HD Remakes


Opinion


Video game HD remakes; The power of memories.
By Josiah Sapp


Remakes make the gaming industry go round. It’s like their bread and butter. If a game was popular back in the day, it more than likely has a remaster, remake or HD release. Those terms are interchangeable and they essentially mean the same thing but one thing is for sure, when a remake gets announced the fans go nuts.

At 2017’s Electronics Entertainment Expo (E3) a remake of Team Ico’s classic hit, Shadow of Colossus, was announced and a trailer was even shown. Fans lost their minds. The original was released in October of 2005 for the Playstation 2 and nothing like it had come out but this time around there are already games that are similar. God of War, The Last Guardian, and even Uncharted 4 has elements that are pulled from Shadow of Colossus. The question is, what makes this remake (and remakes in general) so special? Our memories do.

Gamers long to experience their favorite game for the first time again and again. They want to complete that difficult dungeon, discover the hidden secrets, and to be the hero all while experiencing it for the first time. Unfortunately, once you’ve played a game or discovered everything it has to offer, it’s done. Game developers want to capitalize on this desire to experience a game for the first time by making an HD remaster or remake. With those re-releases of favorite games, typically comes a new gaming console to accompany it.



Most HD remakes are caused due to the start of a new console generation. Nintendo releases a critically acclaimed remake each time a new console rolls out. Resident Evil 4 had an exclusive deal with the Gamecube at first but due to it’s sheer popularity it was eventually released on PS2, Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, WiiU, PS4, Xbox One and even on phones! That should tell you how great the game was but also how quick Nintendo and Capcom are to cash in on a game. Most main title Mario or Zelda games get remakes for the current consoles all with impressive sales even though fans have already bought and beaten those games.

We can use the world of cinema as an example of how things can go for the gaming industry. We live in an age of movie sequels and remakes but they keep getting made because they keep turning a profit. Games are the same. If there’s a profit to be made, there will be a remake of that profitable title. One thing is for sure, if there’s a fanbase for a game there’s already talks about a remake.


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