At what point does a game no longer need to be remade?

M

mortal

Banned
As much as I enjoy playing new IPs, I can also appreciate well realizied remakes of classic or beloved titles.
I can appreciate the passion and attention to detail that go into most remakes.

Although I have to wonder, at what point is a remake no longer necessary? At what point is a proper port more than enough?
Can any title be remade indefinitely, or is there a threshold where the defining elements of a title are lost through multiple remakes to better suit contemporary trends?
 
Concern said:
At GTA V
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haha sure, but that's only becuase it's the most recent AAA GTA on the market. GTA fans across the board are asking for remakes of GTA III, San Andres, Vice City, and GTA IV.
I'd argue in the next 10-15 years we'll be seeing the same for GTA V.

ReBurn said:
At the point where your old games just work on your new hardware.
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That's technically possible now, is it not? Still doesn't seem to lessen the demand for remakes.

Bragr said:
Last of Us and Dead Space. Completely pointless remakes.
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Yet many would disagree with you, especially about Dead Space.
 
remasters will probably become less and less viable as these systems are backward compatible but remakes are always going to have a place in the industry as they bring with them newer content and will be built on newer technology and design practices.
i see playstation bringing more of their ps3 titles as remasters to ps5 tho as they missed out on the backward compatibility train last gen and many of their customers haven't played those excellent ps3 exclusives but xbox has the play 4 generations of xbox games on series x|s slogan and doesn't need to do much of remastering their old games.
 
ok after we get Skyrim running on my toaster then I'll be happy. Some people want the Tamagotchi but the toaster is more important
 
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mortal said:
haha sure, but that's only becuase it's the most recent AAA GTA on the market. GTA fans across the board are asking for remakes of GTA III, San Andres, Vice City, and GTA IV.
I'd argue in the next 10-15 years we'll be seeing the same for GTA V
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But all those games except gta v are much old and aren't playable on the new consoles. They're just pushing 5 for the online cash cow imo.
 
I love remakes and remasters. I don't care if they are cheap cash ins either. I have thoroughly enjoyed all of the recent remakes I've played. I think it is great. I am even looking forward to GTAV since I never did finish playing it, I might give it a go. I'd much rather have a Red Dead Redemption RDR2 remaster though. I absolutely adore those two games.
 
LimanimaPT said:
Add Final Fantasy 7 to this list...
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Why FF VII? Ever since that FFVII Tech demo for PS3, there was no shortage of demand for a FF VII Remake.

Concern said:
But all those games except gta v are much old and aren't playable on the new consoles. They're just pushing 5 for the online cash cow imo.
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So is the relative age of a title enough to warrant a remake? Despite that, I've often seen people make arguments for why GTA San Andres or Vice City are better games than GTA V even.
With regards to not being available on a console, surely a port would solve that issue, no?
 
Captain Toad said:
I love remakes, if it's a game I love and would replay anyway. Give me the first Resident Evil completely remade every generation.
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Yes, but why?

I've no doubt you genuinely love the first Resident Evil game as you say, but what are you not getting from the experience that makes you desire a remake, rather than simply playing the game as it is?
 
A Remake?
I don't think there's a limit, but if nothing can be done then it's not worth Remaking.
But there's always something

Like people have said, Dead Space still looks good and plays good.
But evidently it can be better.
 
catvonpee said:
I love remakes and remasters. I don't care if they are cheap cash ins either. I have thoroughly enjoyed all of the recent remakes I've played. I think it is great. I am even looking forward to GTAV since I never did finish playing it, I might give it a go. I'd much rather have a Red Dead Redemption RDR2 remaster though. I absolutely adore those two games.
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I think you're conflating remaster with remake.
 
Realistically once graphics and overall tech reach such a level of diminishing returns where it no longer makes sense
 
funkygunther said:
Once it has RT
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RT?
GrayFoxPL said:
Once is perfect.
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Once sounds sensible enough. Although at that point what would justify a remake for you?

TGO said:
A Remake?
I don't think there's a limit, but if nothing can be done then it's not worth Remaking.
But there's always something
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No limit?
Don't you think there is a potential risk of the game becoming unrecognizable with enough changes in the visual presentation or even changes in the game design itself?

Like people have said, Dead Space still looks good and plays good.
But evidently it can be better.
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If it both looks good and plays good, then what can be better? What is still lacking in the original title?

Fbh said:
Realistically once graphics and overall tech reach such a level of diminishing returns where it no longer makes sense
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Realistically speaking, what does that look like?
 
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mortal said:
Yes, but why?

I've no doubt you genuinely love the first Resident Evil game as you say, but what are you not getting from the experience that makes you desire a remake, rather than simply playing the game as it is?
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Play Resident Evil 2 on PS1 and then on PS4.

That's why.
 
I think there's no point in remakes at all.

If you want to "modernize" a specific title its better to just reboot it altogether, make it a completely new game from the ground up kinda like they did with RE2 or Wolfenstein (though its preferable if they make the name sligthly different). And those can be made indefinitely since there's pratically no obligation to keep the same elements, only being a matter of how much interest there is on it.

I'm not a big fan of bluepoint style remakes where everything is kept absolutely the same except graphics and sound, they just feel off most of the time. Better to just port or fix the original for newer systems.
 
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mortal said:
Yes, but why?

I've no doubt you genuinely love the first Resident Evil game as you say, but what are you not getting from the experience that makes you desire a remake, rather than simply playing the game as it is?
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I imagine that it's less about shortcomings and more like when different people paint the same subject. There's a lot of room for interpretation and variation, and that can lead to a lot of exploration.

Specifically talking about RE1, the sort of game you could make now with RT and ~no loading times combined with the RE Engine's gameplay could be a brilliant game, and justifiable even though REmake exists. The atmosphere alone has the potential to be wonderful.
 
Captain Toad said:
Play Resident Evil 2 on PS1 and then on PS4.

That's why.
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So you prefer the 3rd person/ over-the-shoulder game design to the original? That's what I'm assuming.
It sounds like you enjoyed the setting and the characters more than the game design.

RE4 onward seems to have split the fanbase as there are Resident Evil fans that prefer the fixed camera + tank controls of the classic titles and consider the remakes to be far-removed.
 
Having timeless gameplay and visuals. Like Street Fighter II, Street Fighter III, Final Fight, Bubble Bobble or Windjammers.
 
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mortal said:
haha sure, but that's only becuase it's the most recent AAA GTA on the market. GTA fans across the board are asking for remakes of GTA III, San Andres, Vice City, and GTA IV.
I'd argue in the next 10-15 years we'll be seeing the same for GTA V.


That's technically possible now, is it not? Still doesn't seem to lessen the demand for remakes.


Yet many would disagree with you, especially about Dead Space.
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Yep dead space remake is day one
 
Concern said:
At GTA V
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This... Please. Also TLOU. It really does not need a remake, as good as the game was. I don't mind a quick and easy remaster between console generations.

But the remake culture for random games that don't need it, needs to stop. Demon's Souls is one of the few outliers as it defined a genre.
 
mortal said:
No limit?
Don't you think there is a potential risk of the game becoming unrecognizable with enough changes in the visual presentation or even changes in the game design itself?
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Then it's not longer a Remake 😉
 
Bragr said:
Last of Us and Dead Space. Completely pointless remakes.
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Not for me! Dead Space is amazing and I love that they are doing a remake. I just hope that it's as good as Demon's Soul was.

The Last of Us could be great if they use the engine of TLOU2 and plays like that in many ways. It's the right move. I don't know if anyone would want a 3rd for the time being. They should release the remake and wait until PS6 for a Part 3, in the meantime, Naughty Dog is in need of a new IP to reinvent themselves.
 
There is no "NEED" to remake games, and thus obviously there is no "NEED" to NOT remake games. This is a poor question to ask in general.

You should think about a better way to communicate what you want an answer to, because there is no good answer to this malformed question.
 
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mortal said:
So you prefer the 3rd person/ over-the-shoulder game design to the original? That's what I'm assuming.
It sounds like you enjoyed the setting and the characters more than the game design.

RE4 onward seems to have split the fanbase as there are Resident Evil fans that prefer the fixed camera + tank controls of the classic titles and consider the remakes to be far-removed.
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I like playing an original classic in an entirely new way with modern design.
 
Can't think of a damn thing I want remade as I want new games. Generally Inonly buy a remake if there was something really wrong with the original or I don't already own it.

Like diamond and pearl have 0 reason to be remade and they look worse to boot.

There are a few ps3 remasters i'd still want however seeing as how I don't own a ps3. But those games definitely don't need a full remake.
 
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EruditeHobo said:
There is no "NEED" to remake games, and thus obviously there is no "NEED" to NOT remake games. This is a poor question to ask in general.

You should think about a better way to communicate what you want an answer to, because there is no good answer to this malformed question.
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That's debatable, which is why I'm asking it in the first place. No one else seems to have any trouble understanding the gist of the question other than you.
 
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I think games as old as the PS2/GC/Xbox gen still hold up generally well even today and really only require Remasters. SNES/Genesis games are generally fine too.

NES era games were limited by the amount of buttons available so remaking a game from that era has potential, and games from the infancy of 3D (N64/PS1/etc.) look rough and control rather stiff, making remakes like the Resident Evil ones appealing.

Games like Dead Space getting a remake just doesn't make sense; that game still looks and plays great, and games haven't changed much from the 360/PS3 era.
 
I believe that some games age really badly and look terrible even when running them through an emulator with improvements. Im playing through the first Silent Hill and it looks pretty rough. While games like MegaMan Legends look fine with a couple of improvements through emulation.
 
When society no longer produces kids. Remakes are for the new generation of gamers that heard about X game when they were little.
 
When it's trying to live into a 3rd console generation.

Edit- remakes are good, remasters are bad.
 
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Probably never. I don't see the problem with it as long as they're solid titles. Gives a chance for people who never played the original a chance to, with upgraded graphics & features. It's not like the original's cease to exist on whatever platform they were available on.
 
The business answer is : when they stop selling. You want GTA VI sooner? Don't buy GTA V on PS 5/XBSX.


If everyone follows suit, you'll only see it again selling as new in a complete remake on PS7 /XB900seriesZ with smart npc AI, a smoother interactive control scheme, fully realised interiors of every building, full 4k 60fps visuals and remade missions to take advantage of the enhanced interactivity and AI capabilities.

Simples.
 
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Things balance themselves out. If the remake is unwarranted then it doesn't sell. If the remake truly makes or adds things people want then people buy the remake.
 
mortal said:
So is the relative age of a title enough to warrant a remake? Despite that, I've often seen people make arguments for why GTA San Andres or Vice City are better games than GTA V even.
With regards to not being available on a console, surely a port would solve that issue, no?
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not only that but its one thing. Obviously those games run on a very outdated engine too. The physics, shooting, driving are all very old compared to gta v and even gta iv.
 
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