AstroBob Posted August 28 Share Posted August 28 Rules ℹ️ For a full list of rules and details on this event, please check out our master post here To be eligible to win, make sure you vote on the poll and answer the question via the comments section of this post DAY 3 🏅 Welcome to Day 3 of the Great Game Gauntlet! 👑 With LaunchBox embodying the spirit of collecting, we’re on a quest to discover: What makes a great video game collection? Today, we're looking at: Remastered Trilogy Collections! We’re diving into a more modern era with classic game trilogies that have been updated and reworked for today's gamers. These trilogies often take beloved games and their sequels, reimagining various aspects like graphics, controls, and sometimes even a complete overhaul of the gameplay itself. It’s all about blending nostalgia with modern enhancements, giving old favorites a fresh new feel. Today’s lineup of games contains classic trilogies that have been remastered in some shape or form for modern platforms: Tomb Raider I-III Remastered Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy Spyro Reignited Trilogy Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy Ninja Gaiden Master Collection If you want a chance to win one of these, make sure to cast your vote for the game you’d like to see advance to the next round and answer this question: ❓ What elements do you think are essential for a successful remaster ❓ Do you prefer updated controls, or do you like to keep the games exactly as they were? Are you more focused on updated music and visuals, or do you enjoy bonus content added to the original? What about games that are completely reimagined from scratch? Share your thoughts, and feel free to give us examples of remasters done right (and maybe those that missed the mark 🤦). We’d love to hear what you think! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AstroBob Posted August 28 Author Share Posted August 28 I’ll kick things off—personally, I love when remasters give us options. It’s great when developers update the games but allow us to revert to the original if we want. For example, being able to switch graphical styles on the fly in Tomb Raider Remastered or choosing between original and remastered soundtracks. It’s a fantastic way to honor the original while letting us see how far the game has come. Dream scenario: Give me a Superman 64 remaster with an option to toggle between the original controls and ones that are actually usable! 😉 Maybe even a mode that randomly switches back to the original controls without warning and tie some achievements to it! 😱 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Psycho_Ch Posted August 28 Share Posted August 28 At this point I think just keeping the plot and core elements + adding some stuff is nice overall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acethor Posted August 28 Share Posted August 28 Great question, @AstroBob! Here are a few things that I believe are essential to a successful remaster: The game should be updated to run smoothly on modern hardware Any bugs, glitches, coding, or translation errors present in the original should be fixed Visuals/game engine should be improved as much as possible without changing the essence of the original; this might be the hardest part of any remaster Music/OSTs can be re-recorded using modern equipment Implement controller support but only for games where it makes sense Add online matchmaking or any community features (achievements etc.) wherever it makes sense to do so (don't overdo it) Have the ability to revert back to the original with the press of a button (such as in the Monkey Island remakes) Gameplay can be optimized for modern audiences to give a better feel; let's face it, things need to be more fast paced nowadays compared to how they were at the end of the 20th century Narrative should NEVER be changed: stories, unlike other game elements, are timeless; leave them alone Lastly and most importantly, always seek feedback from the community when planning a remaster; get an idea of what players actually want Case in point: DON'T DO THIS ❌ DO THIS ✅ 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chipster6502 Posted August 28 Share Posted August 28 (edited) Enhanced sound, graphics, updated controls and bonus contents are always welcome. Edited August 28 by chipster6502 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DemmyTree Posted August 28 Share Posted August 28 Personally a remaster to me is where they adapt ontop of the original content, it shouldnt be added on as its game is there as a it should be, it could do with a change of graphics and bug fixes but should never try to include stuff that was not held prior in the game, i will accept regional differences may be included to benefit the player for the game but further advancement than that. It is a nice approach to be able to flip the graphics back and forth but as we know the stability of the software should run well. I would also push that in classic mode it should be capped to the limit of the original hardware whilst the improved version could run with no limitation to honour the memory of the originals homage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M_Behr_Auth Posted August 28 Share Posted August 28 It depends on the genre of the game in question I think. Personally I was very satisfied with the remasters of the classic Lucasfilm-Adventures in which you could toggle between the original graphics and an enhanced version of those. Something to satisfy everyone. With action titles I see much less use for the original graphics/sounds because a lot of them simply look terrible on modern displays. It's okay when they are emulated for the purpose of accuracy but it's not what I'd expect from a remaster. It would be fine as a standalone bonus of some sort though. The best approach is really to take the original, understand what made it successful, keep the core elements of gameplay intact and rebuild it. Keep everything that wasn't into the original as an option you can toggle on and off before playing the game. And keep in mind for whom you produce the remaster: Fans of the original games may have other expectations than new players have. And it's real hard to hit both of them equally as shown by various examples. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morente Posted August 28 Share Posted August 28 Since a remaster is not a remake a remaster shouldn't change too much but instead fix bugs, errors or blatant design flaws but keep as much of the game "as is". In terms of controls or modern features like quicksaves, higher resolutions etc. I'm all for progress and these things should be included if feasable/possible. Quality of Life enhancements should be optional so you can have the pure experience if you want to. A remake, like the above mentioned Spyro remake or the Demons Souls remake, should be viewed differently. Often the graphics improve dramatically, new assets, a new engine etc. create almost a different kind of game and the developers should be very careful not to diverge too much from the original. Something that can break the experience for me for example would be whole new expansive questlines about minor characters that don't interest me, a lot of meaningless content just to make the game bigger or even a change of the voice actors or iconic sound effects into drastically different directions from the original game. A remake that I couldn't get into for the life of me was Final Fantasy VII. The cardinal sin to me was that it was wasting my time with boring minigames derived from offhand little things from the original game and expansions on characters or world elements that I didn't have any interest in. I get that this is different for different people but the FF VII remake was a slog for me after a certain point. The Midgar section that in the original game takes around 5 hours is stretched to 40 or 50 here which felt unnecessary and a little directionless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
virividiann1198 Posted August 28 Share Posted August 28 I think a good remaster let ups pick between old and new graphics, like Diablo II Resurrected does. Add support for modern screens, CPU and GPU features is paramount. Game fixes should be added as a priority, too! Community often spends years fixing pesky bugs, those should get added in a remaster. As an added bonus, remixed OST, dev commentary or artwork is great to have but very optional. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdscarlisle Posted August 28 Share Posted August 28 To be a successful remaster i think these are the key things that should be done 1. keep the story the same 2. give the graphics a full overhaul not just upscaled 3. remove any known bugs glitches etc 4. fix the awkward camera angles if any 5. overhaul the music and make it more modern without changing it to something different Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christhed Posted August 28 Share Posted August 28 The only two required things to me are improving the graphics as much as possible while keeping the artstyle and changing outdated control schemes. Everything else is just a bonus. Major gamebreaking bugs should be fixed but honestly I don't mind if smaller bugs are just kept as is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DexMexCreeps Posted August 28 Share Posted August 28 Optimized controls and graphics like the Spyro and Crash remasters are my top priority for those. But the story and the heart should stay the same. If a game was a little corny, it should stay like that. Don't try to correct any "mistakes" from the original. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retro808 Posted August 28 Share Posted August 28 As was already mentioned by a previous member, just keep it simple and update audio, refine the controls, and give the graphics a touchup. However, it is nice touch to be able to toggle between a modern graphical look and the old school version. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SantyC93 Posted August 28 Share Posted August 28 I'm personally fine going by the definition, just improving video and audio. I don't mind trying to "improve" the mechanics or the game in some way but it's always gonna be a bet and you're always gonna make someone unhappy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Berry Posted August 28 Share Posted August 28 I would say do a full overhaul (updated graphics, controls, etc.) but have the option to switch to the old graphics and gameplay. In this way older gamers (like me) can get back the feeling from the past but also switch to the update for a fresh new feel. And new/younger players can make the remaster a classic for themeselves which they can dwell upon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VikingAl Posted August 28 Share Posted August 28 I think it's important to make it look and perform like a modern game while still feeling like the originals. Bonus content in the form of unlockable galleries and that sort of thing can be fun. An option to swap between old and new graphics and soundtracks is nice too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LavosBR Posted August 28 Share Posted August 28 (edited) Enhance graphics to fit on modern monitors (high resolution, 16:9, 21:9...), improve sound including new instruments and audio options (surround 5.1 / 7/1, orchestra, etc...), but try do not destroy the game spirit, sometimes the original one is good enough today but needs some tech improvement. Edited August 28 by LavosBR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheAgentGeek Posted August 28 Share Posted August 28 Remasters can be hard but for me it can sound simple. If more options are given than the first go around, graphics are improved (I think that may be obvious) and especially the game didn’t have controller support added controller support is a must for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phanamatic Posted August 28 Share Posted August 28 2 hours ago, christhed said: The only two required things to me are improving the graphics as much as possible while keeping the artstyle and changing outdated control schemes. Everything else is just a bonus. Major gamebreaking bugs should be fixed but honestly I don't mind if smaller bugs are just kept as is. Couldn't agree more! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phanamatic Posted August 28 Share Posted August 28 I wish we could have got a proper remaster of the original Star Wars Battlefronts 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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