I get what the article was saying. Too many remakes or remasters can be annoying. This isn't a problem isolated to Games. You see this all the time with movies, books, and music. I am fine with it. Who doesn't like going back to an old game with added content or updated graphics? There are reasons why that game was so popular in the first place. It can also be an easier way for companies to make money to make up for the risks they do end up taking that don't always pay out.
The writer obviously doesn't like games from the OG Xbox/PS2 era, and that's fair enough as everyone's got their own tastes, but that's barely even scratching the surface of retro. There's practically a whole three decades of older games and, again while tastes are going to vary, there'll be a fair few of them that still stand up.
Also, the idea that there's a huge amount of resources being diverted from developing new games is just plain wrong. The people bringing us retro games are almost entirely distinct, with very different skillsets and working on far shorter timescales and in much smaller teams. I doubt the Xbox backwards compatibility team could have made a lot of new games instead, for instance, and they're just coders. All the people in the industry capable of designing new games, creating graphics, making music, etc. are generally doing just that.
The problem with remaking The Last of Us doesn't have anything to do with retro, either. Rather, there's just a question mark over whether a game that's barely nine years old and already runs fine on a PS5 with enhancements over the PS4 version. Personally, I'm not fussed and it'll probably sell a boatload because there's a lot of interest in the franchise.
Similarly, Starfield is a brand new game and the complaints that it's similar to the earlier (and also not terribly retro) Skyrim are more to do with Bethesda having a lack of new ideas, and concerns that most of what they've put out since it have been rather half baked. Starting from a clean slate and not bringing anything forward wouldn't help, because that's not what people are worried about.
@Matt_Barber
Agree 100% with what you said.
This was a terrible article and was clearly written by someone who doesn't understand the industry.
Take the remake of Xenoblade Chronicles on Switch for instance. It was made by a B-team within Monolith, not the core team. It had no impact on the development of XC3 whatsoever. XCDE was also very well received and made lots of QoL improvements to the original on top of much better graphics.
Who can be against that?
After actually reading the article, which I suspect other's won't have. And frankly I would suggest they probably don't either given how horrible that site is set out with auto-playing video ads. I don't think the article actually says much at all. I don't think it's even really saying what the title says
I mean the argument is basically remakes/remasters/rereleases are bad because they diverts resources away from more interesting projects. Which sounds like a reasonable point if you look at it trivially but kinda falls apart when you stop and think about it. Lets make it kinda simple here, what is the most limited resource for a game developer? What is the one thing that stops them more than anything else from making 100 games a year? Money. No question about it. The more profitable game developer is, the more risks they are able to take on side projects
I mean think about Nintendo. Do you really think there's a shortage of talent that would like to work at Nintendo? Do you think that there is a limit to how many games they can physically or digitally distribute in a year? I mean there's probably a limit to how many games people will pay attention to if you flooded the market but do you think we're consistently at that limit? I'd say no to all of those things. But, is there a limit to how much money they could dump into games? I'd say yes
And you know what safe bets for releases are? Money printing machines. They make a fair return for a relatively low investment. And the more money they have, the more games they can make. So no, I don't think "retro games are a waste of everyone's time/money". Quite the opposite. These games are a way to MAKE money, these games are the reason why some of these game devs are still going
And as a side note. Nintendo rehashing Zelda and Mario endlessly? I mean come on. Lazy take. Sure there have been a fair few remasters lately but I would argue that for the most part Mario and Zelda games are always pretty unique releases. Other than the name "Super Mario ___" and the fact that they're 3D platformers what do Super Mario Odyssey, Super Mario 3D World, Super Mario Galaxy, Super Mario Sunshine and Super Mario 64 have in common? Not a whole lot I'd argue
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After actually reading the article, which I suspect other's won't have.
Why assume none of us actually read the article? If you read my previous comment you'd have noticed I actually did, because I basically said the same thing as you regarding remakes.
All videogames retro or otherwise are a waste of everyone's time and money but if you're having fun and still making time for the important stuff besides videogames who cares? Heck the same could be said for any form of entertainment that costs money.
I get what the article was saying. Too many remakes or remasters can be annoying. This isn't a problem isolated to Games. You see this all the time with movies, books, and music. I am fine with it. Who doesn't like going back to an old game with added content or updated graphics?
There's a difference though.
When games are remade, they usually retain the same story and animation models, just with updated graphics. When movies are remade... well, they might as well be an entirely different movie. Spider-Man "Remaster" for the PS5 would be one of those minor exceptions. Ugh. Don't tell me Spider-Man 2 PS5 is going to stick with that actor from now on... I like the PS4 actor.
That said, I think there's an importance to remastering games. It might come as a surprise to you, but a lot of us never grew up with the N64, or the PSX, or even the PS2 (especially in Singapore, where such old American/Japanese consoles are hard to come by in the first place). So I think that remastering games offer a great way for new gamers to experience older titles with updated graphics. I might very well play my first FF game now that FFVII is remastered. And let's not forget - a lot of older JRPGs have never been localized in English format, meaning a lot of SMT games have still never seen the light of day (shameless plug: PSX version of SMT 1 fan translation has been released!).
And I guess by that logic, there is a certain argument to be made about remaking movies for a younger generation who doesn't care for black and white films lacking in shiny color. I know I'm a hypocrite for disliking remade movies but liking remade/remastered games, but I guess it's because my first love has always been movies over video games or other entertainment mediums, and I have a certain appreciation for the medium of movies that I could appreciate black and white films without getting bored. I couldn't do the same for 16 bit games, however; I like my shiny graphics in video games. It feels more realistic and therefore immersive, like I'm looking at the real world (something you don't even need to imagine anyway in movies with real actors).
I was excited to put in some of my old OG Xbox discs and see how they looked and… I wish I hadn’t because it killed my sense of nostalgia over them. In short, they looked terrible and, in general, they played worse, even with enhancements.
This is where I stopped taking it seriously. 'Retro games are mostly enjoyed for nostalgia, except my nostalgia is dead because the graphics are bad!'
Of course the graphics are dated, we're talking like 15-20 years of reversion in terms of the technology.
But besides all that, the writer misses a key point. Older games being sought out isn't the cause of publishers taking fewer risks, it's the effect. People want to go back to the games that pushed creativity and more daring narratives because they're bored of the samey ***** that overpromises and underdelivers.
Hang on to your youthful enthusiasms - you'll be able to use them better when you're older.
But besides all that, the writer misses a key point. Older games being sought out isn't the cause of publishers taking fewer risks, it's the effect. People want to go back to the games that pushed creativity and more daring narratives because they're bored of the samey ***** that overpromises and underdelivers.
This so much. And it's not just games either, but also movies and anime. The entertainment industry - be it the west like America or the east like Japan - seems to have a lazy mentality these days to push easily "appealing" (appealing on a superficial level) shiny graphics without bothering to do the hard work of creating substance beneath that hollow layer. Style over substance, people - it's an expression that's still relevant today because of lazy, apathetic Hollywood producers/game developers like these that lacks the artistic spirit of ingenuity and innovation.
Yeah, I get it, movies/games have always been intended to make money. I've heard the line. But why is it that I get the feeling that creators decades ago actually gave a crap about the products they make, like it's their baby? I feel like corporations today are sucking out the soul of the retro game/older movies because they're spoiled. Game development has never been easier with the technology available to them today, so why bother stressing yourself out in a basement trying to figure out how to make Pong appealing? You don't. Everything's handed to you by the corporation nowadays. "Just throw more microtransactions, people. You can do it. I believe in you." - EA/Activision/Ubisoft/Blizzard
And the agendas. Oh god, the agendas. That's a can of worms better not opened, but look - I'm all for social equality and all that jazz, but let's face it, it's a buzzword meant to make money. They don't care about your civil rights; it's always been about the bottom dollar. Your "social justice" is their latest marketing scheme. It's not even about telling a good story anymore, but picking out the best buzzwords to rake in that crowd from social media.
Although I agree what most is said, I do see this focus on remakes and safe best as a long term treat to gaming..More and more i switch of eurogamee since most gaming seems to be restepping the same games again and again... (or being a monitized scheme which is even worse)... Gaming used at least be able to hide old ideas between new graphics and themes, but the Ps5 generation seems to be almost all without new ideas... And half of nintendo's production also consists of remakes, even though i agree that the 'battle for resourses' is far to simplistic a frame...
It’s your money, it’s your time, did you like it? Did you Enjoy it? Did you get some sort of satisfaction? Do you regret it? It’s your time and your money, you decide if it’s worth it or not.
@romanista When the PS5 got revealed it felt weirdly old already, and without new ideas because all it is is a powered up PS4 with a new coat of paint.
@Kermit1 It's a shame. I used to put the Playstation on a pedestal because they were all about innovating gameplay in ways that could compete with Nintendo. Their Playstation exclusives back then all felt so unique and stood out from your usual AAA action games like Battlefield. I know Heavy Rain isn't everyone's cup of tea for example, but I loved it for its interactive storytelling that led to my favorite sci-fi game of all time, Detroit: Become Human.
The PSP/PS Vita, adding Playstation-level graphics on a handheld console, were easily more appealing to me than a DS/3DS back then, especially with their collection of localized visual novels (and PS Vita versions of older visual novels, adding additional content to the port). I was amazed how someone could create a game with that level of graphic on a handheld console when I've been playing pixelated Gameboy games all my life. I was even more amazed when I heard that you could literally play movies and music on the PSP/Vita, rendering your smartphone redundant as a handheld entertainment platform since the PSP/Vita have a bigger screen for playing movies. The PSP/Vita innovation showed what Sony could really do to bring entertainment to the average person far better than Microsoft's XBox Kinect gimmicks.
Today, however, Sony is a shell of its former self, unfortunately.
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Topic: Are Retro Games a waste of everyone's time and money?
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