This is a category that has really changed in recent years. The early remasters back in the PlaySta??tion 3 and PlayStation 4 days often offered simply higher resolution textures with maybe a few slight enhancements here and there.

But in 2024, full-fledged remakes, are mostly dominating the category. Rather than the subtle enhancements of earlier times, remakes are typically complete recreations of a classic game that update the entire experience to make it a fa?miliar yet new exp?erience.

This category is typically hard to find enough nominees for, but this year, it was one of the tougher ones to trim down?? to seven entries. Let's take ?a look at our nominees for the Best Remaster/Remake of 2024:

Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster

Back in 2006, Dead Rising felt like one of those games that was ahead of its time. It had its constraints due to existing technology at the time, but it pushed that technology to the limits, allowing players to carve throug??h hord??es of zombies with an arsenal of makeshift weapons.

Destructoid's Master of Gaming Zoey Handley jumped into the improved Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster when it was released earlier this ye??ar and praised developer Capcom's ability to address the issues that plagued the original version nearly two decades ago while adding a fresh new set of pain with its graphical upgrades.

Epic Mickey: Rebrushed

In 2010, gamers were shocked to realize that Mickey wielding a paintbrush could actually make for a pretty fun experience. Despite being a platformer, the ability to use Mickey's magic brush to actually shape and mold the world added some unique puzzle variability to the genre. The only major downside to Epic Mickey is that it was exclusive to the Nintendo Wii.

Nearly a decade and a half later, Epic Mickey: Rebrushed has been released with enhanced graphics, new abilities, costumes, and int??eraction??s for Mickey, some gameplay tweaks, and, best of all, on most modern consoles and PC.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth

The second part of the remake of the arguably most popular RPG of all time, Final Fantasy 7, was even bolder than part 1. While Final Fantasy 7 Remake modernized the original while adding some extra content and flair, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth completely overhauled the game, turning it into a massive, sprawling ope??n world, allowing players to really explore the game world they came to love.

Our very own Chris "The OG" Carter gave Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth a much deserving 9.5/10, heralding Square Enix's ability to walk the line between seriousness and absurdity. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth was my most anticipated game hea??ding in?to the year, and it did not disappoint.

The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered

I will admit, that most of the titles on this list are seeing remasters or remakes after a decade or more since the original release, so it is a bit odd seeing The Last of Us 2 get remastered just four years post-release. But to be fair, in 2020 The Last of Us 2 received a staggering more than 320 Game of the Year awards ??and countless other accolades for its deep narrative and immersive gameplay.

The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered touts mostly visual enhancements, including increased texture resolution, higher level-of-detail distances, improved shadow quality and animation sampling rates, and more. For those who play on the PlayStation 5, the survival action game also makes use of the DualSense con??troller's haptic feedback and adaptive trigger?s, pushing the experience to the next level.

Persona 3 Reload

Once considered somewhat of a cult classic, the popularity of the Persona series has simply exploded in recent years with the release of Persona 5. Heralded by some fans as the best in the series, Persona 3 got the remaster treatment earlier this? year with updated graphics, additions to the soundtrack, some enhancements to the battle system, and more.

Persona 3 Reload would also go on to add the game's popular Episode Aegis: The Answer DLC which wraps up the story of Persona 3 and adds a plethora o??f end-game content for fans to enjoy for ma?ny hours.

Silent Hill 2

Another entry on this list that got a pretty extensive remake treatment, is Silent Hill 2. The incredibly unique and bizarre adventure through an eerie small town shrouded in a deep fog that spawns disturbin??g monstrosities has been modernized in every way.

In fact, the only thing that has really gone unchanged in the updated Silent Hill 2 appears to be the story, as the third-person psychological horror game has received completely remade visuals and improved gameplay enhancements. Zoey Handley felt it ran a bi??t lon??g and brought its own technical problems, and conside??red it a worthwhile new perspective on the original ??game.

Sonic x Shadow Generations

Depending on when you were born and started gaming probably dictates whether you picture Sonic as a 2D or 3D game. With Sonic x Shadow Generations, you get the best of both worlds. Technically a remaster of the 2011 Sonic Generations, Sonic x Shadow Generations also features a new game called Shadow Generations that features ??Shadow the Hedgehog as a playable character.

It's a good year for platformers, and Sonic X Shadow Generations only amplifies that feeling. With improved visuals, new stages, and a second campaign featuring Shadow, Sonic x Shadow Generations creatively walks the line between remaster and remak,e offering the ?best of both worlds.

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As part of Blizzard's Warcraft Direct celebrating 30 years of Warcraft, the developer has announced remastered versions of the original Warcraft RTS, Warcraft: Orcs and Humans as well as the sequel Warcraft 2: Tides of Darkness. The remastered version of both games allows you to switch between the classic graphics and a remastered look with improved visuals. Both games are available now on Battle.net and also in a returned Warcraft Battlechest that includes both games and Warcraft 3 Reforged.

Other ?improvements to? the RTS includes a new setting to enable click to move, faster overall game speeds, and new UI and UX improvements to both games. The UI improvements include updated tooltips, HP bars, a new mission select screen, and increased unit selection sizes when dragging over your armies of units.

The Warcraft Battlechest includes Warcraft 1: Remastered, Warcraft 2: Remastered, Warcraft 3: Reforged 2.0, and the original versions of Warcraft: Orcs and Humans and Warcraft 2: Tides of Darkness. It also includes some cosmetic DLC across many Blizzard games including Warcraft 3: Reforged multiplayer hero skins and a World of Warcraft Meat Wagon mount. It will run you $39.99 and is out now on Battle.net.

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I was introduced to Suda51 through Killer7, and was enamored by No More Heroes and its sequel. After that, I feel like things fell into a bit of a lull. He did a lot post-Desperate Struggle, but I mostly remember Shadows of the Damned, Lollipop Chainsaw, and Killer is Dead.

It’s not that I didn’t enjoy them; it’s more that I really love Killer7 and No More Heroes. Those games, I just found them to be fine. Enjoyable but not extraordinary. But that was a long time ago. My tastes have matured, I'm more open-minded, and I look at video games in a broader way, so I was looking forward to giving Shadows of the Damned another chance with the Hella Remastered version??. Some peo??ple really dig it, so maybe I just wasn’t able to appreciate it properly at the time.

Unfortunately,? this time it’s no different. Maybe I don’t give my past self enough credit, because another playthrough has not improved my opinion of the game.

Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered (PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Switch)
Developer: Grasshopper Manufacture
Publisher: Grasshopper Manufacture
Released: October 31, 2024
MSRP: $24.99

I want to start by saying that Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered is not “hella�remastered. ??It is barely remastered. I’m certain that some things have visually improved, but I don’t think the geometry has been touched. I’d call the textures “cleaned up,�but I’m pretty ?sure they’re the exact same ones but maybe less compressed. There were moments when it would do close-ups of some objects, and the surface was just smeared and blurry. 

Shadows of the Damned wasn’t a terrible-looking game for 2011, but it wasn’t impressive, either. It wasn’t intended as some sort of technical showcase. But why call it a remaster when it just looks like someone turned the settings up from High to Ultra? It has extra costumes and New Game+. It r?uns at 4K and 60fps. Some of the visual effects have been improved, but it still looks like Unreal Engine 3 piss. A ?port is fine, especially for the price. Maybe call it the “Hella Definitive Edition.�But if you want to call it remastered, at least put a rug down.

Anyway, Shadows of the Damned is about a guy and his talking gun descending into Hell to make dick jokes for several hours. Not that there’s a problem with dick jokes. Destructoid was founded on the principles of dick jokes. I ju?st want you to be prepared f?or what you’re getting into.

Shadows of the Damned plays a bit like Resident Evil 4 if you suck some of the production values out of it. You play as demon hunter Garcia Hotspur as he takes his transforming pistol, Johnson, on a road t??rip through hell to rescue his girlfriend, Paula, from the Lord of the Underworld, Fleming. The goal is to reach a castle that always looms on the horizon, the Castle of Hassle.

That’s pretty much all there is to the story. You advance level by level and take out some baddies along the way. Much of the narrative meat is actually just backstory. Being a former demon himself, Johnson will explain the workings of the u??nderworld while you occasionally come across books that reveal the pasts of the bosses you face. It’s not the most exciting storytelling, but it works. Its goal seems to be attempting a dark fairytale, but I don’t think that comes across very well.

However, the dialogue between Garcia and Johnson helps elevate it, so long as you can stomach the humor. It is packed with references to sex and genitalia, sometimes through double entendre and other times just overtly. Not all of it hits, and some of it completely m??issed me, but the duo is charming enough. They may not stop talking about their members and the members of others, but at least guys are able to bond over their dicks.

I wound up enjoying Garcia’s wholesome devotion to Paula. Although she’s heavily sexualized throughout the story, at one point even showing off her tits, Garcia is mostly just concerned with doing right by her. It’s a subtle trait that sometimes gets lost beneath the heaps of dick jokes, but it’s?? appreciable wh?en it comes up.

When you get into the gameplay of Shadows of the Damned, it winds up being unspectacu??lar. A largely linear affair with a heavy focus on combat without a real hook. A lot of the setpieces revolve around a darkness that will envelop the area, which will damage Garcia if he spends?? too much time in it, but otherwise, it’s headshots and weak points with a bit of dodging thrown in for good measure.

At least there’s gyro control fo??r aiming. Or there is on the PS5 version, and I assume that’s true for the Switch. It helps in a lot of places, especially when you’re grappling with the Big Boner.

Everything about it is a mixed bag. The graphics are often real?ly mundane and drab, then every so often you get an interesting character design. But then, even the interesting characters are smudged in dirt, which makes it difficult to really appreciate their design. It’s sort of the product of the generation it was released in.

The soundtrack by Akira Yamaoka (Silent Hill) is pretty great, but like everything, it kind of gets lost. It doesn’t stand out as much as it should and winds up being easily forg?otten. It’s easy to forget that this game was made by some of the industry’s greatest, because it’s just kind of flat.

I’m not the only one who thinks that, and I don’t just mean that by looking at the original run of reviews. The hella original version was published by EA, and if you want a feel for the dysfunction behind the scenes, it’s what gave Suda51 his grudge against former EA CEO, John Riccitiello. Suda hates the guy so much that he named an antagonist in later No More Heroes games after him �Damon Riccitiello. That was his name in Travis Strikes Again. He toned it down in No More Heroes, calling him Damon Rico??tello, as if that hides the influence.

Shinji Mikami stated back in a 2012 interview with CVG that he thought Suda51’s “heart was broken�by the constant changes EA requested for Shadows of the Damned. He said it wasn’t the game that they had envisioned by the time it came out. It’s not like they could have fixed it in the Hella Remastered version, because they had to change so much. Instead, Suda took some of the early drafts and made the comic Kurayami Dance with Syuji Takeya.

That’s not to say that Shadows of the Damned couldn’t have appealed even with those circumstances. While I appreciate the creative vision and detest the business end of development, it doesn’t always doom a production. But regardless of it, Shadows of the Damned is rather bland, even with its constant dick-waving. Maybe I’m naive, but I can’t imagine it turning out this way without executive oversight. Obviously, Suda51 is proud enough about the g?ame to consider it worth?? releasing again, even if it isn’t exactly a gloss-up.

I gave Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered a fair chance to win me over, but I feel the same way I ?did when I? played it back in 2011: underwhelmed. It’s just now, all these years later, I’m a lot better at analyzing its problems and communicating them. It doesn’t help that the remaster is barely a remaster at all. The buddy relationship between Johnson and Garcia as well as Garcia’s devotion to Paula have their charm, and the dick jokes do a lot of heavy lifting. However, it’s difficult to get over just how grey and humdrum the underworld is.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

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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, but what a game 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 i?ts 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 remaster.

However, they are throwing in 13 playable characters and levels unlocked from the start. I mean, that’s not a lot, but it’s not nothing. They boast modern contro?ls 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 Switch, 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.

I was in college in 2006 when Dead Rising came out. HDTVs were already not in the majority of homes, but they were definitely a rari??ty in dorms. It was years before I learned what Otis was trying to tell me.

There was a common issue with Dead Rising: the font on subtitles was too small to read ??on SDTVs. You could often make out what was written on screen, but it would take effort. More effort than you could fit into the timeframe it remained?? visible.

Otis was the worst. He contacts you regularly to tell you the location of survivo?rs and would talk to you as you try to safely navigate past hordes of zombies. Trying to discern the microscopic text while watching your movements was next to impossible. Then, he’d get offen?ded if he was interrupted for any reason. We all hated Otis.

But not anymore, because Otis�dialogue is voice acted in Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster. Too bad my days of playing it on a stand?ard definition di??splay are long past.

Dead Rising was an im??pressive, influential, and ambitious gam??e for 2006, but it was also a flawed one. I loved it when it was first released, but I can clearly remember a lot of frustration. Beyond Otis calling my a jerk for getting interrupted, the controls weren’t great and escorting survivors was also a quick shortcut to going mad.

If you weren’t around, Dead Rising is the story of boastful and somewhat sleazy photojournalist Frank ??West, as he drops into a zombie-infested mall to try and uncover a scoop tha??t will make him famous. Unfortunately, he has to wait three days for his ride back to safety to arrive, and when it comes to finding a story, he may have bitten off more than he can chew.

You’re left to run around a sandbox-ish mall full?? of zombies. There’s a persistent clock running, counting down 72 in-game hours until you’re saved. There’s a central plot that requires you to be in specific places at specific times, but you’re otherwise free to explore, save people in need of help, or take down “psychopaths�who ?have snapped beneath the weight of zombie-induced stress.

Deluxe Remaster doesn’t really change that. Well, as?ide from reducing the frustration.

Many of Deluxe Remasters�changes aren’t even immediately noticeable. In fact, if your memory is flawed, or you just didn’t play as much of the 2006 version as I did, you might only? notice that it looks nicer. But that’s only because Capcom has be??en sly about what got upgraded in terms of gameplay.

You might think that weapons always had a durability gauge, but the truth wa??s that you just had to guess. Your katana would doubtlessly let you down by snapping when you needed it most. Now you can tell when it grows brittle. You can also move while looking down the sights of your gun. As I mentioned earlier, O?tis can actually talk, so you don’t need to watch the subtitles while you hear about who isn’t looking too good in the cosmetic store in the entrance plaza.

Most importantly, the survivors that you rescue are better at defending themselves and staying out of harm’s way. They aren’t super-capable, so you still need to lead them through safe routes and trim the zombies so they can get through. But they won’t immediately get swarmed the moment you take your eyes off of them, as they often would back in �6. I remember growing so frustrated in the original version that I stopped rescuing people, but it doesn’t look like it will be an issue with the Deluxe Remaster.

I played through the Deluxe Remaster from the beginning to 11 am on the second day; the length that Capcom would let me play through. Much of it felt familiar. The graphics have been glossed up with the RE Engine, but you can tell they’re applied over an older game. Dead Rising was impressive when it was released. The characters had more detailed movement and expres??sions than what you’d often see in cutscenes at the time, but there’s still some of the telltale stiffness of the earlier days.

Impressively, the new assets and effects work extremely well overtop the dustier parts of the game. The graphical effects and character models still have slightly exaggerated qualities to them that make them feel familiar. The mall is also a nicely sterile consumer environment that incorporates the upgraded lighting and reflection effects well. It avoids looking too much like a fan-made HD mod, and instead seems to understand Dead Rising’s aesthetics.

I’ve heard that some don’t really dig Frank West looking so much older in Deluxe Remaster, but I think it fits the characte??r. He’s cove??red wars, you know.

On the other hand, I did notice a number of graphical weirdities in the PC version I played. I had a lot of? issues with the framerate stuttering, though it typically ran fine. More noticeably, the depth-of-field blur wouldn’t mind its own business. Focusing in the camera mode was unreliable. More distractingly, the blur would sometimes cover characters in cutscenes. We’re still over a month out from release, which is usually the period of heavy bug squashing, so, with all likelihood, this will be fixed by launch.

With only a day of gameplay under my belt, it’s hard to say if this quality holds up throughout Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster’s runtime. While?? I’m happy to see better survivability among the, er, survivors, I’m not certain how they will do in later sprints back to the security room. Likewise, I’ve always kind of hated the “Overtime Mode�of the original and wan?t to see how it feels this time around.

Fortunately, we don’t have to wait long to find out since Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster releases on September 18, 2024. If you’re savvy, you’ll notice that this is the day before the event?s in the game took place (September 19, 2006).

I’m optimistic, to say the least. I’ve been putting off a replay of Dead Rising for quite some time now, and this glossed-up version of the original seems like it will be the ticket. It was never a perfect game, and it’s unlikely that Deluxe Remaster will be, either. However, it does nudge the classic titl??e a notch closer to perfection.

The post Hands-on Preview: Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster 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 consoles 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 that some people dig it. However, it kind of played like jus?t about everything of that period an?d stars professional action figure, Jango 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 navigating 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 re??master arrives on Switch, PS4, P??S5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC on August 1, 2024.

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

According to a post from The Gamer a couple of days ago, fans began to notice that Tomb Raider I-III Remastered was different on EGS than o??n Steam. For starters, the Epic Games ve??rsion 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 download 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 e??venly matched, for whatever reason.

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

We don't exactly know what's c??oming, but the st??udio 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.

Star Wars has always been big news, but now it’s just one of the many blobs that are trying to slather themselves over every inch of the? media landscape and suck the? time right out of us. A long time ago, it used to feel like it belonged to the fans.

Before the prequel trilogy started production, it seemed like no one was really sure what to do with the license. There were novels, comic books, and video games; things that the mainstream largely ignored. It became something more for nerds (like myself) who would delve into the lore. New entries felt as though they were made for that audience. It was very disciplined and gentle, as Star Wars was such a precious thing. Though, it was still very messy at times.

1995’s Star Wars: Dark Forces is slightly more blunt w?ith its handling, but it’s nowhere near the demolition that was just on the horizon. It has a quaint charm that a lot of people from that time connected with, so it’s n?ot much of a surprise that the remaster professionals at Nightdive would want to touch it up.

Star Wars: Dark Forces Remaster (PC [reviewed], PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox SeriesX|S, Switch)
Developer: LucasArts, Nightdive Studios
Publisher: Nightdive Studios
Released: February 28, 2024
MSRP: $29.99

In 1995, the first-person shooter was just beginning to establish itself. In 1992, Wolfenstein 3D built the formula, and 1993’s Doom lit the fuse. Immediately, people looked at this newfound perspective and thought, “This would be awesome if it was Star Wars.�In fact, Star Wars: Dark Forces�project leader Daron Stinnett, even said that the game was partially inspired by a Doom mod that take place in the Death Star.

At the time, 1993’s Star Wars: Rebel Assault and Star Wars: X-Wing were dabbling in creating new storylines around the movies for players to muck around in, so Star Wars: Dark Forces did the same, creating the character Kyle Katarn, a sarcastic mercenary who used to work with the Empire. He’s the guy who stole the Death Star plans! I think that story has been told three or four ti??mes with different people responsible in each one. But according to LucasArts, in 1993, it was Kyle Katarn.

After making that minor contribution to Star Wars history, Katar?n is then assigned by Mon Mothma to look into the Empire’s new super-w?eapon, the Dark Trooper. That sounds like a foe that my friends and I would have made up on the schoolyard, and it’s exactly what you’d expect. They’re big evil dudes with big guns and indestructible armor that can wipe out entire Rebel bases, but they can’t beat Kyle Katarn.

One thing that I do respect ab??out this story, however, is that there aren’t a??ny Jedi. Nary a lightsaber to be glimpsed. Just good old inelegant blasters and blaster-adjacent weapons.

Star Wars: Dark Forces isn’t much of a diversion from other �em>Doom clones�at the time. The biggest difference between it and the FPS that came before is objectives. The best levels in the game have Katarn infiltrate an Imperial installation, do whatever he’s there for, and then escape with the help of his pilot, Jan Ors. The les?s impressive levels have you get to wh??atever you’re looking for, then it just tells you, “Open Main menu to end mission.�That’s okay. I guess I have an imagination and can just assume that Kyle Katarn walks back the way he came.

Actually, regardless of whether or not Jan descends to pick you up, you still have to open the menu and click “next mission�to advance, which is not a method of transition? ??that has been widely adopted since.

Another addition that Dark Forces makes to the formula is cutscenes. Every so often, you get to see glimpses of the characters going over the mission. They’re mostly dialogue, but it’s a step better than the text scrolls in Doom. There are also location transitions, so you can see your ship fly?? toward a planet or something. It’s worthwhile dressing.

Nightdive touched up the cutscenes, which feels a bit unnecessary but are nice anyway. They essentially just made everything smoother, both in motion and in pixelation. The cutscenes still kind of look pretty retro, but if you’re familiar with the original look,?? the difference is obvious. In fact, the option to turn off the enhanced cutscenes is available, so you can compare if you feel like it.

In general, Nightdive’s remaster is as solid as usual. As with previous projects, the game has been transferred to the Kex Engine. The sprites and textures have been upscaled and touched up to be higher resolution than the originals. They look a lot better at higher resolutions, but they still have a bit of a pixelated look. According to Nightdive artist Albert Marin Garau, the original assets were upscaled 400%, then “handpainted and touched up.�/p>

There’s also optional bloom and “true�3D perspective (like most games that use raycasting for 3D, the perspective in Dark Forces would warp when you look up and down). All of this is optional. In fact, with a press of a button, you can shift the game into software render?ing, making it appear exactly as it did in 1995. Or at least a reasonable facsimile. I never felt this was necessary, but it’s always nice to have the option.

The fact that Star Wars: Dark Forces can easily run on modern platforms and consoles makes the remaster worthwhile. I always had difficulty getting it to run reliably with DOSBox, so the best bet was to find a source port, which always took a bit of tweaking. A fan recently created “The Force Engine,�which is a pretty good option. The author of that port worked with Nightdive on Dark Forces rema??stered. However, I feel like an “out-??of-box�experience is always preferable.

Beyond that, ?Nightdive has included some behind-the-scenes content. While this provides some interesting background, the most interesting inclusion is a cut level called “The Avenger.�It takes place i??n a Star Destroyer and was apparently used as the demo for CES.

The problem is, like with some of Nightdive’s previous projects, such as Turok 3 and PowerSlave, Star Wars: Dark Forces just isn’t all tha?t great, ?which I’m sure Stephen Kick would disagree with.

The level d??esign is just butt. From a technical standpoint, they use a lot of great trickery to emulate room-over-room 3D, and they often look pretty decent. However, they contain a lot of awkward world geometry, strange dead-ends, pointless rooms, and unclear paths to your objectives.

Limitations of raycasting engines of the era made it really difficult to create realistic environments. Most of the time, they instead went in a more abstract direction. That’s not really the problem here. The problem is that Dark Forces likes to hide its paths to its objectives. There were ti?mes that I thought I was fin??ding a secret room, and it turned out to be the intended path.

Also, whoever decided it would be fun to hide landmines?? under clusters of items was wrong.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t really like when I get funneled through an area. I think exploration was one of the biggest strengths of �0s shooters that was lost when they began following the more linear Half-Life formula. However, a feeling of constant progression is an important part of level design, and too much of that is lost walking in circles while trying to fi??gure out how to advance.

The first time I played Star Wars: Dark Forces was a very long time ago, but what sticks in my mind is dropping the game because I got stuck on the sewer level and couldn’t find where I was supposed to go. I didn’t have the problem this?? time around, nor did I hit a barrier I couldn’t overcome, but I was very aware of the moments where I lost the trail.

??Amusingly, the cut level is better than most that made it into the game. While it, too, gets a little unclear in terms of where you need to go and ??has rooms with no purpose, the fact that it’s designed in a way that feels more like a real place and, as a result, is more interesting to explore.

Beyond that, much of Dark Forces takes place in narrow corridors, and of its arsenal, I only made consistent use of two weapons. They were a blaster and another type of blaster. This is kind of the downside to the gentle care that Star Wars was handled ??????????????????????????with that I alluded to at the beginning of this review. People making stories in the universe would rarely invent new devices, and there wa??sn’t a whole lot of variety needed for the movies.

The result is that, among the stormtroopers that you fight, there are enemies that don’t really make much sense. Probe droids were used a lot in older games, but the movies kind of presented them like disposable reconnaissance units. The one Han fights in The Empire Strikes Back even self-destructs when attacked. Alongside this are interrogation droids and o??ne of those little hovering ball things that Luke Skywalker uses to train with in exactly one scene. Even if you acc??ept their presence, they really just shoot at you like almost everything else does.

So, the result is a decent remaster of an okay game. Not bad, better than middling, but not good. Given that it has the Star Wars license, Dark Forces was no doubt successful in 1995 and will most likely be successful now. And it should be. Because even mediocre games can be worthwhile, and they often have a story to tell. I’ll al??ways be grateful when Nightdive and other studios go to the effort to revive them, and I will always be her??e asking for more.

Speaking of which, when can we have Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Dark Forces 2?

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

The post Review: Star Wars: Dark Forces Remaster appeared first on Destructoid.

As part of the PlayStation State of Play stream, Sony has confirmed the rumors that Until Dawn is getti?ng remastered for PS5 and PC. In addition, they’ve revealed that it will be coming in 2024.

We heard murmurs that the remaster was going to be revealed less than a week ago. This news comes not long after the announcement that the game is being adapted into a movie, which doesn’t seem that much of a departure? from the game itself. The trailer shows off some familiar and reworked scenes with a new lick of polish. 

I’m going to be real with you; I didn’t play Until Dawn, so I don’t really know what I’m looking at. Still, cool for?? fans. Probably.

The remaster of Until Dawn will release for PS5 and PC sometime in 2024.

The post Until Daw??n is getting remastered for PS5 and PC in?? 2024 appeared first on Destructoid.

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

A recent post on the PlayStation Blog gives us a few details on the upcoming Tomb Raider remaster?s, which are set to release on February 14 (ooh, la la). Going way back to 1998 when the studio helped launch the 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 spr??ites for 3D models, as well as implemented real-time lighting effects, poli??shed 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 cla??ssic vis??uals, if that's your bag.

It's impressive that the series is 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 A?spyr o??utlines what to expect in upcoming Tomb Raider remasters appeared first on Destructoid.

I wasn’t expecting Turok 3: Shadow of Oblivion to be remastered. While Nightdive Studios updated and rereleased the PC versions of the first two games, there wasn’t a PC version of Turok 3. They didn't have the source files, so they had t??o reverse-??engineer the N64 version and port it over to their proprietary KEX Engine.

It’s a lot of work to go through, especially when Turok 3: Shadow of Oblivion is hardly the best game in the ser??ies. To put it charitably, it’s mediocre. Neither liquid nor solid. Remastering it was hardly going to be a fina??ncial home run.

But, as I said in my review, “It wasn’t the smart thing to do. It was the right thing to do.�The remastered N64 trilogy of Turok games (excluding Rage Wars) would remain i?ncomplete ??without that last game. For historical context, it needed to be there. The journey needed a conclusion.

So, Nightdive went all in on the remaster and then didn’t stop there. Beyond just getting it working on PC, they gave it a loving touch-up, buffing that carp until its scales sparkled. But it’s so true to the original that it can be easy to miss. Albert Marin Garau, a member of the art team at Nightdive, put together this comparison between the remaster and the N64 version (via emulati??on)?? to show off exactly how much of an upgrade it really is.

By the way, there a?re massive spoilers in the video.

“I think we've reached a good balance. The fans who haven't played this title for a while won't notice that there has been a radical change in the game's assets, other than the sharper look. But after a few minutes of playing, they'll certainly notice that there is something more than a simple skin lifting…�Albert told me via email. “At the same time, the visual part of the game will not be visually offensive to new players, whom the original textures and models could be such a negative aspect that it could ruin the experience at a certain degree.�/p>

“The game still looks ‘retro,�though. But that's not a bad thing, on the contrary.�/p>

Nightdive did a similar thing with their remasters of the Quake games. All the models there were touched up to add more detail. However, if you were separated from the games for any? length of time, you might not even notice. Only under direct comparison do the differences become cl??ear.

Even if you do notice the difference, it still doesn’t look like a modern game. To me, I could believe that this was a PC or Dreamcast port that followed the N64 version, sort of like the versions of Shadow Man.

The textures were the most impressive part for me. The lighting feels like a given just because it’s in a more modern engine. As Albert explains, the KEX Engine “allowed us to add, move, adjust and tweak almost every single light source, and even use those beautiful real-time lights that cast shadows.�/p>

On the other hand, the N64 was awful to textures. The console only had a 4KB texture cache, which is unimpressive, to say the least. Reverse-engineering the N64 version means that they’d wind up with all the tiny, low-detail textures stor??ed on a cartridge. This would look awful running in modern resolutions.

However, many of the textures were pulled from texture libraries, some of which they were able to find with the help of their “texture archeologist.�But they had to replace every single texture in the game, and not all of them could be found. Even some of the ones that could be found weren’t of the necessary ??quality, so they had to be touched up by hand, while others needed to ??be remade from scratch.

According to Albert, “The most difficult part was to identify what's what. When you have thousands of 32x32 textures, it's really hard to tell what kind of surface are we looking at. So, the context was really important. It was easy to mix up what's stone or rusted metal, or even a monster shell at these low resolutions!�/p>

But the team didn’t stop there. They also went further to upgrade each of the models without compromising the game’s original art direction. Albert pointed out, “A good example of what's been done in the character models can be found in their hands... now they have normal 5-finger hands! We've added extra detail to the most blocky parts of the character and enemies' bodies. Some monster's model simplicity made it hard to tell what we were looking at. We added extra detail and/or fixed inaccuracies to every stage model and added extra props to the more lifeless areas of the game.�/p>

This can easily be seen around the house in the opening cutscene. In the N64 version, the muddy and low-quality textures make it look like it’s j??ust sitting in an empty field. A later shot, however, indicates it flanks a road and is part of a neighborhood. The upgrades Nightdive did do a much better job of selling that fact. They didn’t remove the foggy surroundings, so it still has that N64 edge.

I found it somewhat hilarious, however, that Turok 3 had so much trouble with the scale of some models. A shotgun lying next to a corpse in the first level, for example, is often absurdly larger than the person who was supposedly holding it. At the 8:23 mark in the video, it shows Danielle on a train standing next to a door. In the N64 version, the window is askew, while Danielle towers over the threshold. Nightdive fixed the window but left the massive Danielle, preserving the scene’s absu??rd look while fixing the details.

Even upgrading the models like they did was a challenge. Albert recounts, “The model format used in this game had some limitations of those years regarding how the bones of the skinned meshes work. This drove us crazy at some point when adding some extra detail in the 3D mesh here and there broke the animations.�/p>

â€?œI really put a lot of love into the facial animations. I wanted to ??inject life into the characters,â€?Albert told me.

If there’s one place that Turok 3 was exceptional at the time, it was with the facial animations. Having lip-syncing was extremely rare, and having expressive characters was even less common. The only other game that I can readily name off the top of my head with this level of detail is Conker’s Bad Fur Day. The console just wasn’t built for it. Even then, Turok 3 wasn’t always great at it.

So Nightdive took the opportunity to expand on this feature. As Albert explains, “As you can see, in the original, only a few facial animations make sense. The reason is they used 2 different models for every character: The ‘upper body�and more detailed face and the ‘complete body�with simplified face model. They used the first one for close-distance camera angles which mouth movements were pretty accurate, then we have... the rest of the animations using the simplified face model. There were some animations that were used in more than one moment and in different cutscenes with random and generic mouth animations, or simply with no facial animation at all…�/p>

You can really see this whenever a character talks with their full body showing. Look at 3:57 in the video. Danielle comes out of her room, fully dressed for some reason, to check on Joshua?? Fireseed. In the original N64 version, Danielle has no really visible facial movement, while Joseph has very little. However, in the updated version, she’s act?ually able to move her mouth and emote.

“For the remaster, I created unique animations for every camera angle with custom facial expressions and lip-synced mouth animations,�Albert told me. “It was mostly a frame-by-frame work, but I really enjoyed doing it!�/p>

The animations, in general, were a nightmare to work with. Albert clarified, “The model format limitations forced me to adjust almost every single animation for the characters and enemies, but we also took the opportunity to improve them (no need to mention the originals were far from being polished) and even add extra animations that were nonexistent, lame or even a few unused animations the original developers removed for some reason.�/p>

This video demonstrates why retro games are in good hands when they’re given to Nightdive Studios. The Turok 3: Shadow of Oblivion remaster still looks like Turok 3, maybe just cranked up to its maximum settings. It doesn’t look like a new game built on the bones of an older one, nor does it bear the blasphemous inconsistencies of a (typical) fan-made HD mod. It’s also not some sort of officially stamped abomination like the Silent Hill HD collection. Changing too much robs a game of its original intent and its historical context. Not changing anything risks alienating new players. They didn’t “fix�Turok 3. They just spit on a napkin and wiped th??e marinara off its face.

As Larry Kuperman, Director of Business Development at Nightdive, once said to me, “If someone is looking for the latest Unreal 5 game, they probably didn't want Turok.�nbsp;

It’s not even an argument of “Don’t fix what isn’t broke.�It’s more like, “Don’t assume you know better than the original developers.�And yet, actually trying to stay true to the developer's vision while breaking away from the technological constraints of the original release takes a lot of work. In fact, I’d argue it's more difficult. The fact that Nightdive will take the more difficult path, even for a game of questionable quality like Turok 3, demonstrates a reverence for the medium as an art. And that feels ??like something that there has always been a lack of when it comes to video games??.

The post Turok 3: Shadow of Oblivion comparison shows the care that went into Nightdive’s remaster appeared first on Destructoid.

It’s time to put the words of Savage Starlight to the test. Naughty Dog and PlayStation have released a new trailer for The Last of Us Part II Remastered, previewing the newest mode: No Return.

The mode, announced alongside the remaster’s reveal, features roguelike mechanics within the world and gameplay of The Last of Us. Players will endure and survive different stages full of various e?nemies like clickers, soldiers, and even that disgusting Rat King from the Sewers level. However, if you die, you have to start fr??om the beginning of your run. 

For the first time in the series, No Return lets you play as different characters outside of the base Ellie and Abby. You want to play as Tommy? Go for it. Lev? Absolutely. All of the characters? have unique traits that’ll help you on your run. For example, Dina is a crafter, having access ??to recipes for stun bombs and trap mines. And yes, you can change their outfits if you desire.

The stages are randomized, so no two playthroughs will be alike. You’ll need to adapt to your situation and defeat all enemies or complete the stated objective to proceed. Along the way, you can upgrade your weaponry to suit the stage. As you’ll be dying a lot, as seen plenty during the trailer, you’ll be able to figure out what works and what doesn’t. Gameplay modifiers can be used to create a unique and exhilarating run, so even seasoned players ??can sweat a bit.

Making Things Click

To be honest, I don't have much experience with roguelikes. Though I've played Hades and Dead Cells and thoroughly enjoyed them, I haven't played enough to call myself an expert. However, No Return does look like it’ll be a fun take on Naughty Dog’s already great gameplay and one I might get into. Plus, its delivery does seem to separate itself from the typical roguelike with its classic TLoU gunplay. It’ll be interesting??????????????????????????? to see how it feels when you’re actually playing it.

The Last of Us Part II Remastered is a re-release of the critically acclaimed 2020 PS4 game of the same name. Taking place after the events of the first, we follow Ellie and newcomer Abby on their separate journeys for revenge and survival. This remastered version comes with unreleased levels (labeled Lost Levels) and boasts even better graphics. While it does feel a bit too soon for it, the recent success of HBO’s adaptation of the game shows you can never have too much of The Last of Us.

The Last of Us Part II Remastered is scheduled to release o?n January 19, 2024, to PS5.

The post Here’s a look at Last of Us Part II Remastered’s roguelike survival mode appeared first on Destructoid.

Nightdive Studios has shown off their upcoming remaster, System Shock 2: Enhanced Edition, at the indie horror showcase. This updated version transplants the 1999 classic to the KEX Engine, bringing with it all the modern comforts that the engine ??offers.

Nightdive has really been moving on these remasters. Star Wars: Dark Forces was just recently announced along with Turok 3, while SiN Reloaded got shunted a bit to the side to make room. System Shock 2: Enhanced Edition has been in the pipeline for a while, however, with it being promised to anyone who pre-ordered the System Shock remaster.

The Enhanced Edition comes with the added benefit of higher resolution, widescreen, and post-processing effects. The graphics have also been touched up, but in typical Nightdive fashion, they’re carefully tweaked to improve the look without altering the gameplay. It will also be ?available on cons??oles for the first time.

System Shock 2 was the first game from Irrational Games and was a sequel to Looking Glass Studios�1994 title, System Shock. The title is held in high regard, and its design would influence its spiritual successor, 2007’s Bioshock. I’m sure some fans will be disappointed that Nightdive didn’t completely overhaul the 1999 title in the same way they did the original System Shock, but of ??the two titles, the latter definitely needed a lick of paint.

There’s still no release date for System Shock 2: Enhanced Edition aside from “coming soon�and “in the near future.�It will be c??oming to PS5, Xbox S??eries X|S, and PC.

The post Nightdive shows off System Shock 2: Enhan??ced Edition?? at Indie Horror Showcase appeared first on Destructoid.

Nightdive Studios has announced that the N64 version of Turok 3: Shadow of Oblivion will be among the next games to get the remaster treatment. Not only that, it already has a release date of November 14 and is coming to PC and conso?les.

Originally released in 2000, Turok 3: Shadow of Oblivion was an interesting turn for Acclaim’s Turok series. It really shows the awkward evolution of the first-person shooter genre in the wake of 1998’s Half-Life. While the first two games were largely just fast-paced key-hunting games like early FPS, Turok 3: Shadow of Oblivion incorporated more sto??ry elements and cutscene?s. It involved two would-be Turoks trying to fight back against an encroaching threat in the wake of Joshua Fireseed’s apparent death.

//youtu.be/SdCaj5ZRp-A

It’s the last numbered Turok entry and, really, the last good one. The level design kind of gets mired in the muddy brown industrial look of the late �0s, and the action isn’t as swift as the earlier titles. A lot of the real Turok identity gets lost in the pur??suit of gaming trends. Despite that, it’s an interesting early-3D ga?me.

While Nightdive previously remastered the first two Turok games, a rerelease of Shadow of Oblivion wasn’t guaranteed. The first two titles already had PC ports that the studio could work off of, whereas Turok 3 never left the N64. However, since they were able to “reverse engineer�and provide the N64 campaign of Quake 2, I had hoped that they put in the effort because they were working on a port to Turok 3. And sure enough�/p>

Does this mean we'll get Turok: Rage Wars someday?

Turok 3: Shadow of Oblivion is getting the KEX Engine treatment. Nightdive is boasting a lot of the same enhancements that the Quake 2 remaster received, including real-time lighting and upd??ated models. It’s coming to PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Switch on November 14.

The post Remaster of tenta?cle-?filled Turok 3: Shadow of Oblivion coming from Nightdive Studios November 14 appeared first on Destructoid.

I’ve never really gotten elbow-deep into the Quake series. Before the 2021 Quake remaster by Nightdive Studios, I was actually most familiar with Quake 4, and I really don’t remember that much about it. In 1996, I was into Duke Nukem 3D. And then after that, it was Goldeneye 007. I at least played Quake 2�The N64 version.

But after the first Quake was remastered and introduced me to the series, I held off on any more series exploration, anticipating the second one would eventually get the same treatment. My patience paid off, and the Quake II remaster has arrived. Once again, it?’s a terrific intro?duction.

[caption id="attachment_396573" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Quake 2 (PC [Reviewed], PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Switch)
Developer: id Software, NightDive Studios, MachineGames
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Released: August 10, 2023
MSRP: $9.99

After the development of the first game in the Quake series was beset by creative differences, many members of id Software de?parted, including Sandy Peterson and John Romero. This is considered by many to be the end of classic id Software, as it seemed like the heart had left th??e brain with an empty bed.

You can sort of feel that in Quake II. There was something of an anarchic directionlessness in Quake that is replaced with something a lot more cohesive. Quake still felt like a first-generation shooter like Doom. Quake 2 is a lot closer to Half-Life.

You can see this clearly in the narrative. Earth has been under attack by the Strogg and hasn’t been faring well. So, the meaty humans launch a counter-attack, taking the fight to the meat substitute Strogg’s homeworld of Stroggos. Quake II and all the e??xpansions are set around this counter-attack as you take control of different space marines attempting to ??hinder the enemy’s ability to wage war on humanity.

The first Quake really didn’t have much of a narrative, and this is definitely not a continuation. This comes with its pros and cons. The biggest positive is that a more defined narrative gives you purpose that helps drive you through the game. The downside is that the Strogg don’t care much for interior design, and ??there’s little visual diversity throughout the campaigns.

//youtu.be/cyxBE163n20

Out of item

Nightdive’s remaster is similar to their approaches to the original Quake and the recent Rise of the Triad: Ludicrous Edition. They have gathered all the expansions into one package, added a newly created campaign, and transported everything to their more modern KEX Engine, bringing with it a number of extra visual and gameplay options. An??d then, after already doing more than most would expect, they continue on to polish up the graphics and gameplay without tampering with the ?overall feeling and aesthetic of the title.

It’s extensive. They even upscaled the cinematics. Then, somehow, they ported all of the N64 version of Quake II’s levels. For whatever reason, when Raster Productions handled th??e N64 port, they wound up remaking almost all of the levels. It’s just as much its own campaign as the other expansions. It seems like it would be quite an effort to re-port the N64 version back to PC, but it was very worth it. It contains visual flourishes that make it, at the very least, aesthetically worth exploring.

The two expansions by Xatrix Entertainment and Rogue Entertainment are necessary inclusions, even if they mostly just feel like added con?tent. Which, to be fair, is essentially what they were when they first released.

Meanwhile, the new campaign, Call of the Machine, by MachineGames is a great way of showing off the many successes of Quake 2 while minimizing its deficiencies. Visual variety is a lot be??tter here, depicting a lot of different and interesting locales based on the Strogg War story but in places not shown in the games. It’s an effective way to demonstrate the outstanding gunplay, fast action, and interesting enemie??s without eliminating the unique flavor of the base game.

[caption id="attachment_396572" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Someone hang a poster

Which to be fair, as much as I hassle Quake 2 for its repetitive brown corridors, I do enjoy it. The main campaign is maybe a 6-8 hour romp. It kept my attention through to the end, even when similar games with shinier corridors failed to. Games like Dusk have demonstrated the lasting appeal of the clunkier and more straightforward games of yesteryear, and Quake 2 is an essential example of that.

But beyond that, Nightdive's remaster makes things a little more pleasant. One great feature is the compass, which draws a path to your next objective. It’s not that Quake 2 was obtuse beyond reason. Each of th??e “units�of the game is composed of a handful of small levels, so ??you’re destined to trip over what you’re looking for. It’s just a matter of how much backtracking you’ll have to endure.

For example, you might finish a secondary objective and see the message “turbine disabled.�Perhaps you won’t realize it’s talking about the fan that you just passed and can now bypass. So, you continue on your merry way, and then when you finally circle back, you say, “Ooooh. It was talking about this turbine.�/p>

So, I mostly used the compass whenever I came back to a fami?liar-looking room and wanted to make sure I wasn’t jus?t going in circles.

[caption id="attachment_396574" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

That's a lot of screens

As usual for Nightdive remasters, their all-encompassing approach to Quake II makes it the definitive way t??o play the game. Beyond just compiling all the expansions, certain features, such as AI, were buffed up, and cut content was restored. And then there’s also the multiplayer, which in some versions supports 8-player split-screen local. Or you can play online, if you don’t like sharing your screen.

But if, for whatever reason, none of?? tha??t sounds good to you, the original versions are still available.

For me, it was a great introduction to Quake II. The PC version, I mean. It’s an oppressively brown shooter, but it still carries the speedy, lightweight combat that makes older FPS games still pop today. The changes that Nightdive brought in for the remaster make it even more enjoyable and accessible. It may not have the same experimental charm as Rise of the Triad: Ludicrous Edition, but it more than makes up for it with its tight ??and gory gunfights.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game purchased by the reviewer.]}

The post Review: Quake II (2023 Remaster) appeared first on Destructoid.

A little later but also a little cheaper

In a post on their community website, Studio Wildcard revealed that the upcoming remaster of ARK: Survival Evolved has been delayed until October. Officially titled ARK: Survival Ascended, th?e remastered version utilizes Unreal Engine 5.2 and offers full cross-platform s??upport.

Delays are nothing new to ARK fans, with the highly anticipated sequel ARK II getting delayed as well just a few months ago.

As disappointing as a delay can be, there is some good news. ARK: Survival Ascended has received a discount on its launch price. The open world survival game will now launch in Early Access at the price point of $44.99. A $5 launch discount will bring the price to $39.99.

[caption id="attachment_390075" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Studio Wildcard[/caption]

Content for ARK: Survival Ascended delayed as well

Unfortunately, the delay affected more than just the remastered game release. ARK: Survival Ascended had planned on following a content release schedule similar to the original game. It was originally planned to release w??ith The Island map and the first big DLC and map,?? the Scorched Earth.

Therefore, The Island will release alongside ARK: Survival Ascended but The Scorched Earth content releases will be split up. The Scorched Earth map will now release in December, with Ragnarok and Aberra?tion moved into Q1 2024. All of the remaining DLC and m?aps will continue to release beyond that.

[caption id="attachment_390076" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Studio Wildcard[/caption]

Fan frustrations continue

This isn't the first point of frustration for ARK fans. The remaster of ARK: Survival Evolved was originally a bundle with ARK II, increasing the price of the game. However, after fans voiced their frustration with the issue, Studio Wildcard changed course and separated the two games.

Despite the change, some fans are still not happy.  Many thought the Unreal Engine 5 version of the game would be a free update, but instead, it would now have the cost of a AAA game. When you realize the original ARK: Survival Evolved released at $29.99, it's easy to see th?e cause of frustration.

Having r??eceived two pri??ce cuts, from $60 to $50 and now $50 to $40, perhaps this is a good thing. Who knows, maybe if the delays continue fans will get their wish for a free update.

ARK: Survival Ascended will now launch in October on ?Xbox Series X|S, P?layStation and PC.

The post Remaster ??of ARK: Survival Evolved delayed until October appeared first on Destructoid.

QuakeCon announcement incoming?

Everybody's favorite spoiler, The Game Rating and Administration Committee of Korea, is at it again, this time apparently lifting the lid on an incoming remaster of one of the most genre-defining shooters of all time, id Software's Quake II.

While Activision is yet to officially announce said remaster, we have been here once before, as game ratings board previously leaked the remaster of the original Quake, ahead of its official reveal at the annual gathering of all things id, QuakeCon. Given that QuakeCon 2023 is set to take place in a little over a month from now, it seems pretty snug that Quake II Remastered is scheduled to make its appearance.

Originally released in 1997, at the height of the second major FPS boom, Quake II is a violent, sci-fi shooter that sees top-tier marine Bitterman fend off an entire alien invasion with an arsenal of bombastic weaponry. With its smart, interconnected stages, multiple player characters, and commitment to chaotic destruction, Quake II was highly praised by critics and fans, becoming a mainstay on the early online multiplayer circuit and boosting the Activision coffers long before Call of Duty was even in consideration.

We will be sure to give you a heads-up when an official announcement is forthco?ming. QuakeCon 2023 takes place at the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center in Grapevine, Texas from August 10-13.

The post Quake II Remastered ?surfaces?? on Korean Ratings Board appeared first on Destructoid.

Damned if you Don't

As part of yesterday's Grasshopper Manufacture 2023 live stream, the studio announced that its recently-revealed Shadows of the Damned: Remastered is "probably" going to?? be released on "all current platforms."

A typically tongue-in-cheek promo re-introduces us to Mexican demon hunter Garcia Hotspur, who is not only "More terrifying than any demon", but is also "the most determined, devoted man in the world". So form a queue, ladies. The preview then describes Shadows of the Damned as "A nonstop-action love story taking you s?traight through the deepest depths of Hell". Sweet.

"Coming to all current platforms," concludes the preview, before? adding "Probably."

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=THS60cC37??68&t=270s&ab_channel=GrasshopperArchives

Elsewhere in the Grasshopper Direct, community manager James Mountain seemingly returns from the dead, while fellow CM Maddie Copp turns up cosplaying as No More Heroes' notorious Bad Girl. It also looks really hot under those studio lights. Of course, "Suda51" himself puts in an appearance, dazzlingly dressed in a lucha mask and green suit, reminiscent of Saints Row villain Killbane. Suda seemed a lot bigger and much more American than you may recall, but that's just your brain playing tricks on you, as it was?? definitel??y him. Even though he had a different face.

The show closed with a fleeting glimpse of the studio's next game, with viewers? treated to what appears to be the in-game menu for the mystery project. While little can be divulged from the sneak peek, I did notice an "Emerald Flowsion" gauge, at least confirming that Goichi's love for pro-wrestling will continue to make its mark on all of the studio's output.

Shadows of the Damned: Remastered is c?urrently in development for all platforms. P??robably.

The post Shadows of the Damned Remastered is ‘probably’ coming to all platforms appeared first on Destructoid.

Feeling Catty

Capcom has quietly issued a brand new trademark for the unannounced title Monster Hunter Puzzles: Felyne Islands, suggesting that the Japan-only PSP release, Airu de Puzzle, may be getting dusted off? for an all-new worldwide release. The trademark was filed with multiple international licensors.

As noted by Gematsu, Airu de Puzzle is a cute, block puzzle title that launched on PlayStation Portable (PSP) way back in 2012). The fun handheld title has players battle it out in typical block-busting action, championed by the adorable feline friends of the Monster Hunter franchise. The backstory sees the characters, (and even some of the monst?ers), of Airu village gather together for an exciting puzzle festival, which will also, conveniently, provide plenty of the mythical energy to bring prosperity back to the island.

You c?an check out the original trailer fo??r the PSP release below.

//??www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkjSRmqcnGU&ab_channel=CapcomChannel

Now, to be clear, this is just hearsay, but the new title of Felyne Islands sure sounds like a localization of the 2012 release, unless Capcom is planning to build a brand-new title from scratch. Given the newfound love of Monster Hunter on a global scale, it would make sense that the developer might simply be mining its back catalog for timeless titles that would most certainly sell in 2023, perhaps when afforded just a little HD polish. Either way, we'll be sure to give you the heads-up when Felyne Isles is officially announced, i??n whatever form it eventually presents itself.

Capcom trademarks Monster Hunter Puzzles: Fel??yne Isles worldwide [Gematsu]

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A Spider-Man 2 prequel comic is on the way, too

[Update: Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered for PS5 is now available as a standalone title from the PlayStation Store, priced at $49.99.]

There's more on the way for Insomniac's take on Spider-Man, and now, the remastered version of the original is getting its own release. Insomniac Games is releasing a standalone version of Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered on PlayStation 5 sometime later this month.

Originally, the remastered version of 2018's Marvel's Spider-Man was only available as a part of Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales Ultimate Edition. Now??, there will be an option to get Peter's adventure all by itself for PlayStation 5 owners.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=1E051WtpyWg

For those who already own either a disc or digital copy of the original PlayStation 4 game, they will be able to upgrade to the PlayStation 5 Remastered edition for a $10 fee. Miles Morales owners, meanwhile, will also be able to get the remaster through the Ultimate Edition upgrade. And if neither is your option, Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered will run you $49.99 on the PlayStation Store.

As an important note, if you have a physical copy of the PS4 Spidey and want the digital ??PS5 remaster, you'll need to put th??e disc in every time you want to play the digital version.

Free comic book day

If you want a peek at what is new in the world of Spider-Man, and what's in store for the future, then this coming Saturday would be a good time to head to your local comic shop. Saturday, May 6 is Free Comic Book Day, a pretty rad event where lots of publishers put out free issues of ??various comics.

Part of this year's comic roll-out is a new prequel comic for Marvel's Spider-Man 2. Here's an excerpt from today's PlayStation blog, talking about what to expect:

"When we initially sat down with the team at Marvel, we explored a few different ideas about what kinds of stories we could tell in a prequel comic. But we kept coming back to the same core premise—What if Peter, Miles, and MJ had to team up against a new Super Villain whose powers they didn’t understand? Additionally, we wanted to make sure that we could get a peek into what this heroic trio has been doing since the events of Marvel’s Spider-Man and Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales. What is Pete up to now that there are two Spider-Men in the city? How is Miles doing in school? And how is MJ’s jo??urnalism career going?"

Sounds like there will be a lot to contend with leading up to Insomniac's new Spider-venture. Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is still slated for sometime this fall.

The post Update: Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered is getting a standalone PS5 release appeared first on Destructoid.

Discover the truth behind death in June

The stylish Nintendo DS adventure Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective gets its second lease on life this summer. Capcom has locked in a June 30 release date for the Ghost Trick remaster o??n PlayS?tation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC via Steam.

Originally released for the DS back in 2010 and brought to the U.S. in 2011, Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective was confirmed to be getting an HD remaster last month.

It's well-deserved, as Ghost Trick is definitely one of the gems of Nintendo's dual-screen handheld. The HD remaster will bring it all to more modern consoles with single screens, with upgraded visuals and sound. That includes new music arrangements by Great Ace Attorney composer Yasumasa Kitagawa, which are fully synchronized with the original music. The Ghost Trick remast??er will even let you flip between the new and original music at will, t?oo.

Add on a new gallery of artwork and music for Ghost Trick, and it does seem like the Phantom Detective is getting the historical treatment.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ob83jbeJ4Y

Activate your ghost powers

If you've not seen Ghost Trick before, it follows the soul of Sissel, who wakes up to find he's dead. As he unravels the mysteries surrounding his murder, he has to possess and manip??ulate objec??ts to alter events.

It's a quirky, entertaining story with a fair bit of heart. If you dig this era of writing, especially from the Ace Attorney team, this is absolutely one to keep an eye on.

Pre-orders are live now, and Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective hits PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC via Steam on June 30.

The post Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective comes back t???o life on June 30 appeared first on Destructoid.

Kiss the moons

Roughly a year after launching Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition, Square-Enix has circled back to addres??s some of its glaring issues with a patch this month. The patch is expected to address issues relating to the title's frame rate, tweak the growth system for Pip, and fix numerous bugs.

Chrono Cross was the anticipated sequel to the SNES classic, Chrono Trigger. It was extremely well-received at its time of release but has since developed a reputation as “not Chrono Trigger�(source: my old college friends). When Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition eventually hit the scene, I found the game to be decent, but not one of Square’s best PS1 titles.

[embed]//twitter.com/chronogame/status/1627595??394946416640?s=20[/embed]

That’s fine. It’s still a worthwhile game, especially if you love Square’s PS1-era RPGs. This recent port, however, I found to be kind of stinky, although that’s not what I actually said. My sentiment was more along the lin?es that it was a barebones port that was serviceable but had framerate issues that made it feel like it failed to reach my bare minimum expectations. Hopefully, this patch will bring the port up to more acceptable standards.

Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition is available now?? on Switch, PS4, Xbox One, and PC. No date was given fo?r the patch.

The post Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers?? Edition to receive a soothing patch appeared first on Destructoid.

Also known as Cybernator

Get ready for some heavy mech action, as Rainmaker Productions and M2 have announced they’ll be dropping their uncensored port of Assault Suit Valken on Switch this Spring. If you’re not sure what I’m so excited about, Assault Suit Valken was released in North America under the name Cybernator. If you still don’t know what I’m excited about then I’m deeply hurt.

[embed]//youtu.be/Mc_EQ0HjkjM[/embed]

Cybernator was published by Konami back in 1993, and it was awesome. However, the SNES version published in North America and Europe was censored and its translation was extremely barebones. While I could probably live without the censored content’s depictions of suicide, I definitely welcome the re-translated dialogue. Along with the translation comes standard features including like save states, retro screen filters, and unlockable cheats. You can also choose from arranged and original mu??sic, view prod?uction artwork, and check out an 80-page translated guide. Finally, they’ve included an interview with Satoshi Nakai.

But what you should be saying is, “Shhh�You had me at Assault Suit Valken is Cybernator.�/p>

Interestingly, what is shown in the trailer is a port of the SNES original rather than the 2005 PS2 remaster. Personally, I prefer the game's original pixel-art look. It’s surprising but welco?me to see that M2 feels th?e same way.

Assault Suit Valken Declassified is coming to Nintendo Switch this Spring.

The post Assault Suit Valken Declassified penetrates the dry doc??k Spring 2023 appeared first on Destructoid.

It's time to d-d-d-d-duel

GameCube-era card RPG series Baten Kaitos is getting a re-draw, in the form of Baten Kaitos I & II HD Remaster. Bandai Namco is rem??ast?ering both the original and its sequel, coming to Nintendo Switch in summer 2023.

The card-centric RPG series follows the story of Kalas, an adventurer seeking revenge for his brother and grandfather. The other entry, Baten Kaitos Origins, or Baten Kaitos 2 in Japan, takes place two decad?es prior to the first and follows Sagi, a spiriter with connections to both the Guardian Spirits and the Alfard Empire.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=sr8r70Jf31g

These are often talked about as cult classics of the GameCube, with some very interesting mechanics. Namely, they use cards for their battle systems, and the esoteric requirements for getting those cards has certainly made the speedrunning scene for them wild.

Bandai Namco is remastering both in this singular collection, due out this summer. It looks to only be locked in for Nintendo Switch, too. According to a Q+A on the Bandai Namco site, several quality-of-life enhancements are being made alongside the visual upgrades. New features will allow players to turn encounters off, skip cutscenes, and auto-save. No content has been added or deleted for either Baten Kaitos entry, either.

Heart of the cards

This is a wild revival for Bandai Namco to pick up, but this ongoing trend of bringing cult-classics back to life is one I can get on board with. Baten Kaitos I & II was revealed during today's absolutely packed Nintendo Direct, where fellow cult-classic Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective also got a remaster locked in.

With Live A Live and others having their own re?turn to the spotlight, it's been a banner time for old-but-beloved games. Maybe those pipe-dreams of left-field remasters wo??n't seem so out there any more.

For the GameCube card RPG fans, Baten Kaitos w??ill return to deckbuilding on Nintendo Switch later this year.

The post GameCube card RPGs Baten Kaitos I and II get an HD remast?er this summer appeared first on Destructoid.

Just the first one?

If you were holding out hopes for the Metroid Prime Trilogy to make its way to Nintendo Switch, you’re either going to be really excited or really disappointed. Nintendo has announced that a remaster of the first Metroid Prime will be making its way to Switch. Rather than just an enhanced port that was found in the Wii collection, Metroid Prime Remastered features some touched-?up graphics to bring it into the ??modern day.

[embed]//youtu.be/48LzZEG2Pck[/embed]

The remaster will allow you to use the sticky origina??l lock-on controls or the more standard dual stick setup.

No word on if either of the other two games of the trilogy will receive similar upgrades. For now, Metroid Prime Remastered? launches on Nintendo Eshop later today for $39.99. Physical ??version February 22nd.

The post Metroid Prime Remaster stealth drops today appeared first on Destructoid.

“Remastered�/h2>

Paradox Interactive has announced that Colossal Entertainment’s city-builder Cities: Skylines is coming to PS5 and Xbox Series X|S by way of Cities: Skylines - Remastered.

The basic idea of this version is to take advantage of the extra horsepower provided by current-generation consoles. Most notably, the buildable tiles have been bumped up from 9 to 25, which puts it on par with the PC version. In addition to this, you’ll be able to tweak the weather in the environment control panel, there are additions to the UX, and perhaps most importantly: a map editor. You’ll also?? get all the expected performance enhancements ?that come with a generation jump.

[embed]//youtu.be/sXAn3RuwQOw[/embed]

??I think we’re stretching the term “Remastered�a little far in this case, but I guess they had to call it something distinguishing. Really, this mostly nudges the console version closer to what PC players have been enjoying all this time. The one advantage that the PC version still holds over the console port is mod support.

One major advantage here is that the remastered version will be provided for free to anyone who owns the PS4 or Xbox One version of Cities: Skylines, so long as the up?grade is on its respective platform. It’s hard to argue with free.

As a longtime fan of city builders, Cities: Skylines is a wonderfully expansive entry in the genre. After EA dropped the ball with the 2013 version of Simcity, Cities: Skylines picked that ball up and ran with it. While it was initially released back in 2015, it has been receivi??ng a ??steady flow of expansions and updates that have kept it relevant. Personally, I still fire it up somewhat frequently. Some are calling for a true sequel to finally come along, but I have no idea where they’d go from here. It’s pretty all-encompassing.

Cities: Skylines is currently available on consoles and PC. Cities: Skylines - Remastered will drop on PS5 ?and Xbox Series X|S on February 15, 2023. It’s a free upgrade for owners of the PS4 or Xbox One versions, respectively. If you’re new to the title, it will run you $39.99

The post Cities: Skylines Remas?tered Edition breaks g?round on February 15th appeared first on Destructoid.

]]> //jbsgame.com/cities-skylines-remastered-edition-breaks-ground-on-february-15th/feed/ 0 362068 //jbsgame.com/what-classic-game-do-you-want-to-see-get-a-remake-remaster-next/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=what-classic-game-do-you-want-to-see-get-a-remake-remaster-next //jbsgame.com/what-classic-game-do-you-want-to-see-get-a-remake-remaster-next/#respond Sat, 28 Jan 2023 16:00:40 +0000 //jbsgame.com/?p=360221

Another day, another rerelease

The past few years have been rife with some awesome remakes or remasters of some of the best classic games out there, including but not limited to titles like Bioshock, Final Fantasy VII, Dead Space, The Last of Us Part I, and the upcoming Resident Evil 4 remake?. While this trend is only heating up with seemingly more and more remakes/remasters released and announced every year, I'm starting to think about what other classic games I'd like to see get a fresh coat of paint, so to speak.

This is a bit of a tricky one for me because I didn't game as much when I was younger �unless Disney Interactive Studios is willing to revive the 2007 PS2 banger that was High School Musical: Sing It! That's not to say there aren't some classic games that are nostalgic for me, even if I didn't play them myself. I spent endless hours as a kid watching my dad and brother play titles like Jak and Daxter, Ratchet and Clank, and Left 4 Dead.

//youtu.be/DK4jDHCY6Ns

Bringing back some childhood favorites

Both Jak and Daxter and Ratchet and Clank have a similar kind of thing going on, and not just in their naming conventions. Both franchises have really?? solid level design, and aside from fixing some camera jankiness and tightening up the controls, a graphical update would do the most legwork, especially for some of the earlier titles in both of the series.

I'm also a staunch believer in the fact that we don't have enough cute gaming mascots these days. The Nintendo classics like Mario and Kirby have been around forever, and the likes of PlayStation and Xbox are for the most part only represented by hardened-looking fighters like Halo's Master Chief, God of War's Kratos, and Horizon's Aloy. I love those characters as much as the next guy, but seeing the fuzzy, friendly faces o??f Ratchet and Daxter step into the limelight yet again would be another benefit of seeing those titles get a refresh.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SPWsmasgXU

As for Left 4 Dead, I know I'm dreaming with that one since Valve is so focused on Steam, but a girl can dream, right? As scared as I was, Left 4 Dead was a game that I actually tried to play when I was younger, which I guess accounts for my obsession with the zombie genre and first-person shooters in my adult life. I don't remember a ton about this game considering I didn't end up playing a t??on of it because I was so bad, but without returning to it at all since I was like twelve, I can imagine that the gameplay system could use some updates. And of course, improved graphics are always nice to see.

For every fan, there's a skeptic

Of course, some players aren't as thrilled about the onslaught of remakes/remasters as others. In an industry �and media landscape in general �where brand-new IPs are few and far between, I can't blame anyone for wishing studios would spend all the time and money they put into a remake working on something entirely fresh. As excited as I am to see another take on a game like Resident Evil 4, I also happen to side with the skeptics, too. After all, The Last of Us is my favorite game of all time, but I'm solidly on ??the side that says it did not need to be entirely rebuilt in a new en?gine.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=E69tKrfEQag

So with all these updates coming out, and even more that are still rumored, I want to know: what cla?ssic game do you? want to see get a remake/remaster next? Which of the remakes that have come out so far over the past few years is your favorite? Is there a particular level or gameplay moment you'd be extra excited to see get a refresh? Let's discuss in the comments!

The post What classic game do ?you want to see get a remake/remaster next? appeared first on Destructoid.

]]> //jbsgame.com/what-classic-game-do-you-want-to-see-get-a-remake-remaster-next/feed/ 0 360221 //jbsgame.com/raiden-x-mikado-maniax-localization-western-release-summer/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=raiden-x-mikado-maniax-localization-western-release-summer //jbsgame.com/raiden-x-mikado-maniax-localization-western-release-summer/#respond Thu, 19 Jan 2023 19:00:20 +0000 //jbsgame.com/?p=358682

Beats 'n' Blasts

NIS America has finally confirmed that sonic shmup Raiden III x MIKADO MANIAX is being localized for the west �the beat-heavy blaster will laun??ch on PC and console platforms this summer, following on ?from its Japanese release in February.

As we have previously reported, Raiden III x MIKADO MANIAX is a revamped edition of MOSS' legendary 2005 arcade shmup, which boasts new modes, including the dual-ship Double Play option, a selection of game modifiers, online leaderboards, and additional features to present the best version of this beloved shooter classic. The crux of the release, however, lies in its fully remixed and re-recorded soundtrack, which sports a p??lethora of celebrated names from Japan's electronica scene.

//??www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIaY??Nsy57CA&;ab_channel=NISAmerica

Among the musicians featured in the new release are GoSatoBan, Heavy Metal Raiden, Fantom Iris, O.T.K., Soshi Hosoi, Daisuke Matsumoto, Cosio, Keishi Yonao, Ryu� Raito, and Yu Shimoda �who have recorded a total of 20 new stage and boss battle themes. Raiden III x MIKADO MANIAX also features a customizable U.I. and soundtrack, allowing players to choose from a selection o?f wallpapers, and define a personal playlist of their favourite tunes from both the original and re-recorded scores.

Raiden III x MIKADO MANIAX launches summer 2023 on PlayStation, PC, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch. A Collector's Edition is now available to pre-order from the NIS America Online Store. This physical release, retailing for around $70, includes a console copy of the game, alongside a p?hone stand, poster, and a two-disc soundtrack CD of the awesome MIKADO MANIAX score.

The post Raiden III x MIKADO MANIAX will jet ??west summer 2023 appeared first on Destructoid.

]]> //jbsgame.com/raiden-x-mikado-maniax-localization-western-release-summer/feed/ 0 358682 //jbsgame.com/reviews/breakers-collection-review-destructoid-fighting-games-fgc-qubyte/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=breakers-collection-review-destructoid-fighting-games-fgc-qubyte //jbsgame.com/reviews/breakers-collection-review-destructoid-fighting-games-fgc-qubyte/#respond Sat, 14 Jan 2023 16:00:18 +0000 //jbsgame.com/?post_type=eg_reviews&p=356211

One step closer to the edge...

Following the incredible global success of Capcom's Street Fighter II, it didn't take any time at all before the market was awash in one-on-one fighters, fast eclipsing the scrolling beat-'em-ups and shmups that had dominated the scene leading into the 1990s. All of a sudden, seemingly every developer pivoted to competitive fisticuffs, with seemingly hundreds of Street Fighter-alikes hitting arcade cent??ers �many featuring developers and IPs s??eemingly plucked out of thin air.

And while a few of these releases would carve out a piece of the pugilistic pie for themselves �such as Mortal Kombat and eventually The King of Fighters, there was a whole wave of titles that fell by the wayside. In most cases, this either came down to the games being poorly produced or just plain bad, or the game itself being perfectly fine, but there not being enough room in the market for the little guys. After all, if you were the proprietor of a struggling arcade center and had an empty space in the corner, were you putting in Mortal Kombat II or Fighter's History Dynamite?

Breakers had a lot working against it. Not only was it an unknown IP from an exceptionally unknown developer (Visco Corporation), but it also stepped into the ring very late in the game, hitting the scene in 1996. By this point, most fight fans had adopted the 3D visuals of Tekken and Virtua Fighter, while 2D games had pushed into the realms of instant classics such as Street Fighter Zero 2 and The King of Fighters '97. By comparison, Breakers seemed almost five years too late, and �in many ways �it was?.

But something strange has been happening in the FGC lately. Players have been looking to the past for games that might have escaped the spotlight �the unsung heroes that have long resided in the Where Are They Now? file. Somehow, Breakers has found itself plucked from decades of obscurity and returned to the competitive scene, powered by word-of-mouth, grass-roots establishment, and a quirky ?desire by players to walk the path of the warrior less traveled.

And so, some 25 years on from its low-key release, Breakers is picking itself ?up off the canvas, and challenging the entire FGC to one more round. Stranger things indeed...

Breakers Collection (PlayStation [PS5 reviewed], PC, Xbox, Nintendo Switch)
Developer: QUByte Interactive
Publisher: QUByte Interactive
Released: January 12, 2022
MSRP: $19.99

Developed and published by Brazilian outfit QUByte Interactive, Breakers Collection is compiled of two mildly-different releases: Breakers (1996) and its remixed and readjusted follow-up, Breakers Revenge (1998). For those less inclined, think of Revenge as "Super Breakers" in regards to its actual sequel status. Perhaps the most well-known of Visco Corporation's wares, Breakers very closely follows in the footsteps of Street Fighter II conceptually, with players squaring off in 2D, one-on-one, best-of-three fashion. Gameplay-wise, however, Breakers is more similar to SNK's Fatal Fury series.

?The story, of what there is, concerns the Fighting Instinct Tournament, or F.I.S.T. tournament. The narrative does not, in fact, tell the tale of Sylvester Stallone forming a trucker's union, but retreads the well-worn road of a deadly martial arts tournament hosted by a mysterious benefactor. The winner of the F.I.S.T. will face the host and hopefully win riches beyond their wildest dreams �though each of the combatants has his or her own reason to face down the supernatura?lly-skilled head honcho.

And thus, the player chooses one of 10 unique combatants and embarks on a string ??of globe-trotting fist-flinging brawls, utilizing their chosen character's bespoke fighting abilities and mastery of the spiritual arts in order to prove themselves the strongest warrior in the world, and the undisputed F.I.S.T. champion. It's nothing new, and that's fine.

/?/www.youtube.com/?watch?v=hhbLiZiJU-8&ab_channel=QUByteInteractive

The simple pleasures

From a gameplay standpoint, Breakers is surprisingly gimmick-free, given its late-'90s vintage. The fighter utilizes a four-button system, with the addition of throws, special moves, and multiple Supers. Movement plays a big part in Breakers, with dashes and backsteps covering much ground, and an ability to reposition oneself when floored. There are no universal air dashes, double-jumps, parries, or even Fatal Fury-style "evades". In fact, at first glance, Breakers seems frankly bland in its systems, especially when compared ?to the range of f?ighters available in '95-'96.

But the joy of Breakers and Breakers Revenge lies within this simplicity. Breakers might not be the most option-filled scrapper on the block but, despite its stripped-down nature, it's just a hell of a lot of fun. Breakers has the all-encompassing "X" factor that makes its gameplay both engaging and satisfying, in much the same way that Super Street Fighter II Turbo remains a riot to this day, despite its age.

Breakers' meter system rewards players for smart defensive and offensive play, allowing the fighter to build up multiple Super moves in a row. A typical combo will see a norma?l canceled into a special, which can be canceled into a Super �However, should the player have more than one super, then Supers can be canceled into themselves for ridiculous damage, accompanied by explosive visuals.

Juggling also plays a huge part in Breakers, with full special-to-super combos being applicable to almost any falling opponent. Juggling is one of the keys to victory in Breakers, often the path to a fighter's optimal damage. While there is no strict "combo breaking" tool for those on the business end of a beatdown, Breakers has its own mechanic for reversals. Known to the community as "Breakering", this system ??allows a fighter to leave blockstun early provided they know the precise? gaps in an opponent's chain.

It is this combination of meter-management, juggle optim?ization, and Breakering knowledge that affords the fighter ??its depth

Haven't I seen you somewhere before..?

Breakers is a delightfully retro-looking, if admittedly dated title. And that's not "2022" dated, Breakers was already looking its age on launch day. This is balanced out with fun character designs and loud, colorful stages, as well as some splendid special effects. Every member of Breakers' wild roster is suspiciously familiar, but each combatant ?is viable and fun to play.

This is true whether you lean towards the flamboyant Pielle Montario, the rubber-limbed Alsion III, or the Flashdance-looking-ass of Tia Langray �essentially what happens when Chun-Li, Ken, and Sakura fall into the pod from The Fly. My personal favorite has always been the Amazonian wild woman, Rila. Beast Lady Goes Rawr. A fun side note, all mirror match characters, despite being standard pallete swaps, have their own names and backstories. An absolutely baffling, but very funny feature that is perhaps unique to Breakers.

For Breakers Collection, QUByte Interactive has, within its limitations, attempted to deliver as solid a package as it is able. Breakers and Breakers Revenge feature their original Arcade Modes, as well as an all-new Team Battle feature. A Training Mode includes hitbo?x, input, and damage data, as well as recording slots. Frustratingly, it does not appear to have a "1-hit-block" stance for its dummy. Brilliant "smart replays" will a??llow players to interrupt match playback to experiment with alternate options. This fantastic tool will hopefully make an appearance in future fighters.

While the servers were not live at the time of writing, my experience with the recent beta found it contained slick online play with clean connectivity. QUbyte understands that the competitive community is the key audience for Breakers Collection, and has ensured that this release is up to snuff in regards to online options. Breakers Collection supports rollback netcode and?? cros??splay across all platforms �a key feature in shepherding the global audience. Player lobbies and a spectator mode are also on deck, as are custom player profiles and leaderboards, further encouraging community engagement.

I didn't hear no bell...

Breakers Collection is, admittedly, a title produced with a specific audience in mind �namely the tightly-held Breakers fan communi??ty which has, for many years, been forced to go down the path of emulation, arcade hardware, or Neo-Geo locals in order to play these off-radar releases.

And for these die-hard Breakers, the new collection delivers �offering a polished, accessible format with which to play their favorite scrappers with fellow fans from all over the world. Importantly, Breakers Collection will also offer this forgotten gem its first real exposure to a global audience in over two decades �and at a relatively modest price point. This will, hopefully, help the aforementioned ??community to grow, assuming that new players are willing to take the chance on some old-school cool.

Breakers Collection offers 2D fight fans the opportunity to relive one of the finest examples of myriad Street Fighter II clones, refreshed with polished gameplay and modern online technology. While first-timers may be warned off by its perceived simplicity, Breakers remains a fun, satisfying, and compelling scrapper, deserving of its resurgence in the competitive scene. Breakers may have dated somewhat over the ens??uing decades, but this solid scrapper, much like Tia's legwarmers, never goes out of style.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

The post Review: Breakers Collection appeared first on Destructoid.

]]> //jbsgame.com/reviews/breakers-collection-review-destructoid-fighting-games-fgc-qubyte/feed/ 0 356211 //jbsgame.com/tales-of-symphonia-remastered-gameplay-trailer-rpg/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tales-of-symphonia-remastered-gameplay-trailer-rpg //jbsgame.com/tales-of-symphonia-remastered-gameplay-trailer-rpg/#respond Wed, 11 Jan 2023 19:00:49 +0000 //jbsgame.com/?p=357690

The adventure returns February 17

Bandai Namco has released a new gameplay overview trailer for its upcoming RPG Tales of Symphonia Remastered, whi??ch will launch on PS4, Xbox One, an??d Nintendo Switch on February 17.

The epic anime adventure, a remix of the 2003 Nintendo GameCube classic, tells a typical tale of a mysterious "Chosen One"?? who is prophesized to one day rise up from the people and save the land from impending doom. And when that doom finally arrives in the form of parallel worlds Sylvarant and Tethe'alla, young?? hero Lloyd Irving realizes that doing the right thing doesn't always work both ways...

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQ2mYy?eIPbo&ab_channel=BandaiNamcoEntertainmentAmerica

The new remaster features a variety of aesthetic and technical overhauls, including enhanced graphics, a modernized control system, retweaked balance, and a variety of additional features to further polish the beloved GameCube adventure. Tales of Symphonia Remastered supports up to four players in co-op action, as you and your energetic party travel the lands, ba??ttle beasties, and attempt to alter the fate of not one, but two worlds and the people that reside within them.

If you're too young for the original title, or you simply never got around to checking it ou??t, then this new remaster will offer a fresh opportunity. Held in very high regard by both critics and players of its time, this anime escaped will be worth a peek for anybody with a fondness for the classic approach to adventure gaming.

Tales of Symphonia Remastered launches February 17 on PS4, ?Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.

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