 2016 NPD: NBA, NFL, FIFA, and NHL top the sales chart". VentureBeat. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  43. ^ Hillier, Brenna (November 21, 2016). "Battlefield 1 was the best-selling game in a month with a 36% year-on-year software spike – October NPD". VG247. videogaming247 Ltd. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
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