[ENG] Let's Talk About Remasters
Throughout recent years in the gaming industry one can see that next to normal games, there are a lot of remasters (as well as remakes and reboots). Why is that? Well, sometimes it's a way of giving old, sometimes forgotten games brand new life on modern platforms without tackling the purity of gameplay (except for controls adjusted for modern gaming machines). Many of the games often point out blankly that it's a remaster, sometimes adjusting the title accordingly (like Spyro Reignited Trilogy for example, word Remastered is changed into Reignited - meaning is the same, but the title looks nicer [though it's argued if Spyro/Crash Trilogies are remasters or remakes, I prefer to stand by remaster side]). And sometimes... Well, sometimes remasters are used as a shameless cash grab. Back in the days, word 'Remastered' wasn't used so lightly and sometimes carelessly, back then it was much more common to just add 'HD' or 'HD Edition' or something similar to the title as... Well, it only did that - bumped the graphics up to higher resolutions. Some games suffered from this, and none shows it better than adored and idolized Heroes of Might and Magic III that received HD Edition...
I think no one will argue that HoMM III is a beautiful classic game. For the many, it's the best HoMM ever created next to gorgeously made HoMM V. Original game was released in 1999 (that feeling when the game is older than you), and the HD Edition saw the light of the day in 2015. 16 years after the original. It lacked two beautiful DLCs (Though back then those weren't called DLCs, I will use this term for the sake of simplicity) - Armageddon Blade and The Shadow of Death. Original game was also much smoother than clunky HD version (I mean, I may be wrong but I remember it that way). Plus, if you were really desperate for HD graphics, you could always download a mod instead of paying the price for the same game, without DLCs and only bumped up graphics. And, from what I know - the biggest fan-modifications that added so much to the game that they can easily be called fan-DLCs - In The Wake of Gods and Horn of the Abyss - had problems working smoothly and clearly on supposedly 'better' HD Edition.
Put it shortly - get the original version with both DLCs if you can instead of HD Edition. You will pay much less and you will get much more content (From what I checked - You can easily get Original on some sites for less than 2€! While HD Edition costs at least 4€. I mean, there is no big difference in price, but you can get more for less, come on!)
At the second end of the remaster spectrum, there are some really well done and beautiful remasters like Spyro Reignited Trilogy or Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy. I have completed them somewhere around 5 or 6 weeks ago thanks to generosity of my friend who got these games as a part of Humble Monthly and shared his Steam Games with me (If you're reading this bro, thanks once more!). As I said before, it's argued if those are remakes or remasters, but I will keep with remasters. Both Spyro and Crash were released respectively 20 and 19 years after the release of their first original games and... They bumped up the graphics tremendously to match today's level of games, but that's not all! Fluidity of gameplay and comfort of controls was also accordingly adjusted (Except the infamous 'Bridge Level' in first Crash, it's rumored that in remastered version they made it harder than it already was). Crash made me mad, but that's not the point - game was beautiful, and I truly felt like developers put their hearts into this job. In Spyro it's even more visible, I have somewhere around 30-35 hours in Spyro Reignited Trilogy, but I did every part on 100% and I enjoyed everything in those games. Plus, except a lot of aforementioned things, this kind of remasters let's old players experience their childhood or teenagehood once again, now in improved graphics and audio design!
Though I truly recommend both of them, they are quite expensive (40€/each trilogy), but hot damn if they aren't worth it then I don't know what is!
And now let's talk about... Shameless cash grab that calls itself a Remaster. Dark Souls Remastered. Don't get me wrong, I love Souls series and I was really hyped up when they announced DSR. It... It's just DSFix (The must-have modification for original Dark Souls, allowing for more customization, unlocked framerate and smoother experience). Like... It's just that, it's everything that DSFix did for the price of a full game! Look - DSR at the time of release costed, and still costs 40$ (It costed 20$ if you owned the original version). 40$ for a simple mod and a bonus bonfire next to a certain, deeply hidden blacksmith. It's bullshit. Okay, if you haven't played the original and you want to experience Dark Souls - go ahead, but for players and owners of the original it's pure and utter bullshit. You can't even get an original version now! I checked some of the sites that sell game keys, and - I kid you not - original Prepare to Die Edition costs a whopping 74€, and the price is still rising as the keys are scarce today! DSR is a shameless cash grab that shouldn't happen, and we can only hope that there are as few of this kind of remasters as possible.
In the middle of everything, of the best and worst types of remasters fall games like The Last of Us Remastered or MediEvil Remastered. I haven't played the original The Last of Us so I don't have a comparison, but from what I know - it was accepted pretty well. In the case of MediEvil, it was truly a remaster but it suffered from some unfixed things from original version. In both cases, these are the examples of a typical Remaster - nothing spectacular, but also nothing tragic.
Thanks to the rapid boom of remasters in the recent years, now we have a lot of rumors and hopes of getting certain Remasters. In the recent days I've stumbled upon articles rumoring about supposed remaster of Vanquish (fast-paced action shooter made by PlatinumGames) or NieR (it's... it's complicated to shortly describe what it is). And... Rumors about Vanquish were confirmed (it will be released in a bundle with Bayonetta Remastered). From all these titles I... I understand, developers want to give these games a new life on modern consoles and (though NieR still haven't been officially confirmed) I only hope it won't end like Dark Souls Remastered in the case of PC. I guess only the time will tell.
In the age of remasters, there have been a few remakes and reboots. Shortly - remake is creating the game from scratch, with new graphics and mechanics but leaving the places, enemies and the climate of the original. Probably the most critically acclaimed remake in the recent history is Resident Evil 2 Remake (Resident Evil 3 Remake is on it's way!) as it helped revive the series a bit and introduce the RE franchise to people that for some reason didn't hear about it.
[A Word About Gothic]
As a long time Gothic Franchise fan, rumors about Gothic Remake filled my heart with joy, I have watched the gameplay and... It was modernized, gameplay and graphics resemble For Honor but... It doesn't look like Gothic, but - let's be honest, it doesn't matter how good the Remake could be, Gothic is enormous legend and it would still be criticized. And there is no certainty that the game will even be released - as for now [14th December] it's very early version that allows the players to give critique about the Remake and suggestion how could they improve it. Despite my big worries and bittersweet taste after watching gameplay, I look forward to it and I hope that feedback will be filled with suggestions and... Maybe someday Gothic Remake will be truly and fully released
Reboots are... Reviving franchises, by creating entirely new games based (not always!) on their predecessors. Ugh, I think examples will show what I want to tell much easier.
Tomb Raider from 2013 is reboot of the Tomb Raider series after it's 5 year stasis. It is made on a new engine and due to being critically praised it received 2 sequels in the form of Rise of the Tomb Raider and Shadow of the Tomb Raider. For the many people, 2013 TR reboot was the first experience with the series and due to being well made, with some puzzles and challenges between calm dialogues and shooting - it won the hearts of many
I could speak about other reboots like - 2018's God of War / 2011's Deus Ex: Human Revolution / 2016's DOOM or 2017's Prey - but it would be mostly repeating everything I have already said. All of aforementioned were critically acclaimed and in case of Deus Ex and DOOM they even got sequels! Don't get me wrong - it's not easier to create a reboot than a remake or remaster, let's not forget about tragic flops like Duke Nukem Forever or 2014's Thief. It's just that almost every well-made reboot is long-remembered and praised by players for a long time, which in effect gives those reboots a sequel!
It's a popular rumor between Playstation players that Demon's Souls should and will get a remaster either on PS4 or on PS5. Though nothing has been confirmed, me and many others deeply hope for it to happen
Will this trend of remastering games stop? No, I don't think so, especially not with PS5 and New Xbox being on the way. Is it a good practice? Well... It depends, if developers pour their hearts and souls to create a beautiful remasters like Spyro or Crash? It's a really good practice as it helps the new generations of gamers to experience those long-time classics. But if it's a shameless cash grab like Dark Souls Remastered? No, it's not. But whether we want it or not, both types of remasters will be made a lot more times, where in midst of all that will be remasters that neither hit the mark nor missed the spot - like MediEvil.
Best of luck on your journey through old/new games and the possibly the best experience with finding and playing remasters!
Kind Regards,
Wing.
I think no one will argue that HoMM III is a beautiful classic game. For the many, it's the best HoMM ever created next to gorgeously made HoMM V. Original game was released in 1999 (that feeling when the game is older than you), and the HD Edition saw the light of the day in 2015. 16 years after the original. It lacked two beautiful DLCs (Though back then those weren't called DLCs, I will use this term for the sake of simplicity) - Armageddon Blade and The Shadow of Death. Original game was also much smoother than clunky HD version (I mean, I may be wrong but I remember it that way). Plus, if you were really desperate for HD graphics, you could always download a mod instead of paying the price for the same game, without DLCs and only bumped up graphics. And, from what I know - the biggest fan-modifications that added so much to the game that they can easily be called fan-DLCs - In The Wake of Gods and Horn of the Abyss - had problems working smoothly and clearly on supposedly 'better' HD Edition.
Put it shortly - get the original version with both DLCs if you can instead of HD Edition. You will pay much less and you will get much more content (From what I checked - You can easily get Original on some sites for less than 2€! While HD Edition costs at least 4€. I mean, there is no big difference in price, but you can get more for less, come on!)
At the second end of the remaster spectrum, there are some really well done and beautiful remasters like Spyro Reignited Trilogy or Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy. I have completed them somewhere around 5 or 6 weeks ago thanks to generosity of my friend who got these games as a part of Humble Monthly and shared his Steam Games with me (If you're reading this bro, thanks once more!). As I said before, it's argued if those are remakes or remasters, but I will keep with remasters. Both Spyro and Crash were released respectively 20 and 19 years after the release of their first original games and... They bumped up the graphics tremendously to match today's level of games, but that's not all! Fluidity of gameplay and comfort of controls was also accordingly adjusted (Except the infamous 'Bridge Level' in first Crash, it's rumored that in remastered version they made it harder than it already was). Crash made me mad, but that's not the point - game was beautiful, and I truly felt like developers put their hearts into this job. In Spyro it's even more visible, I have somewhere around 30-35 hours in Spyro Reignited Trilogy, but I did every part on 100% and I enjoyed everything in those games. Plus, except a lot of aforementioned things, this kind of remasters let's old players experience their childhood or teenagehood once again, now in improved graphics and audio design!
Though I truly recommend both of them, they are quite expensive (40€/each trilogy), but hot damn if they aren't worth it then I don't know what is!
And now let's talk about... Shameless cash grab that calls itself a Remaster. Dark Souls Remastered. Don't get me wrong, I love Souls series and I was really hyped up when they announced DSR. It... It's just DSFix (The must-have modification for original Dark Souls, allowing for more customization, unlocked framerate and smoother experience). Like... It's just that, it's everything that DSFix did for the price of a full game! Look - DSR at the time of release costed, and still costs 40$ (It costed 20$ if you owned the original version). 40$ for a simple mod and a bonus bonfire next to a certain, deeply hidden blacksmith. It's bullshit. Okay, if you haven't played the original and you want to experience Dark Souls - go ahead, but for players and owners of the original it's pure and utter bullshit. You can't even get an original version now! I checked some of the sites that sell game keys, and - I kid you not - original Prepare to Die Edition costs a whopping 74€, and the price is still rising as the keys are scarce today! DSR is a shameless cash grab that shouldn't happen, and we can only hope that there are as few of this kind of remasters as possible.
In the middle of everything, of the best and worst types of remasters fall games like The Last of Us Remastered or MediEvil Remastered. I haven't played the original The Last of Us so I don't have a comparison, but from what I know - it was accepted pretty well. In the case of MediEvil, it was truly a remaster but it suffered from some unfixed things from original version. In both cases, these are the examples of a typical Remaster - nothing spectacular, but also nothing tragic.
Thanks to the rapid boom of remasters in the recent years, now we have a lot of rumors and hopes of getting certain Remasters. In the recent days I've stumbled upon articles rumoring about supposed remaster of Vanquish (fast-paced action shooter made by PlatinumGames) or NieR (it's... it's complicated to shortly describe what it is). And... Rumors about Vanquish were confirmed (it will be released in a bundle with Bayonetta Remastered). From all these titles I... I understand, developers want to give these games a new life on modern consoles and (though NieR still haven't been officially confirmed) I only hope it won't end like Dark Souls Remastered in the case of PC. I guess only the time will tell.
In the age of remasters, there have been a few remakes and reboots. Shortly - remake is creating the game from scratch, with new graphics and mechanics but leaving the places, enemies and the climate of the original. Probably the most critically acclaimed remake in the recent history is Resident Evil 2 Remake (Resident Evil 3 Remake is on it's way!) as it helped revive the series a bit and introduce the RE franchise to people that for some reason didn't hear about it.
[A Word About Gothic]
As a long time Gothic Franchise fan, rumors about Gothic Remake filled my heart with joy, I have watched the gameplay and... It was modernized, gameplay and graphics resemble For Honor but... It doesn't look like Gothic, but - let's be honest, it doesn't matter how good the Remake could be, Gothic is enormous legend and it would still be criticized. And there is no certainty that the game will even be released - as for now [14th December] it's very early version that allows the players to give critique about the Remake and suggestion how could they improve it. Despite my big worries and bittersweet taste after watching gameplay, I look forward to it and I hope that feedback will be filled with suggestions and... Maybe someday Gothic Remake will be truly and fully released
Reboots are... Reviving franchises, by creating entirely new games based (not always!) on their predecessors. Ugh, I think examples will show what I want to tell much easier.
Tomb Raider from 2013 is reboot of the Tomb Raider series after it's 5 year stasis. It is made on a new engine and due to being critically praised it received 2 sequels in the form of Rise of the Tomb Raider and Shadow of the Tomb Raider. For the many people, 2013 TR reboot was the first experience with the series and due to being well made, with some puzzles and challenges between calm dialogues and shooting - it won the hearts of many
I could speak about other reboots like - 2018's God of War / 2011's Deus Ex: Human Revolution / 2016's DOOM or 2017's Prey - but it would be mostly repeating everything I have already said. All of aforementioned were critically acclaimed and in case of Deus Ex and DOOM they even got sequels! Don't get me wrong - it's not easier to create a reboot than a remake or remaster, let's not forget about tragic flops like Duke Nukem Forever or 2014's Thief. It's just that almost every well-made reboot is long-remembered and praised by players for a long time, which in effect gives those reboots a sequel!
It's a popular rumor between Playstation players that Demon's Souls should and will get a remaster either on PS4 or on PS5. Though nothing has been confirmed, me and many others deeply hope for it to happen
Will this trend of remastering games stop? No, I don't think so, especially not with PS5 and New Xbox being on the way. Is it a good practice? Well... It depends, if developers pour their hearts and souls to create a beautiful remasters like Spyro or Crash? It's a really good practice as it helps the new generations of gamers to experience those long-time classics. But if it's a shameless cash grab like Dark Souls Remastered? No, it's not. But whether we want it or not, both types of remasters will be made a lot more times, where in midst of all that will be remasters that neither hit the mark nor missed the spot - like MediEvil.
Best of luck on your journey through old/new games and the possibly the best experience with finding and playing remasters!
Kind Regards,
Wing.
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