After multiple leaks over the past few months, BioShock: The Collection has finally been officially announced for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC. Included in the package are remastered versions of BioShock and BioShock 2, alongside BioShock: Infinite.
All single-player DLC for BioShock: Infinite and BioShock 2 are included, and the remaster of the original BioShock will feature director commentary from Ken Levine as well as concept art and challenge rooms.
The entire package will retail for $59.99, with each game in the bundle running at 1080p and 60 fps on Xbox One and PlayStation 4. That's a lot of bang for player's bucks, but the 2K press release fails to mention one other feature that is sure to make PC gamers happy: free upgrades.
For those PC players who already own BioShock and/or BioShock 2, 2K Games will be upgrading the titles to their new remastered forms for free. It seems the trend of upgrading PC players to remastered versions is catching on, with Skyrim publisher Bethesda doing the same for its upcoming Skyrim: Remastered.
The news also couldn't have come at a more convenient time. Both BioShock and BioShock 2 are steeply discounted on Steam during Valve's ongoing Steam Summer Sale, so players can pick up the games for cheap now and be upgraded to the remastered versions on Sept. 13 when BioShock: The Collection is released.
BioShock and BioShock 2 are currently $3.99 each, an 80 percent discount from their normal $19.99 price tag. The BioShock triple pack, which includes all three titles in the franchise, is currently $10.51 on Steam, an 85 percent discount. The Steam Summer Sale ends on July 4, so be sure to take advantage of the deals while they last.
It's a pretty great deal for PC gamers, and one that will hopefully continue in the years ahead. It seems like remasters and definitive editions of older games make up half of what is released nowadays, and while there's nothing wrong with it, shelling out $60 just for a slightly better-looking version of an old game oftentimes isn't worth it.
But getting it for free because you already bought the game once? It's hard to complain about that. The only bummer is that console players aren't allowed to get in on the free upgrade action. Here's hoping that will one day change, but for now, it seems like PC players have a new thing to hold over their console-gaming brethren.
