Although it may seem that video game remakes and remasters are coming at a quicker pace than normal, the concepts behind them have been around for quite some time. Remakes likeResident Evil, released in 2002 for the GameCube, allowedShinji Mikamito expand on his original vision. This new title essentially eclipsed the original, all while setting the stage for the rest of the games the franchise would later release on the system. With the recent release ofThe Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD, Nintendo continues to showcase the importance of remasters and, in a way, remakes as well.
While there are certainly some questionable actions as to how Nintendo specifically handles certain aspects of their remasters—be it content locked behind amiibos that should be included for free in-game, or the price of the title itself—we can also appreciate the effort put into them. Consoles may be moving forward with greater backwards-compatibility capabilities, making the idea of remastering newer games a little bit more suspect, but the same can’t necessarily be said for titles from the PS3/360 generations and earlier. It’s been great for consumers to have the ability to easily play their favorite titles on the latest systems, and said remasters are also being used in a way to keep franchises in the public spotlight which may, in turn, easily prime them for becoming possible success stories in the years to come.
One of the lasting impacts of remasters, and their overall importance in the video game industry, can be seen in the longevity of those franchises. Recent years have seen a revitalization of a number of them thanks in part to a slate of remakes and remasters. Here’s a look at some standout examples:
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For years on the PS2 and PS3, theYakuzaseries quietly delivered games to its fans. With only its first title receiving a dub, the rest of the series would only be released with its original Japanese audio.Yakuza 5saw many difficulties surrounding getting the game localized, taking three years for it to be released outside of Japan. Things changed withYakuza 0, however, a prequel which opened the door as an easy access point for new players. With that, Sega and Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio then took a steadier approach to releasing remakes and improving player retention. They releasedYakuza 0,Yakuza Kiwami 1andYakuza Kiwami 2, both remakes of the first two titles, all within a year and a half.
TheYakuza Kiwamigames showed a great understanding of when it’s a good time for studios and publishers to remake and remaster certain titles. At the time of their releases, theKiwamiremakes would be 10 years and 11 years, respectively, since the original game’s releases. Sega most likely knew that to grab players' attention, remasters of decade-old games would only capture already existing fans of the franchise, rather than those looking to jump into the series through a remake. Their continued strategy would be to remaster the third, fourth and fifth entries in the franchise, finally allowing for Kazuma Kiryu’s entire journey to be playable on current-generation consoles. [Editor’s Note: Sega and Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio continued the trend with the franchise spin-offJudgment, remastered and released earlier this year, with the sequelLost Judgmentdue out this September.]
Crash Bandicoot
Another franchise from generations past that was given time to shine again wasCrash Bandicoot. Once a staple of the PlayStation brand,Crash’s appearances in recent years had been very minimal (outside of a cameo inUncharted 4: A Thief’s End).Crash’s return was even more surprising to see, as it was a release coming from Activision Blizzard, a publisher that would later releaseone of the more reviled remasters in recent memory,Warcraft III: Reforged.
TheCrash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, however, would end upselling extremely well, eventually releasing on all major platforms. This would pave the way for a remake two years later for the PS1 gameCrash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled. This is a great example of the revitalization of the franchise through renewed interest in the original titles allowing for all the major mainline titles being available on current generation consoles. Because of this,Crashseemed prime for a strong return, and that’s what fans got withCrash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Timein 2020, the first game for consoles in the series in 12 years. [Editor’s Note:Crash 4crashed onto next-gen consoles and PCs earlier this year. The world-famous Bandicoot and his pals also took to mobile devices withCrash Bandicoot: On the Run!]
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Kingdom Hearts
When it comes to ease of access,Kingdom Heartshas been Square Enix’s shining jewel for remasters. The1.5 + 2.5collections debuted seperately on PS3, but a new PS4 port combined the two releases, as they now featured smooth 60fps and 4K visuals. These were made easily available at an important time in the franchise’s life, about two years before the release ofKingdom Hearts III. This allowed for new and returning players to spend some time with Sora, Donald, and Goofy before their latest adventure.
For a series that has gotten so much flack for having multiple canon games across various different platforms, Square Enix has done a good job of being able to keep the series in people’s minds with great releases like this. It hasn’t always been easy for them though, as they’ve had troubles in the past in maintaining original visual style with certainFinal Fantasyremasters. However, they look to be remedying that with their latestPixel Remastersfor the series, the first three of which will be released on July 28.
Devil May Cry
An important aspect that companies might take into consideration when remastering or remaking older titles is the idea of keeping certain games and franchises in the public consciousness. A great example of this isDevil May Cry. With four entries in the mainline series, the series has been repackaged together multiple times and across multiple generations. This turned out to be the right decision. WhenDevil May Cry 5was announced at E3 2018, those wanting to jump into the franchise for the first time had an easily available solution in the form of the HD collection. This collection came about four years afterDevil May Cry 4, and was re-released on current generation consoles about a year beforeDevil May Cry 5, which would become the series best-selling entry in the series. Whether this was because of the collections or not remains to be seen, but there was no doubt renewed interest from YouTubers and the like looking to get a better understanding of the series before it returned.
There have been some examples of titles not taking off in the way fans might have been hoping, however. Though Capcom saw increased interest for theDevil May Cry HD Collection, as well as theirPhoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogyrelease, the same couldn’t be said for theOnimushaseries. Two years have passed since the remaster of the first game,Onimusha: Warlords, released back in January of 2019, and there’s been no word on more entries in the franchise receiving the remastered treatment.
When it comes to remasters and remakes, more often than not it feels like companies like Nintendo zero in on releases for titles that are most likely guaranteed to sell well. However, this could, of course, just be the nature of most titles selling better on the Switch than other consoles. This idea manifests into releases from big franchises such as theSuper Mario 3D All-Starspack. There’s also the tactic of essentially “rescuing” games from systems that not many people bought, likeDonkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, as well as a number of other titles that were stuck on the Wii U.
Although there are hits like the aforementionedDevil May Cry 5, rarely does there seem to be a success on the scale of a game such asNieR Automata. The worldwide success was a sequel in and of itself, the second entry in theNieRfranchise which spun off from theDrakengardseries (which didn’t sell well and hadmixed-to-positive reviews at best).Automata’s predecessor didn’t receive a remaster and yet became a cult classic and a worthwhile accomplishment. [Editor’s Note: The originalNieRdid, however, get a remake this year asNier Replicant ver.1.22474487139…,selling 1 million copies, double that of the original title].
Although backwards compatibility across all past platforms is ideal, that continues to be a pipe dream. The reality that gamers are met with is instead remasters and remakes. In a way, it’s a win for both consumers and publishers. Better than nothing, as more often than not said games make great strides in improving and preserving the original titles they’re drawing from. This tactic also definitely seems like the safer route that studios can take when trying to reintroduce dormant franchises back into the world, and in the long run fans of those series can hope for continued success.
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