Reimplementations and "HD" remakes

[Flamekebab]

I'm not really sure how to turn this into a discussion topic without forcing it but I thought I'd share something that I (mostly) like in modern gaming. Many classic games have become significantly more portable through reimplementations. The big example being, of course, ScummVM. I've not actually used ScummVM all that much but I'm always amazed when I look at its download list. I don't even know what a "Tizen" package is! (Turns out it's some variant of Linux, I found myself compelled to check)

What I have used is ResidualVM (a play on "Residue" as the engine it primarily reimplements is the GrimE engine). Being one of the lucky few with an original copy of Grim Fandango it's a joy to be able to play it on Linux, OSX, or whatever else. I even had a go at getting it compiled for the Raspberry Pi!

Something I've considered playing with now that it's reaching a level of maturity is CorsixTH - a reimplementation of Theme Hospital. This brings me to another point - reimplementations can introduce stuff that was either left out or not planned for the original. The ability to have the game remember which extras the player normally adds to a room being an excellent example. A map editor being another!

There's also the fun option to replace the original graphics. I'd probably stick with the originals but the option to change it up can be fairly handy as time goes by and low-res artwork becomes a style choice rather than a necessity.

Admittedly there's also bad reworkings. I bought Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD in the hope if getting a polished experience. Instead I got something built in the Unreal engine that seemed to have been created by people who hadn't played the originals. There's even purchasable DLC (and not cheap compared to the base game - £3.99 vs. £6.99!) to add back in the revert move that was introduced in THPS3 (allowing for much longer combos). Ugh.

There we go, have a topic.

[Cuddly Khan]

The HD Edition for Age of Empires 2 is simply amazing. Especially with the new Forgotten DLC. The new campaigns are really good, despite not having any voice overs.

[Clockwork]

@Khan Ehhh only now. If you got it at release, the pathing was completely broken on resolutions above like 800x600. The commands lagged for some strange reason and the new campaigns had really odd difficulty curves which went from one mission being able to be done in 5 mins due to being able to just walk through trees to an objective to one that was impossible because the AI for some reason was told to attack you right from the start with all it's forces when you had a TC 5 villies and a hero. All these things were hilarious and were fixed quickly apart from the pathing which was done only in the last 4 months I think.

Now it is amazing though

The Age Of Mythology remake was meh. Almost nothing changed as you could get higher res on it anyway

Take Final Fantasy 7 as a case in point though. EVERYONE must have FF7 on all consoles/platforms for some reason. I've never played the game but I guess it must be really good

The Halo anniversary editions have been very good though. Updated mechanics and a neat little trick to switch from 90's graphics to modern.

[Flamekebab]

Another good one: Sid Meier's Pirates!. The first time I played it I think the session ran to about twelve hours. I didn't even care that I was up all night.

[Clockwork]

Sid is such a beast!

[Mars]

If they tighten aspects of the original games without sacrificing the elements which made them popular, then I'm all for it.

[Flamekebab]

As a vague rule of thumb I feel a remake/"HD" upgrade/reimplementation succeeds if it manages to make the game look and feel as good now as it was then. Sadly this isn't always the case and it's the reason why many games I can't go back to without a remake - the models are too low poly, the sprites too low res, the mechanics too outdated. Of course the other side to this is when the originals still look great but they're redone anyway at the expense of the original art style. I can't think of an example of hand, annoyingly. Can you?

[Clockwork]

I think most remakes have been done by people that generally love the original and want to keep the feel as similar as possible while updating the poly count and such. Duke Nukem (new one, forget the name) is an example of a redone gone badly. It lacked the comedy and fun of the old games and lost the fun mechanics of the platformer sequels. It also had less tackiness which is as essential to the series as a Golden Desert Eagle .50 and was more brightly coloured and had few jump scares unlike the old games.

[Flamekebab]

Duke Nukem Forever really isn't a remake, it's a sequel. Not a good one at that. I've played through lots of rubbish games but I couldn't make it to the end of that one :/

[Clockwork]

Ah apologies, I was thinking you were including things like that.

[Mars]

Duke Nukem Forever really isn't a remake, it's a sequel. Not a good one at that. I've played through lots of rubbish games but I couldn't make it to the end of that one :/

I've done so twice, I really enjoy playing the game.

[Flamekebab]

I made it through the Far Cry Vengeance on the Wii but DNF was just not enough fun for me.

I don't suppose anyone has played the Grim Fandango remaster that was just released, have they?

[Clockwork]

I've heard only good things about it. Unlike Heroes of Might and Magic III which is actually worse than having the discs as it lacks both expansions.

[Tom]

Sips is doing a play through of the remastered grim fandango if you want to see what it's like.

[amusingthebrood]

The remastered Homeworld games are looking incredibly shiny. They should play much as the originals.

I only managed to play a few missions of the first one when they were released because issues accessing an appropriate PC, but I enjoyed it very much. Sadly, that is still the case, my current machine won't come within spitting distance of making the remasters look at their best.