In the era of "too many pixels to count" and all that, we seem to be afloat in a sea of HD remakes of old games. That's not really a new idea, because classic movies have been remade since the invention of the word "profit" (and, you know, the invention of the movie), but it seems like we're getting an unusually large amount of them lately.
It's the same, but this time you're paying money to play it again.
Is that a problem? Probably not. But is it bad for trying to get people to play new games? Maybe.
I would like to point out that the previous thought also got me thinking about the 13th sequel to a franchise, but I don't want to talk about sequels today, I want to talk about remakes. So, ignoring the problems with endless sequels, let's move on.
I personally do play quite a few HD remakes. I heartily enjoyed the remake of the first Halo game, and I'm planning on pre-ordering the Master Chief Collection, so don't think I'm against the idea. But at some point, you have to ask yourself how necessary the remakes are. For one thing, I've heard a lot of people talking about Wind Waker HD, saying it looks like how they remember the game. Obviously that's perception filtered through the graphics of the time, but it leads me to think that the remake is wholly unimpressive for a large chunk of the audience.
Unfortunately, backwards incompatibility is a pretty serious thing now, so playing old games on new consoles is commonly done through re-releases. And it's definitely better if you pretty it up a bit. But a part of me thinks that you're cashing in a bit too much on nostalgia if you want people to pay $60 for a game they already played 10 years ago. I can see the soulness emptiness in Link's eyes much better now, but otherwise the gameplay and physics are unchanged. And in the Halo remake, the physics are still just not what they are today. Everything is much smoother, but it's the same game.
"Chief, did you change your HUD again? Stop hacking UNSC equipment!"
As I mentioned, I play these games, so it's not like I'm taking a hard stance against it. But I almost think they should be offered at a much reduced rate, or free if you can prove previous ownership. I don't like the mentality of "Buy the new one because it's new." I want quality and substance with my games. I like new experience. If you don't want to crap all over the old games, that's fine, but you don't have to rub it in our faces that we have to pay out the nose to play the same game again. I love Wind Waker, and I've played it multiple times on the Gamecube, but that doesn't mean I should have to pay so much to see it slightly better. I already own the game.
And I know no one is making me pay for it. I don't have to buy it (I didn't). And I know it took money and time to make it look shinier. But I think that should basically be offered at cost then. Use it as hype for the new game, which I'll gladly pay full price for. It can be advertising. Or, in this particular case, it could be used as a vehicle to sell the console. Have it be super cheap to make the console less expensive on the grand scheme of things.
Buy our console, or the "All Seeing Eye" will punish you!
I guess my point is this: I love replaying old games, and I love recreating my childhood, but I don't like when companies cash in on that desire. I think it's wrong. Because idiots like me lap that stuff up without thinking too much about it, and we end up spending all our money on games we've already played. And while I love Zelda, wouldn't it be better to spend our money on new games, giving a new series a chance, or a new genre a chance, to make the video game landscape a bit more diverse?
Instead of remaking something old, let us dust off our Gamecube if we want to, and make us something new, for those of us who want to see the next up-and-coming thing.
This has been another confusing stream of consciousness from Ryan. I pity you if you made it this far.
Images courtesy of Wikipedia
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