But it does beg the question: What have been this generation’s most successful? Alinea Analytics estimates it’s Resident Evil 4 Remake, which has reportedly sold 16.8 million and generated $560 million in revenue. The last official figure from Capcom was 13.6 million sold as of March 31st, 2026, so this wouldn’t be too far off.

What’s surprising is that ARK: Survival Ascended is apparently in second place with seven million sold. It’s followed by The Last of Us Part 1 in third with 6.3 million reportedly sold. So even if it seemed baffling, remaking the classic to coincide with the TV show proved a viable strategy. Then there’s The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered and its alleged 4.5 million sales. Would that have been higher if Virtuos hadn’t abandoned support? Or did it abandon support after reaching this milestone? It’s hard to say.

Either way, expect even more remakes in the future, given that they bring in the sales. On the bright side, if they turn out to be as enjoyable as either Resynced or Campaign Evolved, then we should be in for a fun time.

It makes sense given how long the series has been dormant, and director Satoru Nihei wanting it to be more accessible for newcomers. However, fans will find some familiar traits in the enemies.

As he explained to Game Informer, “There’s no direct kind of connection to the old games in the game world, but we have tried to pay homage to some of the elements from those older games. So some of the enemies you’ll see, for instance, are based on some older enemies; that’s so fans of the series have something they can touch base with.”

Some examples include the Chijiko, which fights somewhat like Onimusha 1’s Reynaldo Genma. Much like the latter, the former also uses tentacles to attack, but it doesn’t multiply, instead splitting into two. While Musashi can prevent this process entirely, you won’t be quite as overwhelmed as in the classic. Then there’s an enemy that resembles Bazuu, which attacks while spinning towards the player.

And even if some enemies don’t exactly follow the same design, their appearances may remind you of older threats. For example, one resembles Gyaran, and shoots projectiles from afar rather than trying to extract Musashi’s soul up close.

Nihei notes, “All of the enemies in this game are brand new, so while we do pay homage to some of the older games, we’ve kind of taken elements from them and remixed them for the new Genma in this title.” Considering they’re the only thing really carrying over between games, it’s a solid approach and keeps things fresh.

Onimusha: Way of the Sword launches on September 4th for Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2, PS5, and PC. It was originally slated for September 25th but was recently moved up, likely to avoid Control Resonant, Silent Hill: Townfall and other major releases.

As far as the graphics are concerned, Campaign Evolved is certainly the clear winner, but it isn’t just because it brings Unreal Engine 5-powered visuals to a rebuilt world. The question is whether it manages to make those changes mean something to a game that has held an almost reverential spot in modern gaming, and add value to every frame of the reworked experience.

Well, we’re happy to tell you that there’s good news, and a lot of it. Here are a bunch of ways Campaign Evolved sets itself apart from 2001’s Combat Evolved, and the 2011 Combat Evolved Anniversary release. There’s 25 years of evolution over the three titles, and it’s a lovely showcase of how far games have come as an entertainment medium, so strap in.

1. The Art Direction

It’s been a minute, but we remember how Combat Evolved featured clean environments, simple shapes, and vibrant colors that helped light up the sparse scenery on offer. All of those served it well, making for an extremely readable image that the hardware on offer at the time could work with. Anniversary took that up a notch, with denser detailing, more visual flourishes, improved complexity of surfaces, and a presentation that felt brighter overall.

Well, Campaign Evolved has given a layer of modern realism to the experience, largely managing to capture the original experience with greater environmental density and modern, sophisticated materials and lighting systems. The image is as readable as it’s ever been, though, and this one feels like the final form of an art style that’s managed to stay unique and true to itself over the years.

2. Environmental Geometry

You’re probably not going to be surprised that Combat Evolved’s physical construction of environments is quite basic in comparison to its subsequent editions. Cliffs, rocks, interior spaces, hills, tunnels, and pathways were certainly serviceable, and were certainly immersive back in the day. But when you think about how Anniversary did so well to dress them up even better, you’re going to be all the more appreciative of what Campaign Evolved is offering.

Natural shapes and environmental complexity are now on par with modern standards, making for environments that look so darn real, you’d be forgiven for thinking they actually exist. It’s in how seamlessly individual elements of a scene meld together and interact with each other so naturally that it really sells the experience in this area, and it’s clear that Campaign is certainly the definitive way to play the classic title.

3. Lighting

Once again, there’s no surprise that Campaign Evolved brings hardware ray-traced Lumen global illumination alongside MegaLights, producing one of its most immediately noticeable generational upgrades. Rays of sunlight now stream across surfaces, gently bouncing off of some while creating realistic reflections on others. That all this happens irrespective of whether you’re exploring or taking on Covenant forces in intense, all-out firefights is a hallmark of current-gen hardware at this point.

We’re especially happy with how dark areas handle light, and how transitions between exterior and interior areas don’t disrupt things too much to be distracting. It’s been a boon in battles that necessitate such transitions, to be sure.

4. Shadows

If we were to compare Combat and Campaign side by side, it’s clear that the former’s approach to shadows was limited to what the hardware the game was meant to run on was capable of. The original game’s shadow rendering was naturally much simpler, with far less definition, range, and interaction with environmental lighting than what modern rendering techniques allow. The shadows weren’t convincing (by modern standards, at least).

Well, that’s a thing of the past as objects are considerably more grounded within the environment, and thus respond to its various parameters, light included, more organically and definitely more convincingly this time around.

Anniversary substantially improved shadow definition and environmental shading, but Campaign Evolved goes much further with dynamic lighting and substantially more nuanced contact and indirect shadowing.

5. Texture Quality

While we’re on the subject of objects responding naturally to environmental stimuli, the textures on offer deserve a special mention. The terrain, floor, walls, weapon and vehicle surfaces, uniforms, and props in Campaign Evolved are definitely housing some excellent textures. It isn’t just about improved resolutions, but how those improvements are used to convey natural wear and tear, scratches and other damage, dirt, and other material variations that help sell the history, wear, and physical construction of objects throughout the environment.

The original release and Anniversary did well for their respective time periods, but Campaign is where the evolution is at, and displayed with pride.

6. Materials

Another crucial differentiator between the three games we’re looking at in this one is how they represent different materials, and Campaign handles that part so well that it gains yet another distinct advantage over Combat and Anniversary. While both early releases did manage to distinguish different surfaces like metal, glass, sand, stone, snow, ice, water, fabrics, and painted surfaces well enough, Campaign has almost lovingly handcrafted each of those surfaces to respond so well to the new lighting and textures that they feel almost alive.

As far as being able to visually distinguish between different materials on surfaces is concerned, Campaign takes the original release in a very immersive new direction.

7. Vegetation and Environmental Density

When you’re outdoors, you begin to see how Campaign has been careful about balancing the original experience in Combat with additions that make every scene it presents feel reminiscent of the original, but far denser and naturalistic. Combat used open spaces quite intentionally, allowing them to be staging grounds for battles more than anything else. Anniversary did a lot to add in environmental dressing, making things more believable.

But Campaign has made things real, and it’s evident in every blade of grass, the clutter on the ground, in bushes, plants, trees, fallen branches, and small objects whose presences don’t interrupt the action, but serve to make the battlefield a living, breathing part of it all.

8. Draw Distance and Background Detail

When we look back at both Combat and Anniversary, we think about how we’ve come to take the level of detail in a game’s world for granted. Looking into the distance in both those titles was definitely great at the times of their respective releases, but doing the same thing for distant mountains, trees, or structures in Campaign just hits different.

With tangible foliage, environmental objects, terrain detail, and fogging for as far as your in-game eye can see working overtime to give it a layer of realism, the remake communicates a sense of scale far better than its predecessors have managed to, and it is visually better off for it.

9. Skyboxes and the Halo Ring

Of course, the land isn’t the only stunning part of a Halo title, and it’s time to look to the skies, where the titular Halo resides amongst stars, clouds, distant planets, the sun, mountains, distant horizons, and atmospheric effects that serve to make every look one that invokes a sense of wonder. Combat Evolved has a sky that felt almost surreal because of how clean it was, and Anniversary did well to make it look richer.

But Campaign Evolved’s systems make the entire skyline look and feel so active, and yet so subtly believable that you don’t really think it intrudes on what’s in front of you but is always bewitching to see when you do look at it. It’s definitely among the highlights of our visual examination of the game. The Halo Ring is a stunner, and is absolutely mesmerizing in this one.

10. Fog, Volumetrics, and Atmospherics

This is an area where Campaign Evolved just steals the show away from the previous iterations of weather-based effects and atmospherics in scenes. With an enhanced weather system taking over from the ancient one in previous editions, you’re going to see fog, mist, snow, rain, haze, and the particles that come with each effect in immense detail.

It automatically makes the presentation feel so realistic, with a lot of atmospheric depth and volumetric light helping bring life to each scene in ways that the previous releases were simply not equipped to handle back in the day.

11. Water

Just land on a beach, and the chances are that Campaign’s water effects are going to have you stopping to watch the waves gently caress a shoreline before receding back into the ocean so naturally, they lend a serene beauty to beaches. Rays of light dance along the water’s surface, while the shorelines throw up foam effects in tandem with the rhythm of waves. Looking through and into the water also produces substantially more convincing distortion and surface interaction without compromising readability.

Campaign’s water systems are a great showcase of how it evolves the original experience on the visual front.

12. Master Chief Himself

As a sort of mascot for an entire console’s life, and a debutant in another one’s play at mass appeal, Master Chief is no stranger to being the front face of a successful franchise. He already cut an imposing figure in Combat and Anniversary, but the level of detail in his character model in Campaign could have us rambling on for hours about how deliciously detailed it is.

The armor geometry is exquisite, while his helmet reflects light gently off its visor and rounded surfaces. The materials on his armor and undersuit are tangibly different, while wear and tear effects like scratches and weathering, along with proportions, are all cooked to perfection. It’s clear that the frontman spent a lot of time looking the part in this one.

13. Human Characters and Facial Details

Like Master Chief, the rest of the game’s cast is noticeably better-looking this time around; we’d say that Cortana is the best representation of how much those makeovers matter. While Captain Keyes, Sergeant Johnson, and the Marines are all decidedly more detailed with better facial geometry, expressions, lip syncing, and lighting, the representation of an AI that’s been a franchise mainstay is definitely something that truly shines.

Her expressions are now better geared towards conveying her dialogue, while the added detail in her face, eyes, and hair creates an interesting contrast with the unmistakably holographic nature of her appearance, but a welcome one thanks to her central role in the story. We can’t get enough of how her glowing aura is now resplendent thanks to the new lighting, and the way environments react to her presence, factors that work very well with her new character model.

14. Weapons and Vehicles

We’re not going to get into the gameplay part of the weapons and newly drivable vehicles in this one, but you should know that they come with excellent levels of model detail, and come with excellent levels of model detail, including weathering, scratches, dents, and other surface imperfections. They interact with different surfaces quite accurately, while their interior details are top-notch.

The same goes for Campaign’s weapons, with recurring ones like the Assault Rifle, Sniper Rifle, and Rocket Launcher looking decidedly more ominous while also coming with tangible indicators of the duress you put them through as you play the game. Campaign definitely takes things up a notch over Combat and Anniversary in this area.

15. Explosions, Smoke, and Particle Effects

Naturally, this is an area where things were quite basic in Combat, while the spectacle was substantially beefed up in Anniversary. But of course, Campaign is the biggest leap in terms of how the absolute chaos of its battlefield is brought to life.

Explosions ring out with substance, lighting up the battlefield with their glow even as smoldering particles pepper the air around you. Dust, sparks, and debris rise and swirl with the impact, while fires break out and nearby vehicles take a beating right in front of you. It’s the current generation of gaming hardware working its magic on an experience that’s familiar to make it feel so fresh, it’s a new direction altogether.

And that’s essentially what Campaign Evolved does to a title that’s been redone before. It might be the most technologically advanced of the three versions, but that isn’t what makes it special. That’s reserved for the way it uses modern technology to make its visual detailing feel distinct, and in line with the experience that the original Combat Evolved was meant to be. It’s used what made it so memorable to create a new take on the classic that is surely a generational leap worth diving into.

We’ve been spending some time with the game ahead of its release and our review, and have come away with a few useful pointers for you to keep in mind whether you’re a returning veteran or a new recruit to the cause. Let’s get right to it.

1. Leave Nothing Behind

Many previews have been pointing out that some doors lock behind you once you cross their thresholds, and that anything you leave behind on the battlefields they block off could be lost forever. It doesn’t happen to all doors as far as we’ve seen, but it’s happening consistently enough across the board to be something worth mentioning as part of our experience with the preview build. If you’re coming up on an obvious transition point, it’s a good idea to backtrack and replace depleted weapons or refill your ammo.

2. An Interesting Use For The Plasma Pistol

Fully charging up a shot with the Plasma Pistol makes it act like an EMP that can be very handy in vehicle heavy encounters if you want to save your rockets for later. It works on Ghosts, Wraiths, and other vehicles, and can be very nifty once you get used to deploying it precisely. It’s going to work very well with another tip that’s coming up, and can be quite a potent combo in situations where you could use a little breathing room. That happens quite a lot in this one.

3. Use EMP Windows To Hijack Vehicles

Vehicle hijacking is now a thing, and given that the Ghost now seats a full four-member party, it pays to have an easy way to get your hands on one. Well, the EMP from your Plasma Pistol’s charged shot opens up an opportunity for you to commandeer disabled vehicles, using its immobility to board it and turn the tables in tight encounters. Getting your hands on a heavily-armored machine can easily turn a fight in your favor, giving you a lot of control over its outcomes in the process.

4. Capture Those Wraiths

Building on our last couple of points, if you see a Wraith in action operating against you, it isn’t a reason to try and avoid it, but an opportunity to commandeer a very potent vehicle with simple tactics. The EMP is once again your best friend here, and getting your hands on a Wraith gives you some very heavy armor that protects some serious firepower in a fight. They’re a priority, and a very rewarding one at that.

5. Be Ready To Be Boarded

We’ve been talking a lot about boarding enemy vehicles, so it’s probably worth mentioning that your foes are going to try and eject you from their valuable vehicles. If you’re on the move with your enemies in pursuit, it’s a good idea to keep your momentum alive, and stay away from the enemy infantry who might get caught up in the crossfire with no reliable escape route on the ground. Try to dispose of threats when you’re in a Ghost, Wraith, or other crucial vehicles, or at least shake them off before you head for safety.

6. Share Your Best Loot With Marines

We’ve been itching to try this out ourselves, but we did catch some of our Marines using rocket launchers with devastating precision in some previews. That’s because you get to exchange weapons with them, and giving them some solid gear is going to make them valuable additions to your side of the battles you’ll be facing with them. They’re especially effective when vehicles are involved, and while there’s talk of their ammo being unlimited, we’re going to wait for the final build before making any comments.

7. Arm Marines Before Getting On The Scorpion

Once you gain access to The Scorpion, know that any gear you give your Marines before they get on it remains at their disposal in subsequent battles, making the Scorpion function as a mobile squad that’s armed to the teeth, and armored enough to shrug off some devastating attacks as it blazes a path across battlefields. It’s quite a glorious sight to see in action, and we can promise you it’s going to be a while before it gets old. If it ever does, that is.

8. Protect Your Best Marines

If you’ve given Marines Power Weapons, you might want to hold off on rushing headlong into the thick of battles with the Scorpion, as taking a more measured approach could mean you make the most of their arsenal whilst avoiding unnecessary losses. Considering that each Marine uses what you’ve given them only when they’re alive, you might want to take advantage of the Scorpion’s defense and unleash its full potential when you sense safety ahead.

9. Save Those Portable Overshields

A change we’re really happy with is the fact that Overshields are now portable, instead of activating the moment you pick one up like in the original release. That means you get to save them for truly dicey situations, which we highly recommend given that they’ve meant the difference between surviving them or eating a ton of enemy fire without one handy. Think of them as a sort of emergency counter measure and use them as you see fit from there.

10. Use Active Camo Wisely

We know its tempting to just take a stealth approach with Active Camo as soon as you see it on the battlefield, but given that it’s also usable later, it’s a good idea to save it all for a rainy day. They’re best used when you need some breathing room to reposition, or when you’ve got a priority target you’re trying to take out first before all hell breaks loose. Traditional backsmacks work exactly like they used to, and getting to enemies undetected is a lot easier if they can’t see you.

11. Sprint When You Need To

Sprinting’s quite a useful addition to the gameplay loop, and it’s a great way to cross open spaces if you anticipate coming under fire when you do, and is a good way to break contact if the need arises, perhaps getting behind cover before enemy fire gets too overwhelming to effectively respond to. However, it’s going to work against you if you end up sprinting into unfamiliar rooms, as you’re going to need to find cover to figure out enemy formations in time to come up with a viable strategy.

12. The Elites Are More Intelligent

The enemy AI is pretty good for the most part, and most enemies are able to identify opportunities to withdraw from the fight to recover their shields and come back into the fray. That’s going to be quite prominent in co-op sessions on higher difficulties, and if you’re up against an Elite, you might want to make it a priority as much as possible since allowing those potent foes to come back into the fight with more protection is definitely a bad idea. Preventing regeneration on your targets should be something you try to do as much as you can as a rule of thumb anyway.

13. Switch Between Cover Positions

Speaking of Elites, we’ve found that they like to flank your position quite often this time around, effectively trying to force you to break cover while Grunts and Jackals try to pin you down the moment you try to make a run for it. Switching between cover often forces them to reset their strategies while opening up options for you to counterattack while they scramble a response. Identify multiple defensive positions and weave in strategies unique to them as you go along to maximize your effectiveness in the field.

14. The Magnum’s Precision

The Magnum has returned in all its glory, and its potency might make you mistake it for an emergency side arm, but if you use it against exposed infantry and suitable targets, you’re going to find battles going in your favor more frequently than before you holstered it. If you’ve got something on hand for breaking shields and other defences, the Magnum is going to be a finisher like no other, and is worth weaving into your battle plans as much as possible.

15. Replacing Empty Enemy Weapons

Those enemy Weapons can seem like they’re indispensible, but having to collect them only after you’ve expended uses on the one already in your possession makes them less practical than they could be. We wouldn’t recommend getting too attached to having one on hand, instead treating them as convenient options to use if and when one is easily accessible. Their limited ammo doesn’t allow them to be more than that, sadly.

16. Save Your Grenades For Targets That Matter

Grenades are definitely powerful, but they’re quite scarce enough to justify saving them for bosses or groups that are proving too troublesome for your other tactics. Regular Grunts and weaker targets must always draw only gunfire, with potent explosives saved for the ones where your guns aren’t making enough of a dent to leave you in control of the fight. They’re especially effective against enemies in large clusters, positions that come heavily defended, or places where some area damage is going to even the odds.

17. The Faster Scorpion and Wraith

The driving mechanics are certainly a highlight and the Scorpion and Wraith are now much better than their original counterparts, with better handling, tuning, and battle capabilities on board. They’re great ways to tear through stiff opposition as long as you keep moving to avoid being boarded, and be quite liberal with using their cannons to devastate enemy locations. They fire quite fast, which means that staying mobile and maintaining pressure means your enemies don’t get a chance to regroup and come at you with better strategies than the losing one.

18. Take On Specific Roles In Co-Op

If you’re bringing your buddies along, it’s a good idea to approach the game with a plan, and with each of you serving specific roles on your team. To that end, you’re going to want to share the best weapons, gear, and loot that suits those roles as and when you find them, ensuring that your teammates are well-equipped enough to have your back when things inevitably get nasty. It also ensures that you spread important functions like precision fire, shield removal, explosives, and close-range fighting across the board, with each of you knowing what needs your attention, and what to leave to your pals.

19. Co-Op Increases More Than Just Enemy Numbers

If you’re indeed bringing the boys along, know that the campaign scales according to how many of you are jumping in, and the difficulty you’re taking on. That means you could see more enemies instead of just more powerful versions of existing ones, and more intelligent responses to your attacks such as avoiding grenades, better targeting, and more tactical retreats for shield recovery. It gets harder the more of you there are, which is what’s going to make your victory feel that much sweeter when it finally arrives.

20. Use Your Personal Difficulty Modifiers Generously

While we’re still on the subject of co-op, you get to adjust important parameters like your damage resistance, the recharge speed on your shields, your melee damage, and even ammunition options. If you’re teaming up with pros and need that extra hand, Campaign Evolved has got you and you don’t need to sit out the action or force your more experienced comrades to insult their skills on a lower difficulty. However, certain challenges focused achievements are going to be out of your reach when they’re on, so keep that in mind and try to phase them out once you get into your groove.

And that’s about it. You’re going to be dominating the battlefield in no time once you remember these little nuggets of wisdom. Master Chief’s already a force to be reckoned with, and in the right hands, he’s a powerhouse like no other. Well, you now have everything you need to make that your reality, and have a hell of a fun time doing so.

The answer is a resounding yes, and that goes beyond simply letting our excitement for what’s new blend with the nostalgia of what already feels familiar. The original Halo was always a legendary title, and it continues to retain that quality in its latest iteration aside from a few quirks. Master Chief returns to one of his earliest chapters, bringing with him many of the mechanics and refinements introduced in later games, along with a few entirely new additions. A flamboyant movement system has been added which works well with returning strengths such as solid grenade physics, shield management, melee attacks, and a rather infectious combat rhythm that continues to be quite catchy despite its familiarity and age.

"Master Chief returns to one of his earliest chapters, bringing with him many of the mechanics and refinements introduced in later games, along with a few entirely new additions."

The movement’s probably the best starting point to outline everything that works in this excellent remake, and sprinting is a feature that stands out instantly. It’s the first indicator that had me thinking about how much of the gameplay loop from the original had been switched up to accommodate it. The original version’s maps didn’t support swift traversal mechanics, but the faster encounter pacing now makes an aggressive approach feel like a viable strategy, and I soon found myself weaving in melee attacks to sustain forward momentum.

It’s great, then, that none of the locations I was tearing apart felt too small to adversely affect my obsession with carving the quickest possible path through them, my foes be damned. Sprinting feels so naturally woven into the original game’s design in Campaign Evolved, and simply makes traversal feel better paced by its presence. The early level structure remains quite familiar, but some of the later ones have some genuine surprises in store for you, with revamped enemy encounters and expanded traversal routes to make them exciting.

Of course, it also helps that vehicular movement improvements blend more seamlessly into the gameplay loop. The Warthog handles considerably better this time around, and vehicle controls in general feel more responsive than they ever have in previous iterations of the game. The classic ragdoll physics are still here too, and they’re so ingrained in Halo’s identity at this point that I probably would have noticed immediately had they been missing. Of course, I’d been looking forward to the newly player-controllable vehicles ever since they were revealed, and finally taking control of a Wraith proved exactly why.

Its heavy armor and devastating firepower make you feel like an overwhelming presence on the battlefield, but with enemies constantly trying to reclaim their vehicle, you still have to stay mobile and be smart about when and where you use its cannons. There’s no denying the power trip, though, and hijacking enemy vehicles quickly became another part of the gameplay loop that I found myself looking forward to whenever the opportunity arose.

Between exploring different places on foot and in vehicles, you can bet that I got into quite a few scraps along the way, and one of the things that stood out was the enemy AI. It remains as impressive as it was back in the day, with enemies coming at you with excellent coordination. They flank you the moment an opportunity presents itself, and retreat if things aren’t going their way. That’s especially true of the Elites, whose shields already make them a pain to deal with.

"The new prequel bonus missions set roughly a year before the main campaign do deserve a bit of discussion, with Chief and Sergeant Johnson teaming up to investigate something that leads into the campaign; they feel like well-crafted stories that are fleshed out, instead of tacky add-ons or low-effort DLCs."

Enemies dodge your grenades, try to commandeer your vehicles, and use their wits instead of merely relying on superior numbers or larger health bars. That makes them a potent catalyst that brings out the most chaotic outcomes that stem from your efforts to deal with them en masse. A single grenade explosion is a great source of some seriously amusing ragdoll physics if you can manage to get one to go off in the middle of a large group. Trust us.

We’re not getting into story spoilers in case this is going to be your first time with this one, but the new prequel bonus missions set roughly a year before the main campaign do deserve a bit of discussion. With Chief and Sergeant Johnson teaming up to investigate something that leads into the campaign, they feel like well-crafted stories that are fleshed out, instead of tacky add-ons or low-effort DLCs. They bring context, some excellent banter between Chief and Johnson, and feel like classic Halo. There’s nothing more I could have expected of them, and that makes me very happy indeed.

Of course, cooperative campaign is now on board, and it’s more than just dumping a four-member squad into the old 2001 maps, but has been subtly redone with corridors, pathways, and room sizes getting alterations that avoid bottlenecks, making them great to guide a four-player Fireteam through. It all retains the atmosphere of the original game, and with enemies putting up quite a good fight, things were a lot of fun. The crossplay support is seamless, but you’re going to need a Microsoft account to facilitate it. It is what it is, I’m afraid.

Campaign Remix is another addition that I found quite interesting thanks to how it undermines your familiarity with the original campaign. You could, for instance, completely change weapon placements and enemy positions via the Adaptation and Reload options, negating the knowledge you’ve carried over the years, or the muscle memory you cultivated as you acquired it. With randomized weapons and enemies, you’re forced to switch tactics in places you might have otherwise sailed through, and it’s a superb way to make you stay on your toes.

Armistice is another fascinating option, as it removes all conflict between enemy factions, and that immediately changes something that I realized I relied on far too much in the original game: taking advantage of enemies fighting each other. It was such a natural advantage that felt like free damage to me, and I never questioned what things could be in its absence until now. They’re pretty darn chaotic and challenging to boot, and a passive approach isn’t really an option when every hostile you see is now trying to make a meal out of you.

The resulting campaign is one where you’re going to need adaptability, often going against your own trained instincts in familiar places if you’re a returning veteran. It also helps make the same mission feel different on subsequent playthroughs, which adds a lot of replay value in tandem with the expanded role that Skulls now throw into the mix. For those who are unaware, they’re a returning feature with a different implementation. They’re now tucked away in obscure corners of maps, and finding one permanently unlocks a gameplay modifier that you toggle on or off before hopping into a mission.

"It feels strange but weirdly good to say it: I played Halo: Campaign Evolved on a PlayStation 5 Pro."

They’re a curious bunch, with ones like Perspective giving you a third-person view, Speed Limit that turns off sprinting for those of you who like a more methodical approach, and of course, the Floor is Lava, which is exclusive to Campaign Evolved and does exactly what it says on the cover. They’re really fun to find and mess around with, and bring further variations into a gameplay loop and campaign that could otherwise become repetitive after some time with it.

It feels strange but weirdly good to say it: I played Halo: Campaign Evolved on a PlayStation 5 Pro. We will be diving into the graphical improvements it brings over the other two console versions in detail in another of our articles, but the results from my time with it are very positive. It’s absolutely gorgeous, with the new lighting and textures bringing familiar scenes to life in ways that were not possible when those scenes were originally written and crafted.

The environmental density, architecture, materials, character models, facial animations, atmospheric effects, and the readability of every scene on display were top-notch, making this one a very visually pleasing addition to a potent lineup this year. The game’s mysterious aesthetic has largely managed to remain intact in the light of its shift to Unreal Engine 5, while all-new animations and updated cinematics work well with the remastered soundtrack and rebuilt sound design. It all comes together to sustain the spectacle of the original while modernising it to make it a superb visual direction for the future.

I can see some of you preferring the original version’s look and feel, but as a remake that aims to usher in a new era for the franchise, Campaign Evolved is exactly where it needs to be on the visual front, making the most of current-gen hardware to make Halo look and feel as good as anything I’ve seen recently. However, on the PS5 Pro, I just couldn’t bring myself to play in Quality mode, which locks the game to 30fps. For a first-person shooter, that simply didn’t feel responsive enough, and I found myself switching to Performance mode almost immediately.

And it is what I would recommend, although I did see a few instances of frame drops during intense scenes such as ones involving explosions. They were an oddity rather than a regular occurrence, though, and the frame rates were fine for the most part. All in all, Halo’s PlayStation debut makes good use of what the console has to offer, and the PS5’s SSD made the load times go by in the blink of an eye.

Coming to the combat, Bungie’s excellent balancing of weapons in the original version has translated well into the remaster’s combat system. The Assault Rifle’s as good as it’s ever been, and I quickly picked up a Sniper Rifle that’s now even more useful thanks to improved draw distance and visual details in the places I used it in. No matter the weapon I had in hand, returning or new ones, they were all great to use and felt suitably weighty in my controller as I let off shot after shot at enemies that were quite vicious in their effort to end my campaign. But with weapons that felt this good to use, denying enemies the chance to gain the upper hand became an enjoyable part of the experience in itself, as I used every tool in my arsenal to stay one step ahead of even the most cunning foes. Of course, the Legendary Difficulty was quick to humble me, with difficulty spikes that were reminiscent of the original game.

"The lack of competitive PvP is a bummer, and immediately sets the remake apart from the original. Campaign Evolved cannot replace it on that front, but does it really need to? "

Every enemy gets a bump to their tactical thinking, their health, and damage resistance, making them quite a challenge. It’s probably worth noting that health packs are gone, and you’re now left with a single bar of health that recharges on its own over time. It makes for a more involved combat loop where you’re actively trying to maximize your effectiveness in the field before you’re forced to fall back. It’s sort of a contest for the momentum of a fight, and if you have your enemies doing the same, you know you have the advantage.

Of course, the lack of competitive PvP is a bummer, and immediately sets the remake apart from the original. Campaign Evolved cannot replace it on that front, but does it really need to? I believe both games have their own spaces, and the remake’s longevity isn’t going to be a factor as long as Skulls and Campaign Remix are a part of it. Plus, the $49.99 USD price tag works in its favor, placing it comfortably below the cost of a full-priced release and helping set more reasonable expectations for what’s on offer.

The lack of PvP and those minor performance issues do not take away from the fact that Halo: Campaign Evolved is one hell of a remake, and a very welcome step in the right direction for the franchise and Xbox in general. If the rest of what the brand has planned on the remake front is as good as this one, we say bring it on! It’s been a joy to see Master Chief in action, and a very interesting time watching him go to work on a PlayStation.

It’s definitely been worth it, and Halo fans should find plenty of reasons to jump back into the fray, regardless of which console they’re playing on.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.

Note: Varun Karunakar contributed to this review.

To that end, director Kento Kinoshita confirmed to Famitsu that there wouldn’t be level scaling in Dark Arisen. “While some people like the system where enemies get stronger according to the player’s level, others dislike it, so we haven’t adopted it.” That said, the team is considering adding a Hard Mode for “experienced adventurers” to have a “more challenging and exciting gameplay experience.”

Of course, you’ll notice he said “considering,” and not confirmed. Producer Naoto Oyama added, “We are aware that many users have requested a Hard Mode since the release of Dragon’s Dogma 2. We are currently considering how it should be implemented in Dark Arisen. We envision a Hard Mode that can be played in both the main story and the new areas, but this is not yet officially decided, so we hope to discuss this further as the release date approaches.”

On the bright side, the expansion introduces transmog, finally allowing players to customize their look without having to swap gear and thus lose out on any valuable stats. Granted, the conditions for this have yet to be fully detailed, but it is tied to gameplay and will unlock as you explore Norgan.

Dragon’s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen launches on October 9th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2. Between the new storyline, relic hunting in Norgan (which can be appraised for powerful new armor and weapons) and 12 new Challenge Dungeons, Oyama estimates about 25+ hours of new content for fans. For those diving in before launch, Capcom will release a major patch in late August to further improve performance.

Crops not growing or not being harvested in certain situations have also been fixed, alongside an issue where Oongka and Damiane couldn’t save a gear that was locked. The Mace of Ambition’s location has changed, making it easier to find, and anytime you’ve collected fish from a trap, the large fish already on your character’s back will no longer disappear.

There are also some much-needed fixes for mid-air Wyvern summons not working and Aerial Maneuver not providing the correct amount of distance when using Aerial Roll. Check out the full patch notes below for more details.

While this week’s update is more focused on improvements, Pearl Abyss is hard at work on other content. That includes improving the story, making it easier for newcomers to get into while ensuring things make more sense. Don’t count on it completely changing things, however.

There’s also DLC in the works, and while the scale and content have yet to be outlined, marketing director Will Powers assures it will be different from the updates released thus far.

Patch Notes Version 1.15.00

Main Improvements

Content

• Fixed an issue where certain bosses would appear transparent during battle.
• Fixed an issue where crops would stop growing in certain situations.
• Fixed an issue where crops could not be harvested in certain situations.
• [Oongka/Damiane] Fixed an issue where the lock status of equipped gear would not be saved.
• Fixed an issue where the player could not attack while riding the quest objective bear to the village, during the “Scattered Honey Jars” quest.
• Changed the location of the “Mace of Ambition” so that it can be obtained more easily.
• Fixed an issue where a large fish carried on the player’s back would disappear when collecting fish from a fish trap.

Controls

• Fixed an issue where the crosshair for “Axiom Force” would appear even when the target was outside its activation range.
• Fixed an issue where, in certain locations, the camera would remain zoomed in while swimming.

Combat / Action

• Fixed an issue where the Wyvern could not be summoned while in midair.
• Fixed an issue where “Aerial Roll” traveled an unusually short distance when used after “Aerial Maneuver.”

Graphics / Settings

• Fixed an issue where the colors and transparency of certain UI elements would appear abnormally when HDR was enabled.

Localization

• Fixed various localization errors and improved localization quality across all languages.

Others

• Fixed an issue where the game would occasionally crash when loading the cross-save data.
• Fixed an issue where the character’s posture would appear unnatural while riding a mount.
• Fixed an issue where wagons would occasionally disappear when using the “Escape” function with stolen wagons.
• Fixed an issue where Kliff would partially sink into the ground when using “Blinding Flash Finisher” on a slope.

“The Galaxy Map includes over 150 planets where strategic Operations can potentially take place throughout your campaign. Many of these are the site of choose-your-adventure style war table choices. We then have over a dozen unique planets where Tactical Missions can take place, each with richly detailed environments developed in collaboration with the Lucasfilm Games team.”

The word “potentially” is important because Operations require spending intel, which the player receives between missions. The costs vary, and since they can expire, lead designer James Brawley encourages the player “to choose wisely depending on your playstyle and gameplay interests.”

It’s worth noting that they differ from Tactical Missions (which can also expire) in that you need to make “different choices” that can unlock other Operations. However, they may also “have an impact on character bonds and side missions.” As for Tactical Missions, which involve sending your squad on a proper mission, you can actually explore the surroundings in third-person for “additional world immersion, intel points, and advantage points ahead of the combat encounter itself.”

Star Wars Zero Company launches on August 27th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC, and between combat, rescue operations, dedicated quest chains for each character, and more, there’s a lot to do. And if you’re feeling extra-confident, permadeath can be enabled for an even greater challenge.

Interestingly, regarding DLC or post-launch content, Bit Reactor said it’s focused on “making the best game we can at launch” and doesn’t currently have anything to announce, so if you’re holding out for a War of the Chosen-style expansion, it might be better to keep waiting.

The topic came up when JorRaptor asked game director Richard Knight about adding mission replay except with new challenges, which the latter thought “would be awesome.” Concerning Mirage’s take on the same, he said, “We’ve looked into this one quite a bit.”

The implementation may be more difficult, though. “I can’t promise anything on it just because it exists in Mirage, but it doesn’t exist in the modern Anvil. So, it’s like new tech, right? They do have a solution. We do roughly see how it works, but it’s going to take time to understand if it’s something we can build or how long it would take.”

But there’s a chance it could happen because of Knight’s experience on the Hitman franchise. “You know, personally, as someone who used to work on Hitman and has played a lot of Hitman and likes seeing the speedrun timer on screen, I think it’s a very interesting way to play a game. But, yeah, no promises on that one.”

Ubisoft Singapore is currently taking its time to put together a roadmap for Resynced, though an ETA on New Game Plus and other changes has yet to be revealed. In the meantime, it’s still well enough for Ubisoft, with over 3.5 million sales in two weeks, which “exceeded annual expectations.” If that doesn’t provide the impetus for DLC or further support, we don’t know what will.

In the meantime, check out our thoughts on Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced – we scored it a 9 out of 10 in our review. It’s available for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC.

We appreciated its safe approach and solid execution in our review, and it seems many of you agreed with us since its launch. 505 Games’ parent company Digital Bros, which acquired the rights to the IP earlier this year, has come out to express its gratitude to the five million players who have formed the crux of a very enthusiastic community around this one. There’s even special artwork accompanying the announcement, and it’s definitely something you’re going to want to save.

Sadly, the happy news doesn’t come with any indications of plans to expand on Fallen Feathers’ excellent world and combat with additional content or DLC at this moment, which is definitely a bummer. Wuchang’s definitely a warrior we want to return to if fate allows it.

With 505 Games acquiring the rights, maybe we’ll see a sequel somewhere down the road, ideally involving the original development team members who were let go from Leenzee. As always, stay tuned for more updates on that front.