XIII REMAKE V1.05(2020)
XIII is a 2020 first-person shooter video game, a remake of the 2003 first-person shooter of the same name. While retaining the same story and gameplay of the original, the remake radically changed the art style of the original game, departing from the cel-shaded visuals the original is known for. This includes changes to the weapon models used in the game, which are now more detailed and much more closely resemble their real-life counterparts.
XIII REMAKE V1.05(2020)
Among the remake's crimes was an update to the visual style that frankly missed the point. It moved a game that was beloved for its cartoony, colourful style towards something more like Zuckerberg's terrible metaverse. I mean look at this: just look at it.
The remake was so bad, in fact, that in June this year Microids announced a remake of the remake, with a new studio (Tower Five) behind it. And now this re-remake has arrived, replacing the original remake on Steam and appearing as a free download for all existing owners of the game.
For some reason Microids' YouTube channel only hosts the Switch trailer, which is what I've stuck above, but from the first seconds this looks like it always should have looked. Which is to say, just like the original game but in HD. The trailer gives you a glimpse of many of the game's locations, and the brighter palette is a world away from the washed-out look of the first remake.
It's not just about the visuals, either. The original remake had plenty of bugs and poor performance issues, as well as an audio mix that didn't live up to the original, and I feel kinda bad having dunked on it so much by this point. Credit where credit is due. Something clearly went wrong with this project, and Microids didn't abandon it but decided to try and do it right.
The XIII remake currently has overwhelmingly negative reviews on Steam. We'll have to see if this substantial re-working can change its fortunes but, just on sight alone, it looks so much closer to what fans of the original always wanted from this project.
With the release of Remastered, Final Fantasy VIII ended a 20-year absence from Square Enix's catalog of games, and was the oldest main series title never to receive a significant remaster or remake prior to its own rerelease. 041b061a72