Remakes aren’t exactly a new concept. The idea of taking something retro and making it modern has been around for decades. Though as far as video games go, the trend is more recent. After all, the games industry was barely around long enough to justify remaking old properties. At least this was true until just a few years ago.
Now it seems like every game older than a decade is getting remade. But is this a good thing? Is this a case of developers taking something classic, adding various bells and whistles, and just cashing in? Or is there some true value to remaking a retro masterpiece? Let’s take a closer look and explore the wave of video game remakes.
The Last Of Us
Wait a second, didn’t The Last Of Us only come out in 2013? Surely the game can’t really benefit from a remake? That’s what most gamers thought, and truth be told the original does still hold up exceptionally well. But lest we forget, The Last Of Us originally came out on PlayStation 3. Although a popular console, the PS3 was very technologically limited, even for the time. Developers constantly struggled with RAM and other hardware limitations, meaning that although good, The Last Of Us certainly wasn’t cutting edge.
The Last Of Us Part 1 is a remake in every sense of the word. The story sticks very close to the original, but Part 1 takes advantage of all the modern graphics bells and whistles, essentially making the original completely cutting edge. Yes, the remake is arguably not necessary, but it is also certainly a big technological step up. You’ll still do just fine playing the original, but if you haven’t experienced the game before, it’s perhaps better you go for this excellent remake.
Resident Evil 2
Now this is a remake that few are going to argue is a masterpiece. The original Resident Evil 2 first hit the scene in 1998, and to say it looks old is an understatement. In 1998 consoles were not yet even capable of complex 3D graphics, and Resident Evil 2 is a perfect example of this. To get around those hardware limitations the developers used fixed cameras, and although that concept was cutting edge in 1998, it really just doesn’t fly in this day and age.
The Resident Evil 2 Remake, dropping in 2019, is the original, but with everything dialled up to 11. The camera is no longer fixed, the graphics are dramatically better, and the characters are superior in virtually every regard. In fact, the remake is so superior it really doesn’t make sense to go back and play something from 1998. At least, it doesn’t make sense unless you’re just a curious video game time traveller.
Final Fantasy VII Remake
This remake is rather controversial, and we understand why. Final Fantasy VIII is a true classic, all but acting as a demonstration of how creativity can overcome virtually all technological obstacles. Check out the game, keep in mind it came out a year before the original Resident Evil 2, and marvel at how much was achieved despite so many restrictions. Yes, of course, the graphics are retro, but the game is also still an immersive, deeply fascinating experience that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
So why the controversy? Final Fantasy VII Remake, coming out in 2020, is so far from the original it’s difficult to say that the titles are even the same franchise. The original made use of fixed cameras, like Resident Evil, with a focus on turn-based combat. The Remake does away with the fixed cameras, as well as the turn-based combat, transforming the experience into a much more modern third-person action/adventure. The problem is that Final Fantasy VII was never meant to be third person.
What are we saying? Head to Big Dollar casino and you’ll see something interesting; although the casino games are all very modern, they’re all also very true to the classic casino games that players know and love. Which is to say, no one ever felt the need to try and reinvent casino games. So why did someone reinvent Final Fantasy VII?
Make no mistake, Final Fantasy VII Remake is a great game, it just perhaps isn’t what fans of the original were hoping for.
Shadow Of The Colossus
Shadow Of The Colossus is another remake done right. What we have here is a game that is more or less a perfect recreation of the original, only with the benefits of modern technology. The original Shadow Of The Colossus is a 2005 masterpiece, dropping for the PlayStation 2. The remake came out in 2018, and to say that it does the original justice is an understatement.
Unlike Final Fantasy VII, everything is true to the original, down to the finest detail. The only differences are the graphics, as well as a few quality-of-life updates. If you’re going to play Shadow Of The Colossus, you can confidently choose the remake, safe in the knowledge you’re not missing anything from the 2005 classic. In fact, the remake is probably the best way to experience the truly epic, genuinely awe-inspiring story.
Mafia
Last on our list is perhaps the best video game remake of all time; Mafia Definitive Edition. The original saw release in 2002, and to put it mildly virtually nothing in the game holds up. Developers Illusion Softworks made a very bold attempt to tell an epic 1930s gangster story, though couldn’t use anything other than PlayStation 2 era hardware. It goes without saying that although the PlayStation 2 was ground-breaking at the time, it didn’t exactly allow for much creativity.
Mafia Definitive Edition more or less lets you experience what Illusion Softworks intended in 2002. Which is to say; you certainly aren’t going to get much out of playing the original version. The Definitive Edition, however, let’s you play the same game and experience the same story, only with all the perks of modern technology. Unless, perhaps, you were hoping for a virtual reality remake.
