Posts Tagged ‘remake’
Podcast: Re-Release, Remaster, Remake, and Reboot
Fred and Jam have finally returned for a proper retro episode of Gaming History 101. This time the topic is all about how to update a game: Re-Release, Remaster, Remake, and Reboot.
Closing Song: Never Return Alive – Streets of Rage Remake Soundtrack
Jam’s Dream List for the Resident Evil 2 Remake
Capcom really has been trying to do a make good with its long term fans even if that make good is them just re-releasing all their old games. With the recently released Devil May Cry 4 HD Remaster, Mega Man Legacy collection, and heck there is even talk the Onimusha series might make a comeback (yes please), Capcom has now pulled a Final Fantasy 7 announcement and revealed that it’s remaking Resident Evil 2. Arguably one of my favourite games of all time, this is the title that got me hooked to the series back on the original Playstation. I’m certainly excited for the project and this article covers what I’d like to see from the release. Keep in mind a lot of this “wish list” is completely barmy and probably won’t happen but hey one can dream.
Resident Evil 2 Remake Ends Fan Made Remake, Happy Ending Ensues
Ever since the recent announcement from Capcom that a Resident Evil 2 remake is incoming, we here at GH101 have been wondering what will become of the ongoing development of a fan made remake. It was revealed yesterday by PC Gamer that Capcom has officially send a cease and desist (C&D) order to those developers halting the project. On the plus side, it seems everyone wins in this situation unless you were planning on playing the Unreal 4 developed project as it entered completion this summer. The team working on that project have announced that its ultimate goal was to have Capcom proper release a remake and furthermore that Capcom is meeting with them to discuss this development. It’s possible the team could be brought in as consultants or even contractors to work on whatever this remake will be, which I am certain is barely in the planning stages.
Fred’s Take: I’m always cautious with remakes (as opposed to remasters, which often take the original game and upres or upscale the assets) because by definition changes and creative liberties will be made. It could go either way, but the feedback I keep hearing from contemporary games press is that most hope to thwart tank controls, ink ribbons, and possibly even the static camera perspective (opting possibly for the forward thinking over-the-shoulder cam started in Resident Evil 4). As an avid fan of those early games, I think that all three of those aspects should still be included and you can easily overcome the tank controls by offering the modern controls found in Resident Evil HD Remaster. It does appear, however, that given the fact that the fan remake was using the over-the-shoulder cam and given the current landscape of games (not to mention the term “remake”) that we very well may lose those static angles I covet so much. Who knows what the overall changes will be and I will most assuredly play whatever this becomes when it finally sees the light of day sometime in the next 2-3 years. I also dream of a world where two teams make an old school and new school version of the same game, utilizing the features of both, but I can’t possibly see how that’s an effective development cycle.
Capcom Announces Resident Evil 2 Remake
So I get this e-mail about an hour ago from Capcom that says to check out the video above. I tried to hide my excitement as I read the name of the video: Resident Evil 2 Remake – Special Message From Producer “H”. Yep, it’s official, Capcom is remaking the beloved sequel, Resident Evil 2 and fresh on the heels of the nearly complete fan remake. What a predicament. On one hand I really like the RE4 style that the fan remake offers and here’s hoping a C&D (Cease & Desist Order) doesn’t show up in that team’s inbox until at least a few days after the release allowing myself and many other fans to grab it for legacy. On the other hand, I really would like to see what the team at Capcom can do with this project since we (myself and Jam) still love the Resident Evil franchise, adored the HD Remaster (and by proxy the original REmake), and the fact that I was rather disappointed in the efforts of both the main franchise and the Revelations series to date. They were okay, but not what I desired in the original four games’ veins. This also hopefully means it’ll be only a matter of time before we get the Remake treatment to Resident Evil 3 and then I think it’s safe to say I’m all out of things I want from this franchise. The video clearly states that development was just greenlit, which means this game will probably release alongside Bloodstained and Shenmue III in 2017 or later, but what the hell, we can wait.
Special thanks to Michael (@deadpoolprime) for the heads up. My press contacts already gave me access to the video, but I hadn’t looked at it yet and he reminded me that when I get a message to watch a special video, I should probably take the sliver of time to give it an immediate gander.
Resident Evil HD Remaster Review
Fred’s Take
After long last it appears that Resident Evil, specifically the Gamecube remake from 2002, is making a widespread appearance on modern consoles complete with increased resolution, performance, and controls. This is significant because the number of people who owned a Gamecube was relatively small and the Wii port had such a limited print run it was a bit difficult to find. Not only that, but at 12 years old, the game itself has plenty of dated setbacks that most gamers I talk to refuse to put up with. Thankfully this new version is digital only (no need to hunt down copies), adapted for today, and relatively inexpensive ($19.99 on all platforms). With all the tweaks made to this game it is so close to being worth the money I can’t see any fan of horror games or the original series not wanting to pick up this new version. Besides, it’s January, what else is coming out?
If you played the original to death – and pretty much anyone who owned the game back in 1996 did as we waited two whole years for the sequel – it’s a pretty rudimentary journey at this point. You know where everything is, you probably know most of the tricks, you don’t need to save often, and your completion time will be somewhere in the 3-6 hour mark. On the other hand, the limited release of this game and the cumbersome systems it can be found on means that you probably aren’t that familiar with it. This is no graphical coat of paint over the original design, it’s a brand new experience. The mansion’s layout has been changed, most of the puzzles are different, there are new enemies, and everything is scattered in completely different places. That doesn’t mean that experts of the original can’t jump in and easily conquer this title from start to finish, but it’s going to take you some time. Even more impressive is the fact that despite me completing the original at least once a year since it released, this version was able to get some tense and great jump scare moments out of me along the way. It’s a new Resident Evil and it’s worth replaying.
Review: Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara
Originally hitting arcades back in 1993, Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom was quite the oddity. It prominently featured gameplay similar to that of its other brawler brethren, specifically the combat system of Final Fight mixed with the license quality of titles like The Simpsons, but also with the added benefit of being part of the complex D&D story. Not only was the game addictive but mild RPG elements, power-ups, and branching paths that had you etching a unique campaign were almost unheard of in arcades. Unfortunately this gameplay style and a long branching campaign required two important things: time and money. It probably costs somewhere between $5-$10 in quarters to conquer the first game, and probably twice that to take on the sequel Shadow Over Mystara and at least an hour of your time. As it stood, I never completed this game as a child, either due to lack of time or money, and I always wondered how fun it would be to have this title at home. Well finally Capcom has decided to bring this classic arcade duo in digital format and finally give free rein to a pair of arcade games that are among my favorite of all time.
Revisionist History
March 16, 2010 was an important day for Playstation manufacturer and video game publisher Sony Computer Entertainment. It marked the release of God of War III, a technological stunner that promised to be every bit as fun as it was beautiful. Not only was God of War significant for being the third in the series (and subsequent end to the second title’s cliffhanger), but it was to be the first outing for Kratos on the Playstation 3 console. God of War II had been slated for the PS3 at one point in development, but Sony opted to keep the title on PS2, marking it as one of the best titles on that console and a fitting end to usher in the PS3. There was just one big problem.
Starting in November, 2007, the Playstation 3 consoles had removed backwards compatibility with Playstation 2 titles, rendering them unable to play God of War or God of War II. When the decision was made to put God of War II on PS2, it was always thought that new PS3 buyers would be able to use this feature to replay the previous titles. In an era where storylines are significant and a series like God of War required you to know the storyline of the previous titles to understand the current one, Sony was in trouble. Fortunately a long rumored concept ended up coming to pass – a high definition remake of the first two games on one PS3 compatible blu ray, and at half the price of a contemporary release. In November of 2009 the God of War Collection was released to masses, an impressive appetizer to the third iteration, which still loomed more than four months away. Not only that, but it was a great deal, amassing an impressive 1 million+ sales to date and a solid holiday season. Not bad for two titles that had released a generation ago. At $30 apiece gamers (myself included) ate it up and IGN’s Chris Roper even declared it the “definitive way to play the game” (guessing he meant games) in his review.
Gaming History 101 