BioShock: The Collection - BioShock - Review

    BioShock: The Collection - BioShock - Review

    If I have to be honest my boys, I don't know where to start ... It was August 2007 when the world first met BioShock, me too. At the time, the Xbox 360 had already been on the market for a couple of years and I still enjoyed playing with my PlayStation 2, waiting to get my hands on the legendary PlayStation 3. Although the console was already present in Japan ( November 11, 2006) and in the States (November 17, 2006) BioShock was released exclusively on PC and on the old Microsoft console, while the "sonari" had to wait almost another year to grab the award-winning title born from the brilliant mind of Ken Levine. BioShock, followed by BioShock 2 and BioShock Infinite is part of a brand that, even today, is considered one of the best first person shooter of all time. After almost 10 years after the release of the first chapter, 2K Games has decided to collect and remaster the 3 chapters of BioShock in full HD. Today I will tell you about the first BioShock!



    BioShock: The Collection - BioShock - Review“Every man can choose. I choose the impossible. I choose to build ... RAPTURE! "

    Telling the storyline of BioShock (even broadly) has always been quite difficult for me, despite the fact that I have played and replayed it dozens and dozens of times. Rapture is an immense underwater city secretly built in 1946 in the depths of the Atlantic, founded by billionaire Andrew Ryan, Rapture was conceived as the solution to the oppression of political and religious authorities in favor of the free initiative of the individual who, disconnected from borders moral, religious or political, he could have given the best of his abilities thus exploring the boundaries of the human mind. The city is populated by those whom Ryan believed to be the best of humanity. Unfortunately, over the years, not all citizens managed to stand out and make a reputation in the underwater society of Rapture and fell into misery, pouring their grudge on Ryan. And it is precisely at this moment that the figure of Frank Fontaine emerged, a criminal obsessed with Rapture and its potential. Fontaine caught the ball and took the role of benefactor: building free dormitories for the desperate and offering all sorts of help, thus being able to control them and fueling their hatred of Ryan. Over the years, the city finally fell and ceased to be, until one day the player enters the scene impersonating Jack, a survivor of a terrible plane crash that occurred near what looks like a lighthouse that is strangely detached from the mainland ...



    BioShock: The Collection - BioShock - Review“… Lightning them and then strike. Remember: a nice one-two! "

    What about the gameplay and mechanics of this game? In addition to the classic firearms, the backbone of the game is given by the Plasmids, genetic modifiers able to make our character develop unique and superhuman abilities (such as firing an electric bolt to stun enemies and tamper with equipment, or set fire to a person with a simple snap of his fingers). Alongside the plasmids are Tonics: tonics are "passive power-ups", each with different properties, which can make Jack stronger, smarter or more resistant to damage. To tell the truth, nothing has changed since 2007, however almost 10 years later, it is still fresh and very valid. Simply superb. The only new features in this remastered edition are some little goodies added by the developers, namely: "Imagining BioShock", A video-documentary on the birth and making of BioShock commented by none other than Levine himself and Shawn Robertson, lead artist of the game and the"Museum of Orphan Ideas”, A small in-game area where there are sketches and models discarded and or never included in the first title. As for the documentary, it will be necessary to find in the various levels the relative collectible that will unlock one of the 10 episodes, once again encouraging the explorer side of us players.

    Somewhere behind the sea

    Let's now move on to the real juice of this review: the graphics sector. All three titles have been remastered (with the exception of Infinite for PC) in 1080p and 60 fps. BioShock makes use of the Unreal Engine 2.5 and some technologies present in the Unreal Engine 3.0 that here we review refreshed and visually improved in some respects: the general brightness has been improved, even the water has always been the strong point of the game, in this remaster it's more realistic than ever. Not surprisingly, in an interview at E3 2006, Ken Levine revealed that water in the game would be one of the strongest and most accurate points. The textures have been retouched and it shows, adding different details: like the marine fauna, more varied than the original version, but not very much alive.



    BioShock: The Collection - BioShock - ReviewIt is clearly visible that some rooms and objects (such as walls, panels, etc.) have not been remodeled, probably in order not to slow down the game and maintain 60 fps. The general fluidity has also been improved: the movements - both of the protagonist and of the enemies - are less "accelerated" and more natural, however, the animation of some specific shadows appear badly realized (in one of these, the character's hand was visually detached from the wrist) and the movements of the aforementioned enemies sometimes seem slow and clumsy, as if the force of gravity were 10 times greater than normal. Sound sector remained unchanged, where in addition to the original tracks composed by Garry Schyman, we can listen to some pieces from the 40s and 50s through phonographs or juke boxes. Finally, the final test: frame rate stability. After continuing in the game and coming to a particular boss battle - characterized by a closed room with small dimensions and the presence of numerous enemies - I can confirm with absolute certainty that the frame rate always remains stable at 60 fps in any situation.


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