The BioShock Collection: Is It Worth It?

Today sees the release of the BioShock Collection on PC, Xbox One, and PS4. Bringing the entire series to the current generation of consoles, all three games have been given a fresh lick of paint and have been remastered in 1080p. This helps those beautiful lighting effects and creepy hallways even more immersive than they did in their former versions. The question remains, though, is the BioShock Collection worth the $60 price tag?

First off, let’s give a full run down of what this collection brings to the table that’s new or players may not have experienced before. Aside from the already mentioned visuals, the Collection also comes complete with all additional bits of single player DLC for all games. Not only that, but there’s also a director’s commentary called ‘Imaging BioShock’. which features series creator Ken Levine, and lead artist Shawn Robertson.

In terms of the improved visuals, there have been a few more tweaks and added details as part of the 1080p remaster. Though it’s not going to be anything jaw-droppingly different, the visuals will help to bring the whole world to life that little bit more. Just whether or not these enhanced visuals and tweaks are worth it to you is entirely your opinion and currently, the best way to see it for yourself is with IGN’s comparison video between PS3 and PS4 footage. As you can see from the comparison, there are scenes that really benefit from the increased resolution and help to clear up those blurry textures, but others just don’t really look all that different. In fact, oddly enough, it actually looks like Infinite sees the biggest improvements jumping up to the full 1080p visuals. The brighter environment makes the most of the resolution enhancement and everything looks that little bit sharper.

Considering the game offers three excellent full-priced games from last generation that are now taking advantage of the additional horsepower of the new systems (as well as all of the DLC), it’s pretty safe to say that in terms of content, BioShock is surely offering plenty of bang for your buck. For newcomers to the series who have always been interested in diving into Rapture and taking to the skies of Columbia, now is the best time to do so. If you’re already a fan, however, it comes down more to how much of a fan are you.

It all comes down to just how much you enjoy the series. If you weren’t a big fan of exploring Rapture and Columbia back then, there’s nothing really here that’s going to change your mind now. However, someone who’s quite enamored with the series and loves losing themselves in the worlds that Levine and the rest of the team at Irrational Games created will find it hard to resist an even prettier version of the two dystopian cities. And to top it all off, the ‘Imaging BioShock’ commentary is more than likely going to be a welcome inclusion for hardcore fans who just can’t get enough tidbits of information on the series.

If you’re a newcomer seeking a couple of great, atmospheric titles with some masterful storytelling at work, then the BioShock Collection is more than worth the price tag. For those who have already played the series, however, it all comes down to whether or not you’re interested in revisiting the cities of Rapture and Columbia when some of the visual changes may not be all that noticeable. If you’ve been contemplating returning to the series and haven’t quite had the time to make your way through all of the DLC, then it’s probably worth it. Do remember, though, there’s a ton of games on the horizon in the coming months, so if you can only afford to pick up a select few, you may want to reconsider and pick up a brand new experience instead.