FFVII looks like a case of too much remaking when a few tweaks and some new graphics was all that was needed.

As for remasters, I'm happy to get another shot at games I missed first time round, so that's fine.

So for some reason I don't have Bioshock 2 in my Steam Library, hence no free upgrade.  Given the drivel that is in there, this feels like an oversight.  Oh well, Bioshock 1 Remastered is indeed there - I should probably play to completion this time!!

I mean arguably the whole of bioshock is a bit of a bore. A sub par walking sim with crap shooting and a trick copied essentially from a previous game in the irrational catalogue.

Off with yer Crayon. Bioshock is all good. Apart from the last one.

I'm in two minds about these things.  Whenever the topic comes up, I'm happy to list the games I'd like to see remastered (Bushido Blade, Colony Wars, Dropship: United Peace Force etc.) but my actual relationship with the remasters I have should probably temper my enthusiasm.

The process, I think, creates an interesting conflict. I bought Shadow Complex Remastered for PS4, despite having it on 360 and, iirc, it not really needing a remaster. (In all honesty, I bought it because the 360 is in the bedroom, and I feel guilty playing anything on it, leaving the dog alone in the living room.)

Aaanyway, I was playing it the other night, and the cut-scenes don't look right. Putting high-res textures onto models more basic than I've already become accustomed to creates a disjunct aethetic; as a result, for a moment, I thought I was looking at a tarted up sixth gen game rather than a tarted up seventh gen game.

I hadn't remembered that the HD treatments of either Ico or SotC had tinkered with the visual style (both feel faithful when I play them, and I haven't looked at any side-by-side comparison) but I do remember that the the upscaled textures did cause similar discord with the models and movement underneath them.

I wonder if certain games are better suited to being remastered. I'd imagine, given the way they move, that most 2D sprite based games would work well with HD textures, particularly if reanimation involved fixing the usual disconnect between a sprite's actions and its movement on the screen.

A reboot I'm much more comfortable with; although I wish games weren't just given the original name again; I don't like that Doom and Tomb Raider will now forever have to have a clarifying year in brackets after them (particularly when, narratively, it would have made more sense for the latter to be called Lara Croft, but I digress).

Remakes would be entirely different kettle of fish.  I would consider that different to a remaster, but I can't think of any that I'm familiar with. Was the recent Resident Evil a remake?  I could see their value.  If, for example, the original Tomb Raider was entirely rebuilt with the current assets, the young-uns might be more inclined to give it a go.  Although, that may then cause disharmony between the visuals and the gameplay.

I dunno.

FF12 prayers were answered. Now give us Vagrant Story please Squeenix. 

And I prefer remasters rather than remakes. I mean, if you have to remake a game then it kinda implies it was a bit pants or broken to begin with... in which case, just spend time making a new better game? If it's a game that was already good, don't fix it? I dunno.

Yes.

SPOILERS FFS!!!

*runs*

The lamb did fuck shit up

They changed up all the enemy placements for no reason and generally made the game worse because of it. Totally nonsensical to any lore and the sheer numbers of enemies in places made it frustrating as all hell. They lost the essence of what makes a Souls game good.

Is it the original devs/artists presentation that people would like to protect or their perception of it? A lot of the time when I go back I remember it entirely differently to how it looks and often plays.

Having just finished Bioshock remastered it didn't seem any different in my minds eye, it merely looked and played wonderfully. If I look at comparison videos I don't see a loss at all in the presentation only betterments to it. Then when I started Bio 2 it looked incredible even in comparison to the remastered Bioshock.

Is it partly a case of the technology at the time limiting what they could create so corners were cut to create a certain look which they don't need to do now? And if so does that create a negative but only to those that played it at the time and remember it in such a way?

Tempy wrote:

It's entirely subjective, but some of the examples listed are arguably totally detrimental to the vision of the original. Silent Hill 2HD famously increases the draw distance and removed the fog. That sounds great on paper, but silent hill 2's tone is massively reliant on those things.

Wind Waker HD is absolutely stunning on the WiiU, but on the GameCube cel shading was a style choice that was also a reason to overcome the hardware limitations. The shading style is supposed to work out the average lighting distribution over a texture and flatten it to two colours. In HD, it's 3D bloom lit, which is entirely against the principle of cel shading.

As for up scaling and remastering, as someone interested in how the history of games is preserved, I hope the remasters don't become the definitive way of playing any given game, because sometimes those limitations create art, styles, shortcuts and unique experience that excess and a chase for perceived perfection can deny.

Oh no of course it's subjective, and examples like Sh2 are obvious, the limitations also presented a different experience and they should have maintained that with graphical effects if nothing else.

With Windwaker again it's different as its two styles that aren't necessarily at odds but just in different times. I wonder if the original artists would say the HD version is closer to what they originally envisioned?

Of course they should preserve both versions and if possible all gaming history. And I'm sure there will always be these versions safely secured but it might make me a heathrn to say it but I don't think if come across a remaster I wouldn't play over the original.

A good chunk of the entries in lot of the major JRPG series are only available in localised form due to remakes or somewhat-tinkered-with ports. Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, Ys...

I can see the point re: preservation but I guess the counter argument is that many, if not most, games have some kind of intrinsic value that isn't affected by changes elsewhere, so remakes let people get at that value without having the experience made less accessible by outdated conventions or technology.

So, there's a correct way to do Remasters and Remakes and a bad way of fucking things up.
I think we can all agree there's always room for the original release in the package. Certainly makes for interesting comparisons.

Edit: There's a SH2 HD? Without fog?
Idiots....The fog is an integral part of the game's lore.
At least the devs should've played with your expectations of the fog. Would be awesome to see the fog come rolling in as darkness slowly envelops on the town.

Diluted Dante wrote:

Andy wrote:

If, for example, the original Tomb Raider was entirely rebuilt with the current assets, the young-uns might be more inclined to give it a go.  Although, that may then cause disharmony between the visuals and the gameplay. I dunno.

They did that on 360, and completely fucked it in the process. T-Rex encounter summed it up. PS1: Ah fuck what's this lumbering out of the darkness, fuck, kill it, shit, pistols aren't working, what else do I have, fuck, keep jumping back, jesus it's finally dead. 360: Oh a cut scene. Oh QTE's. Great.

That's nasty.

Also, I discovered a hidden alcove that you could hide in and shoot the T-Rex as it stomped back and forward past the entrance.  Terrifying, and you had to run TOWARDS it but once in there it couldn't get you.