Crysis Remastered Interview – Ray-Tracing, QoL Upgrades, Warhead, and More
Crysis has a special place in the hearts of many people in this industry, especially where the PC gaming scene is concerned. Its legacy as one of the most technically impressive games of its time will always remain embedded in our minds, while there's no doubting that even outside of its visuals, Cyrtek's first person shooter was a ton of fun to play and had a lot of merits from a gameplay perspective. There's been no shortage of cries for the franchise to make a return, and while a sequel still remains elusive, Crytek have gone back to their beloved property with Crysis Remastered, overhauling the visuals of that very first game and bringing it to modern audiences. Recently, we reached out to its developers to learn more about the remaster and what fans can expect from it. You can read our conversation with the remaster's project lead at Crytek, Steffen Halbig, below.
NOTE: This interview was conducted prior to the game's launch.
"Over the last decade we received so many awesome comments – on a daily basis! – asking us to bring the Crysis franchise back to life. We considered the possibility of a remaster many times, but the timing wasn't right until now."
It's been a while since we last saw anything from the Crysis series- what drove the decision to revisit the first game for what's looking like a very elaborate remaster?
Over the last decade we received so many awesome comments – on a daily basis! – asking us to bring the Crysis franchise back to life. We considered the possibility of a remaster many times, but the timing wasn't right until now. Crysis has been used as a benchmark throughout its lifespan, and our own expectations at Crytek are high – we want any Crysis Remastered release to have visuals as stunning as they were when we first experienced them in 2007. With the current CRYENGINE technologies, we were able to meet those expectations on all platforms by adding software-based ray tracing, up to 8K textures, HDR support, and many other improvements.
What can you tell us about the implementation of ray tracing in the remaster, and what it adds to the game's visuals?
Ray tracing is definitely the biggest game changer for Crysis Remastered. Everything started back with the Neon Noir demo we released to showcase CRYENGINE, and to see that technology on Crysis Remastered is absolutely fantastic now. You are all going to love the reflections.
Are you looking to add any new gameplay improvements or QoL upgrades to the game with this remaster?
We felt that the core gameplay and story didn't need any changes – we wanted to give everyone who played it almost 13 years ago the same feeling they had playing at the time. The mechanics, Nanosuit combat – We have implemented the new and old Nanosuit controls, and gunplay also still hold up pretty well today when compared to contemporary shooters. That being said, we used some of the adjustments made for the previously released console version. I believe that counts as a quality of life improvement.
Crysis was the poster boy of games with cutting edge tech and world class visuals when it first came out. How important is it to you guys to ensure that the remaster does justice to its legacy, and actually make the game look better?
It is very important for us that people see Crysis Remastered as a new fantastic visual game. Especially the PC users will feel it since we maxed out all features. Our goal was to improve everything we could in the remaster, and put in all the new technology we had to hand.
"The development on the Nintendo Switch went pretty smoothly. In Saber we have found a great partner with a lot of experience on the Nintendo Switch."
Speaking of its legacy, "Can it run Crysis?" became a meme in and of itself after the game launched- and now it's coming to the Switch, too. How does it feel to bring the game to the system? What drove the decision to do so?
We like the Switch and have always wanted to release a game on it. Working with Saber Interactive – who have an impressive track record on Switch – made this the right time to release Crysis Remastered on Switch and with it to an entirely new audience.
What have been the biggest challenges – if there were any – for getting Crysis to run on the Switch, run well, and look good?
The development on the Nintendo Switch went pretty smoothly. As mentioned in the previous question, in Saber we have found a great partner with a lot of experience on the Nintendo Switch. The biggest challenge was to find the right balance between new features and performance. Where we made good progress with optimizations, we added a new feature.
I'm sure you've already fielded quite a few questions about this, but bear with me while I ask this- why did you decide to not include Warhead in the remaster? Was it a case of wanting to focus more on the base game and not wanting to split resources across what effectively would have become two separate campaigns?
When Crysis Warhead was released it was a stand-alone game with the corresponding scope. Crysis Remastered is our first priority, but we are aware that Warhead is high up on players' wish list for a remaster. We'll let you know once we have decided.
Will the game will feature Xbox One X and PS4 pro-specific enhancements?
Yes, for the PlayStation 4 Pro we'll offer three modes and are aiming for the following resolution:
- Quality Mode: 1800p / 30 FPS
- Performance Mode: 1080p / 60 FPS
- Can it run Crysis? Mode: 1080p / 30 FPS with maximized visual settings
And on the Xbox One X we'll have:
- Quality mode: up to 4K / 30 FPS
- Performance mode: 1080p / 60 FPS
- Can it run Crysis? mode: 1080p / 30 FPS with maximized visual settings
How is the game running on the original Xbox One and PS4, in terms of frame rate and resolution?
On the original consoles Crysis Remastered will run at 1080p with 30 FPS.
"We are aware that Warhead is high up on players' wish list for a remaster. We'll let you know once we have decided."
What are the docked and undocked resolution and frame rate of the Switch version?
We are aiming docked 720p and an undocked 540p with 30 FPS.
Given its close proximity to the release of next-gen consoles, have you given any thought to PS5 and Xbox Series X ports of Crysis Remastered?
For now we'll release Crysis Remastered on PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Switch. We are considering a lot of things, but it'll take a while before we might be able to announce anything.
Be straight with us! When Is Crysis 4 coming?
Okay, we'll be as straight as possible: we are focusing on Crysis Remastered right now.
PlayStation vs Xbox vs Nintendo – Who Comes Out On Top This Holiday Season?
The chips are, finally, down, and we know exactly what each major platform holder is going to go into the Holiday season with. In spite of the unprecedented global economic conditions, this promises to be an unbelievably busy shopping season if you are a fan of video games – we have Sony launching the PlayStation 5 in two variants, Microsoft launching the next generation Xbox in two variants, Nintendo's record-breaking and ever hard to find in stock Switch getting possibly its biggest launch of the year as a limited 'release, Nvidia launching surprisingly cheap next generation graphics cards for PC gamers, and even VR gets in on the action with the new Oculus Quest 2.
Every year, we take a look at how the three major platform holders might do in the Holiday season, and now that we finally have all the information we need to do the same this year, it's time to make predictions for how we foresee the Holiday shopping season this year panning out. This one will be one for the history books – we have two new console launches, plus a console that is selling like water in a desert. It will be an incredibly great turnout for Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo alike, no matter who ends up coming out on top – so before we get further into this, remember that. All three are going to be winners this Holiday season, and all victories will be hard won.
With that out of the way, let's get down to brass tacks. First off, let's consider that both next generation consoles are likely to sell out at launch. Every system does, because at launch, all the most loyal and hardcore enthusiast fans show up – even the Wii U and PS Vita sold out at launch (their sales slowdown wouldn't happen for another few months following their initial release). That's great news, of course, but for the purposes of our discussion here, it also has the implication of both these consoles being limited by supply. In other words, while they will of course sell out at launch, I cannot expect them to sell as well as they will in their inevitable peak years somewhere down the line.
Of the two new consoles, I do expect PlayStation 5 to outsell Xbox Series X and S. There are multiple reasons for this, but the most objective and empirical one is simply that it seems like Sony will have more stock available – which, continuing from the previous point, in turn means it has a higher sales ceiling than Xbox. Additionally, PlayStation is currently the stronger brand, and it has numerous strong exclusive games at launch, with Spider-Man Miles Morales, in particular, having strong mainstream appeal. If Xbox Series X and S still had Halo Infinite at launch, I do think this would have been a closer comparison (though, like I said, in the end the limit is determined by available supply, and it does seem like Sony would have had more supply no matter what).
You can expect a similar result on the current generation front, though not quite as closely fought of a match. I do think PS4 will outsell Xbox One this Holiday. This, at least, should not be a controversial statement. Not only has this been true every year since 2015, but PS4 is the more popular system, and still available on the market, unlike Xbox One, which has seen most of its SKUs be discontinued already. Plus, Miles Morales will be hitting PS4 as well, which further buoys its sales potential. Xbox One has slowed down to a crawl this year around the world, with its numbers hitting record lows for the last few months, and Microsoft themselves seem to be looking ahead now, rather than trying to salvage a console that has proven to be hard to move in desired numbers over the last few years. While I do think Xbox One and PS4 will both have competitive deals, I also think that the PS4 will be more popular for all the exact same reasons that have kept it more popular throughout this generation. Additionally, with the Xbox One mostly discontinued, I do think it will be stock-limited as well, meaning that even if it could have sold more, it probably won't, because there won't be any more units left to sell.
Neither the current generation Xbox and PlayStation, however, nor the next generation ones, will be the highest selling console this Holiday season. If you're smart, you figured out where this analysis was going right at the beginning, and if you're not, you at the very least have figured it out by now by the process of elimination. The Nintendo Switch is now selling at an unprecedented, record breaking pace, and still suffering from acute, chronic, widespread shortages – meaning the demand for it far outstrips supply (in spite of said supply coming in at the aforementioned record breaking rates). That is not going to change come Holiday season, even in light of the new console launches. For starters, the Switch does not seem to impact, or be impacted by, PlayStation or Xbox. Additionally, the Switch has the two hottest games of the year in Animal Crossing New Horizons (which at this point has become a cultural mainstay phenomenon) and Super Mario 3D All Stars Collection.
The Switch also benefits from being the most family friendly console (with shopping during the Holiday season more slanted towards that demographic than at any other time of the year), being substantially cheaper than the other systems (before even accounting for any Holiday deals, a Switch Lite is only $199), and from having an established and entrenched lineup of games that continue to sell and top charts months or even years after release – even not counting Animal Crossing or Mario All Stars, it has Pokemon, Super Smash Bros., Mario Kart, Breath of the Wild, and Super Mario Odyssey, all games that have longstanding commercial appeal on par with or greater than new releases, judging by the fact that they are still charting around the world to this day.
Combine this with the possibility of Holiday season deals – whether it be a bundle, or a price drop, or both – and there is no limit to what the console can sell in the coming months, except for what Nintendo can supply. Which means that it, too, will be limited by stock – though at the very least Switch manufacturing is a more mature process than the ones for either of the next generation consoles, so there should be more of it available than the PS5 or Xbox Series X.
So in the end, I expect the Switch to be the highest selling console in the coming months (much like it has been for the last 12+ months straight at this point), and continue its record breaking, market leading streak. With that said, I do stand by what I said right upfront – there are no losers here, only winners, because even if Xbox and PlayStation aren't matching the Switch, they are still going to sell out, and in obscene numbers at that. For the first time in a while, it looks like we have a truly competitive Holiday shopping season on our hands.
Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.
Super Mario 3D All-Stars Brings The Nostalgia In Launch Trailer
It feels like no matter what will happen in gaming, there will always be Mario. The man is as timeless as any game character can be, and today we got a celebration of that timelessness with Super Mario 3D All-Stars. Some people have not been a huge fan of how the collection was done, especially its rather bizarre timed release schedule. But either way you slice it, the collection is still three classics, and today we got a launch trailer to celebrate.
The launch trailer shows various highlights from all three titles featured. If you didn't know that includes Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine and Super Mario Galaxy. This will actually mark the first time Sunshine has been re-released. There's also an overview trailer if you want to see more, which you can check out through here.
Super Mario 3D All-Stars is available now for Nintendo Switch. It will be available until March 2021.
It seems as if Bloober Team wants to be there for the next generation consoles. Not only was one of the first next gen only titles we saw from them in The Medium that is still set to launch this holiday season for Xbox Series X/S, there is also Observer: System Redux. The game is an up and down remaster of the this generation's Observer, which you can see comparison shots through here. It will also be there at launch for both Sony and Microsoft.
As confirmed to Eurogamer, System Redux will launch alongside both Sony and Microsoft's shiny new systems. The game will see significant upgrades like ray-tracing, HDR, new 4K textures, and even new character models and animations. Unfortunately, it is also confirmed that as of now there is no upgrade path for current gen console players who bought the first game, unlike the PC version which saw a discount to upgrade if you owned the original release.
Observer: System Redux will release on November 10th for Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and PC with the PS5 version coming November 12th.
A new generation of consoles is always exciting. There's new games, new tech and well, just lots and lots of new. But it seems this generation is also going to be defined by more expensive games as well. It began when it was announced that the PS5/Xbox Series X version of NBA 2K21 would see a $10 price hike, then Activision followed suit with Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, and finally with Sony signaling their next gen exclusives would also see that $69.99 price tag for standard editions. And now it seems the first next gen game we technically ever saw is following suit.
The pre-order listing for the PS5 version of Godfall went live via Best Buy, which you can see through here. As you can see the standard version is listed at that lovely new $69.99 price. It also seems we'll be getting a Deluxe Edition ($89.99) and something called an Ascended Edition ($99.99). While neither got an official announcement, they are detailed on the Epic Games Store page. The Deluxe will grant you access to an expansion pack that has yet to be detailed, and Ascended will give you that and "Gold-themed digital goods."
Godfall will release alongside the PS5 on November 12th. It will also release on the PC via the Epic Games Store on the same day and as of writing this it's still priced for $59.99 there with the other two editions $10 cheaper than their console counterpart. It's unclear at this time if that will change.
It was earlier this year when the Gears of War franchise (or I guess it's just Gears now) entered into a new genre with Gears Tactics. The game was a tactical strategy game in the vein of XCOM with its own twists worthy of the series. It was originally a PC-only title, but it was recently revealed the game would be making its console debut alongside the launch of Microsoft's latest consoles, and today we got a trailer to celebrate.
The trailer in question is just called the "Announce" trailer and hypes up the upcoming console versions. You'll see flashes of gameplay here as well as mentions of the new optimizations for the Xbox Series X and improved controller options for consoles. Those who preorder or preload via Game Pass will also get a bonus character Cole with a Thrash Ball theme.
Gears Tactics is available now for PC, which you can read our review of through here. The game will release for Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and Xbox One on November 10th.
https://youtu.be/_uxj1c7fPzM
Cyberpunk 2077 PC Requirements Revealed, Requires 70 GB Space
As promised, CD Projekt RED reveals the minimum and recommended PC requirements for Cyberpunk 2077. Both configurations require 70 GB of install space. Otherwise, the overall requirements are very reasonable in both cases.
Minimum requirements include an Intel Core i5-3570K or AMD FX-8310 with 8 GB of RAM and either a GeForce GTX 780 with 3 GB VRAM or an AMD Radeon RX 470. Windows 7 or Windows 10 64-bit is also needed. And while an SSD isn't a requirement, it is "recommended."
Speaking of recommended specifications, Windows 10 64-bit, an Intel Core i7-4790 or AMD Ryzen 3 3200G, 12 GB of RAM and a GeForce GTX 1060 with 6 GB VRAM or an AMD Radeon R9 Fury are needed. A solid state drive seems a given in this kind of set-up for the best possible performance. Still compared to even some of the more demanding games today, these specs aren't too bad.
Cyberpunk 2077 is out on November 19th for Xbox One, PS4 and PC. Check out the various sights and sounds of Night City here or view more about its gangs here. Another episode of Night City Wire will be coming up, most likely before launch, so stay tuned for more details.
Cyberpunk 2077 Trailer Outlines the Gangs of Night City
For all the sight, sounds, and crimes that Night City has to offer, Cyberpunk 2077 is dictated by its gangs. There are multiple gangs that the player will encounter, and will even take on different jobs for them. Check out all the gangs below and what makes each of them so intriguing.
From the Animals and Maelstrom to the Moxes and Valentinos, there are all kinds of gangs to deal with, each with their own weapons, items, clothing and much more. The Badlands also have their share of gangs, though they're more community-driven. You can even join an elite club of mercs called Afterlife which takes on all the best jobs (though it's implied that you'll need to work for it).
Cyberpunk 2077 is currently slated to release on November 19th. It will be available for Xbox One, PS4 and PC, though it will also be compatible with Xbox Series X and PS5 out of the box. Full-fledged next-gen versions will be available in 2021 though so stay tuned for more details.
Cyberpunk 2077 Trailer Showcases Night City Sights and Sounds
CD Projekt RED kicked off its latest Night City Wire for Cyberpunk 2077 by highlighting Night City. A city full of crime, homeless and escalating body counts, Night City is brimming with things to see. It features six districts, each with their own unique architecture and functions. Check it out below.
As the developer explains it, despite the sheer size and scale of Night City, it's working to ensure that the player as a "sense of place" with each district. You'll know where you are, essentially. It's described as "organic" – to the extent that even rubbish has been placed by hand – with numerous layers built one on top of the other, emphasizing the sheer verticality of the exploration.
The sheer labyrinthine nature of the city means that every alley could offer something new and interesting. Maybe you'll find an elevator that leads to a different layer of the city and opens up a shortcut. Various mini-stories may also open up as you explore in addition to all the quests and side quests. The idea is to imbue Night City with a sense of wonder for players.
Cyberpunk 2077 is out on November 19th for Xbox One, PS4 and PC. It will be compatible for Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and PS5 from day one.
Watch Dogs 2, Football Manager 2020 Free on Epic Games Store
This week's free offerings on the Epic Games Store are quite varied. They include Ubisoft's Watch Dogs 2, Sports Interactive's Football Manager 2020 and Zoink's Stick It to the Man. You'll need an Epic Games account to claim all of these games and the Epic Games Launcher to play install and play them.
Watch Dogs 2 launched in 2016 and served as a dramatic improvement to the previous game. It sees hacker Marcus Holloway joining DedSec after being convicted by ctOS 2.0 in San Francisco. The group then makes it their mission to take down the ctOS before it can harm more people.
Football Manager 2020 is the latest management simulation from Sports Interactive and features teams from 53 countries and 26 leagues. It's still fairly popular and serves as the premiere title for those wanting to manage their own football team. Finally, there's Stick It to the Man, a fun puzzle game which sees protagonist Ray suddenly having an arm extending from his brain along with mind-reading powers.
All in all, not a bad selection of games – you have until September 24th to claim them. RollerCoaster Tycoon 2 Complete Edition is next week's free game so stay tuned until then.