It’s been nine years since the release of the original Bioshock on PC and Xbox 360, six since Bioshock 2 and only three since Bioshock Infinite and fans are lusting after a new story in the Bioshock universe. Unfortunately, the world did not get a brand new story this September but fans were treated to Bioshock: The Collection, which is a remaster of the three Bioshock games with their entire single player DLC on just two discs. Brought to next gen consoles and PC in full 1080p, 60 fps and updated graphics, and now it’s finally time to return to Rapture and Columbia.

The obvious order to play the games is starting with the first Bioshock, which has the biggest difference in graphics and visuals seeing as it was released early into the life span of the 360 and PS3 consoles. The first Bioshock takes place in the underwater city of Rapture, built by a man named Andrew Ryan. The story starts off with the silent protagonist Jack in a plane as it suddenly crashes in the middle of the sea. Swimming to an odd lighthouse in the middle of the ocean our hero enters a bathysphere, a single person submarine, and descends into the city of Rapture. Facing off enemies who have gene spliced powers and monstrous beings who are permanently sealed in an early era dive suit, known as a Big Daddy, tasked with guarding little girls aptly named Little Sisters who harvest Adam which is used to purchase the powers for yourself. Jack now has to escape the city of Rapture and find out why he’s here. A majority of the bugs that were in the initial release of the game have been removed. This isn’t to say the game is without problems. In my play-through I had a one or two crashes and some strange enemy wall clipping issues but nothing that heavily impacted the gameplay.

Bioshock 2 is a direct story sequel to the original game but does not carry over the main character. The new silent protagonist Subject Delta, a precursor to the standard Big Daddy, wakes up ten years after the events of the first Bioshock game. Rapture is in ruins and the only thing he can remember is that the Little Sister he was tasked with protecting has gone missing, stolen from him by Eleanor Lamb. Once again running through splicers and Big Daddies to save not only himself but also the Little Sister he was originally bonded too. There’s not a big graphical difference between these two but there are subtle differences between the remaster and original release that only the most hardcore fan would truly notice. My time spent playing Bioshock 2 I didn’t notice any bugs or experience any crashes, however the original release was also very polished compared to release of the first game. The single player DLC that comes packaged is some of the best content story-wise and is often said to be better than the main game’s story.

Rounding out the collection is Bioshock Infinite, the most recent Bioshock game and is the best received of the three. Being the most recent release any visual updates are not obvious as the visuals were already pretty great. The story starts off with a well-spoken protagonist, Booker DeWitt, riding in a rowboat towards a lighthouse. He is tasked with finding a girl, Elizabeth, and rescuing her from the city of Columbia. This time the city is up in the sky and in control of a deranged preacher. The enemies in this game are a bit different than previous, as it is not longer something spliced with your genes that give you your powers it’s a drink called Vigor. The enemies are similar in that they use powers but are not as deformed looking and more like workers and security guards. Infinite also comes with a few lengthy DLCs with one tying back into the original stories of Rapture and what happened to it after the events of Bioshock 2.

Overall, this remaster is wonderful but a bit early in the sense that fans were hoping for new stories and just repacking the game with a fancy new coat of polish on it. This isn’t to say that the game is bad by any means, they stories are wonderfully crafted and truly immerse the player in the worlds they build, evoking deep emotions and connections to the people you meet in game. Priced at $59.99, it’s pretty average release but each game really breaks down to about $20 each with all the extra content. Bioshock The Collection will definitely hold fans over until a new entry in the series and really showed us what is possible on the next gen consoles.

Bioshock the Collection gets 4 out of 5 stars.

October free games

Xbox One: Super Mega Baseball: Extra Innings, The Escapists, MX vs. ATV: Reflex and I Am Alive

PlayStation 4: Resident Evil and Transformers: Devastation