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What do you want from a remake?


Hendo
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There’s an interesting point in the FF7 remake thread but I’m not really interested in that and thought it might be something worth discussing here.

 

First of all, which games have had proper remakes done to them?

I can think of Resident Evil 1 and 2. Crash Bandicoot. I guess the early Halo games were remade and not just up-rezzed?

Doom was either a remake or reboot?

Castle of Illusion. Final Fantasy 3 on the DS.

Shadow of the Collosus. The new Zelda on the way. Prince of Persia on XBLA.

 

Some of those stick almost exactly to the same as the original but some make some clever changes and updates.

I really like how they remade Resi 2, and, for the game they were remaking, they went down the right path.

But if someone had done the same to Halo, people would’ve been pissed.

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I think it depends on the game, but I guess I'd always be for a remake that takes what can be done now and applies new tech and game design lessons to help bolster the kind of experience they originally envisioned.  I think that's the most ideal kind of remake, and I guess Resident Evil 2 '19 falls in to that category.  But I'm real and I know that kind of remake isn't always feasible for a variety of reasons (funding, demand, workforce, etc). 

 

But ultimately it doesn't really matter what I want but what are they offering.  Sometimes all I want is a version of a game that'll just run on a console I have easy access to (F-Zero GX).  No need to tinker but if they have good ideas, why not? 

 

But there are a lot of flawed games I really like I'd like to see fully remade as a second attempt. But then maybe I'd just like to see the devs of that game put the lessons learned into a new game.  

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I'm not super fussy when it comes to remakes anymore. Generally just interested to see what the new vision for something is and if it sucks then it sucks, the original is always there to go back to. 

 

Ideally though, if it is a remake of something I played in the past then I want the new thing to make me feel the way I remembered the old thing making me feel. I say remembered because the reality will be worse. Resi 2 made me feel like I remember Resi feeling. Scary, intense and exciting. The remake of Secret of Mana just was the exact same game with all the incredibly frustrating elements that the original has when you go back to it. To me the ultimate failure of a remake is to not only be bad, but highlight that the old thing was also bad, ruining both games and your memory of them in the process. Now Secret of Mana will always suck but Resi 2 will exist in my memory as a god game created by Jesus. 

 

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Really depends what the game is I suppose, FF7 was the example for me, for years even before announced I was adamant I wanted an Anime Style Turn based RPG, which changed next to nothing, as years have passed though I really am not so fussed I want to see them change it up as its dated horribly inso many areas. That being said, having not been a fan of the combat in recent FF gamesim not sure what would be best either.

 

Its never going to recapture the magic of the first time, at best its going to invoke nostalgic memories, 

 

As for remakes in general though as I say it depend, remember syndicate on PS3 thats the type of remake done wrong, RE2 was perfect.

Think the big problem with games pre PS2 iss the left so much more to the imagination so every body will have had different takes on dialogue and experiences with each game, so no one remake is going to please everybody.

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I won't write a long post as I already did that, but basically I'd like something that feels additive rather than something that feels like it's trying to replace the original. I feel remakes like that are kind of boring and redundant. 

 

Like the new version of SOTC, which Ive literally forgot existed sometimes. Re2 is more what I like to see. A new game made out of an older one.

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similar to a few people I don't really have a preference, happy with either depending on the game. The DS and 3DS really benefited from remakes of Snes games, sometimes (Chrono Trigger) the games were very similar but had quality of life improvements, others like the Dragon Quest games were a bit more meaningful but played faithful to the originals, they're great and I doubt I'd have ever played the original versions.

 

I'm not against a reimagining, Resident Evil 2 is interesting, even the remake of the first Resident Evil, it's arguably just a tarting up, but making something meet modern standards is cool. I liked the Shadow of the Colossus remake, they could have done more with it, particularly after the PS3 remake, but having it run better etc is not to be sniffed at

 

Similar to DC, there's some games they could put out on modern consoles just in working condition and I'd be happy to take them

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For me, generally, there are 3 kinds of remakes

 

A remaster 

A remake

A reimagining. 

 

Remasters are the cheapest of the lot and I think really for only major fans of the game. They come in varying qualities, but expectations have to be set that this is the exact same game but just enhanced to fit modern screens and presentation. 

 

Then you get remakes. Games that are faithful to what the game is and in almost all ways are 1:1 in terms of content, mechanics, systems, etc but literally rebuilt to be as if that game was made today. Maybe they use the original code base, fine, but it’s like what if X game looked as good as a game that just came out

 

And then you get reimaginings. Literally, what if we were making that game today. It will be different, but a good developer taking everything they’ve learned about making games over the X amount of years since the original release and applying those lessons and design techniques to that adventure and that nostalgia. 

 

There are variances and certain things that may fall in between these categories but as a general rule, this is how it works.

 

And the the truth about all of them is they’re good when they’re good and they’re not when they’re not and only the individual knows what they want from them.

 

For me, I find remasters to be bullshit, remakes to be very mixed and reimaginings to be very exciting. And I don’t think there’s any accident between my amount of excitement for a remake equaling the amount of risk involved in that game getting remade. Of course the safer, the easier the less they do to a remake the less there is to look forward to, but there’s a much higher chance you’ll be happier because it is exactly what you expect it to be. And that’s super fucking boring. 

 

Reimaginings are really rare, I think, and overall a really mixed bag as well. Speaking of things that fall in between Twin Snakes is kind of a reimagining. It’s all the same content but they do reenvision the cutscenes and for my money it isn’t as good as the original because of the stuff they add.

 

Pokemon Let’s Go is a quasi reimagining because it’s the exact same basic structure of an adventure that has seen 5 incarnations before but the way you play it is very different and the systems have been completely reworked to the point I’m not even sure it’s an RPG anymore. I’m not sure what kind of game it is, you spend 90% of your time pretending to throw Pokeballs. I thought I would hate it, but actually I really like it, but it can not replace the original because it is fundamentally different despite very much looking the same

 

And then you get the peak of this which is Resident Evil 2 (2019). Game aside, which I find to be a bit unsatisfying. A game that constantly  fills me with dread until challenged and I realise oh there’s not actually much to dread here. It’s scariness is let down by how easy it is. But besides the point, as a remake it’s glorious and I would rate as maybe the best remake ever. Big asterisk is I hated Resident Evil in the 90’s because tank controls and don’t know the original at all, so when I say the best ever I mean just in terms of a successful project. Correct me if I’m wrong but it somehow managed to please everybody. Old fans, new fans, non fans, and everybody got something out of it. That’s amazing. I understand what they did with Resident Evil 2 is near impossible, and this is why most companies would never try because it’s just too hard, but look at what a great thing everyone can rally behind when it works. They took a game from 1999 (Or something, I don’t know) and somehow gave most people one of their best, new experiences in 2019. Astounding. 

 

FF7, apart from the episodic nature of it, I think Square are absolutely doing the right thing. The only reason people want a remake instead of a reimagining is because it’s the break even point between new and safe. You’re own interpretation and experience with the game and what you know it to be remains unaffected they just took your experience and made it prettier. And I get it, but that’s only serving you from 20 years ago. They could do so much more, and imagine how much more thrilling that experience reinvented is. Just like Resident Evil 2. It is an unqualified success, don’t you want the same for FF7? You must do really otherwise I don’t believe you’re a fan of the game you’re just a fan of your experience with the game. 

 

Yes it looks like they’re fucking it up, and maybe they are and will, but stop being afraid if they mess up your video game. If they do, then fuck it your game still exists, and if they do it right, then there’s that chance that might make a FF7 game even better than the original FF7. If you’re a fan of this game how can you not want that? 

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I like ridiculous cutscenes with the action turned up to unbelievable levels just because, and for the remake to be explained away in-universe as a cinematic retelling of the events from the original game as told by a survivor

 

aka Twin Snakes

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