Aug 17, 2016
BioShock Original And Remastered Graphics Comparison
BioShock™ - contact@rockpapershotgun.com (Philippa Warr)

So I can’t play the original BioShock because I can’t deal with injections at all. I played Binfinite, though, and that was better, although I think some of the DLC is perhaps not my cup of tea in terms of icky moments. That’s why I’m now watching the BioShock: The Collection Remastered [official site] trailer through my fingers, ready to cover my eyes at any moment should a needle make a sudden appearance:

… [visit site to read more]

Jul 11, 2016
The RPG Scrollbars: The Rise And Fall Of Audio Logs
BioShock™ - contact@rockpapershotgun.com (Richard Cobbett)

“Day 4. I’ve looked everywhere, but I can’t find anything to eat or a clue to get me off the ship. Just… more audiologs! They’re everywhere! For some reason I keep listening to every minute of every one thinking there’ll be some useful information but… they’re just filler! Filler that’s driving me to madness!”> – South Park: The Stick Of Truth

It’s hard to argue. They’re kinda dumb. But I’m still fond of this stupid little trope.

… [visit site to read more]

Jun 30, 2016
Remembering Citadel: System Shock versus System Shock Reboot
BioShock™ - contact@rockpapershotgun.com (Alec Meer)

Suddenly, we have an embarrassment of System Shock riches. First System Shock Enhanced, then a Warren Spector-augmented System Shock 3, and now System Shock Reboot, a total remastering of the first game. It’s just poor old System Shock 2 that’s left in the cold, as EA jealously guard the rights to the sci-horror series’ most acclaimed instalment. That’s another day’s concern, though: right now, let’s talk about the free alpha demo released to promote System Shock Reboot’s Kickstarter. When they say ‘reimagining’, just how much similarity and how much change does that actually mean? It’s compare and contrast time, chums. … [visit site to read more]

Jun 30, 2016
BioShock: The Collection Bringing Revamped Rapture
BioShock™ - contact@rockpapershotgun.com (Alice O'Connor)

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:

… [visit site to read more]

Jun 30, 2016
Remastered BioShock: The Collection Coming to PC on September 15, 2016
BioShock® 2 - Grimm


Three BioShock games. All of the single-player DLC. Remastered for modern machines. One value packed bundle.

It’s been nine years since Irrational Games and 2K took you on a terrifying journey to the depths of the underwater city of Rapture with BioShock. Five years since you returned to Rapture in BioShock 2. Three years since you grabbed a skyhook and sailed across the floating city of Columbia in BioShock Infinite. And on September 15, 2016 (September 15 in Australia and September 16 internationally), you can relive these award-winning adventures or experience them for the very first time remastered for current-gen consoles and digital PC with BioShock: The Collection.

Working with Blind Squirrel Games, we’ve remastered BioShock, BioShock 2, and BioShock Infinite making them look better than ever*. BioShock: The Collection brings the three titles together for the first time, complete with all single-player DLC** and a never-before-seen video series, “Director’s Commentary: Imagining BioShock,” which includes insights from Ken Levine – over $100 of content – for only $59.99. It’s a circus of values! And 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!

If you’ve never experienced the series before, now is the time to play it and see for yourself why the award-winning BioShock franchise has topped countless “Best-Of” lists and garnered more than 125 awards including two BAFTA honors, as well as many Best of E3, Best of Gamescom, and Game of the Year accolades from respected outlets such as IGN, GameSpot, Game Informer, and many more. The weapons, plasmids, levels, and character models that shocked you years ago have been reskinned and retextured to look better than ever. On top of that, all single-player DLC created for all three games comes loaded in one package. The bundled content for BioShock: The Collection includes:



  • BioShock
    • The video series, “Director’s Commentary: Imagining BioShock,” featuring Ken Levine, creative director on BioShock and BioShock Infinite and Shawn Robertson, animation lead on BioShock and animation director on BioShock Infinite.
    • Museum of Orphaned Concepts: Walk through a Rapture-inspired virtual museum that gives you a behind-the-scenes look at discarded concepts that never made it into the original game.
    • Challenge Rooms: Outside the story of BioShock, tackle puzzles, splicers and Big Daddies. And achievements, of course.



  • BioShock 2 (**Multiplayer will not be included)
    • Minerva’s Den: A self-contained BioShock story, presenting a side of Rapture you've never seen before. Use expanded combat abilities with the experimental Ion Laser and chaotic Gravity Well Plasmid, unique to Minerva's Den, as you face off against the Lancer Big Daddy.
    • Protector Trials: Take control of an Alpha Series Big Daddy woken out of hibernation just before the events of BioShock 2.



  • BioShock Infinite
    • Burial at Sea - Episode 1 & 2 Add-On Packs: This major two-part DLC pack completes the BioShock trilogy by taking the series back to where it all began. Return to Rapture just before the events of the original BioShock!
    • Clash in the Clouds Add-On Pack: Face 60 waves of challenges across four additional maps for leaderboard glory and unlock areas to explore in The Columbian Archaeological Society hub museum.
    • Columbia's Finest Pack: Combines the contents of the Industrial Revolution Pack and the Upgrade Pack and includes 500 Silver Eagles, five Lock Picks, six unique Gear items, and two weapon upgrades: Comstock’s China Broom Shotgun and Comstock’s Eagle Eye Sniper Rifle.

In short, BioShock: The Collection offers more than $100 of content remastered for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and digital PC for only $59.99.

Remember: A man chooses. A slave obeys. So, would you kindly follow the new @BioShock handle on Twitter, visit us on Facebook or go to the webpage and prepare for a remastered BioShock experience?

BioShock: The Collection for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC will be available in North America on September 15, Australia on September 15, and internationally on September 16.

*BioShock Infinite is not being remastered on PC because it already meets current-gen console standards and runs smoothly on high visual settings.
**BioShock: The Collection will not include BioShock 2 multiplayer.

This post has been updated to reflect the change in the PC launch date.
Jun 30, 2016
Remastered BioShock: The Collection Coming to PC on September 15, 2016
BioShock® 2 - Grimm


Three BioShock games. All of the single-player DLC. Remastered for modern machines. One value packed bundle.

It’s been nine years since Irrational Games and 2K took you on a terrifying journey to the depths of the underwater city of Rapture with BioShock. Five years since you returned to Rapture in BioShock 2. Three years since you grabbed a skyhook and sailed across the floating city of Columbia in BioShock Infinite. And on September 15, 2016 (September 15 in Australia and September 16 internationally), you can relive these award-winning adventures or experience them for the very first time remastered for current-gen consoles and digital PC with BioShock: The Collection.

Working with Blind Squirrel Games, we’ve remastered BioShock, BioShock 2, and BioShock Infinite making them look better than ever*. BioShock: The Collection brings the three titles together for the first time, complete with all single-player DLC** and a never-before-seen video series, “Director’s Commentary: Imagining BioShock,” which includes insights from Ken Levine – over $100 of content – for only $59.99. It’s a circus of values! And 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!

If you’ve never experienced the series before, now is the time to play it and see for yourself why the award-winning BioShock franchise has topped countless “Best-Of” lists and garnered more than 125 awards including two BAFTA honors, as well as many Best of E3, Best of Gamescom, and Game of the Year accolades from respected outlets such as IGN, GameSpot, Game Informer, and many more. The weapons, plasmids, levels, and character models that shocked you years ago have been reskinned and retextured to look better than ever. On top of that, all single-player DLC created for all three games comes loaded in one package. The bundled content for BioShock: The Collection includes:



  • BioShock
    • The video series, “Director’s Commentary: Imagining BioShock,” featuring Ken Levine, creative director on BioShock and BioShock Infinite and Shawn Robertson, animation lead on BioShock and animation director on BioShock Infinite.
    • Museum of Orphaned Concepts: Walk through a Rapture-inspired virtual museum that gives you a behind-the-scenes look at discarded concepts that never made it into the original game.
    • Challenge Rooms: Outside the story of BioShock, tackle puzzles, splicers and Big Daddies. And achievements, of course.



  • BioShock 2 (**Multiplayer will not be included)
    • Minerva’s Den: A self-contained BioShock story, presenting a side of Rapture you've never seen before. Use expanded combat abilities with the experimental Ion Laser and chaotic Gravity Well Plasmid, unique to Minerva's Den, as you face off against the Lancer Big Daddy.
    • Protector Trials: Take control of an Alpha Series Big Daddy woken out of hibernation just before the events of BioShock 2.



  • BioShock Infinite
    • Burial at Sea - Episode 1 & 2 Add-On Packs: This major two-part DLC pack completes the BioShock trilogy by taking the series back to where it all began. Return to Rapture just before the events of the original BioShock!
    • Clash in the Clouds Add-On Pack: Face 60 waves of challenges across four additional maps for leaderboard glory and unlock areas to explore in The Columbian Archaeological Society hub museum.
    • Columbia's Finest Pack: Combines the contents of the Industrial Revolution Pack and the Upgrade Pack and includes 500 Silver Eagles, five Lock Picks, six unique Gear items, and two weapon upgrades: Comstock’s China Broom Shotgun and Comstock’s Eagle Eye Sniper Rifle.

In short, BioShock: The Collection offers more than $100 of content remastered for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and digital PC for only $59.99.

Remember: A man chooses. A slave obeys. So, would you kindly follow the new @BioShock handle on Twitter, visit us on Facebook or go to the webpage and prepare for a remastered BioShock experience?

BioShock: The Collection for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC will be available in North America on September 15, Australia on September 15, and internationally on September 16.

*BioShock Infinite is not being remastered on PC because it already meets current-gen console standards and runs smoothly on high visual settings.
**BioShock: The Collection will not include BioShock 2 multiplayer.

This post has been updated to reflect the change in the PC launch date.
Jun 30, 2016
Remastered BioShock: The Collection Coming to PC on September 15, 2016
BioShock™ - Grimm


Three BioShock games. All of the single-player DLC. Remastered for modern machines. One value packed bundle.

It’s been nine years since Irrational Games and 2K took you on a terrifying journey to the depths of the underwater city of Rapture with BioShock. Five years since you returned to Rapture in BioShock 2. Three years since you grabbed a skyhook and sailed across the floating city of Columbia in BioShock Infinite. And on September 15, 2016 (September 15 in Australia and September 16 internationally), you can relive these award-winning adventures or experience them for the very first time remastered for current-gen consoles and digital PC with BioShock: The Collection.

Working with Blind Squirrel Games, we’ve remastered BioShock, BioShock 2, and BioShock Infinite making them look better than ever*. BioShock: The Collection brings the three titles together for the first time, complete with all single-player DLC** and a never-before-seen video series, “Director’s Commentary: Imagining BioShock,” which includes insights from Ken Levine – over $100 of content – for only $59.99. It’s a circus of values! And 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!

If you’ve never experienced the series before, now is the time to play it and see for yourself why the award-winning BioShock franchise has topped countless “Best-Of” lists and garnered more than 125 awards including two BAFTA honors, as well as many Best of E3, Best of Gamescom, and Game of the Year accolades from respected outlets such as IGN, GameSpot, Game Informer, and many more. The weapons, plasmids, levels, and character models that shocked you years ago have been reskinned and retextured to look better than ever. On top of that, all single-player DLC created for all three games comes loaded in one package. The bundled content for BioShock: The Collection includes:



  • BioShock
    • The video series, “Director’s Commentary: Imagining BioShock,” featuring Ken Levine, creative director on BioShock and BioShock Infinite and Shawn Robertson, animation lead on BioShock and animation director on BioShock Infinite.
    • Museum of Orphaned Concepts: Walk through a Rapture-inspired virtual museum that gives you a behind-the-scenes look at discarded concepts that never made it into the original game.
    • Challenge Rooms: Outside the story of BioShock, tackle puzzles, splicers and Big Daddies. And achievements, of course.



  • BioShock 2 (**Multiplayer will not be included)
    • Minerva’s Den: A self-contained BioShock story, presenting a side of Rapture you've never seen before. Use expanded combat abilities with the experimental Ion Laser and chaotic Gravity Well Plasmid, unique to Minerva's Den, as you face off against the Lancer Big Daddy.
    • Protector Trials: Take control of an Alpha Series Big Daddy woken out of hibernation just before the events of BioShock 2.



  • BioShock Infinite
    • Burial at Sea - Episode 1 & 2 Add-On Packs: This major two-part DLC pack completes the BioShock trilogy by taking the series back to where it all began. Return to Rapture just before the events of the original BioShock!
    • Clash in the Clouds Add-On Pack: Face 60 waves of challenges across four additional maps for leaderboard glory and unlock areas to explore in The Columbian Archaeological Society hub museum.
    • Columbia's Finest Pack: Combines the contents of the Industrial Revolution Pack and the Upgrade Pack and includes 500 Silver Eagles, five Lock Picks, six unique Gear items, and two weapon upgrades: Comstock’s China Broom Shotgun and Comstock’s Eagle Eye Sniper Rifle.

In short, BioShock: The Collection offers more than $100 of content remastered for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and digital PC for only $59.99.

Remember: A man chooses. A slave obeys. So, would you kindly follow the new @BioShock handle on Twitter, visit us on Facebook or go to the webpage and prepare for a remastered BioShock experience?

BioShock: The Collection for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC will be available in North America on September 15, Australia on September 15, and internationally on September 16.

*BioShock Infinite is not being remastered on PC because it already meets current-gen console standards and runs smoothly on high visual settings.
**BioShock: The Collection will not include BioShock 2 multiplayer.

This post has been updated to reflect the change in the PC launch date.
Jun 30, 2016
Remastered BioShock: The Collection Coming to PC on September 15, 2016
BioShock™ - Grimm


Three BioShock games. All of the single-player DLC. Remastered for modern machines. One value packed bundle.

It’s been nine years since Irrational Games and 2K took you on a terrifying journey to the depths of the underwater city of Rapture with BioShock. Five years since you returned to Rapture in BioShock 2. Three years since you grabbed a skyhook and sailed across the floating city of Columbia in BioShock Infinite. And on September 15, 2016 (September 15 in Australia and September 16 internationally), you can relive these award-winning adventures or experience them for the very first time remastered for current-gen consoles and digital PC with BioShock: The Collection.

Working with Blind Squirrel Games, we’ve remastered BioShock, BioShock 2, and BioShock Infinite making them look better than ever*. BioShock: The Collection brings the three titles together for the first time, complete with all single-player DLC** and a never-before-seen video series, “Director’s Commentary: Imagining BioShock,” which includes insights from Ken Levine – over $100 of content – for only $59.99. It’s a circus of values! And 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!

If you’ve never experienced the series before, now is the time to play it and see for yourself why the award-winning BioShock franchise has topped countless “Best-Of” lists and garnered more than 125 awards including two BAFTA honors, as well as many Best of E3, Best of Gamescom, and Game of the Year accolades from respected outlets such as IGN, GameSpot, Game Informer, and many more. The weapons, plasmids, levels, and character models that shocked you years ago have been reskinned and retextured to look better than ever. On top of that, all single-player DLC created for all three games comes loaded in one package. The bundled content for BioShock: The Collection includes:



  • BioShock
    • The video series, “Director’s Commentary: Imagining BioShock,” featuring Ken Levine, creative director on BioShock and BioShock Infinite and Shawn Robertson, animation lead on BioShock and animation director on BioShock Infinite.
    • Museum of Orphaned Concepts: Walk through a Rapture-inspired virtual museum that gives you a behind-the-scenes look at discarded concepts that never made it into the original game.
    • Challenge Rooms: Outside the story of BioShock, tackle puzzles, splicers and Big Daddies. And achievements, of course.



  • BioShock 2 (**Multiplayer will not be included)
    • Minerva’s Den: A self-contained BioShock story, presenting a side of Rapture you've never seen before. Use expanded combat abilities with the experimental Ion Laser and chaotic Gravity Well Plasmid, unique to Minerva's Den, as you face off against the Lancer Big Daddy.
    • Protector Trials: Take control of an Alpha Series Big Daddy woken out of hibernation just before the events of BioShock 2.



  • BioShock Infinite
    • Burial at Sea - Episode 1 & 2 Add-On Packs: This major two-part DLC pack completes the BioShock trilogy by taking the series back to where it all began. Return to Rapture just before the events of the original BioShock!
    • Clash in the Clouds Add-On Pack: Face 60 waves of challenges across four additional maps for leaderboard glory and unlock areas to explore in The Columbian Archaeological Society hub museum.
    • Columbia's Finest Pack: Combines the contents of the Industrial Revolution Pack and the Upgrade Pack and includes 500 Silver Eagles, five Lock Picks, six unique Gear items, and two weapon upgrades: Comstock’s China Broom Shotgun and Comstock’s Eagle Eye Sniper Rifle.

In short, BioShock: The Collection offers more than $100 of content remastered for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and digital PC for only $59.99.

Remember: A man chooses. A slave obeys. So, would you kindly follow the new @BioShock handle on Twitter, visit us on Facebook or go to the webpage and prepare for a remastered BioShock experience?

BioShock: The Collection for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC will be available in North America on September 15, Australia on September 15, and internationally on September 16.

*BioShock Infinite is not being remastered on PC because it already meets current-gen console standards and runs smoothly on high visual settings.
**BioShock: The Collection will not include BioShock 2 multiplayer.

This post has been updated to reflect the change in the PC launch date.
Jan 19, 2016
Games I Was Wrong About: Part Two
BioShock® 2 - contact@rockpapershotgun.com (Alec Meer)

Last week, in the wake of MGSV opening my eyes to a series I’d long disdained, I shared a quartet of games I now feel I either dismissed out of hand or unreasonably feted. Here’s the rest of that list, though I suspect if I sat down and went through every review I ever wrote over the last 15 years, I’d find quite a few more. I’m not going to do that, because making me read 15 years of my own writing is pretty much the worst thing anyone could ever do to me).

… [visit site to read more]

Nov 30, 2015
What Makes A Videogame House A Videogame Home?
BioShock® 2 - contact@rockpapershotgun.com (Jon Morcom)

Oh boy, am I conflicted. Fallout 4 s main plotline requires that I do this thing> and as far as things> go, it s a pretty major thing> and a major thing> that you d expect someone with the maternal instinct of my character Halle to crack on with straight away. The trouble is, rather than doing this major thing>, for at least an hour now, she, and when I say she , I mean I , have been poking around Sanctuary, scrapping anything that glows yellow so I can salvage enough materials to build a house big enough for me and my Minutemen companions. I had largely avoided Bethesda s drip-feed of Fallout 4 pre-publicity but when I somehow found out that the game had settlement building, I think I might have involuntarily passed a little wind in joyous anticipation.

That’s because I ve felt a similar rosy inner glow while hanging around other hubs and houses in many other games I ve played. I think it s easy to underestimate the value of having a home base option, especially in open world games where there is a free-roaming element, but it’s a part of why I love certain games.

… [visit site to read more]

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