According to a now-deleted listing on the Xbox Store, a remaster of 2004’s Shrek 2: The Game is coming to modern platforms soon. Frequent remaster maestros Aspyr are behind this one, but now there’s only really one question left: is it actually as ogrewhelmingly good as I remember?
Shrek 2: The Game originally swamped out on the PS2, Xbox, and GameCube, mixing beat ’em up action with some light puzzles, mini-games and button-prompt QTEs entirely playable in co-op. You could also control more than just our beloved, layered hero – Fiona, Donkey, Puss, and a bunch of other fairytale creatures were in the roster, too.
The deleted store page and leaked trailer suggest much of the shrektacular original remains intact, only this time there’ll be support for 4K resolutions, improved textures, and enhanced UI. A new Photo Mode and Cheat Mode also seem to be part of the package.
No release date or pricing details for Shrek 2 Remastered yet, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see it launch on PC, PS5 and Nintendo consoles alongside the Xbox version.
Developer Aspyr has done a good job of bringing back several old-school fan favorites that you might have forgotten about for years, but were still happy to see return regardless. Most recently, the studio remastered The Lord of the Rings: War in the North and numerous games in a galaxy far, far away – Star Wars: KOTOR, Bounty Hunter, The Force Unleashed, etc.
Shrek 2 was a fun little romp, especially with a few pals or siblings eager to make a mess in the swamp, if my dusty memories from two decades ago are to be trusted. GamesRadar’s Shrek 2: The Game review from back in the day doesn’t inspire much hope, saying it “only really has any merit in so far as it isn’t quite as bad as some other games.” Here’s hoping the friendly AI aren’t as useless as they were 22 years ago.
Dreamworks’ juggernaut film franchise is preparing to make a big comeback soon, with or without this remaster. Shrek 5 belly flops into theatres next summer and marks the series’ first big screen feature in 16 years. All four previously released films have grossed over $3 billion worldwide altogether, unadjusted for inflation.
Everyone is saying the same thing about the new Shrek 5 teaser – why does Fiona look like that?