Remakes, remixes and remasters.
I’m sure that everyone has a game with one of those words in the name. Those games from our childhoods that we nostalgically cling to like a gaming security blanket as well as those great titles that we never got around to playing are now available to play in HD glory. Yes, with the new trend of companies throwing out the same game with slightly improved aesthetics and features, your dreams of brutally decimating Ancient Greek enemies as Kratos from God of War in HD are finally reality.
This is why the idea of HD remakes makes so many people, myself included, so excited. The thought of playing classic games that we all loved, with next gen graphics, is just awesome. Next year, Ratchet and Clank will be re-released on PS4, in HD of course, and I for one cannot wait. Flagship characters of the early PlayStation days and my early gaming days, shown off in all that they can be with the power of the new consoles will be a wonderful sight. But these remakes also allow a whole new generation of gamers to experience the classic games that help to shape the gaming world as we know it now. I recently bought the remastered version of the PC classic Grim Fandango, which I’d heard was amazing, but never had the chance to experience it growing up, and was finally able to and I love it.
Of course there are publishers who are using this trend to cash in. With the Xbox One having limited backwards compatibility and the PS4 still having none at all, games are being remade from the previous gen that people never really asked for. I recently saw Saints Row IV: Re-Elected for sale. Saints Row IV, a two-year old video game. Who asked for a HD remake of Saints Row IV!? If you did, shame on you. There are plenty of others besides this example that don’t really deserve a HD remake but instead try cash in on the trend, pinching pennies from those who’ve moved up a console generation but can’t take their games with them.
However, on the whole, the remakes trend is fantastic as long as the game justify the treatment. Titles such as Grand Theft Auto V and The Last of Us deserve their remakes on next-gen consoles because they’re such amazing games and people want them on their brand new consoles. Games having HD remakes from the last generation don’t bother me if the game is worth it. I recently purchased Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection for my PS4 because I didn’t have a PS3 and now I’ve fallen in love with a franchise that previously I wouldn’t have had access to without spending a fortune on a new console and three separate games.
Remakes give gamers the chance to experience familiar and new games with better graphics and content and that can only be a good thing. Yes, some are obviously lazy cash-ins, but there are a multitude of great experiences still out there for gamers who want to grab them. This trend is still in its infancy and has the potential to branch even more.
For a lot of people, graphics isn’t everything, but with remastered games, it’s not just the graphics that get upgraded. Sometimes, the game’s mechanics or gameplay will change too, or in the case of the new Ratchet and Clank, it’s a whole new game all-together, simply using the original properties or ideas from years gone by.
Think of a HD collection of the early Metal Gear Solid games or perhaps a remake of GTA: San Andreas or “would you kindly” prefer a HD Bioshock trilogy. Or maybe, like me, you’re still waiting for a Crash Bandicoot HD remake. Whatever you feel about HD remakes in general, you can’t deny that it feels amazing to see those classic games again.