On May 2nd, Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition will be available via all three platforms. It includes the base game but with a new model for Lara Croft, reworked lighting and shaders, and all of the DLC. Kona 2: Brume is next on May 7th and sees players venturing to Northern Canada in 1970 to investigate the titular brume.

Little Kitty, Big City arrives on May 9th, while Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons – the original, not the recent remake – returns to the service on May 14th. It still holds up after all these years, though you can check out our thoughts on the remake here.

Quite a few games are departing the service on May 15th. While you could finish them before they’re gone, subscribers get a 20 percent discount. Check out all the titles below.

• Eastern Exorcist (Cloud, Console, PC)
• Eiyuden Chronicle Rising (Cloud, Console, PC)
• Fuga: Melodies of Steel 2 (Cloud, Console, PC)
• Ghostlore (Cloud, Console, PC)
• Just Cause 4 Reloaded (Cloud, Console, PC)
• Norco (Cloud, Console, PC)
• SD Gundam Battle Alliance (Cloud, Console, PC)
• Supraland Six Inches Under (Cloud, Console, PC)

Watch Dogs Legion on PS4 and PS5 is also worth trying out, as are Dishonored 2 and Dishonored: Death of the Outsider, even if they’re PS4-only. Marvelous’s Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin on PS4 is also a good addition, providing farming and side-scrolling hack-and-slash action. Other PS4 farming titles include Rune Factory 4 Special and Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town.

The latter allows downloading the game and its Expansion Pass Set or streaming the base experience. Fans of Tomb Raider can experience the entire modern trilogy with Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition, Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration and Shadow of the Tomb Raider playable on PS4.

Those who want some horror can check out The Evil Within 2 on PS4 and the action RPG Thymesia on PS5. There’s also Bus Simulator 21: Next Stop on PS4 and PS5, which is its own horror when things go wrong. Wolfenstein: Youngblood, Rain World, and Conan Exiles round out the PS4 offerings, while Lake and Soundfall are playable on PS4 and PS5. Stay tuned for more details on the PlayStation Classics available with Premium shortly.

Google recently announced that Stadia Pro would be receiving two more free games in its service come December. Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition and Farming Simulator 19: Platinum Edition will join the likes of Destiny 2: The Collection and Samurai Shodown on December 1st. However, what about those who already purchased both games on the service?

On the official forums, community manager GraceFromGoogle said that, “We know that some users have recently purchased these two games for their collection. Because of the proximity between the launch of the platform, and the announcement of these titles in Stadia Pro, we’re happy to assist you if you’d like to request a refund if you have purchased either or both of these titles, even if it’s outside of our normal policy.”

It’s a nice gesture but the words “outside of our normal policy” should be noted. Don’t expect to be refunding games left and right just because an exception was made for this time. The games in question being announced free for Stadia Pro coinciding with their launch on the service roughly two weeks ago is the only reason for refunds here.

Google Stadia is currently available in 14 territories and for $10 per month. A free tier will be available next year with more games like Darksiders Genesis and Borderlands 3 set to arrive before 2019 is up. Stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks.

Google’s Stadia may have launched with its fair share of issues – including claims of the service overheating Chromecast Ultra devices – but the company is trudging on. For Stadia Pro subscribers, Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition and Farming Simulator 19: Platinum Edition have been announced as the free games for December. They’ll become available on December 1st, 9 AM PST.

Currently, Stadia Pro subscribers can play Destiny 2: The Collection and Samurai Shodown for free. Two additional games on top of this isn’t bad, even if it’s a far cry from what services like Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Now are offering. Regardless, given the number of features missing at launch, you take what you can get.

There are 22 games available to play on Google Stadia. Other titles like Darksiders Genesis (which launches for Stadia and PC next week), Ghost Recon Breakpoint and Borderlands 3 will be available before the year is out. A free tier will be available next year so we’ll see how Stadia Pro’s free games shake out in the coming months.

https://twitter.com/GoogleStadia/status/1199403828128276480

Google has announced all of the titles that Stadia, its game streaming platform, will launch with. A total of 12 games will be available with 14 more titles coming by 2019 end. The list includes big names like Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, Destiny 2: Collection, Mortal Kombat 11 and Red Dead Redemption 2.

Check out the full launch line-up below:

• Assassin’s Creed Odyssey (Ubisoft)
• Destiny 2: The Collection (Bungie)
• GYLT (TequilaWorks)
• Just Dance 2020 (Ubisoft)
• Kine (Gwen Frey)
• Mortal Kombat 11 (Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment)
• Red Dead Redemption 2 (Rockstar Games)
• Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration (Square Enix)
• Samurai Shodown (SNK)
• Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition (Square Enix)
• Thumper (Drool)
• Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition (Square Enix)

Titles that are slated to arrive for the service before the year is out include:

• Attack on Titan 2: Final Battle (Koei Tecmo)
• Borderlands 3 (2K Games)
• Darksiders Genesis (THQ Nordic)
• Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 (Bandai Namco)
• Farming Simulator 19 (Focus Home Interactive)
• Final Fantasy 15 (Square Enix)
• Football Manager 2020 (Sega)
• Ghost Recon: Breakpoint (Ubisoft)
• GRID (Codemasters)
• Metro Exodus (Deep Silver)
• NBA 2K20 (2K Games)
• RAGE 2 (Bethesda Softworks)
• Trials Rising (Ubisoft)
• Wolfenstein: Youngblood (Bethesda Softworks)

It’s worth noting that those who purchased the Founder’s Edition of Google Stadia will receive a three month subscription to Stadia Pro. This enables playing Destiny 2: Collection, which includes the latest expansion Shadowkeep, at no additional cost. Though free games will be added to the service overtime, customers will still need to buy games to play them.

Releasing on November 19th, Stadia’s main selling point is the lack of any dedicated hardware and the ability to play games anywhere. Google also promises that games on Stadia will feel faster and more responsive than they would on local hardware in the coming years. Head here for 12 things you need to know about the service before picking it up at launch.

The trend really ballooned up by the time The Last of Us: Remastered came out. Tomb Raider and Sleeping Dogs were getting their Definitive Editions, Dead or Alive 5 was expected to hit the current generation and whatnot. In a hilarious decision, Capcom decided to release a “remastered” version of Resident Evil HD from 2002 and simply upped the resolution, cleaned up the cut-scenes, provided wide-screen support and Dolby 5.1 audio. There was no interest in overhauling the graphics like the HD version did with the 1996 PSOne title and wouldn’t you know it but this was still one of the best Resident Evil titles ever made!

"Of course some developers opt to bundle all the DLC with the original game, upscale the resolution and simply call it a day. Saints Row IV: Re-Elected and Dead or Alive 5: Last Round are good examples of this…"

To be fair, many games that have released on the Xbox 360 and PS3 also had a PC version wherein higher resolution assets and graphical options were included. Why not re-release that PC version or at least spruce it up on current gen consoles and make some money, more than what was gained from a solitary PC launch? DLC could be bundled, some new content and costumes could be added, maybe Lara Croft could look a little different but for all intents and purposes, the idea was to not mess about with the visuals to an unrecognizable degree.

Of course some developers opt to bundle all the DLC with the original game, upscale the resolution and simply call it a day. Saints Row IV: Re-Elected and Dead or Alive 5: Last Round are good examples of this, and are virtually unchanged from their previous gen counterparts in that regard. The Last of Us: Remastered is considered a real “remaster” since it significantly improved the visuals while providing enough recent content for a fair price to appeal to PS4 consumers who didn’t have much to play anyway. Then there’s the recent DmC: Definitive Edition, a remaster of DmC: Devil May Cry, which includes brand new content and modes along with better visuals.

However, these games are still a far cry away from Baldur’s Gate 2: Enhanced Edition where a conscious effort was made to remake every aspect of the game while staying true to the spirit of the original. Graphics were made from scratch, cross platform multiplayer was added but much of the essentials – specifically the Advanced Dungeons and Dragons rule set – remained. And for its price, it makes for a far better deal than many of today’s remasters since this is one of the best damn RPGs ever created.

"On the bright side, at least some developers are gaining valuable experience in developing for the Xbox One and PS4, which will aid in their next current-gen only project."

“Remaster” seems to have become the new buzzword for what are essentially ports. Is there anything wrong with a port though? Should developers not be allowed to bring their most recent and high profile games to new platforms in order to recoup development costs? On the other hand, should a developer put so much effort into remastering a game and adding new content at the price of creating a brand new title or even focusing its resources towards an unreleased game? Take Gears of War: Ultimate Edition, for instance. Do the costs of remastering the game for Xbox One justify the preparation that The Coalition needed for developing Gears of War 4?

At this point, game developers and publishers can do whatever they want. It’s up to the people whether they buy it or not, voting with their wallets essentially. If The Last of Us: Remastered wasn’t successful, there wouldn’t be such a large number of remasters. If Resident Evil HD Remastered hadn’t become the most downloaded digital title ever, there wouldn’t be a mad rush to port the latest, half decent-looking classic. If games like DmC: Definitive Edition didn’t receive such critical acclaim, then there would at least be some hesitation based on critical backlash. There’s also the fact that many consumers who pick up an Xbox One or PS4 may not have owned either console previously. So why not cater to these users with AAA titles and make a little money in the process, as Gunfire Games did with Darksiders 2: Deathinitive Edition?

It’s all case-based at this point and ever developer has their own idea for how they want to handle a remaster. Some developers mandate their titles as “remakes” and go about recreating their vision from scratch while others add their DLC and the “remaster” tag. Which ones should be supported and whether the overall trend should be shunned are issues no one can definitively answer. On the bright side, at least some developers are gaining valuable experience in developing for the Xbox One and PS4, which will aid in their next current-gen only project. Of course, that will depend on how truly great games like Gears of War 4, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End and Rise of the Tomb Raider truly end up being.

A year ago, it would have been crazy to nominate a remaster that wasn’t based on a game released several years ago. In 2014 alone though we’ve seen remasters of Sleeping Dogs, Tomb Raider, Metro 2033 and Last Light (in the form of Metro Redux) and The Last of Us.

Pretty much all of these games came out last year alone and the remasters were simply a way of bringing them on to the PS4 and Xbox One. There are plenty more remasters on the way with Tearaway Unfolded, the rumoured Beyond: Two Souls PS4 remaster, Final Fantasy Type-O HD and Resident Evil.

What stood out this year though and made us re-think the “evils” of remasters for year-old games? The decision was pretty easy, truth be told.

Nominees:

• The Last of Us: Remastered (PS4)
• Grand Theft Auto 5 (PS4/Xbox One)
• Metro Redux (PS4/Xbox One/PC)
• Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition (Xbox One/PS4)

Winner: Grand Theft Auto 5 PS4/Xbox One

Grand Theft Auto 5 skirted the line between remaster and port by bumping up the visuals significantly for the PS4 and Xbox One while adding a whole bunch of new features. Rockstar didn’t completely alter the game – in fact, if you ignored the new first person mode, Grand Theft Auto 5 on the PS4 and Xbox One felt like a remaster of the original.

However, in the graphical sense alone, Rockstar had to put in tons more effort to help Grand Theft Auto 5 stand out on current gen platforms. A higher resolution, improved foliage, larger NPC counts, dynamic weather, detailed pavements and lens-flares – achieving all of this in a world as large as Los Santos is simply awe-inspiring but Rockstar managed to pull it off and add new features in the process.

Grand Theft Auto 5 on the PS4 and Xbox One has earned our award for Best Remaster of the Year, edging out The Last of Us: Remastered slightly in the process.

Note: GamingBolt’s Game of the Year categories, nominations and awards are selected via an internal nomination, voting and debate process. You can check the rest of categories and the respective winners here.

So by now you’ve either decided that console wars are stupid or you’ve chosen a side. One developer, the executive producer at Crystal Dynamics specifics,  is taking the right stance on the matter and professing his admiration for both machines, because both have merits.

Speaking about his first chance to be involved with a Xbox One and PlayStation 4 development cycle while working on Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition, Scot Amos says, “Getting to take that first step toward Xbox One and PS4 with [Tomb Raider] Definitive Edition, just the amount of things we could do to upgrade the world, visual fidelity and atmospheric effects, [was important].”

He goes on to talk about how much he loves the two consoles, and even throws a nod towards the PC gaming community “We love [the PS4 and Xbox One]. That’s one of the reasons why we wanted to focus on these consoles, and even PC as well.”

Personally, I love both consoles. Granted, I have a preference for PC gaming, but this gen is the closest that console gamers have gotten to that in quite a while. So everyone’s happy!

[Source]

While other publishers have published their fiscal year reports, Square Enix still has yet to do so. Nonetheless, the publisher seems to have had a fairly good year as Polygon reports that it increased its net sales projection from ¥140 billion ($1.37 billion) to ¥155 billion yen ($1.52 billion).

This is due to the success of Dragon Quest Monsters Super Light along with “favourable” sales from big name games like Thief, Final Fantasy X | X-2 HD Remaster and Tomb Raider Definitive Edition. One wonders where the immensely hyped Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn and Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII fit in those predictions.

As such, operating income and net income projections have also been raised. Stay tuned for updates on Square Enix’s official fiscal year reports along with sales numbers on the aforementioned games. Square Enix is currently preparing for E3 where we expect appearances from Kingdom Hearts III and Final Fantasy 15.

So while both games seem geared up for the next generation, there are severe differences in how they actually perform. Even when measured against the PC version of Tomb Raider, the Definitive Edition shows several areas where it it’s actually weaker.

"Lara’s hair has seen a significant upgrade as well, with TressFX 2.0 being employed for dynamic movement and interaction with the elements. It’s not as detailed or fluid as the PC version but toes a fine line of grunge and shininess."

First the obvious: Lara Croft has a brand new look in the Definitive Edition. Her eyes are sharper and significantly larger, with the corners more visible than before. The bridge of the nose also seems less prominent and significantly more balanced. You’ll get the impression of change but the actual difference is very subtle. This allows for more expressive emotions and changes the overall character of Lara in many ways. Rather than looking like a constantly disparate individual trapped in unfortunate circumstances, her expressions are more hard-set and determined.

Lara’s hair has seen a significant upgrade as well, with TressFX 2.0 being employed for dynamic movement and interaction with the elements. It’s not as detailed or fluid as the PC version but toes a fine line of grunge and shininess.

When it comes to measuring the differences between the Xbox One and PS4, you would think it would extend beyond the resolution and frame rate. But that’s the key difference: Both versions have their own frame rate fluctuations, hindering the game in certain circumstances.

"The Xbox One version is stuck at 30 FPS but can fall very low as well, making for rather odd reactions while playing."

The PS4’s 1080p resolution stays consistent throughout and makes the game significantly sharper while the Xbox One alternates between 1080p resolution during gameplay and 900p resolution during cut scenes. It’s jarring, for sure, but that’s not even the biggest problem especially since it only happens with a few select cut scenes.

The PS4 version’s 60 FPS frame rate highly variable and will dip in strenuous circumstances. You will catch glimpses of 60 FPS when there’s less action going on but it does cause an odd shuttering effect at times, perhaps due to the overall refresh rate. The Xbox One version is stuck at 30 FPS but can fall very low as well, making for rather odd reactions while playing.

It isn’t just the frame rate where the PS4 version is one-up over the Xbox One. A quick comparison between the two versions reveal better bokeh depth of field, higher resolution textures and sharper weather effects on the PS4 version compared to the Xbox One. Even the finer details in wave simulation, foliage and environmental objects look better on the former. There hasn’t been a significant overhaul in terms of lighting but you will notice more realistic illumination on the PlayStation 4.

"Though both the PS4 and Xbox One versions are detailed enough, it feels like both development teams are still working the hardware kinks out, with the PS4 version excelling due to sheer power more than anything else."

It should be noted that compared to the PC version, both the Xbox One and PS4 excel in terms of implementing more weather effects and denser foliage. They stumble when it comes to the details though since the PC version comes across as more detailed and fleshed out overall. Lara herself appears more realistic in her skin tones on PC, since the PC version makes use of tessellation while the Definitive Edition does not.

Post process anti-aliasing is in effect with fast approximate anti-aliasing (FXAA) and the vegetation is more interactive than on the PC. Both console versions use motion blur as well though it’s not as prominent as you’d think. Though both the PS4 and Xbox One versions are detailed enough, it feels like both development teams are still working the hardware kinks out, with the PS4 version excelling due to sheer power more than anything else.

Overall, the PS4 version of Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition offers the most comprehensive next-gen introduction of Lara Croft, flawed as it may be. The higher resolution textures and superior draw distance, not to mention the frame rate, just feel better on the PS4. Both games are identical in terms of gameplay, save for varying effects the frame rate has while playing, so it’s not like one version is skipping out in terms of content.