Bioshock: The Collection Nintendo Switch Review

"Under the Sea, Above the Clouds"

Campaign

June 10, 2020 at 4:07am
By Jason Stettner

The Bioshock series is truly a remarkable experience, and now those on the Nintendo Switch can finally witness this fantastic package. This brings three games in one collection, which are also available for standalone purchase if you want to go that route.

With this package you get the enhanced versions for each of the titles, alongside all of the DLC content that released for them. The first two games have also been given minor upgrades on their initial iterations, and it’s been put together for one mighty showcase. You get to see the horrors deep below within the city of Rapture through the first two titles and then you head high into the clouds of Columbia for Infinite.

The stories do have some weight upon one another, but can be experienced completely separate from one another if you so choose. With that I’ll dive into each of the games, and try to provide spoiler free discussions for those that might be looking to play these games for the first time ever.

Bioshock Remastered

The first game in the series most heavily leans into the horror aspects that largely defined the games to follow. You’re part of a plane crash and end up in this creepy, decaying city known as Rapture. You have a guide that’s trying to assist your survival as you battle against the noted villain of this grand creation.

It explores the idea of choice in regards to Little Sisters, and also if everything is to be fully believed as you move within linear environments of a city that’s long past its better days at this point. This one looks great, has excellent performance and is visually impressive. The water and mirrors have some rough edges, but for the most part this nails the experience very well on the platform.

Bioshock 2 Remastered

This one picks up some time after the initial game, and ten years after your character was first silenced. You’re playing as Delta, a precursor to the Big Daddy that’s guided to some degree by visions of a Little Sister long vanished. You’re exploring an almost completely decayed Rapture where only the completely desolate are left.

You’ll work through anyone using a signature drill, alongside some powerful abilities. This one was the roughest of the pack, it didn’t seem to quite get the same love that the other two did in terms of polish. It’s a bit rougher around the edges, and that’s slightly disappointing. It’s not bad by any means, but it’s just not quite as clean as the other two.

There’s some solid extra content in this one. It is however sad to see the removal of the multiplayer, what I considered to be a very distinct offering at the time. It was a lot of fun, and an absolute shame to see it likely become lost to the ages. I get why they would remove it, at the same time it’s really disheartening to see as it was a lot of fun to play. Hopefully it won’t always be forgotten, assuming further remasters happen way down the road.

Bioshock Infinite

This is my personal favorite of the bunch, and what I consider to be one of the greatest games ever made. In this title you leave the depths of the first two titles for what initially comes across as a heavenly city in the clouds. This is Columbia, a place you’ve been sent in order to collect a girl. This is to wipe away the debt you’ve built up, and it’s a mystery as you work through this large scale city.

You begin to see cracks within the wondrous landscapes alongside just who you are as a character. It’s a remarkable journey, one where you’ll likely spend a good chunk of time looking into it further upon completion. Not only is this beautiful, it’s emotional and unforgettable.

It also includes extra DLC content, with additional story missions that cannot be missed since they so elegantly wrap things up. This is a must play game. It also looks the most impressive of the bunch, it’s stunning actually. The same previous reflection based issues are present here though, that aside it looks beautiful and plays very well.

Gameplay

This is basically the same experience from when the games did initially release. That style of play is presented here, and it holds up perfectly. I will note that this does not have gyro support. I don’t personally care for that, but I know it’s a desired feature for the platform. The visuals on here are seriously impressive. The 30fps isn’t great, but it’s a worthy sacrifice for the visual quality that’s present. I didn’t notice any performance problems, and it looks great even on a 4k TV.

This is a feat that many ports can’t achieve on Nintendo Switch. It also contains the entire experiences from each of the games, without many downgrades. It’s very impressive from a technical and gameplay perspective. The series is largely based on linear shooting action. You gather some small bits of loot from the environment, and continue to battle along. In Infinite you get some aerial options, but the style of play is largely the same. In the first two games you gain abilities largely through Plasmids whereas Infinite swaps those for Vigors.

There are a decent selection of weapons to use, and some fairly gruesome material. These are mature titles, and much of the content leans into that entirely. That’s in regards to the themes, and the graphic content that you experience while working through them. Some elements of choice are present, within the first two games that will alter where things do head narrative wise.

The Conclusion

This is a pack that shouldn’t be skipped out on, these are three legendary titles bundled together to provide an enchanting journey. Bioshock: The Collection on Nintendo Switch delivers great visuals, excellent ports and some of the defining games of the previous generation. Each of them has been boosted within this package, looking their best and being stuffed full of all the DLC content.

I am a bit disappointed by the removal of the second game’s multiplayer, but I can totally understand why they would do so. The 30fps isn’t too bad in terms of gameplay, and a worthy sacrifice here to achieve the higher resolution fidelity. These are the full games you might have played, or could be trying out for the first time.

They each do something a little different, and are compelling narrative driven ventures that are worth the entry. Whether you’re working through the horrors below, or the grand problems within the sky. If you are focusing on just a title from this package, Bioshock Infinite is the gem in my opinion. The other two games are also incredibly great, but the last one just shines so brightly to me.

Read our The Outer Worlds Nintendo Switch Review
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Bioshock: The Collection Review on Nintendo Switch
Review Code Provided by 2k Games

Rating Overall: 8.5