I guess we doing Remasters now
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind remakes and remasters. They can be seen as cynical cash grabs but at worst they’re a necessary evil and at best they’re actually great ways to reinvest in old classics that through obscurity or older hardware are not available any more. Recently though, they’re kind of taking the piss a little.
You can point a finger at the likes of Resident Evil 4 or Skyrim being on every iteration of console but there’s some leeway given to the classics – contemporary or otherwise. Sony’s The Last of Us is oft heralded as the perfect example of this problem.
Originally released on the PS3 in 2013, it received a DLC in the form of Left Behind and was generally considered a PS3 swansong. Given the lack of backwards compatibility on the PS4 and the critical reception of The Last of Us, it would be silly to not bring it over with the DLC. I vaguely remember it being frowned upon slightly then but more in the sense of why didn’t they just wait for the game (Probably for the double release, in retrospective). The multiplayer aspect of the game being brought over to the newer console made things more tenable. Fast forward to 2022 and Sony announce The Last of Us Part 1. Bringing the game into the naming scheme of the sequel (Part 2), making it all pretty and whatnot… dropping the multiplayer and charging full price for it. Dropping MP was already rough (Factions had a very loyal fan base) but this was the second time the game would receive a remaster in 10 years and the second time on a console that could already play it. The series wouldn’t escape criticism when Part 2 also received a PS5 version. They don’t even have a cohesive naming scheme! You could have Part 1 and Part 2 on PS5, but instead you have Part 2 Remastered so they don’t even look good on a shelf!
Sony are guilty of this in other ways too, the “Director’s Cut” comes to mind – there’s been two so far though admittedly they’re perhaps less egregious. Ghost of Tsushima on PS5 does come with the Iki Island expansion alongside native Japanese voice syncing and while Death Stranding didn’t get DLC as such, it did get expanded scenes. Horizon would ruin the trend by just being called Remastered, offering DLC and visual improvements to keep it up to par with Forbidden West.
One that didn’t make too many waves despite being something that should have absolutely have was the Life is Strange remasters. The original game and its prequel game – Before the Storm released on PS4/XONE in 2015 and 2017 respectively. They would then get “Remasters” on the SAME PLATFORM in 2022. I think they definitely look different but I don’t know if they look any better (or worse) – the art style doesn’t really lend itself to straight improvement.
I understand the rereleasing of what are effectively Game of the Year editions with some extra goodies but these are coming out at premium new release prices on the same console you could already play the content on. PS3 to PS4, I get. PS4 to PS5 is bizarre. Yet here’s the kicker. We’re all looking for the person who did this. It’s me, despite my complaining I own every original and advance version mentioned on this list. I probably bought most if not all full price too. I can’t even say I’ve learnt the error of my ways either. The thing that inspired this article were two separate rumours regarding remakes, of Dark Souls 3 and Batman: Arkham Asylum. Arkham Asylum got a remaster on PS4 and Dark Souls 3 released natively on PS4 to begin with. The thing is? If either or both of these are true, I’ll be there day one because I love both of those games.
Does that make me an addict? Identifying the problem but continuing anyways? I can scream from the top of the mountains about how I don’t like the trend but it means nothing if I’m supporting it with cash. The way I rationalise to myself is that the games industry does not lie on my shoulders. If Ididn’t buy them, they’d still make them for the millions of others who would. In the end, why should I miss out on the shiny new version of the thing I like?
It’s not all doom and gloom, there’s still plenty of fresh IP and even just sequels that move the needle to new heights - You can see what I’m looking forward to in my end of year articles. Once again, not all remasters are bad – couple of examples from this year: Shadows of the Damned and Lollipop Chainsaw – cult classics locked to PS3/360 (Save for Xbox Back Compatibility if you actually own the discs). Who am I to complain about what you choose to play anyways? If you want to play the same game once a generation, maybe even twice? Fill your boots… it’s not like they’ll be stopping any time soon.
