Revisit the lighthouse.

I can remember being in the zeitgeist when the first BioShock was released. It took everyone by storm, and dancing around the ridiculously clever twist when telling people about the game was difficult to do. It remains one of the defining moments of the previous console generation. Now, a whole new generation can experience that feeling, or just return to Rapture alongside its two sequels with this collection. Packing all three games and some visual upgrades, the BioShock Collection is certainly worthy of players’ time and money.

I’m not going to go into in-depth detail about each game. We actually have reviews for all three. Just know that BioShock was a masterpiece, BioShock 2 is the black sheep of the series, and Infinite takes on a whole new direction when it comes to setting. They are all great games, worthy of playing through, and all come with their own issues. The biggest are the control schemes.

MSRP: $59.99
Platforms: XB1 (reviewed), PS4
Price I’d Pay: $59.99

Players used to traditional FPS-style controls will be a bit disoriented with these games. The shooting is not the best in the genre, and jumping with the Y button feels awkward. Still once I got back into the swing, I was slinging plasmids and mowing down Splicers in no time.

It is worth noting that BioShock 2’s online mode has been completely removed from this collection. Not that anyone outside of myself and 12 other people cared, but it is still weird to see that piece entirely forgotten.

Unlike some other ports of last generation games, the BioShock Collection actually improves upon the original game. New textures and lighting have been added, giving the first two games a much more visual overhaul. Infinite was released recently enough that, on PC at least, it remains untouched, but for console owners this is the cleanest version of the game they have played yet.

The one thing that boggles my mind is the inconsistent frame rate. All three games suffer minor stuttering from time to time, which is nothing more than jarring as far as game play is concerned, but still confusing. The original BioShock is almost a decade old. Even with some spruced-up visuals, it should be running smooth as butter on these new consoles. Alas, this is a minor issue and never affects game play.

All three games also come with all of their DLC released over the years. This means the criminally overlooked Minerva’s Den is included, as are the story expansions to Infinite, Burial at Sea. There is a lot of game to be found in this collection, and revisiting these games after finishing them at their release has made me truly appreciate how much I love the world of BioShock.

For anyone that missed these games, this collection is a no-brainer. For those that left their old consoles behind, this is a great package that delivers these games how you remember them. Outside of a few technical hiccups this collection is up there as one of the best of this generation. All three games are worth playing, and returning to them only solidifies how much I truly want a new BioShock.

Review copy of game provided by publisher.