Aspyr has announced that they’re continuing their tomb raiding by following up with Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered. It’s coming to PC and consoles on February 5, 202??5.

If you can’t even remember a Tomb Raider IV, V, or VI, that’s probably because they dropped the numerals after the third game. So what we’re actually talking about is The Last Revelation, Chronicles, and much-maligned The Angel of Darkness. These were the last of the original chronology (and Core Design’s contributions to the series), as the followup to 2003’s The Angel of Darkness was 2006’s Tomb Raider Legends, a reboot of the series.

It’s an interesting trilogy of games, because Core Design had gotten tired of making a new Tomb Raider every year. So, in The Last Revelation, they tried to kill off the character, but Eidos wasn’t just going to let it go. Chronicles was told in flashbacks, but with The Angel of Darkness, she was just alive again. Apparently, there was going to be an explanation for this, but it was among the many, many things cut in its extremely rushed development. That’s not to say this is the dregs. IV and V are decent games, and it’s just Angel of Darkness that can be painful to play.

The important thing about another remaster trilogy is that they will have covered all of Core Design’s Tomb Raider games. After Angel of Darkness, it was moved to Crystal Dynamics who rebooted it with Legends. They would later be bought by R??ebellion before being shut down in 201?0.

As for the remasters, Aspyr touts that they’ll be providing “each remastered with improved visuals, modern control options, photo mode, trophies and achievements, and more.�I’m assuming it will be a lot like Tomb Raider I-III Remastered, which apparently turned out pretty well according to Destructoid’s Tiago “Turnstile�Manuel. He did a solid write-up of it around its release, which ??I found convincing enough that I bought it. Still haven’t played it, but I refuse to uninstall it. One day.

Aspyr has established itself as a remaster house, largely focusing on the Star Wars series. While their output quality has been all over the map, I see a lot of value in the fact that they’ll take on games of questionable reputation, like the upcoming Star Wars: Episode I: Jedi Power Battles remaster.

Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered is coming to Switch, PS5, P??S4, Xbox Series X|S, and PC on February 5, 2025.

The post Aspyr is compiling Core Design’s death march in Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered appeared first on Destructoid.

Aspyr has announced that the next Star Wars game they’re remastering is the 2000 PS1/Dreamcast game, Star Wars: Episode I: Jedi Power Battles. It’s a real why-the-hell-not moment, bu??t what a ga??me to have to remaster.

I really did not like the prequel trilogy. When Episode I was released, I was 11 and already a huge fan of Star Wars. I bought the novelization, which was released about a month before the movie hit theatres. I, uh, remember not feeling a whole lot after watching it. Not a massive disappointment, but definitely not what I was hoping for. That feeling has soured greatly since then. However, we did get a bunch of great games out of the deal. I still play Star Wars: Episode I: Racer rather frequently.

There was a massive flood of games that followed the movie’s release, and quite a few of them weren’t very good. Star Wars: Episode I: Jedi Power Battles is not one of those good games. A lot of its problems had to do with control and the actual feel of combat, but those are things that can be fixed. I doubt the whole tediousness of the experience can be addressed; that would probably be out of scope for the remast??er.

However, they are throwing in 13 playable c??haracters and levels?? unlocked from the start. I mean, that’s not a lot, but it’s not nothing. They boast modern controls and confirm that 2-player couch co-op will be included. You know, at the price of $19.99 you could definitely do worse.

I can dig Aspyr’s crusade to remaster all these Star Wars games, even if they could have picked a better one this time around. I would have even taken Star Wars: Demolition, the somewhat bizarre vehicular combat game that plays a lot like Vigilante 8, being from the same developer. If they want to take Star Wars: Racer Revenge and fix it to live up to the original N64 title, I’d be forever grateful, but I don’t think that game can be fixed by anything smaller than a 12-gauge.

I guess what I’m saying is I hope they keep going, even if their track record for remasters has kind of been all over the place. I mean, somebody has to do it, right? Who else is going to have the guts to remaster Star Wars: Episode I: Jedi Power Battles?

Star Wars: Episode I: Jedi Power Battles is coming to Swit??ch, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, and PC January 23, 2025.

The post Aspyr is remastering Jedi Power Battles because apparently we’ve run out of good Star Wars game appeared first on Destructoid.

PlayStation announced Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1-2 Remastered with a?????????????????????????? first-reveal trailer on September 24, showcasing?? the visual improvements made over the originals and introducing story beats and key players in the games like Raziel and Kain.

Crystal Dynamics returns as developer, while Aspyr Games takes over publishing duties from t??he now-defunct Eidos Interactive.

Despite the critical and commercial success of the series, Legacy of Kain hasn't gotten a new installment since Defiance in 2003. In that time, the franchise went mostly forgotten and ignored, also failing to receive any ports to newer consoles. But the Soul Reaver remaster means big things are likely in the future for Legacy of Kain.

Studios typically use smaller, less-expensive projects as a tool to test the waters of the market, and gauge interest in a specific intellectual property. If the "feeler" product sells well, or exceeds expectations by other parameters, the publisher moves forward with a new title in the series. Capcom utilized this strategy with the Marvel vs Capcom Collection. And with the announcement of the Legacy of Kain graphic novel in August, Aspyr is probably doing the same with the Soul Reaver remaster.

Soul Reaver is part of the wider Legacy of Kain mythos, which also includes Blood Omen, Blood Omen 2, and Defiance. The series chronicles the vampire Kain's rise to power in the land of Nosgoth, and his lieutenant, Raziel's attempts to topple the overlord and restore balance to the world. The franchise as a whole received mostly positive reviews, with the Soul Reaver titles being the standouts. Aspyr Games recently worked on another remaster of a turn-of-the-century franchise in Tomb Raider I-III Remastered. Crystal Dynamics developed Tomb Raider games in the past, so perhaps a working relationship be??tween the companies may her??ald another revival.

Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1-2 Remastered is available now for pre??order. It is set to release on December 10 on PlayStation, Xbox, and?? PC for $29.99.

The post Legacy of Kain Soul Reaver rema??ster sparks the revival? of a forgotten franchise appeared first on Destructoid.

Aspyr has announced that they've been hard at work on a remaster of 2002’s Star Wars: Bounty Hunter. It will be released on PC and con??soles on August 1st.

When it comes to video games, Star Wars has historically been very hit-and-miss. Actually, that could be said about everything Star Wars, not just the video games. However, the early �0s were perhaps the most inconsistent time for the brand. We got Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and Star Wars: Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader (and probably some others I’m forgetting), but between those, we got some of the okay-est Star Wars games, such as Star Wars: Obi-Wan or, well, Star Wars: Bounty Hunter.

It’s not that Star Wars: Bounty Hunter is bad. I’ve heard th??at some people dig it. However, it kind of played like just about everything of that period and stars professional action figure, Jan?go Fett, and his jetpack.

It takes place before Star Wars: Episode II: Attack of the Clones and follows the bounty hunter as he hunts bounties. The remaster will feature “visual enhancements, improved environmental textures, new dynamic lighting effects, and a new flashlight tool for navigati?ng dark places.�That last feature is kind of hilarious.

Speaking of hit-and-miss, Aspyr has been that with their remasters of the Star Wars series. They haven’t always been bad, but if what I heard is correct, their recent ports of the Star Wars: Battlefront series are so bad they threaten the fabric of reality. I liked when they did Star Wars: Episode I: Racer.

The Star Wars: Bounty Hunter remaster arrives on Switch, PS4,? PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC on Augu?st 1, 2024.

The post Legendary okay game Star ??Wars: Bounty Hunter is getting a remaster this ??August appeared first on Destructoid.

The remaster of the original three Tomb Raider games was released not that long ago. For PC users, there was a choice between purchasing it on St??eam or Epic Games Store. However, there seemed to be some notable differences between the two versions, which the developer has now acknowledge??d.

According to a post from The Gamer a couple of days ago, fans began to notice that Tomb Raider I-III Remastered w??as different on EGS than on Steam. For starters, the Epic Games version had different skyboxes in places like the Colosseum, and the Greece levels had "new light holes."

Since then, a post on the Steam page has noted that EGS had a build of the remaster that had "incomplete assets," and the downlo??ad contained "some work-in-progress materials" that weren't meant for public consumption.

Update also imminent

Aspyr has now fixed the problem, uploading the correct version to Epic. However, some �such as a reporter from Eurogamer and the aforementioned The Gamer article �have noted this incomplete build had better-looking assets than the Steam version. This could suggest that the two downloads are not evenly matched, for whatever reason??.

That aside, Tomb Raider I-III Remastered is also getting its first update soon. In the same ?Steam post, the developer thanked fans for their "continued support, shares, and feedback" on the games, with an update said to be in the works.

We ?don't exactly know what's coming, but the stu??dio says it anticipates sending this update out "in the next few weeks."

The post The Epic Games version of Tomb Raider I-III Remastered was wildly an ‘incomplete’ build appeared first on Destructoid.

As part of today’s Nintendo Direct, Aspyr and Lucasfilm Games have announced Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection, a compilation?? ?of the two online multiplayer games.

The original Star Wars: Battlefront was released in 2004, followed by Star Wars: Battlefront II in 2005. Both were largely multiplayer affairs that generally followed the capture framework set by 2002’s Battlefield 1942, but with a Star Wars twist.

In 2015, EA would return to the series with the simply titled Star Wars: Battlefront in 2015 followed by Star Wars: Battlefront II in 2017. Video games, am I right? Whether or not these later games live up to the originals depends on who you ask. F??or those who prefer the classic PS2/Xbox/PC games, having them collected on modern platforms is a good get. They support 64 players online and include all the bonus/expansion content.

Personally, I preferred the Battlefield 1942 mod, Battlefield: Galactic Conquest. It was pretty janky, but being built on top of Battlefield 1942 makes it instantly superior. You heard me.

Still, this is pretty tempting. It’s too bad they couldn’t also fit in Free Radical’s Star Wars: Battlefront 3, which was canceled despite allegedly being mostly finished. Video games, am I right?

Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection will be available on Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC on ??March 14, 2024.

The post St??ar Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection collects the classic Battlefront games on March 14 appeared first on Destructoid.

Along with a recent RTX Remix, the classic Tomb Raider games are about to come back in a pretty big way. Aspyr has been hard at work r?emastering the original three entries in the iconic series, and we've been given a bit of a breakdown of what's to c??ome.

A recent post on the PlayStation Blog gives us a few details on the upcoming Tomb Raider remasters, which are set to release on February 14 (ooh, la la). Going way back to 1998 when the studio helped launch t??h??e second game on Mac, Aspyr is more than familiar with Lara's adventures.

This modern take on the classic installments will be brimming with the usual. We'll get up-to-date controls that "take inspiration from the Legend, Anniversary, and Underworld era." ?However, the studio will also be keeping the original? tank controls for that dose of retro authenticity.

If looks could kill

Of course, it wouldn't be a remaster without some fresh visuals that don't veer too much from the source material. The post goes on to say that Aspyr has swapped out the 2D sprites for 3D models, a??s well as implemented real-time lighting effects, polished environments and character models, and more.

And because this is a modern game (or at least a modern interpretation), Tomb Raider Remastered will also come bundled with a photo mode. And much like the tank controls, you can switch between the newer and classic visuals,?? if that's your bag.

It's impressiv??e that the series i??s still going after almost 30 years. If you are interested in raiding some tombs from a bygone era, the remasters will be coming to current and previous-gen consoles, as well as PCs.

The post Aspyr outlines what to expect in upcomin??g Tomb Raider remasters appeared first on Destructoid.

When it comes to gaming heroines, there is arguably nobody more iconic than Lara Croft. She's been with us for decades, bringing us over a dozen games and plenty of films. You'll get to experience the adventures that started it all thanks to Tomb Raider I, II, III Remastered which will bring the first three game?s to the Nintendo Switch.

The collection, developed by Aspyr, will in??clude all the expansions and secret levels. You can expect upgraded visuals, though you'll be able to toggle to the original ?polygon look if you really want to crank up the nostalgia.

If the collection remains faithful to the original games, it should include the followi??ng expansions:

• Tomb Raider: Unfinished Business
• Tomb Raider II: The Golden Mask
• Tomb Raider III: The Lost Artefact

You can grab the collection on Febru?ary 14, ??2024. Pre-orders begin today.

The post Tomb Raider I, II, III Remastered ?coming to N?intendo Switch appeared first on Destructoid.

Just bring every classic Star Wars game back: odds are you'll hit a good one

Following the launch of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed for Switch, Aspyr Media was asked about the potential return of another classic Star Wars gaming franchise. So you're saying there's a chance of bringing Star Wars: Rogue Squadron back? Good enough for me!

Here's the full statement from a rep for the company on Twitter:

"Here at Aspyr we're huge Star Wars fans and love bringing Star Wars games to new audiences. For us, it’s all about the games we think players are most passionate about and would love to see brought to new platforms. If ??the demand is there, we’re on board."

Of course, they probably wouldn't say no to a job (like bringing Star Wars: Rogue Squadron back), especially in this economy. But the fact that they took the time to answer this question specifically means something: and these sorts of exchanges have led to actionable ports in the past. There are four entries in all in the series: Rogue Squadron, Rogue Squadron II, Rogue Squadron III, and the sub-game Episode I: Battle for Naboo.

At this point, I'll just take the entire lot of re-released Star Wars games. Dark Forces? Sure, bring it back. Pretty much any Nintendo 64 game? Put it on the Switch Expansion Pack or re-release/remaster/remake it. Just do it all!? There's some clunkers in there, but generally a lot of these classic games had teams behind them that genuinely cared about the series as a whole �and it showed.

He'll give me Star Wars: Rebel Assault! Bringing Star Wars: Rogue Squadron back could just be the beginning.

The post For??ce Unleashed publisher shows interest in bringing Star Wars: Rogue Squadron back appeared first on Destructoid.

One RPG studio will bring in another

Beamdog has more news than just a ??new game. Today, Aspyr Media announced it's entered into an agreement to acquire Beamdog.

Aspyr is a wholly-owned subsidiar??y of Saber Interactive, under Embracer. Yes, this does chalk? up another acquisition for Embracer. Under the agreement, Beamdog will operate as an independent studio within Aspyr. The closing of the deal is still subject to approval at this time.

Aspyr itself is known for its ports of many Star Wars games, and more recently, its in-development remake of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.

Beamdog, on the other hand, is a Canadian studio founded by former BioWare devs. After forming in 2009, the studio went on to publish and develop new versions of many role-playing games themselves, like Planescape: Torment Enhanced Edition.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=lL-RfE-ioJ8

Use the MythForce

Once the deal's complete, this might prove to be an interesting pairing. Aspyr has been working on ports for a while but gets to take their own spin with the KOTOR remake. Mea??nwhile, Beamdog brings in a great deal of veteran talent. According to a press release, for??mer BioWare lead and Beamdog founder Trent Oster will stay at the helm.

Beamdog also recently announced a new game, the Saturday morning cartoon-inspired MythForce. It's a first-person roguelite set to hit early access on Epic later this month, and?? Aspyr will publish it. The partnership is already coming together, it seems.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1HtOKSSuY0

Further off on the horizon, though, is Knights of the Old Republic. It's unknown when we could expect the remake, or even when we'll get some more news on?? it. But having the assistance of Beamdog might prove useful, seeing as it's got some BioWare history.

Embracer, meanwhile, seems to show no sign of slowing down on the acquisition front. Even after committing $8.1 billion since the start of 2020, i?t looks like the trend isn't over just yet.

The post Aspyr Media set to acquire MythForce developer Be?amdog appeared first on Destructoid.

A long time ago, on a console far, far away...

THQ Nordic and Aspyr Media have announced two new combo packs collating the latter's recent remasters of some classic Star Wars video games. the double packs will arrive on PS4 and Nintend?o Switch this very fall.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8X8HxU1C00

The first Star Wars combo pack includes the classic action RPGs Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast and Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy. Released at the dawn of the '00s, these two old-school adventures see a young Jedi forge their story in the ways of The Force. Jedi Outcast is a narratively driven adventure, released as a sequel of sorts to the Jedi Knight titles of the '90s, while Jedi Academy is a more multiplayer-focused affair, as players customize their young padawan before learning all the skills necessary to become a veteran of the Jedi Order. Both titles have had optimization tweaks for their PS4/Switch appearances, including fully overhauled control sc??hemes.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPUQRA-chBw

The second Star Wars combo pack bundles the classic Star Wars Episode I Racer with tactical first-person shooter Star Wars Republic Commando. The former offers players the opportunity to pilot famous vehicles from the franchise in a series of intense pod racers. Wizard! A smash hit on PC and N64, Aspyr's remaster features all of the original game's action complete with enhanced visuals. Star Wars Republic Commando is a story-driven shooter which sees a squad of Galactic Republic troopers embark on a number of dangerous missions against the backdrop of The Clone Wars. Republic Commando is regarded by many franchise fans as one of the best Star Wars video games.

The duo of two-fers will release on PS4 in both digital and physical format October 26, with the ??Nintendo Switch e?ditions to follow on November 16. Each combo pack will retail for around $30/£25.

The post S?tar Wars combo pack??s collate classic games for PS4 and Switch appeared first on Destructoid.

Great Aspyrations

It's sounding like the Knights of the Old Republic will be getting a revival, at the hands of a studio well-known for its handling of?? older games.

In an interview with MinnMax, Bloomberg's Jason Schreier confirmed that a remake of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is in development at Aspyr, which has previously ported KOTOR to iOS among many other titles. 

.@jasonschreier confirms that Aspyr Media (of all studios!) is working on a KOTOR remake in our new interview. We hope you enjoy the full discussion! //t.co/vv0bljO35B //t.co/IJdIIGY0aU

— Ben Hanson (@yozetty) April 20, 2021

Eurogamer corroborates this news in its own report, so it looks pretty certain. It also lends credence to some rumors that were circling earlier this year, saying a new KOTOR was in development outside of Electronic Arts.

This means BioWare—currently working on the next installments in its Dragon Age and Mass Effect series—won't be handling it. But it's hard to ask for a better-suited studio to handle remaking KOTOR than Aspyr, which has worked on a nu?mber of ports and updates to older games. Hopefully we'll get some official news and details about this?? one soon.

The post Star Wars:? Knights of the Old Republic remake reportedly in the works at Aspyr appeared first on Destructoid.