BioShock: The Collection Bringing Revamped Rapture
Revisit a revamped Rapture
Rapture is still one of my favourite video game places, and I'm quite keen to return to it all fancied-up. Following a string of leaks, publishers 2K today announced BioShock: The Collection [official site]. It's coming our way in September with all three BioShock games and their singleplayer DLC plus a video series with words from sweet Ken Levine. Most notably, the first two are being revamped - though 2K say Binfinite is pretty enough already. It is quite pretty, that's true. Here, catch a few glimpses at the nice improved Rapture in this announcement trailer:
"The weapons, plasmids, levels, and character models that shocked you years ago have been reskinned and retextured to look better than ever," according to today's announcement.
It looks like another of those cases where games are being revamped primarily to bring them all fancy to a new console generation, and we get the improved versions on the side. Which, sure, peachy.
[Update: Folks who own the originals will get the updated versions free. 2K say, "if you already own BioShock, BioShock 2, and/or Minerva's Den on Steam, you will be able to upgrade to the remastered version of the respective title(s) for free after release. It's a circus of values!"]
So! What's included? BioShock the first comes with the 'Challenge Rooms' and 'Museum of Orphaned Concepts' DLC packs, which haven't been on PC before. Challenge Rooms is, y'know, some challenge rooms but the Museum is an interesting one. It's a space you can wander, peering at concept art and early models that didn't make it into the final game - or not in their final form. Also included is the "never-before-seen" video series Director's Commentary: Imagining BioShock, which has boss BioMan Ken Levine and animator Shawn Robertson.
BioShock 2 does not include the game's multiplayer side, which wasn't great but did have some nice ideas. It's a shame they haven't included your little multiplayer apartment hub in some way - especially when the Museum of Orphaned Concepts is right there in the other game. Anyway, what is included is the 'Protector Trials' combat challenges DLC and the excellent mini-campaign Minerva's Den.
Then Binfinite comes with both parts of the Burial at Sea DLC, which returns to Rapture in a side-story, along with the 'Clash in the Clouds' DLC challenges and the 'Columbia's Finest Pack' bundle of pre-order bonus upgrades and trinkets.
"BioShock Infinite is not being remastered on PC because it already meets current-gen console standards and runs smoothly on high visual settings," 2K say.
BioShock: The Collection is due in North America on September 13th, in Australia on September 15th, then elsewhere September 16th. Looks like it'll be a full-price $59.99 dealio. I'd get all #nooceans but Binfinite teaches us quite clearly that there are always oceans, endless oceans.
I do like this artwork:
[Disclosure: I've been pally with some of the folks who made Minerva's Den. To be honest, these days I'm a bit troubled by stories of e.g. hurling Steve Gaynor to the pavement in Leicester Square then sitting on him. I've calmed down a lot since then and the disconnect between selves is a bit weird.]