“Is a man not entitled to the sweat of his own brow?” This question, posed by undersea objectivist Andrew Ryan, has echoed across the past nine years, reminding gamers across the world of their first journey to Rapture, the underwater utopia-turned-nightmare in BioShock. Now 2K Games is asking gamers, “Would you kindly return to Rapture (and to Columbia) this fall?”, with the announcement that they will be remastering all three BioShock games on September 13 in the aptly titled BioShock: The Collection.
Developed by Irrational Games and published by 2K Games, BioShock is one of the most critically acclaimed games of all time, blending intelligent, mature storytelling with airtight, addictive gameplay mechanics to create a game that was not only incredibly fun to play, but felt like a coming of age for video games as an artistic medium. The game’s sequels, BioShock 2 and BioShock Infinite, may not have reached the staggering narrative heights of the first game, but they were also critically acclaimed in their own right, earning countless accolades.
Now, working in tandem with Blind Squirrel Games, 2K is remastering BioShock, BioShock 2, and BioShock Infinite for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. The package, which retails for $59.99, is a veritable circus of value, collecting the core games, the single-player DLC for all three titles, and a brand new behind-the-scenes video series entitled Director’s Commentary: Imagining BioShock,” featuring series creator Ken Levine.
There were a few notable disclaimers included in the announcement, though. The collected edition will not include BioShock 2‘s multiplayer mode, so you’ll have to go with the old school edition if that’s your jam. The press release also notes that BioShock Infinite will not be remastered on PC because “it already meets current-gen console standards and runs smoothly on high visual settings.” So, that’s great news if you’re rocking a high-end PC and can run the 2013 game on ultra high graphical settings, and even better news if you’re a console gamer yearning to see the game in blistering high definition.
BioShock: The Collection comes to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and digital PC on September 13 in North America; September 15 in Australia; and internationally on September 16.
Will you be picking up BioShock: The Collection this fall? Let us know in the comments below.
Image: 2K Games
Dan Casey is the senior editor of Nerdist and the author of books about Star Wars and the Avengers. Follow him on Twitter (@Osteoferocious).