Over the past few years, some of gaming’s greatest classics have been receiving brand-new remakes, but many players are pleading for them to stop. While some remakes serve as creative re-imaginings of decades-old releases, many recent remakes almost seem pointless.
With remakes becoming increasingly popular, developers have started shifting their focus from updating clunky classics to reselling comparatively recent games that still hold up to modern standards. However, even these remakes can introduce significant improvements and much-needed additions to already-beloved titles.
The Best Remakes Revitalize Old Games
Plenty of retro games that were considered “groundbreaking” for their timehaven’t aged gracefully. The standards for video game graphics and gameplay have constantly been on the rise since the 80s and 90s, and many games from those eras have since been outclassed by more recent releases. Obviously, that’s not the fault of the original developers, and most games from those eras have stood the test of time—despite some dated aspects. However, it does mean that players who have grown accustomed to the conveniences of modern video games often struggle to enjoy the classics.
The best remakes don’t just apply a coat of fresh paint to older titles. They either overhaul the original experience with vast improvements and modern mechanics, or deliver a complete re-imagining of gaming’s most iconic titles. In some cases, a remake may encompass a bit of both.
In the case ofFinal Fantasy VII, fans of the fast-paced, cinematic action found in the series' newer entries might have a hard time enjoyingVII’s blocky character models and methodical, turn-based combat.Final Fantasy VII: Remake—as well as its direct sequel,Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth—solves this problem by introducing a real-time twist on the original game, trading the turn-based menus for a much more exciting hack-and-slash battle system.
Remakealso depicts the world and characters ofVIIwith the stunning visuals that fans have come to expect from modernFinal Fantasygames, and even expands upon the original game with the addition of new story elements and side content.
Even if you grew up playing retro games, you might find that some of your favoriteshaven’t aged as well as you remember. The originalResident Evilmay have seemed terrifying when it hit store shelves back in 1996, but it pales in comparison to many horror games that came after. That’s not to say it’s completely outdated, but first-time players will find that the game’s low-poly models and frustrating controls often hamper its attempts at evoking terror.
On the other hand, the remakes ofResident EvilandResident Evil 2transform the PS1 horror classics with gorgeously detailed visuals, much-needed fixes, and numerous drastic changes that make the remakes far more terrifying than the originals.
Besides reviving old games for modern audiences, remakes have also been used to restore long-dormant franchises. The successes of remakes like theCrash Bandicoot N. Sane TrilogyandTrials of Manainspired the development of entirely new entries in their respective series. Although these series could have made their return with brand-new sequels, the remakes serve as the best way to reintroduce their respective franchises to a new generation of players.
There are also a few practical reasons why certain series receive remakes before releasing a proper new entry. In many cases, remakes serve as a way to gauge interest in an older series. If the remake performs well, the developers might see that there’s enough demand tojustify a sequel. Remakes are also low-risk projects—typically requiring less time and resources than the development of a full-fledged sequel—meaning an unsuccessful remake won’t be as much of a loss as the failure of an entirely new game.
Other Remakes Preserve Lost Media
Apart from modernizing the classics,remakes also exist to ensure old games remain playablein any form—even if they’re not the original releases. While remasters and ports normally fill this role, not every game has these options. For various reasons, some games simply can’t be re-released on modern consoles, which makes remakes all the more important for keeping these titles available.
Unfortunately, not every game in history has beenperfectly preserved, and the source code of many retro games has been lost over the years. It isn’t just niche classics that go missing, as some of the most iconic games of all time are becoming lost media.
For example, the loss of the source code for the earlySilent HillandSpyrogames prevented them from being ported to other consoles—at least not in any complete state. TheSilent Hill HD Collectionattempted to remaster the second and thirdSilent Hillgames using unfinished development builds, but this resulted in the remasters suffering from numerous bugs and graphical issues that weren’t present in the original releases. So, with remasters and ports being out of the question for these games, the only means of bringing them to current platforms is with remakes.
Remakes are never perfectly accurate recreations of a game’s original experience, though their changes can vary between minor improvements and drastic reworkings of fundamental features. Most remakes fall into the former category, such as theSpyro Reignited Trilogywhich preserves nearly every aspect of the PS1-eraSpyrogames while also featuring an improved control scheme and newly-addeddynamic soundtrack.
In contrast, some remakes make significant changes to their source material. These remakes stray so far from the original’s design, that they can be considered fundamentally different games. For example, theSilent Hill 2remake features many drastic differences from the PS2 version, swapping out its deliberately clunky combat for smoother third-person shooting—though enemy encounters in the remake are just as terrifying as in the original. The town of Silent Hill was also greatly expanded in the remake with the addition of new areas and remixed layouts for familiar locales.
Despite its many changes, theSilent Hill 2remake still preserves the original’s core identity by leaving its story and art direction mostly untouched. Its depiction of Silent Hill still resembles a sleepy American town blanketed in a foggy haze, its monsters are still nightmarish blends of body horror and psychological symbolism, and its story explores the same themes of grief and guilt that defined the original.
The remake may not be a 1-to-1 recreation of its PS2 predecessor, but that’s arguably why it succeeds at preservingSilent Hill 2’s genre-defining legacy. By leaving its dated gameplay in the past, the remake allows new players to finally experience thetimeless storyofSilent Hill 2without being distracted by its age.
Most Remakes Are Unnecessary
Unfortunately, most modern remakes only seem to exist as better-looking alternatives to remasters. Recent remakes such asThe Last of Us: Part 1andUntil Dawnare almost identical to their original releases, with their only changes being minor improvements that could have just as easily fit into aremaster.
It doesn’t help that a few highly anticipated remakes have turned out to be worse than their original releases. TheResident Evil 3remakecuts out multiple iconic areas and set-pieces that appeared in the PS1 version’s campaign. Furthermore, it also removed entire gameplay mechanics such as the choice system that allowed players to make decisions that influence major story events and alter the difficulty of later encounters.
Pokémon Brilliant DiamondandShining Pearlwere similarly lackluster remakes that not only introduced a wide range of technical problems and unintended exploits, but also omitted features previously added inPokémon Platinum. A straightforwardremaster or portwould have been better than these half-baked remakes.
There aren’t many games that outrightneeda remake. Most retro titles can easily be brought to modern consoles with a simple remaster. Unless the game has aged poorly or can’t be ported to modern platforms, there’s no need for a remake.
However, pointless remakes aren’t inherently bad. The original versions ofResident Evil 4andDead Spacehold up amazingly well to modern expectations and certainly didn’t need to be remade. Despite this, their recent remakes are among the best horror games released in recent years. What sets the new versions ofResident Evil 4andDead Spaceapart from other remakes is their ability to distinguish themselves from the original games. Instead of trying to perfectly recreate the originals, both remakes build upon their source material with new ideas and exciting changes.
TheResident Evil 4remaketakes the stop-and-shoot gameplay of its source material and transforms it into a bombastic spectacle of gun-fu andchainsaw-parrying. The newly added features and overall faster pace help the remake feel like a fresh re-imagining ofResident Evil 4rather than a pointless retread. Even theDead Spaceremake, while sharing much more in common with the original, greatly improves upon its story and level design while taking advantage of current hardware to render its nightmarish monstrosities in explicit detail.
Remakes Don’t Always Need to be Justified
It’s frustrating to see retro classics get ignored in favor of remakes of games that were released just over a decade ago. However, even pointless remakes can bring something new to the table. Whether it’s a total reinvention of old game mechanics or a modern update that brings much-needed improvements to familiar experiences, remakes just need something to set themselves apart from the originals to be worthwhile.
With that said, not all unnecessary remakes are the same. While some innovate upon their source material with imaginative ideas and exciting new mechanics, most remakes are simple rehashes of the original game. Unless youreallywant to replay old games with modern graphics, there’s no reason to play most of these remakes if you’ve already experienced the originals.
For remakes to truly thrive, they need a reason to exist. Without innovative ideas or clear preservation purposes, most remakes end up feeling like a waste of effort that could have gone into creating a brand-new game. Even though I love to see old games receive new remakes, it’s time for studios to stop retreading old ground and start reinventing the classics.
