Background information
The Legend of Heroes: the longest epic in gaming history
by Rainer Etzweiler
When does a remake or remaster become a rip-off?
30.9.2024
Translation: Katherine Martin
Remakes and remasters take video games out of the past and bring them into the present. But there’s a fine line between putting a welcome new spin on a title and creating a money-spinning scheme.
The never-ending wave of remakes often sparks debate: which games represent meaningful new takes on old software and which are sheer rip-offs?
Modernisation improves accessibility
Not everything was better in the good old days – especially not in the world of gaming. Still, the young medium’s made huge leaps in the last few decades – both in the realms of technology and user-friendliness. While players used to complain about fiddly controls or convoluted user interfaces, today’s gamers benefit from the industry’s numerous attempts at improvement.
It’s these very optimisations that bring games such as Age of Mythology Retold into the present, and prove old classics (with a few modifications) still make the cut today. Upgrades like these are sorely needed nowadays. When Age of Mythology Retold was announced, the trailer alone garnered over a million views and a whole bunch of enthusiastic comments.
The remake of Resident Evil 2 brought the survival horror classic into the modern age with similar success in a different genre. Tank controls and fixed camera angles were replaced by contemporary, third-person controls with a free-roaming camera.
It’s especially satisfying when remakes enhance the original gaming experience. In the remake of MediEvil for PS4, you can collect new items in the form of lost souls in the familiar game environment. If you find them all and complete the game, you unlock the original PS1 game. That’s the kind of reward I like to see in remakes. It means you can even run the original on new hardware if you want to.
When money takes centre stage
Although plenty of remade titles are good for more than just nostalgia, there’s a shady side to remakes too. In a business worth billions and backed by profit-driven shareholders, gamers’ wishes aren’t always taken into account.
The recently announced Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered doesn’t appear to have any additional content whatsoever. It remains to be seen whether a few cosmetic touch-ups and re-recorded dialogues will justify it. The game’s only seven years old and can be played on the PS5 without any issues.
Verdict: issues aside, remakes and remasters are a beautiful tradition
Lack of originality and profit being an obvious motivation give remakes and remasters a bad rep. However, I don’t think they’re fundamentally bad because of those factors. As a passionate proponent of video game entertainment, I think it’s wonderful when games are available to as wide an audience as possible.
The main strength of remasters lies in their accessibility and nostalgia. As long as money isn’t the only motivation behind a project, something great often comes out of it. In an already oversaturated market, however, it’s essential to take a critical look at remakes and remasters before buying them. Header image: Warner Bros. Games
Cassie Mammone
Freelance Editor
cassie.mammone.freelance@gmail.comI wrote my first text about video games when I was eight years old. I haven't been able to stop since. The rest of my time is spent on my love for 2D husbandos, monsters, my cats and sport.
Background information
Interesting facts about products, behind-the-scenes looks at manufacturers and deep-dives on interesting people.
Show all
