Remastered video games are a funny thing. They are becoming increasingly common, yet they are fairly controversial. A lot of gamers wonder why developers and publishers focus their time, energy, and resources on “old” games instead of new ones. It’s a conversation I’ve had many times with friends myself. This conversation was recently reignited with the rumored Spyro the Dragon remaster. Some may see remasters as unnecessary, but in actuality, the opposite is true. Remasters are necessary, and they do matter.
Access to a New Generation
The biggest selling point of remasters is the opportunity to introduce games to a new generation of gamers. Save for Xbox One, none of the consoles have backwards compatibility. That in itself presents a problem when attempting to play games from previous generations. Let’s use last summer’s Final Fantasy XII remaster as an example. Originally released for the PS2, the PS4 release was the first time this game has been released on a different system. This is important.
(NeoGAF)
Before the remaster came out, the only way to play FFXII was on the PS2. Sure, a PS2 copy is relatively cheap, but then that would also require owning a working PS2. That’s a little more complicated. And that’s just for a game that came out in this century. It’s even more difficult when looking at games from the 80’s and 90’s.
A fairly large number of PS4 owners have never played it. Considering the large leap in sales from PS3 to PS4, maybe this isn’t so surprising after all. But The Last of Us is one of those games that should be experienced by all gamers, so it should be released on their newest, much more successful system.
(PlayStation Blog)
To be quite frank, a remaster of a game will, in all honesty, probably drum up more publicity and buzz than a simple digital release on the PS Store. First and foremost, remasters allow gamers to experience titles they otherwise wouldn’t be able to.
Everyone’s Doing It
Video games are hardly the first forms of media to remaster older works. Films, television, and music do it all the time. And save for some exceptions, they hardly get the same ire that video game remasters tend to do. Sure, they may attract some controversy, but on the whole, these remasters tend to get celebrated.
Let’s take a look at the home video release of A New Hope. Since it’s initial theatrical release, it’s been on platforms including VHS, LaserDisc, DVD, and Blu-Ray. We’re not going into detail about the actual changes to the content of the films, but I’d hardly think it’s a bad thing that we are able to see the film, despite the increasing change in home video technology. You can even download the film on Amazon on iTunes, and will soon enough be able to stream it.
Not all changes in remasters are necessarily positive…
It’s the same as the video game cycle. The VHS-DVD-Blu-Ray-Streaming is, if you think about it, just like the progression of console generations. I think remastering films to go along with the platforms is important. Now, I don’t think editing the film itself is necessarily a good idea, but rather the presentation of it.
The same thing goes with albums. The Beatles’ landmark album, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, was recently remastered for its 50th anniversary in 2017. The album was remixed to have a sound much closer to the original. Music remasters are probably the most common type of all. In fact, anniversaries are the most common reason for remasters. When a landmark anniversary hits a film, TV show, or album, it is usually accompanied by a remastered release. These remasters are, for the most part at least, not controversial, so why are remasters of video games?
The Originals Are Not Always Better
A statement I hear from many who are anti-remaster is that you can just play the original game. All that’s changed is the visuals, right? Well, maybe that’s what’s important. Sure, games like Spyro the Dragon are beloved by their audience, but, most times, memories of these games are viewed through rose-colored glasses.
I’m not saying playing these games in their original forms is bad. In the last year, I’ve played Knights of the Old Republic and Final Fantasy VII and IX, and the visuals never bothered me once. But that doesn’t mean they couldn’t be improved by updating the visuals. PS1 graphics aren’t necessarily timeless, so a refresh, like Final Fantasy IX on Steam, can never be a bad thing.
The improvements to the graphics on Ocarina of Time 3D were not a bad thing. (Nintendo Everything)
Now, remember, we’re talking specifically about remasters here, not remakes. Therefore, these aren’t games that make fundamental changes to its source material. However, sometimes remasters do add elements, without completely changing the game.
One of the examples that immediately jumps to my mind is Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age. The HD remaster added a much-acclaimed fast forward feature. As one can guess, this allows you to speed up the game either two or four times. As a game with maps that can be quite expansive, this is a feature that was sorely needed. Set up some gambits and put the game in fast-forward mode, and grinding, typically an unpopular element of RPGs, becomes a cinch.
Long Live Remasters
I think, despite your feelings on them, it’s safe to say remasters aren’t going away anytime soon. And that’s a good thing. Now, there are obviously some games that don’t need a remaster, like Super Mario Bros. (even though it has been remade). On the whole, sprite-based games tend to not benefit as much from remasters as 3D games do.
With each new generation of consoles comes gamers receiving their first system. Gamers who have never played games from prior generations. This shouldn’t prevent them from accessing a catalog of games that has spanned decades. Games that have led us to where we are now.
Final Fantasy XII has quickly become one of my favorites in the series. But that was only because I was able to play The Zodiac Age on PS4. I’m sure I would have enjoyed the original, but for me, fast forwarding made all the difference. Being able to experience the game’s epic, operatic story, while also being able to breeze through grinding, immediately made the game one of my favorites.
Long live remasters, and may they continue to allow us to experience old games in new lights. So, what older games do you think should receive the remaster treatment?
