It seems that more and more classic games are getting remade these days. This is nothing new, but there is certainly an abundance now. I remember video game remakes dating as far back as Super Mario All-Stars in 1993.
I'm wondering which video game remakes were just easy cash grabs, and which ones really made it worth buying the same game twice (or more).
If IOI announced that they will remake 1 map from each game in the series:
Codename 47
Silent Assassin
Contracts (only original levels remade C47 levels excluded)
Blood Money
Absolution
which ones would you want?
I start.
For C47, i think a remake of the final level would be cool. Fighting the clone army in WoA engine, exploring the Asylum and killing the doctor... that would be really neat.
Silent Assassin, St. Petersburg. I would have said Anathema but since we already have Sapienza which is similar...
I didn't play Contracts but i think the Meat King level would be the coolest.
Didn't play Blood Money so i don't know.
Didn't play Absolution either so i dunno.
Mild Threat: Hear me out, Meatbags. Explanation: I know the TSL is controversial, but there are several elements from the KOTOR 2 that undeniably made for a better RPG and I want to make the case that they would greatly improve the original.
- Companion Influence. Seeing the Exile gain and lose influence was different companions was an incredible addition to the game. Obviously, I don’t think you should be able to train Mission, Carth, and Canderous to be Jedi, but an Influence mechanic could have huge ramifications later in the game. Hypothetical: Imagine you could prevent Carth from running off before the Star Forge in a DS run, etc.
- Better DS and Gray Options. One thing TSL did incomparably better than the first game was more believable dialogue and action options for Dark Side and Neutral players. The extent of the DS Revan’s dialogue was essentially “I’m evil because why not?”
- Companion Solo Missions. Sequences like G0T0’s yacht and the Sith Temple were excellent additions to TSL because it made your companions’ growth worth something. It made them feel more like individuals and not just extensions of the Exile. Canderous and Carth deserve a good cop/bad cop solo adventure, that’s all I want.
Query: What are your thoughts on my proposed changes? How much should the developers try to improve the game vs preserving the original?
TLDR: All the characters deserve more complexity.
How is it that gaming companies aren't clamoring over each other to get the rights to turn GoT into a Witcher 3 esque epic game in Westeros? At least, we know Bethesda almost made one and it ultimately fell through and became what is now Skyrim. And of course, that game is incredible, so it's not entirely disappointing, but it lacked the unique personality and characters to the world that GoT had to offer. Rumor has it that Bethesda has 3 very unusual projects in the works, and speculation is that one COULD be GoT related.
How amazing would that be? Modern video game retellings can be equally powerful to films or books. Imagine even this last season (which I've enjoyed despite its flaws) redone in a way that resolves many of the issues people have with it WHILE retaining the brilliant pieces of storytelling that have most certainly come from Martin. Imagine being able to see or control Jon fighting the Night King in a final sword battle. Making the choice whether to approach Ghost or not, or even bring him to King's Landing (with the consequence of him being possibly killed). The fans can decide what they want, and that's the beauty of a game compared to a TV show or even books.
Ultimately, the books will be the gold standard representation of the story, as they should be. But there is still a possibility that we'll only get 1/2 books remaining and it'll end unfinished. If this is the case, a GoT video game may be our only hope to visit this world in this timeline again. To me that could be the ultimate medium to experience this story if done right.
Manhunt would be fucking phenomenal with modern graphics and controls. The gritty structure could play so well in 4K. Doubt Rockstar would keep the extreme violence without turning it goofy.
I think a rebooted Deus Ex could be phenomenal as a modern RPG. Mankind Divided sucked so Eidos would be wise to do it right this time.
Over the last few years we've seen several game franchises get remakes, and reboots. MCC, Sonic, COD4 remaster, and many others.
While this has happened before, to me it feels like this trend is going upward which concerns me somewhat. Even worse to me is the number of gamers, here and elsewhere, that cry out "no, don't remake, remake this" without any thought to what this could be doing to innovation in the industry.
Perhaps I'm simply a cynic, but I personally view the constant reboot, restarts of classics in the movie industry as a generally bad thing. Its not as thought those movies (or games) cant be good simply because they are remakes, I'm not saying that at all, its that I fear that executives and producers in the games industry are quickly hurdling toward the trap of "innovation is risky, risk is bad for business, just copy what worked before and don't innovate too much". This of course has been a problem in the games industry for years, decades even, with things like the COD series being a mostly copy-paste-change 1 thing a year formula and many other repeat ad nauseum franchises.
I suppose I don't have any specific point. I was just curious if anyone else thinks a games industry that resembles the movie industry is, in some ways, a bad thing. I feel like the best video games are the ones who innovate above and beyond their genre. Or push the boundaries of what we thought a game was. I wont list my own examples, as no one would agree. But I'm sure you can all think of games that were literally "game changing" that were immediately copied by everyone. I worry a less risky industry is one where these games are further and further between.
P.S. I think the indie games market on PC (and to a lesser degree on consoles) is MUCH stronger than the same indie movies market. So there is hope for us there.
Remasters and remakes can bring new life to an old video game, but sometimes - for one reason or another - they turn out to be considered inferior to the original version.
What do you think are some examples of that?
