(Re)Make Part II Ultimate Classic Edition

April 20, 2020 1:23 PM

What We Remake [Kotaku] “From fan-made revamps like Black Mesa to the highest of AAA productions like Final Fantasy VII Remake, enhanced, often reimagined takes on familiar games packed the early months of 2020. Remakes tug at nostalgia and deliver a comfort that players seek desperately in complicated times. But many of these games forge new paths, interrupting the comfortable ritual of returning to our youths in favor of messier, bolder ambitions. [...] Remakes and remasters are a type of ritual. Players return to these places, experiencing versions and variations of stories and events much in the way that the Bible contains various accounts of key moments penned by different authors. As in any anthropology, the question of what is truly “canon” lurks underneath it all. What is the definitive way to experience a game? What is the proper way to ritualistically retell the stories that gaming culture enshrines as the stories to tell?”

Recent & Upcoming Remakes:

• Warcraft 3 Reforged
• Resident Evil 3
• Resident Evil 4
• Final Fantasy 7 Remake
• Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition
• Destroy All Humans!
• System Shock
• Black Mesa
• Trials of Mana
• Langrisser I & II
• Persona 5 Royal
• XIII Remake
• SpongeBob Squarepants: Battle For Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated
• Battletoads
• The Stanly Parable Ultra Deluxe

• 2020 Has Way Too Many Video Game Remakes (But They're Good) [Screen Rant]

“2020 is a strange year for video games, between the lead up to new consoles to the ramifications of the Coronavirus pandemic. The industry keeps trucking on regardless, and there are still plenty of big releases coming in 2020. What's interesting about the year's lineup of games, however, is that a huge percentage are either remakes or remasters. Some of the biggest games of the years are based on games from years, or even decades ago. Remakes are certainly nothing new, but the amount in 2020 is certainly notable. That's a massive amount of remakes, and some of these are incredibly ambitious. Final Fantasy 7 Remake totally reimagines the city of Midgar, while Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition adds on an entirely new epilogue and makes loads of quality-of-life changes. A few, like Warcraft 3 Reforged, have left a bit to be desired, but by and large, the games that have already come out have been successful. This list doesn't even include simple remasters like Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore, The Wonderful 101: Remastered, or Patapon 2 Remastered. This isn't to say that companies aren't also releasing new games, as megatons like The Last Of Us Part II, Cyberpunk 2077, and Bravely Default 2, among others, are on the way.”

• Remake Fatigue? Not for Video Games [Hollywood Reporter]

“A cursory glance at the 2019 box office reveals why some critics have argued that there are no original ideas in Hollywood. Of the top 10 global earners, only two — Captain Marvel and Joker — were not direct sequels or remakes of existing franchises. And even those revolved around classic comic book characters. The considerably younger video game industry has escaped such scrutiny even as it mimics the film business in mining catalogs for new content. In 2019, nearly all the 10 top-grossing titles on PC and console devices in the U.S. were direct sequels like Borderlands 3, incremental sports releases like NBA 2K20 or a reboot like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, which earned more than $600 million in three days. The only exception was EA and Respawn Entertainment's Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, based of course on an iconic franchise. "Nostalgia is a powerful thing," says Peter Fabiano, producer and game developer at Capcom, which has had success in remaking its Resident Evil titles. "People want to see something familiar yet fresh. With games, hitting that sweet spot is a challenge."”

• Why are we seeing more and more video game remakes? [VG24/7]

“Studios have been tweaking, polishing, and uprezzing their games for new platforms since consoles were invented, but it wasn’t until they started to be packaged as “HD remasters” halfway through last generation that the trend solidified almost into a genre of its own. Where you first had sparkly versions of old-school games on marketplaces like the XBLA, big publishers realised that if they could add a fresh coat of paint to their biggest hits, then they could not only encourage nostalgia-driven players to double-dip on their favourites, but open up well-known series’ to a new audience intrigued by their reputation. [...] As we got new hardware, the trend continued with 4K and games from the Xbox 360/PS3 era like Bioshock HD, The Last of Us, the Metro series, and about 400 versions of Skyrim. Now though, the trend seems to be evolving to include fully-fledged prestige remakes – which had been rare outside of things like The Twin Snakes and Halo’s Anniversary edition up until the last few years.”

• The year of Mario: A ton of classic 3D games reportedly coming to Switch in 2020 [Ars Technica]

“VGC was able to report on one specific game coming to Nintendo Switch, but it wasn't a remaster. Instead, VGC suggested that the Paper Mario action-RPG series would receive a new entry in 2020. Soon after, Eurogamer and Gematsu pushed their own reports and named games, also citing "multiple sources." Eurogamer came forward suggesting Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario 3D World would receive proper re-releases, while Gematsu added Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine to the list of expected re-releases. Most classic 3D Mario games have never received a retail or Virtual Console re-release treatment, with Super Mario 64 and its DS remake as exceptions, while the majority of Mario's 2D exploits are currently available on Switch's NES and SNES archives, available to paying Nintendo Switch Online subscribers. Due to the limited nature of these rumors, we're left wondering exactly what shape these classic Mario games will arrive in. Eurogamer alleges that Super Mario 3D World will launch with "an array of new levels," but these could either be brand-new or adapted from the similar, 3DS-only entry Super Mario 3D Land (or both). Meanwhile, both Gematsu and Eurogamer mention "high-definition remasters" for older games in the list, but it's unclear whether these will simply up-res existing assets or include any wholly new content (textures, character models, visual effects).”

posted by Fizz (9 comments total)

I thought Borderlands was the XIII remake.
posted by straight at 1:42 PM on April 20, 2020 [1 favorite]

I have never played FF7 and really never warmed to JRPGs in general, but some of my friends talking constantly about the remake are tempting me to give it a shot.

Not for $60 though.
posted by egypturnash at 1:51 PM on April 20, 2020

[SPOILERS]

The FF7 remake is interesting because it may not even be following the original’s storyline.
posted by gucci mane at 1:54 PM on April 20, 2020 [1 favorite]

Isn't there also a strong rumour of a Demon Souls remaster? As someone who never had a PS3, that's the one I really want.
posted by Dumsnill at 1:54 PM on April 20, 2020 [1 favorite]

What is the proper way to ritualistically retell the stories

As in other genres, including religious texts, interesting stories support alternative readings. Retellings may run contrary to past consensus and/or the original author's intent. That's how stories work.

Die, author! Die!
posted by justsomebodythatyouusedtoknow at 2:51 PM on April 20, 2020 [1 favorite]

I really think the recent big-budget remakes out of Japanese studios kind of deserve their own space.

The Resident Evil 2 remake did an incredible job of taking what worked in a timeless way from the original game (the setting, the mood, Mr. X) and marrying it with a tuned version of the best combat they've had in an RE game (RE4). It's less a remake than a remix in a way that feels just as true to the original game concept.

And then you look at FF7R. Without getting into plot, since it's unclear how that will work out.... they took ATB and fooled you into thinking it was a character action combat system! What?!? It's a wild example of making something look extremely different and yet still very spiritually in tune.

Even the arrangements on the soundtrack feel very thoughtful. If you go back and listen to the zillions of orchestral versions and remixes of, say, the battle theme that have come out over the years, they tend to lose track of the idea that it's video game music. But in this version, just enough of the chunky MIDI sound of the original is left intact and the tempo of it is just... just so. (warning: loudish) They left that one MIDI drum hit in (I wish I knew what that was called) because in retrospect of course you'd do that!

Anyway, both games make this kind of revision feel like a virtue.

(also watching videos like this is sort of insane. What even happened to technology?)
posted by selfnoise at 7:24 PM on April 20, 2020

I really think the recent big-budget remakes out of Japanese studios kind of deserve their own space.

I agree. These are games that are more like conversations with older versions of themselves. And this doesn't mean that you have to be familiar with the original release, it just means that they're a part of that discussion and it adds some bit of nuance if you're familiar with the history of that game and its franchise.
posted by Fizz at 8:33 AM on April 21, 2020

I want a remake of Xenogears, the best JRPG for the PS1.

I've been avoiding spoilers and I'll probably give FF7R a shot once the PS5 comes out, cause there's no way I'm buying a PS4 at this point.
posted by I-Write-Essays at 9:36 PM on April 23, 2020

Do you like Wagner-style Teutonic mythology, Nietzschean philosophy, and Jewish mysticism, crossed with a post-technological scifi setting? Xenogears has you covered!
posted by I-Write-Essays at 9:44 PM on April 23, 2020