GAME: BioShock remaster collection for Xbox One, PS4 and PC revealed by ESRB rating slip-up

While the wait for an official announcement from 2K Games continues, the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) listed the strongly rumoured BioShock: The Collection earlier today (1 April) – before it was swiftly taken down.

The ESRB assigns the age and content ratings for video games released in the American market and for its BioShock: The Collection description it noted that the compilation of last-gen titles will include the original BioShock title, BioShock 2 and BioShock Infinite.

An excerpt from the description that rated the collection for PS4, Xbox One and PC was grabbed by Gematsu before being taken down:

"This is a collection of three first-person shooters in which players assume the role of characters uncovering the mysteries behind the dystopian societies of Rapture and Columbia. As players explore each city, they use shotguns, machine guns, rivet guns, and rocket launchers to kill mutated citizens and enemy soldiers. Players can also use special powers (e.g., telekinesis, fire blasts, electric bolts) to kill enemies as well as a three-pronged hook to dismember and decapitate them."

The portrayal of the series from the ESRB is of course reductionist out of pure necessity to provide a factual rating. In reality, the original BioShock developed by Irrational Games is revered as one of the finest games of its generation due in part to its sublime storytelling and disquieting world design.
BioShock 2 meanwhile received criticism for being too familiar as the franchise fell into the hands of debutant studio 2K Marin. The Minerva's Den DLC that followed after its launch however is arguably one of the best ever downloadable add-ons, so we can only hope that it also gets included in the collection.

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The now defunct Irrational Games returned to helm the parallel universe-hopping BioShock Infinite, which presented the gorgeously realised cloud-top city of Columbia in a state of political and civil unrest; a technical achievement that could see a lot of benefit if optimised for current-gen hardware.
The ratings description follows on from a South African retailer listing the game on its website last September, although at the time a 2K Games spokesperson said that they "do not respond to rumours or speculation".