HD Remakes - Good or Bad?

A short article on the recent trend of HD remakes.

[Marcello]

Great idea if the graphics are updated & maybe a few things added but wat makes Ubisoft think BG&E is gonna sell now whilst it didnt when it was first released ??

I would scream like a giddy school girl if Capcom annouced a RE4 HD rls but it seems were only getting HD remakes of games were not asking for except ICO. It just seems that lately devs arent listening to gamers. Where`s the HD remake`s of Final Fantasy, Metal Gear Solid or Resident Evil ?? thats wat we really want right ??

[Joni-Ice]

Good or Bad? It depends on the game.

[Bigpappy]

That is exactly the reason it will sell this time around (There are a lot of people out there who never got to play it). Whats more, it is a great game with varied gameplay. BGE is a very unique game which makes it perfect for this type of remake. It is not a short monotonous liner game. They did a lot of different genre in one game, and most of it was done really well. It is difficult to get bored, unless you are the type of person who only enjoy fast pace action games. The thing is BGE even has some of that. What will really help BGE to get alot more sales on XBLA than it did on 360, it that people will get to try it before they buy this time around, and that they do not have to leave home to make the pruchase.

A unique series that I thing will also do well on on XBLA is the Oddworld series from PS1 that never made it to Xbox.

[Saladfax]

BGE also has a pretty solid cult following. Most folks who play it have the reaction, "Wow, I never realized how good this game was."

Hopefully, a little more interest in the game will speed along the slow development of BGE2. They say they're still working on it, but it sounds like the team if *very* small at the moment.

[Blaze929]

it's a good idea until 3rd party studios start whoring it. Ubisoft is already leading the path to destruction.

It's a good idea like the God of War collection if you want to reintroduce an IP to current gen console owners who didn't get a chance to play the games last gen in preparation for a new sequel, which in their case was God of War 3.

But collections like the Prince of Persia trilogy, Splinter Cell, etc. which have nothing to do with nothing or any upcoming sequels since Prince of Persia and Splinter Cell has since long been active this gen, is just pointless.

Isn't long before EA steps their foot into this. Or....ulgh, Activision.

I say, as long as these companies do not forgot it's new IPs and sequels that matter, they can do what they want. But if this is their answer to making a quick buck since everyone is scared of new IPs now adays, then kick rocks.

[ABizzel1]

Good idea if the games were great games such as GOW Collection, Sly Collection, and ICO Shadow Collection. Bad idea once everyone tries to cash in on their tired franchises.

[Ducky]

Yea, I'm kinda torn between the idea.
The cynic in me says I'm just buying games I already own but can't use due to no BW-compatibility so I'm being ripped off by rebuying them.
The other part says 'STFU and quit being a cheap mofo'. =/

I'm not sure what the whole converting-to-HD process is, but if it's something painless and easy, then it would be nice to have some publishers include prequels on the same blu-ray as new sequels. It's done before.

[plb]

Still don't understand why the hd remake of tomb raider. I'd understand if it was the earlier ones on ps1 but not the ones they chose.

[MysticStrummer]

Yeah I can't believe they actually called that the Tomb Raider Trilogy. First three TRs > those three TRs... by a mile.

[sjaakiejj]

Hope we get an HD remake of Final Fantasy X, would love that! Not counting on it though :(

[despair]

Good, I got GOW collection and Sly collection and they are some of the best games out there even today. I will be getting the POP collection and ICO/Shadow one as well, not to mention DL'ing Beyond Good and Evil and Strangers Wrath. So yea they are a good thing

[TheTruth89]

good

[palaeomerus]

I resent being enticed to rebuy games I already own, especially after PS3 threw away their backward compatibility option and MS abandoned further work on their own.

BUT, if people will buy HD remakes, and they keep people working in development, publishing, and retail, and they easily boost revenue at low costs, then it's pretty hard to argue against them. I guess they'd be pretty valuable to budget gamers.

[despair]

its all about choice, people want the option which was made evident by the high sales of the GOW Collection. But I understand where you're coming from, still it lets me feel better about selling my PS2 a few years back with all the the games(well almost all, kept my MGS and KH games)

[gta_manic]

easy money for developers and classic games for us

[dredgewalker]

Waiting impatiently for the Ico collection! Kojima better make Snake Eater into an hd version cause it's the best Metal Gear I've ever played! I don't have a problem with hd remakes as long as they only put out the best games that I played on the PS2.

[Father Murder X]

Really it depends on whether or not its for the Ps3. If its a Sony/PS3 HD remake its the greatest thing in the world. If its a Microsoft/360 HD remake then something is being milked (ie possible HD remake of Halo: CE)

Just saying........................

[plb]

I think most (360/Sony fans) people concur Halo CE was a good game..they've just gone down hill since then.

[MysticStrummer]

Great

[Kakihara]

All I know is the Ico collection is probably my most anticipated game of the first half of the year (just ahead of LA noire).

[Jdoki]

Fantastic idea.

What many 'old' gamers fail to remember is that there are a lot of people who are new to gaming, and 360 / PS3 might be their first console. So having access to HD remakes is great.

In many cases the graphics in some of the older classics look really poor by today's standards - so getting an HD refresh is a good idea.

Plus, although I have God of War 1 and 2, and an old PS2. The chance to play them with much better graphics is really appealing (and gives me opportunity to sell my old PS2 games)

[dredgewalker]

Got the GOW collection even if I already have the PS2 versions and it was worth it. I wouldn't dare give up my PS2 cause there are a lot of games I love that I know will not get the hd treatment like Robot Alchemic Drive.

[thebudgetgamer]

i like the idea of hd remakes, but i also have three versions of escape from ny and i recently bought the beatles remastered collection.

[Darkfiber]

The idea is good but now everyone is just trying to cash in by releasing every mediocre PS2 game they can think of. Not saying that some haven't been good, but some of the upcoming ones they've announced, like, honestly, who cares about those games anymore? And who is going to pay $40+ for them? I'm sure Sony planned this long ago when they got rid of backwards compatibility. Seems like a really shady business practice. "Hey guys, let's remove a feature from our consoles so we can release games that people aren't able to play anymore and charge full price for them!" Bleh.

[Saladfax]

Eh, it's a decent theory, but there's plenty of people who still have their bloody PS2's laying around, so HD remakes aren't really that big of a deal. In addition, it'd be different if they made no changes or improvements. Sure, HD is a small addition, but it's better than just a repackaged nothing.

[ElementX]

Maybe this muppetclan from the UK should think of something original to write about instead of being muppets.

[Robearboy]

I have mixed feelings regarding HD Remakes, they are good in the sense that you can play timeless classics looking nice and beefed up, but i also feel that the time utilised in making these could be better spent making new IP's and expanding this gens catalogue.
I guess tho that with the development costs for games these days, the companies need to do this to generate revenue in order to make new games.

[Raven_Nomad]

I think it shows how out of ideas and how much these companies care about money.
There is rarely a HD remake or update I care about. To me, we should already be able to play last generation games via backwards compatibility. I bought the games once, that should be enough.

There are a few exceptions of course.

[Redempteur]

good if the game recieve an upgrade
or if it's to revive a dead franchise before a sequel

[Sharingan_no_Kakashi]

There good. same great games just in HD.....and with trophies. Kingdom hearts and jak collection can't come soon enough.

[DigitalRaptor]

If they are well produced and offer good value to the consumer, then it's a brilliant idea. They also offer people a second chance to experience a game they might have missed in enhanced form.

Why does this question keep being asked? I swear there's already been an article about this on N4G.

[nikola987]

BGE and Psychonauts are my favorite games.. :]

[maniac76]

well games on consoles suffer from bad framerates and those dreadful jaggie lines that make the game look unfinished,so hd remakes or upscales are worth it. just look how good the current upscales of last gen consoles,like gow or prince of persia