As video games continue to cross age, gender and social barriers, many developers are remastering their games in the upcoming months in an attempt to capture new audiences. Whether you’re new to gaming or want to revel in some nostalgia, take a look at these remasters of some of the greatest games ever made, coming out soon.
BioShock: The Collection
Release date: September 13th for Xbox One, PS4 and PC
BioShock (2007), BioShock 2 (2010) and BioShock Infinite (2013) have all been praised for their unique settings, fantastic storytelling and solid gameplay.
The first two games in the series transport you to the underwater ruins of Rapture, a failed utopia, as you learn its history and the tales of the creatures still dwelling there. In stark contrast, BioShock Infinite takes place in Columbia, a utopia city in the clouds led by the prophet Comstock, that embodies American Exceptionalism. However, all is not as it seems as you take control of Booker DeWitt, who has been sent to free a captive young woman.
BioShock: The Collection bundles all three games and completely remasters both BioShock and BioShock 2. While BioShock Infinite will not receive a graphics upgrade, the three-year-old game still looks beautiful, and all three games will output at 1080p and 60 FPS. The entire catalog of DLC is also included, along with developer commentary and an interactive museum of concept art.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition
Release date: October 28th for Xbox One, PS4 and PC
The fifth installment of the Elder Scrolls series was released in November of 2011 and was met with overwhelmingly positive reactions. With strong Nordic influences, the RPG whisks you away to Skyrim, a small nation in political turmoil as a rebellion aims to retake the land from the empire that rules it.
By adding mod support directly on consoles, developer Bethesda hopes to transfer the game’s modding magic over to PlayStation and Xbox. Bethesda has already implemented something similar to this in Fallout 4, which hasn’t been met with great reception and is nowhere near the level of modding on PC.
However, the Skyrim modding community blew up to something never seen before and can still hold its own five years later. If only half that community takes an interest in console mods, we could see something special.
Skyrim Special Edition will ship with updated graphics and all three DLC expansions. It has yet to be confirmed if other aspects of the game, such as animations, will receive a makeover.
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Remastered
Release date: November 4th for Xbox One, PS4 and PC
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare can be described as simply iconic. The 2007 first person shooter captured a new generation of video gamers, elevated the Call of Duty series to massive success and, as of 2013, sold more than 15 million copies.
The remastered edition includes the full single-player campaign and all 16 multiplayer maps. Despite some slight tweaks to menus and a full graphics overhaul, the overall feeling of the original game has been preserved.
The grandfather of all modern-day online shooters takes place in the then-future year of 2011, when global political strife has reached a boiling point. However, the real fun comes from the online multiplayer game modes with the additions of perks, killstreaks and the prestige system.
The game is included with the purchase of the Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare Legacy Edition and is a digital download only, meaning if you are only interested in playing Call of Duty 4, you still have to pay the hefty $80 price.