Sega Pulls Total War: Shogun 2 Remaster After Backlash Over AI-Upscaled Graphics

Sega and Creative Assembly are temporarily removing Total War: Shogun 2 - Complete Edition from sale just days after release. In a statement shared on Twitter/X, the companies said they are aware the game "has fallen short of both your expectations and our own standards".

The new version has faced a barrage of complaints, including accusations genAI has been used to upscale art Total War: Shogun 2's Complete Edition is set to be pulled from stores by publishers Sega and developers Creative Assembly, who've admitted that it fell short of both player expectations and its creators' standards. The studio and their overlords have pledged to "investigate the issues" with the game and will be reinstating the original version of Shogun 2 as the purchasable one while they do so.

Tomas Franzese is the Weekend News Editor at Polygon, following and reporting on the latest goings-on in the gaming and entertainment spaces. During the week, you can find him working on Remastered, his newsletter about video game history and retro gaming, or contributing to GameSpot and other publications. Previously, Tomas was the Gaming Segment Lead at XDA and a Staff Writer at Digital Trends. Move over Shrek 5, I can't wait to replay the Shrek 2 game when its leaked remaster launches

A remaster of cult 2004 RPG Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines may be in the works. In a post on the r/GamingLeaksAndRumours subreddit, a user wrote: "I can confirm that it is in the works. NOT a Remake, but a Remaster, with some caveats. That's all I can say".

A remaster of 2004's Shrek 2: The Game is on the way, according to an Xbox.com listing that seems to have been published too soon. The page for the unannounced game--which has since been removed--says the remaster will feature better textures, enhanced UI, and 4K resolution. Like the original PS2, Xbox, and GameCube game, the remaster lets you play solo or in co-op with up to three friends, locally or online. The playable characters include Shrek, Fiona, and Donkey, among others. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hICuo4Yfp5E In addition to the updated graphics, the Shrek 2 remaster includes a new Photo Mode and Cheat Mode. The original was published by Activision, but Aspyr Media is bringing this game to market. That company was also behind the recent The Lord of the Rings re-releases. A glorious scene from the Shrek 2 remaster. The Xbox page for the Shrek 2 remaster does not list a release date or a price. The game is expected to come to PlayStation as well, and Switch wouldn't be a surprise either. Aspyr should release it on November 19 to go up against GTA 6 in a heavyweight battle for the ages. This game may have leaked through Xbox, but the official Shrek account posted a compil

After leaking last month during the big Steam/Exophase achievement dump, we have our first look at Shrek 2: Remastered, which is bringing the four-player co-op game to modern consoles. This reveal, ironically enough, also came from a leak, but this time it’s Xbox’s fault for accidentally posting its store page up too early. The listing includes multiple screenshots, a pre-order trailer, and a lengthy description of all the new features and updates coming to the 2004 platformer. The game is getting a facelift with “better textures, enhanced UI, [and] 4K resolution,” as well as new features like a Photo Mode and a Cheat Mode that lets you modify the game. It will support both local and online co-op, so if you’re getting your kids into Shrek ahead of Shrek 5 next year, you can play it with them, or if you have nostalgia for the original game and want to play it with your friends and siblings who live far away, there’s an online option. I played Shrek 2 when it came out and I was surprised how much of it came back to me when watching the trailer.