Metro Exodus PC Enhanced Edition Announced, Coming This Spring
While Xbox Series X/S and PS5 players can experience Metro Exodus at 4K/60 FPS with ray-tracing later this year, PC players also have plenty to look forward. 4A Games and Deep Silver have announced the Metro Exodus PC Enhanced Edition which also has fully ray-traced lighting. Its features actually go beyond current-gen consoles with Advanced Ray Traced Reflections and DLSS 2.0 support exclusive to the PC Enhanced Edition.
Naturally, you'll need a GPU that supports ray-tracing at the bare minimum. 4A Games also notes that this is more of a separate version of the game rather than a patch due to the extensive work done. All existing owners on PC will receive it for free on Steam, GOG and the Epic Games Store.
Metro Exodus hits Xbox Series X/S and PS5 later this year but the PC Enhanced Edition is actually coming this Spring. Stay tuned for more details on its release for current-gen consoles. In the meantime, check out our review for the base game here.
Metro Exodus on PS5, Xbox Series X Runs at 4K/60 FPS With Ray-Tracing
4A Games has unveiled the first details on how Metro Exodus will perform on Xbox Series X and PS5. Both console versions will run at 4K/60 FPS and have full ray-traced lighting, namely Ray Traced Global Illumination and Ray Traced Emissive Lightning. Vastly shorter loading times, FOV customization and 4K textures can also be expected.
The Xbox Series S version is currently targeting 1080p resolution though its frame rate is yet to be determined. It will still support full ray-traced lighting. Controller-wise, the PS5 DualSense's haptic feedback will be supported along with the spatial audio and improved latency in the Xbox Series X/S controller.
More polish and quality of life enhancements are also coming. Current owners of the game on Xbox One and PS4 can also avail of a free upgrade to Xbox Series X/S and PS5 with Smart Delivery being confirmed. Metro Exodus is currently slated to arrive for current gen consoles later this year.
Destiny 2's Cosmodrome Won't be Expanded Further
With the arrival of Destiny 2's latest expansion Beyond Light, the Destiny Content Vault also came into effect. It saw the base game's campaign, DLC campaigns, numerous seasons and other activities removed from the game in the interest of improved performance and new experiences. It also meant that the Cosmodrome from Destiny 1 returned, acting as a means to usher in new players.
When Bungie first announced that the Cosmodrome would be returning and be at "roughly" the parity of Destiny 1 Year 1, it was unsure about expanding upon it. In its latest weekly blog, it's confirmed that the Cosmodrome won't be expanded further. "After returning all three of its original strikes, do we invest more time and resources in bringing Cosmodrome to D1 parity or do we switch our focus to building new experiences for Year 4 and beyond? Given that we believed we had achieved our original goals and knowing the community and team's desire for new content, we chose the latter option.
"But, when we made that decision, we failed to properly update your expectations for how far the Cosmodrome experience was going to be extended and that was a mistake. So, to clear things up: With the Devil's Lair and Fallen S.A.B.E.R. strikes returning, we don't have any active plans to add more to the Cosmodrome than what is there and will be focusing on new updates overall." The developer confirmed that the Vault of Glass raid would still be returning with more details coming later this year.
Currently, Season of the Chosen is live for Destiny 2 and adds new activities like Battlegrounds. A new Strike called Proving Grounds will be added next month and the Guardian Games are also set to return. As for whether any other old Destiny 1 content – or even vaulted locations from Destiny 2 – will return, stay tuned for more details in the coming months.
Stadia Will Receive Over 100 Games This Year, Google Claims
The future of Stadia is clearly going to be very different from what Google initially promised it would be. Recently, they made the announcement that they'd be shutting down their first party developers under the Stadia Games and Entertainment banner. At the same time, Google have said they're going to keep investing in the technology behind Stadia and on Stadia itself as a platform, with third party releases being the primary drive for the service going forward.
And it seems there's plenty of releases planned for the coming year. In a recent community update, Google stated that Stadia will see the launch of over a hundred games in 2021, and that players can expect a good spread of genres.
"We're thrilled to continue bringing great games from some of the best developers for our players to experience within the Stadia store," the update reads. "Over the next few weeks and months, players can expect to see everything from action-filled RPGs to competitive co-op titles and nimble platformers. That includes Shantae: Half-Genie Hero Ultimate Edition (Feb. 23), Shantae: Risky's Revenge – Director's Cut (Feb. 23), It came from space and ate our brains (Mar. 2), FIFA 21 (Mar. 17), Kaze and the Wild Masks (Mar. 26), Judgment (Apr. 23), Killer Queen Black, Street Power Football, and Hellpoint.
"These games represent just a sampling of the more than 100 games that will be added to the Stadia store for our players in 2021 to share, experience, and play with friends."
This isn't the first time Google have made promises about plentiful upcoming content for Stadia. Just a couple of months ago, Jack Buser, who was then Stadia's director of games, stated that over 400 games in total were in development for the service.
Meanwhile, Rock Band developer Harmonix and Until Dawn developer Supermassive Games are also signed on to develop exclusive games for Stadia. Read more on that through here.
Silent Hill, Gravity Rush Creator Teases Next Horror Game in New Video
Keiichiro Toyama caused quite the stir in December when he left Konami and formed Bokeh Game Studio. The creator behind Silent, Gravity Rush and Siren is working on a new horror title, as outlined in the studio's most recent video. Titled "Focus", it sees Toyama discussing influences and ideas for the studio's first game.
He noted that the direction for it is "quite dark, far from my more recent titles" and noted it to be a return to his horror roots. Though horror elements form the basis, Toyama wants to "keep an entertainment note" and ensure that players feel "exhilarated." The theme that he wants to pursue is that of "everyday life being shaken. Rather than showing scary things, it should question our position, make us challenge the fact that we're living peacefully. I like bringing this type of thoughts in my concepts. I would like that to be the theme of my next game."
Another core theme is that of a "death game" where entertainment collides with "somewhat brutal worlds." These types of games focus on normal people having to deal with extraordinary circumstances and thus become driven to the edge. While the overall gameplay and mechanics are still a ways off from being discussed, there was plenty of concept art shown throughout the video. Check it all out below and stay tuned for more details on what's next from Bokeh Game Studio.
Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time Will Require a Little Over 9 GB on the Switch
Activision recently announced that one of the best platformers in recent memory, the Toys for Bob-developed Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time, will be coming to PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and the Switch in March. If you've been waiting to play the game on the Switch, we now know exactly how much system storage you'll need for it- if you plan on doing digital, that is.
The game's Switch eShop page mentions a file size of 9.4 GB, which pretty much falls in line with previous Crash games. Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled had the same 9.3 GB file size, while Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy's file size came in at 5.5 GB. In comparison, Crash 4 requires 30 GB of space on both PS4 and Xbox One.
Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time is releasing for Nintendo Switch, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S on March 12, and will be coming to PC later in the year. It is currently available for PS4 and Xbox One. PS4/Xbox One players will also have the option to upgrade the game to its PS5 or Xbox Series X/S version for free.
In our review for Crash Bandicoot 4, we were full of praises for the platformer, calling it "a must play for everyone" and awarding it a score of 9/10. You can read the full review through here.
Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury Guide – How to Collect All Green Stars, Stamps and Cat Shines
As with any 3D Mario game, there's an abundance of collectibles in Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury. In Super Mario 3D World, they're in the form of 380 Green Stars and 85 Stamps spread throughout the various worlds. Not all of them are super obvious to find and others may require utilizing other characters. Five Stamps also require beating all of the levels in the game with each character, namely Mario, Luigi, Peach, Toad and Rosalina.
Without further ado, let's break down all of the Worlds along with how many Green Stars and Stamps are in each of them.
- World 1 (eight levels) – 22 Green Stars and 4 Stamps
- World 2 (eight levels) – 24 Green Stars and 6 Stamps
- World 3 (11 levels) – 31 Green Stars and 8 Stamps
- World 4 (9 levels) – 30 Green Stars and 6 Stamps
- World 5 (11 levels) – 31 Green Stars and 8 Stamps
- World 6 (12 levels) – 34 Green Stars, 9 Stamps
- World Castle (12 levels) – 32 Green Stars and 8 Stamps
- World Bowser (12 levels) – 39 Green Stars and 9 Stamps
- World Star(10 levels) – 32 Green Stars and 9 Stamps
- World Mushroom (8 levels) – 31 Green Stars
- World Flower (12 levels) – 36 Green Stars
- World Crown (3 levels) – 38 Green Stars and 2 Stamps
Check out the video guide below by AbdallahSmash026 to locate each and every Green Star and Stamp. As for Bowser's Fury, it has 100 Cat Shines to collect. Since there's only one large world, you can check out how to obtain them all in GameXplain's video guide below.
NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139… Video Showcases Desert Area, Boss Battle
With its release not too far off, Toylogic's NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139… has received some new gameplay footage. It ventures to the Barren Temple of Facade as Nier, Kaine and Grimoire Weiss investigate. Along with battling Shades, the group also encounters strange cubs and ultimately, a boss. Check it out below.
The combat will look pretty familiar to NieR: Automata players, though NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139… employs parries and counters to effect as well. It's an interesting hack and slash combat style which looks to be more responsive in the remaster. Don't worry though – the bullet hell-style sequences still return in select boss fights.
NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139… releases on April 23rd worldwide. It will be available for Xbox One, PS4 and PC. This won't be the end of NieR though – creator Yoko Taro has confirmed that two new projects are in development and one could be a true NieR sequel. The conclusion to the NieR: Automata collaboration in Final Fantasy 14: Shadowbringers will also come to a close when its next update hits in April.
Remedy Entertainment Reported Record Year For 2020, Has Multiple Projects In Development
Remedy Entertainment has been a great name in the industry with several beloved titles under their belt from Max Payne to Alan Wake to, most recently, 2019's Control. The company also seems to be in the midst of a pretty successful run with 2020 being their strongest ever.
As reported by GamesIndustry, Remedy reported their best year ever with full-year revenues up 30%. Operating profits for 2020 were up more than double from 2019, going from €6.5 million to €13.2 million. The continued success of Control was pointed to as a key factor as it became available on more platforms. In fact, November 2020 was the best month for the game sales-wise 15 months after it first launched. Despite being a record year for the company, they did not release a single game in 2020.
The also spoke about their upcoming projects in the report. They mentioned a title called Vanguard, which is planned to be some type of co-op experience, as well as working on the campaign of CrossfireX that was, at one point, going to launch alongside the Xbox Series X/S but was delayed. They also talk about two games that are being developed in partnership with Epic Games, one a full AAA title for consoles and PC, and the other a smaller scale title. Both of them are said to be based on Remedy's own IPs and they will retain IP ownership.
As it stands now, the next known title coming from the company is CrossfireX for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC sometime in 2021. It does seem the company is in a good place, and hopefully, we will see some of the other projects soon.
Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection Dev Diary #3 Talks Difficulty 'n Challenge
Later this month, we'll get a revival of the classic Ghosts 'n Goblins with Resurrection. The game has a new look, but also harken to the old school series in a variety of ways. One of those ways is said to be the franchise's notorious difficulty, being some of the most punishing games ever produced. Though, it seems Resurrection will give you some relief if need be.
In the third dev diary from Capcom on the title, Producer Peter Fabiano talked about the multiple ways you can tackle the game. It will come with four different modes: Page, Squire, Knight and Legend. According to Fabiano, Knight will be the usual challenge you've come to expect from the series, with Legend being a truly brutal challenge, and Squire giving a slight challenge. Page is said to be aimed at pure accessibly. You can see the full video below.
Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection will release only on Nintendo Switch on February 25th.