Thoughts on remastered vs remake video games.

[Leon Kennedy]

What are your opinions of remastered and remade video games? Worth it? Not worth it? Developer cash grabs? Post below.

My first opinion of a remaster was that it was hog wash. If it doesn't add anything new to the game then why pay full price for it again. But the botched attempts at remakes made me go back on that opinion and say "Well maybe they should just stick to making it pretty and updated". For example the remade SWBF, which had less features than the star wars battlefront that came out in 2004. Lot's of games especially if they were made for pc already have mods that make them look a couple years ahead of the time they were made. So in my opinion remasters should be saved mostly for console.

Remasters are remasters, they cannot be perceived to be better than the original because the game is the original just in a shiny new box. I do feel as though they should not be released at the full price being that the teams really have half the work to do, story is already made, characters are decided, everything is mapped out its just moving it to a different engine and releasing it.

In order to make a remake better than original there are some hoops to jump through and the devs will catch negative comments which ever way they take it. If they take a risk and try to make it way different than original people will be mad. If they make it to much like the original people will be mad. Plus nostalgia always comes into play.

The only remake I know that perfectly added it's own new features yet still hit the original concept on all cylinders was Resident Evil 1 for gamecube. That was released in 2002. Donkey kong on the GB was also pretty good.

All in all I'd say they are worth it sometimes it really all depends on the dev team. You get EA DICE you get a crappy remake. You get the original team you may or may not. They are usually cash grabs when it comes to remasters though. You did half the work there should be some representation on that when it comes to the price which most companies being their #1 is making money ignore that.

 

[OnslaughtSupply]

Remastered games can be fun and introduce a new generation to a game that would've never made it in their hands, usually due to a dated console or can bring nostalgia to someone who grew up playing it. Remakes just like in Hollywood, usually miss the mark and screwup something that use to be good. I like it when a remastered game adds a few extra secrets or lore for players who played the original, but it doesn't effect any game play or story.

 

[Windows i7]

Remastered games can be fun and introduce a new generation to a game that would've never made it in their hands, usually due to a dated console or can bring nostalgia to someone who grew up playing it. Remakes just like in Hollywood, usually miss the mark and screwup something that use to be good. I like it when a remastered game adds a few extra secrets or lore for players who played the original, but it doesn't effect any game play or story.

There are rare exceptions where a remake is done really well... like with Doom. To say that kills in that game were satisfying would be a massive understatement. That game definitely did not miss the mark, at all.

 

[bgillisp]

Personally, the only time I like them is if my original copy no longer works, and if they are not too expensive in the first place too. I think Square did it well with the FF releases on Steam they've been doing over the last few years, now I think you can buy all but FF1, FF2 and FF12 on there at this point in time.

In most cases the remake was < $20, and in some cases (like FFX) added extra options to the game (like the redone sphere grid, which you can choose to use or not). But, since my old discs for those games barely work and my PS2 is not in great shape anymore, it's worth it to me.

 

[Leon Kennedy]

There are rare exceptions where a remake is done really well... like with Doom. To say that kills in that game were satisfying would be a massive understatement. That game definitely did not miss the mark, at all.

Yeah Doom was pretty good, but i still think RE1 remake would be #1, dk for gameboy #2 but doom would be somewhere in top 10 remakes just IMO.

Personally, the only time I like them is if my original copy no longer works, and if they are not too expensive in the first place too. I think Square did it well with the FF releases on Steam they've been doing over the last few years, now I think you can buy all but FF1, FF2 and FF12 on there at this point in time.

In most cases the remake was < $20, and in some cases (like FFX) added extra options to the game (like the redone sphere grid, which you can choose to use or not). But, since my old discs for those games barely work and my PS2 is not in great shape anymore, it's worth it to me.

Hmm I've not really seen remakes that cheap off the launch just later on but I haven't seen em all obviously. But that's talking about remakes I have no problem with those being full price my beef is remasters being full price.

 

[Matseb2611]

It depends I think on how much is changed. If it literally is just a slight graphical update, I think charging any amount of money from those people who already own the game is shameful. Those who own the game already should get that graphical update for free, at least as a way to reward loyal customers. Increasing the base price of the game for those who don't yet own is is ok, I think (e.g. If the original cost $20 and you set the remastered version to cost $25).

If the remaster adds a lot of new content, however, then I think charging a bit extra for it is ok, so long as those who own the game already can get a good discount (again, they already have the original game, so they shouldn't have to pay the full price again).

 

[Robin Hoot]

I think it really depends on who is doing them. All Pokemon remakes so far are great imo.

 

[Philosophus Vagus]

I like the fact that they are available but it makes me mad how cash-grabby they are about it. Cannot speak for xbox but 80% of the ps4's entire lineup if you really look at it are ps3 and prior remakes of games to this day. What's worse though, rather than just let things be compatible they go that route. Like when I got my ps4 I found that the ps2 remake of the Jak and Daxter series I'd bought on psn on my ps3 is unavailable for me on ps4, but if I wanted to give them another 40 dollars (even though I not only bought the games in the ps2 days but already paid 40 dollars years ago to rebuy them digitally where I thought I could just keep them) they are now offering the same ****ing remastered trilogy online in the same ****ing psn store for the same ****ing 40 dollars they already offered it previously and their support has no shame in telling me "well that's just the way it is, ps2 remake on ps3 and ps2 remake on ps4 are separate games even though they are identical, and ps2 remake on ps3 is incompatible with ps4 and thus unavailable for download on it."

It's all to cash-grabby, and it's why once my ps4 breaks I'll never own another console again. Thanks to pirates the computer will never get to that state of affairs (not that I'm advocating piracy, just observing that the threat and availability of pirating software stops companies from doing that same thing via windows updates or what have you simply because such tactics would drive otherwise honest customers who feel cheated towards those alternative, as @bgillisp already eluded to with how the same company handled their ff remakes much more fairly on steam than they did through their own store.).

 

[Touchfuzzy]

I'll be honest, I like things like Skyrim Special Edition, especially when all PC users who had legendary got it for free.

Mostly because SSE is A WHOLE LOT MORE STABLE than original Skyrim with mods.

With my old Skyrim modded to death, I would get a ctd every like, 30min to an hour. In SSE, with almost the exact same mod list, I almost never crash.

Also, FFX/FFX-2 Remaster included the International version stuff, which was not available in the US.

But most games... eeeeeh.

 

[Lornsteyn]

I think these remakes of FFs and Secret of Mana are in general a good thing, but I personally dont like them.
They changing so much, for example in FFVI the sprites changed to these ugly whatever its called and Secret of Mana in 3D, I think its terrible.
Btw why are colors in these remakes always so bright? It is hurting my eyes...

 

[SpunkyWunky]

Remaster 100%. Remakes are rarely appealing to me- I've been disappointed so many times. I hate nothing more than a company taking a game idea that was once successful, running it through an idea machine and spitting out a new game that has none of the charm of the old ones. Some of my least favourite remakes are Sam and Max and Monkey Island.

 

[Zemtax]

I don't mind remastered editions if they just bump up the graphics. The people who really enjoyed it will certainly consider buying it, at least from what I recall friends saying. I personally would love to see remastered/remake dark cloud 2 :>