How do you feel about all these remakes and remasters that are coming out?

[Jamie John]

After some light Googling, I've compiled a list of remakes, remasters and current-gen ports that are due to be released over the next 12-36 months:

 

• Resident Evil 4 Remake
• Silent Hill 2 Remake
• Dead Space Remake
• The Witcher Remake
• Advance Wars 1 & 2: Re-Boot Camp
• Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion
• Final Fantasy 7 Remake: Rebirth
• Alan Wake Remake
• Star Wars: KOTOR remake (although this has been delayed indefinitely)
• Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake
• System Shock Remake
• Splinter Cell Remake
• Max Payne 1 & 2 Remake
• Horizon: Zero Dawn Remaster
• The Witcher 3 Remaster

(I'm sure there are a lot more.)

 

Moreover, this year already the following games have been remade or remastered:

 

• Uncharted 4: Legacy of Thieves
• The Last of Us: Part 1
• Life is Strange Remastered
• The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe
• Final Fantasy IV, V & VI Remasters
• Live A Live
• Persona 5 Royal
• Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy
• Mass Effect Trilogy: Legendary Edition

(Again, no doubt I've missed a few.)

 

In addition, there have been persistent rumours circulating for remakes/remasters of lots of other games for a while now, including Metal Gear Solid, Metal Gear Solid 3, the Metroid Prime trilogy, Zelda: Wind Waker, Zelda: Twilight Princess, and many, many more.

 

Its seems like a while since we've had a discussion on these sorts of games and I wanted to know how you lot felt about it all, because I'm not sure how I feel about it.

 

On the one hand, a handful of the games on these lists represent some of the best games I've ever played, and I'm very excited at the prospect of playing them again in their new and shiny forms with modern controls and QoL improvements. Resident Evil 4 Remake, for example, is shaping up to be my most anticipated game of next year, more so than BotW 2, even. Furthermore, there are lots of other games that I would love to replay in an updated form with better graphics, performance and controls, like a BluePoint remake of Bloodborne, for example, or A Link's Awakening remake-style remake of A Link to the Past. And, looking back at lists of games which have been remade or remastered over the last ten to fifteen years, many of them are now widely considered to be the definitive versions, better than the games upon which they are based. Games like Demon's Souls Remake, Resident Evil 2 Remake, Shadow of the Colossus Remake, Black Mesa, Dark Souls Remastered, and others, going back as far as REMake on the Gamecube (which has, itself, been remastered and updated many times over since it first came out).

 

On the other hand, however, the games in these lists represent a huge amount of talent, man-hours and money that could have been spent on creating new and original experiences for players, as opposed to updating and recreating old ones. Additionally, many of these remakes could comfortably be described as 'Triple A'; big studios know the power that nostalgia has, and I fear that we will become trapped in an endless cycle of remakes and remasters, where the number of big developers willing to take a risk on spending millions of dollars creating something original becomes smaller and smaller. But maybe that's a silly thing to think, as each year developers, big and small, create hundreds of new experiences for gamers to enjoy, so why should the future be any different? It just seems somehow off, to me, that so many people (myself included) are champing at the bit to re-play and re-visit what they know already, instead of wanting to try new things.

 

What do you think? Are these sorts of titles good or bad for gaming overall? With the recent release of The Last of Us: Part 1, have we reached peak remake? Are we now trapped in a downwards spiral of remaking and remastering that will continue endlessly until gaming as we know it eventually implodes in on itself?! Or will it probably all be all right in the end?

[Siri]

If they have a significant amount of content or rework involved, I'll probably play them. Before they got folded up into Blizzard, Vicarious Visions got plenty of money from me for the lucious remakes of Tony Hawk and Diablo 2.

 

Ultimately, it's a symptom of publishers taking less risks as budgets inflate. If you're not into that, just play indie games. They'll be around even when the industry eventually shits itself.

[MattyP]

Guess a lot of younger gamers never got to experience many of these the first time around so it's nice that they are giving them a polish up and releasing again. 

 

So long as we keep getting a good flow of the new too... All good.

 

I would probably play the odd one again however some games are never the same when you play them a number of years after you originally experienced them. Games of their time and the stage of life you were at etc. A bit like other media really.

[Gabe]

I have no interest in them, and have never bought one. I prefer new experiences, even if they may not be as good as what came before - but I'm a narrative-led player, so I'm all in for new stories rather than the promise of more shinies or QoL stuff.

 

Clearly enough people are happy to buy the same old thing again (ask Nintendo, ho ho ho) so they will continue to be made and lapped-up.

 

As to whether its good or bad, I suppose it depends what publishers do with the money they make. If they channel some/most/all of it into also creating new things, then I guess its fine. If they double-down on the path of remaking their old stuff, then it's not so good.

[bradigor]

Persona 5 the example is one I have been waiting for to play on a portable system, as I just can't play that sort of game on a big screen, so it is welcome. 

 

I honestly don't mind one bit of it allows someone to play a game they may have previously missed due to age or circumstance. 

 

Also, it's great when they add accessibility QoL updates to those games.

 

 

 

[Keyboard Koala]

What we really need is a Final Fantasy VI remake in 2D HD.

[fragglerock]

System shock is good to see, the og is really tough to play now. Also the demo make it look like it is done sensitively.

 

all the rest I could not care about, and do regret all that talent not being used to generate new experiences for us all.

[Yobo Ahoy]

I'm really not interested unless it's been a couple of generations. I can't stand the revolving door of Sony remasters especially, those sorts of games are the ones that require remasters the least. 

 

Even then, I much prefer the fresh and new. I would definitely make an exception for MGS though. 

 

 

 

 

 

[Qazimod]

I'm down for preserving the classics - I played Final Fantasy V Advance for the first time this year and had a lot of fun (it might end up my "game not of the year") - and multiformat releases make owning P5 more convenient now.

 

I do appreciate it more when weirder titles get a second chance (a few years ago I wouldn't have bet on Nier Replicant 1.22 existing, even though Automata was pretty popular), but then again nobody's going to be bringing back El Shaddai or Total Overdose.

[Mr Do 71]

I would give anything for a Half-Life 2 remake, given lots of love care and attention by Valve. Get rid of the annoying mid-level loading, and give us a chance to play this classic again while we wait for HL3.

[Paulando]

I absolutely hate them and think it’s super lazy, unless it’s a game that I like in which case it’s fine.

[dreamylittledream]

20 minutes ago, Qazimod said:

I'm down for preserving the classics - I played Final Fantasy V Advance for the first time this year and had a lot of fun (it might end up my "game not of the year") - and multiformat releases make owning P5 more convenient now.

 

I do appreciate it more when weirder titles get a second chance (a few years ago I wouldn't have bet on Nier Replicant 1.22 existing, even though Automata was pretty popular), but then again nobody's going to be bringing back El Shaddai or Total Overdose.

El Shaddai got a remaster not that long ago (September 2021, it’s currently on my watch for it going cheap wishlist as I have fond memories of the original releases) when it was released on Steam so no game is too obscure to be resurrected 

[bradigor]

24 minutes ago, Qazimod said:

I'm down for preserving the classics - I played Final Fantasy V Advance for the first time this year and had a lot of fun (it might end up my "game not of the year") - and multiformat releases make owning P5 more convenient now.

 

I do appreciate it more when weirder titles get a second chance (a few years ago I wouldn't have bet on Nier Replicant 1.22 existing, even though Automata was pretty popular), but then again nobody's going to be bringing back El Shaddai or Total Overdose.

 

El Shaddai did get a re-release.

 

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/1581040/El_Shaddai_ASCENSION_OF_THE_METATRON_HD_Remaster/&ved=2ahUKEwjejIfvrYv7AhXGVMAKHWOlAAIQFnoECBEQAQ&usg=AOvVaw27kIGasjo_iDPJnwLc7f86

[thesnwmn]

I've played a total of 3 of them first time round (Advance Wars, GTA Trilogy and Stanley Parable).

 

I'll play one of them as a remake (Advance Wars because I've never played 2).

 

Luckily I don't really play stuff that gets remade. And I don't think them getting made really impacts the types of games I want getting made. If I liked these things, particularly the newer ones I'd probably be a bit sad that so much is going into repeating the same experiences as before.

[ChewMagma]

Very relaxed.

[dumpster]

Video gaming technology has advanced in major leaps since the in 80s. Every generation of hardware created opportunities to create games you couldn't play before.  The smooth scrolling and mode 7 effects of the SNES gave way to real 3d environments on the PlayStation.  With every generation you had more power to create more demanding games.   Until now.

 

Leaving VR and AR to one side, if you're playing a game on a TV with a control pad, this generation is much the same as the last.  The tech has peaked.  I watch Digital Foundry videos and can't see the difference between the graphics on Forza 5 whether it's in performance mode or whatever.  Once the game is running at 60fps, that's as good as it gets for me.  

 

Now so many games seem the same to me.  My uneducated view of the Assassin's Creed games, having played none of them, is that they all look exactly the same as each other.  So why not use this stagnant feeling generation to make the best games of all time the best they can possibly be?  

 

Resident Evil 4 in VR blew me away. Any opportunity to play a better version of that game is most welcome.  And while I can see the major difference between Resident Evil 2 on PS1 and PS4, I can't see how they can improve further. How could you make Resi2 remake any better than it is? 

[Hello Goaty ♥]

Remakes are good as long as it doesn't get in the way of making new things. I also guess remaking something gives practice. 

[Qazimod]

40 minutes ago, dreamylittledream said:

El Shaddai got a remaster not that long ago

 

34 minutes ago, bradigor said:

El Shaddai did get a re-release.

 

That's me told  

[b00dles]

I think it's different for us olds though, I saw a thumbnail on YouTube that was apparently a video explaining "why do old video games look so bad" and seemingly related to pixels and the like, which I found kind of funny somehow. 

 

I know a boring amount of nonsense about resolutions from having a 486 and then also working in post production but the concept of 320x240 let alone 720p I "know" so there is never a concept that a game looks better or worse, that's just all that was possible. 

 

I think some of these remakes reflect some of that youth lack of 'knowledge' to an extent. 

[Darwock]

Does anybody actually think the remakes of Shadow of the Colossus and Demon’s Souls are the definitive versions? They may be the most convenient and polished, but they don’t reflect the original experience imo.

[LaveDisco]

Changing the subject slightly, but this thread convinced me that Shrek, the movie, is going to get remastered, and re-released. 

 

It's beloved, and aging.  Not a movie remake, just a computer game style remastering.

 

[Fry Crayola]

They rarely remake the games I want to see given another shot.

 

I'm currently playing Manhunt again. That might come as a bit of a surprise to people who saw me post that very sentence a couple of months ago in the Xbox BC thread, but hey, that's my life now, taking months to get through something that used to require a weekend. But I digress.

 

I'm playing Manhunt. It still holds up well as a game, twenty years on, still has that thick oppressive atmosphere throughout, and its gunplay today still stands apart by giving a genuine feeling of power, of control, even when wielding a simple pistol. Its closest comparison these days is The Last of Us series, but even that game doesn't quite match some of the more intense moments in Manhunt.

 

And yet, Manhunt played today is clunky. The controls are completely non-standard, with sprint on the trigger and shooting on a face button. Cash frequently gets caught on corners, enemies too often stand there shooting, the game supports free aiming but then won't let you shoot people arbitrarily out of range. Away from the gameplay, the game occasionally attempts some degree of cinematic cut scene, but every character stands with a blank look on their face. At one point, Cash supposedly seethes with rage, but I've seen more emotive biscuits.

 

Some of this only adds to the atmosphere and would be lost if brought up to modern standards - that alone is a powerful argument for preservation over endless remakes. But nonetheless, I'd like to see what could be done with the idea today, with less awkward controls, more freedom of movement but with it a more cunning set of enemies on the hunt.

 

But what I really want doesn't have to be a remake. It doesn't even have to be a sequel. What I want is the idea, revisited. The Callisto Protocol and Dead Space will be an interesting comparison when I get around to trying them both. Perhaps around 2029, if the world hasn't ended.

[James Lyon]

19 minutes ago, LaveDisco said:

Changing the subject slightly, but this thread convinced me that Shrek, the movie, is going to get remastered, and re-released. 

 

It's beloved, and aging.  Not a movie remake, just a computer game style remastering.

 

 

Will this do?

 

 

[Strafe]

The Alan Wake remake is a remaster and came out last October (this October for the switch version). The next Alan Wake game is a full sequel.

[Strafe]

22 minutes ago, Darwock said:

Does anybody actually think the remakes of Shadow of the Colossus and Demon’s Souls are the definitive versions? They may be the most convenient and polished, but they don’t reflect the original experience imo.

Yes. I can’t be alone in that, either.

 

I mean, they play the same but look loads better and have steady frame rates. SotC was incredible on release but it ran terribly. We were just a lot more forgiving of that sort of thing back then.

[Strafe]

As a general rule, I’m pretty keen on remakes, less so on remasters.
 

Remasters generally mean upping the resolution and frame rates and maybe adding in a couple of QoL improvements to controls or something. Alan Wake was great at the time but it’s aged very badly and has a decidedly dodgy physics engine so the remaster did very little for it for me.

 

If I think about remakes, all the ones I have played have been excellent; Demon Souls, SotC, TLOU part 1 and Resident Evil 2 and 3 (though the resident evil remakes were new games to a point in that they changed a lot of stuff up).

[RubberJohnny]

They suck, as you say it’s a big waste of talent spent on easy nostalgia pandering for olds.

[Stanley]

I’m all for it, stuff like Live-A-Live has a whole new audience now some of whom probably never even knew it existed, and it’s a beautiful reimagining. 
 

The Resident Evil ones are excellent, and Demon’s Souls is magnificent. 
 

I’m also a big fan of stuff like Skyward Sword. It has just the right amount of changes to make it better and it looks beautiful on Switch. 

[Benny]

"Remasters" when done right serve a valuable function in keeping certain classics of gaming history alive and preserved and playable on modern hardware.

 

Good example: Quake remastered

 

Bad example: Blade Runner remastered

 

Which interestingly were both remastered by Nightdive, so it's by no means an easy or simple process in each instance.

 

"Remakes" on the other hand, when done right should be different enough from the original to be itself a whole new experience, or to offer something that can make you re-evaluate the original in a new light.

 

Good example: Resident Evil 1 Remake, and the recent Resident Evil 2

 

Bad example: many

 

The Resi 1 remake expands upon the original and tries to recreate the feel of it, while playing quite similar, but overhauls nearly everything about the visual and sound design and locations. Resident Evil 2 remake changes the entire perspective and gameplay and is effectively reimagining the entire experience.

 

For me less good examples of remakes are say, The Last of Us part 1, which redoes everything about the technical aspect, with an update to the graphics engine, but leaves the core mechanics exactly the same as before, for better or worse. Shadow of the Colossus, does a similar thing, but something of the gestalt of the original is lost in the process of just updating every possible technical aspect of the visuals, and while decent doesn't seem like a necessary remake.

[Stanley]

Quake is a good shout, a timely reminder of just how excellent the level design was and for a game that at the time struggled on all but the most expensive PC’s, an absolute pleasure to be able to play it at 60fps on even the Switch. And the visuals whilst improved pay respect to the original. It feels like the experience you remember from back in the day but it’s actually way more enhanced visually. 
 

One thing which is great is Microsoft’s attitude towards enhancing backwards compatible titles with HDR, improved resolution and frame rates etc. they feel like remasters but are just same games. 
 

Let’s not forget all the Wii U ‘remasters’ either, I’m thankful I got to play those on Switch having never owned a Wii U, and they are all better in some way or other, the Mario 3D World being notable for adding an entirely new expansion which on its own could have been fleshed out and released separately.