HD Remakes

[Ganondork]

HD Remakes have been released en masse as of late, and for the past several years. It allows players who never had the chance to play the game during its original release to play it now. For instance, I probably wouldn't have played Halo: Combat Evolved if not for the anniversary edition. It allows accessibility for new players who don't want to buy older consoles, or even don't want to emulate. It also allows for people who want to experience the game again to enjoy it in high-definition, heightening the experience. It's not as expensive as making an entirely new game, and it allows for people to play older games, or re-experience old titles they once played.

On the other hand, some people see these endeavors as cash grabs. Halo: Combat Evolved was on the original Xbox, which could be played on the 360, so it was only an issue to track down a copy. As stated earlier, it's cheaper to make than a new game, so they could maximize profits through nostalgia of older gamers, while minimizing costs.

So are HD remakes a way of giving classics to newer gamers, while appealing to older gamers, or are they blatant cash grabs? What are your thoughts on the growing number of HD remakes?

 

[Dan]

So are HD remakes a way of giving classics to newer gamers, while appealing to older gamers, or are they blatant cash grabs?

Both

Jet set radio, The game is solid fun, yet only available on Dreamcast. While you can go out and purchase a Dreamcast with Jet Set Radio, It's cheaper to simply buy Jet Set Radio on steam.
Deamcasts don't work on many HDTV's dual to a unique signal type that gets sent across from the Dreamcast to the TV, so without buying additional hardware, you have no way of even playing a dreamcast on a modern TV.

HD Remakes are conditional like DLC, while it's a great method to expand the game after release, it can also be used merely a tool to milk the consumer of cash, rather than giving much positive benefit.

 

[ihateghirahim]

I don't know. It depends I suppose on what a company is giving up to make an HD remake. I'm not a big fan of buying a game twice, but WWHD was just awesome. Would it's six-month development period have been better spent on Zelda U or something else? I don't know. Maybe focusing on Zelda U would have gotten it out faster, but at the same time WWHD helped boost Wii U sales (not by much, but it did). I guess WW is out there and relatively cheap to anyone who cares to track it down (got my copy for ten bucks from some kid in my neigborhood) They're not something I generally like. I generally prefer to hunt down cheap older games rather that pay full for a touch-up (Retro-gaming FTW), so I guess its best to focus on new experiences. Sides, they can just put the old games on Virtual Console or whatever system it is and focus on new games. I posit that allows for more new and exciting games, and I really hope that we see less HD remakes in the future.


On a side note, if they have to be made, here are few suggestions, to be graphically enhanced and maybe given new features on new platforms.

Super Mario HD collection:
Super Mario 64, Sunshine, Galaxy 1+2. This would sell, might not be very creative, but it would sell.

Metroid Prime HD Collection. Put Metroid back on track!

Halo 1-4 HD collection (with original multi-player restored this time!) And throw Wars in there, it deserves a little respect.

Call of Duty HD collection: Just give us every COD since 4. Let me relive the old maps and weapons for once!

An HD remake of MGs: the twin Snakes for Wii U. Come on Konami! It would be so cool!, and the perfect excuse to get Snake in Smash Bros.!

 

[snakeoiltanker]

im all about HD remakes, especially when they are re-images of old games from the SNES days.

I will admit Halo 1 anniversary was freakin sweet, especially the fact that you could switch back and forth in the middle of gameplay, so you could see how much better their games look now. Halo 2 i feel deserves the same treatment, considering thats the game that really got the worlds attention. just sayin

I felt that WWHD was pre-mature, but who am i to say, i just thing the Gamecube graphics were already pretty good. but this is the opinion of a retro junkie. I like Hard Corps, which is the new Contra for download. they dont call it contra, but they did name it after an old sega contra game. so i mean, its contra respectively and made by the same people. Im just sayin those count as well, like Bionic Commando (not the disc based one, that was terrible)

I think the new generation deserves to play the same games we played but they are NOT gonna play with those old graphics, games look too good now. but as long as it looks good and it teaches you how to play unlike the trial and error of the past. then those old games i grew up with could work out great!

 

[Mercedes]

I'll start by saying I don't think cash grabs are bad anyway. Something making quick, easy money for a company is not inherently bad like some gamers think, and that quick, easy money might go towards a brand new IP you may adore.

And I like HD remakes and re-releases! I don't think they can ever take the place of brand new IPs or new iterations in the franchise of course, but they're a nice way to replay a game you loved/never got to play and to make some quick cash for the company, and are a nice stop-gap while waiting for the next big game. It also helps cross-generation franchises keep going strong, at least ones with a single storyline, since you can't continue the story for risk that someone might not have played the last and need to do a Witcher 2 and have an optional, very big narrative explaining what happened in the last game. A re-release with some spruced up graphics is a nice way of making sure everyone can play the previous games, and it's why I like the idea of the Master Chief collection, re-releasing Halo 1, 2, 3, 4 on Xbox One ahead of Halo 5's release.

So really, as long as HD remakes don't get in the way of brand new games then I see absolutely 0 issues with them. Good for gamers who want them, and good for the company.

 

[misskitten]

It's definitely both, but I don't really see it as bad, because it's up to us whether we actually buy it. If you don't think the price is worth it, there will always be an option to track down the original game, and in some cases you can get it through VC. A game isn't exactly going to be a worse experience with touched up graphics and it also gives developers the chance to work out known kinks in the original. If it's a game I care about, I will most likely get the touched up version, even if I still have the original. If it's a game I don't have, but plan on getting, given the choice between the two, I will most likely get the touched up version. If the price is extremely different, though, I will probably go for the cheaper option if I have never played the game before...

 

[Salem]

I don't care for HD remakes, or remakes for that matter, they generally don't excite me.

 

[Heroine of Winds]

They're fine, but I'd rather see companies make entirely new games instead of re-releasing an older game. Of course, this is coming from someone who actually bought both versions of Wind Waker. <<;

 

[Dan]

They're fine, but I'd rather see companies make entirely new games instead of re-releasing an older game. Of course, this is coming from someone who actually bought both versions of Wind Waker. <<;

I believe many HD remakes are handled by different teams, I don't think very often the decision of building a new game in the franchise or remaking one comes up, it's normally build a new game and remake an old game. Although it's still conditional depending on the situation.

 

[mαrkαsscoρ]

its definitely the former for me,since literally the only game that got an hd re-release that i already played/still have is wind waker,that means that the hd re-releases gives me a chance to play those classics for the first time

 

[Fig]

It really depends on the situation. Like Merc said, not all cash grabs are necessarily bad but if the company only decides to make remakes and re-releases then there is going to be a problem. Personally I believe that a game deserves to be remake after it has aged for for many years. For this example I will use both The Wind Waker, Pokemon remakes,as and The Last of Us to better explain my views on HD remakes.

The Wind Waker was first released back in 2003 for the Nintendo GameCube and even to this day, it is considered one of the top titles in its franchise. Fast Forward a decade later and we have The Wind Waker HD. While I personally believed that Wind Waker didn't need an HD remake for while, as much as how much praise WW receives, only 3 million copies were sold on the GameCube. It made sense for WW to receive a remake because not only has the game aged enough but because not many people ever got the experience to play the game when it first launched on the GameCube.

Every so often, Pokemon gets a previous generation and reboots said generation with a remake with enhanced graphics and controls. Some say that it is lazy for Nintendo to do so, but can you really say the Pokemon remakes are the exact same game as the original versions? The answer is no. While it is without question that the remakes take place in the same world as its original versions, but Nintendo always adds just enough new content that makes the game feel new while also making it familiar to the fans. New features are always added into the remakes that the original versions never had in the first place and fans enjoy these new additions to the remakes which allows a vast amount of replay value within the game which makes the remakes just as enjoyable as the main core games in the Pokemon franchise.

These kinds of HD remakes are fine however, games such as The Last of US HD for the PS4 are cash grabs from the developers. It's no surprise when it comes to no backwards compatibility for the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. The Last of Us was a game that was released just a year ago and received an HD remake for the PS4 in about eight months since launch. It really is a waste of money just to play the same game with enhanced graphics. Now with something Halo: The Master Chief Collection, this kind of HD remake is a very well-made remake. It isn't just one game, but rather four games in one disc with everything unlocked, the multiplayer of Halo 2, and beta access to Halo 5?! That's a great value for both newcomers and old fans of the series! That's how game developers should go about when it comes to creating HD remakes, by giving it a value that people can't find anywhere else.

 

[octorok74]

I agree it is both. It's a cash grab since it is easier to make. Even easier if the game is barely a year old (looking at you Last of Us). But this cash grab also brings in a lot of money that the company can then use to put towards another new game. So it's good and bad. But it is also a great way to get newer gamers into a series. A lot have multiple games or all the DLC and as in Halo:CEA and the MC Collection, they are updating the look of the older games, and they look great too. But maybe say a gamer just got an Xbox One and they haven't played a single Halo game. The MC Collection is great for them if they want to get into the series, because it has four of the games in the collection. Very handy. So it is both a way to draw in new gamers to a series and a cash grab, but I see it all as good, except in the case of Last of Us HD remake.

 

[Emma]

I like HD remakes. But I would rather they focused on older games and not more recent ones. It gives new life to old games and I love that. I don't need this Next gen remastered stuff like GTA V and Tomb Raider, if they pitched them as a straight port, which is what they actually are, then it wouldn't be so bad. Resident Evil 1 is getting an HD remake. I never played the series at all before, but I might with the first getting a remake.

 

[Deleted member 14134]

The only way I would buy a HD remake is if I missed the original version. I for one played the last of us on the PS3 but Xbox uses who switched to PS4 now have a change to experience it if they choose. Buying it twice is foolish but it can be a good way to play older games on consoles you didn't own.