Topic: Anyone else getting tired of remakes?

@N00BiSH I mean if something was made the best that it could be at the time, it still is dated. Some of those games look good still, but other games made back then genuinely don't hold up. For every Mario 64 you have Ocarina of Time. For every Final Fantasy 7 you have Final Fantasy 8.

I can think of a few remakes that still have the original creator involved. Stuff like Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition and NieR Replicant 1.22 for example.

Even beyond the "Original creator's vision," some of these remakes are made to give the games a new coat of paint or visual finesse that they deserve. Some remakes are done in order to include a lot of the side media that wasn't there when the original was made (like the Final Fantasy 7 remake trilogy, which is adding in all of the lore bits from the side games).

In the case of something like Twilight Princess, it deserves a remake. The game needs one in order to actually make up for the fact that it's aging pretty poorly across the board. I love the game, but the music being Midi whilst also being composed for an orchestra really really hurts the soundtrack. The visuals look fine, but they could stand to look so much better than they already do. Especially given how janky the animations are, with a lot of them being jittery for little to no reason. The textures in Twilight Princess are very flat as well, with the flat look of bricks being very very eye catching and not in a good way.

True as that is, I don't think it makes those games lesser because of their flaws. They still have plenty of value in their original states for different reasons(even if OoT 3D is the best way to play imo).

"Deserve" is very subjective. Strong art direction is always important to a game's look and feel, something that was considered even back then. And while are some remakes that manage to recapture and sometimes enhance the OG's voice and style(e.g. TTYD, Sam & Max, OoT), others tend to miss the mark in some form or fashion(Crash N. Sane, Monkey Island Special Edition, Spyro).

Art is ultimately subjective, of course but in terms of older titles, I consider artistic intent was just as important then as it was now and there's still a validity to those games' visuals because of what they were able to accomplish back then on what was considered the most state-of-the-art tech at the time. It's like how black and white films aren't lesser because they're not in color.

There are kind of 2 different issues — game preservation and getting a classic game concept to be played by a new generation. Lots of players won't play an old looking game even if it is available but they would play a modern looking remake with a few modern features. Link's Awakening is a good example of Nintendo doing both strategies on Switch. I am definitely in favor of game preservation and availability but remakes don't necessarily take away from that or at least they don't have to.

You mentioned movies as a comparison; the 1953 movie Titanic was pretty famous at the time and it is still available as it should be, but I doubt most medium-aged people would have watched a Titanic movie if not for the 1997 version simply because most people don't enjoy watching really old movies. I assume there will be a 2030 or 2040 remake and the pattern will repeat.

@N00BiSH Personally I'd just rather have remakes. If the remake is botched then the original game still exists. However I like seeing remakes because some games just would look better to me if they were actually brought up to the modern standard. I want more remakes like TTYD or Link's Awakening. More like Metroid Prime Remastered or Mario RPG. Mainly because I never got to play a ton of these games, but also because some of my favorite games are starting to show their age in a way that isn't favorable for them. Again, Twilight Princess looks decent but deserves so much more as the visuals and music haven't held up the best.

@N00BiSH
Here is the thing.
The remakes or remastered are optional choice, for anybody who prefer those games.
Nobody forced you to buy and play the remake or remastered games.
If you don't like, you can move on but by keep telling your complaints about remake / remastered trends will not change anything.
The developers will keep doing their agenda for remake / remastered, will not listen for trivial complaints from minority.

@FishyS The thing about new players not preferring old games is true but still kinda sad to think about. I'd say remakes don't take away from the original as long as the original is still commercially available in some way. In terms of film remakes I feel less critical of them because I don't feel like they're existing to be replacements in a way I do feel with games. Titanic '97 isn't a better version of Titanic '53. They're both very different films and that's to their benefit. It also helps that films are better preserved than games since they aren't limited.

@VoidofLight I won't fault you for preferring remakes but the idea that the original will still exist even with remakes around is flawed because they aren't always available. It's not going to change my opinion in that regard.

@Anti-Matter They're only optional if, again, the originals are still available which isn't always the case. I only kvetch about this because I want developers to reconsider their standards towards games preservation and not feel like they're just participating in an exercise of futility, which is essentially what all remakes are doing.

@N00BiSH You make a good point about availability.... and 'game preservation' is a huge piece when we consider the narrative around remakes etc.

So many games, including a huge portion of Nintendo's back catalogue, are 'locked' behind historic systems/consoles - with no other (legal) means of pursuing these entries. Pokemon Red/Blue still blow my mind in that you would require an original gameboy to play?

I understand Nintendo wanting to shut down emulation services that provide tools to play Ninendo IP... but equally, I wish Nintendo would look to port (or add to NSO?) a far broader range of titles than they do so already.

Or, in the case of Link's Awakening, full remakes/remasters are usually welcome

@CJD87 The Pokemon GB games were available via 3DS VC, at least.

Not that you can access those anymore.

My main gripe with remakes is it's just boring. I'd prefer preservation and easy availability of the original games in their original form so that newer generations can access them unaltered, and the energy going into remaking games to instead go into taking chances on more (financially) risky creative ideas and concepts.

@Ralizah Ah thanks my mistake... albeit the games are still (remarkably so!) elusive for the 'modern gamer'.

I wouldn't even be against Nintendo just putting them on the latest E-Shop and charging a small premium for digital ownership - they'd surely clean up with sales

@CJD87 tbh I wish they'd charge for digital ownership to begin with for NSO eshop games. They seem to think holding them hostage behind a subscription is more profitable, though.

Oh well. I own the ones they released on 3DS, as well as original cartridges, so I won't feel any guilt emulating them on my Steam Deck since they're unavailable otherwise.