The Great Game Gauntlet 👑 DAY 3

[ChappersZero]

I think the main aim of a remaster should be to introduce a classic game to a new audience while making it more playable for those of us who played it before. Better controls, updated graphics and sound while keeping the essence of the original. Having the originals included is always a bonus. It's why the C&C collection was so good.

If I could see any game remastered it would be Midwinter for the Atari ST. I loved it when it came out, despite it being hard to control. A new version would be amazing.

Nightdive Studios are one of the best at remasters, they obviously love the games they work on.

Edited August 28 by ChappersZero

[Kiser15]

I Think graphic upgrades as well as sound effects are key....not so much for changing controls.  This may hinder the older arcade folks from trying it it out....tricky decision!  

[zyute]

In terms of making a great remaster it should give the user ways to experience the Initial release in all of its intentions while showcasing enhancements that build off of that foundation in a newer version. These can be done in various ways

1. Older games tend to have graphics that may of aged poorly over time. Adding improvements to the way a game looks with textures can breath new life into the experience.

2. Controls for releases at the time may be harder to maneuver or make it less enjoyable to handle. Changing how a person can move through the game can make it less of a hassle to explore the world.

3. Original soundtracks and music can feel dated or have flaws. Improvements in how sound is produced or re-recording previous works can immerse you into every place you explore. This makes you feel like you live in that place.

4. Companies or teams don't always catch bug or glitches before release the first time and this can result in poor performance or issues the make the game unplayable. This gives time to the team to fix what was wrong so there are no issues.

They should have these aspects but there has to be respect for the original. If you change too much or alter the story too far then does it really feel like a remaster or a totally different experience?

Edited August 28 by zyute

[crimsonbelvedere]

I find that qualities that make up a good remaster really aren't that deep and I feel like many companies really like to go overboard and change things they don't need to. 

I personally do not believe that there should ever be any story changes & there needs to be some plan in place if updating gameplay creates issues with story / story areas.

Outside of this, any sort of graphical / audio upgrades are welcome along with making sure gameplay is fluid across all platforms. Usually this means some sort of control changes & overall software optimization.

I feel that a remaster is not the time and place to introduce new gameplay / story elements to grab attention but instead a time to show the value in an art piece that finally reached the apex of what it can be.

[gilberta]

Well it's not a remaster if you aren't at least updating the graphics and fixing controls or providing customizable controls. Any other quality of life improvements that actually enhance the original / remove tedium are what I look for. I feel like the goal for making a remaster should be that it replaces the original, i.e. everyone insists you play the remaster if playing for the first time, but that takes more than HD graphics.

[MacReady0088]

A good remaster is one that upgrades the existent media to modern platforms without remaking its contents entirely. 

So;
-Enhancements in texture and lighting
-Improvement on controls and options around controls customization 
-Widescreen support if applicable 
-Higher Resolution output
-Improvement in sound and music (Sometimes just an uncompressed version of the original audio is enough) 
-Improvements and possible additions of cut or planned content that was left in the cutting board floor, now finished and reintroduced 
-QoL improvements like Quicksaves, Rewind, Fastforward (Useful for older JRPGs) 
-Balancing and bug fixes 

Good examples of remasters imo, some definitely border on the Remake territory. but their fidelity to the original is close enough to list ; 
-Metroid Prime Remastered - Honestly, stellar accomplishment, especially for the hardware
-Resident Evil HD Remaster - It is a remake, but one that stays very faithful to the original, with improvements and additions 
-Dead Space Remake - It is a full remake, but unlike RE2,3 and 4 that are full remakes with some reimagining, the fidelity of Dead Space to the original is pretty good, and thus worth mentioning
-Final Fantasy XII - The Zodiac Age - A fantastic update to the original PS2 release, with many improvements
-Black Mesa - Again, it is a full blown remake, but it is to me the definitive way to play Half-Life now
-Star Ocean The Second Story R - This one is a bit on the middle of the road, it is a remake, but also a remaster, and an all in improvement package. Fantastic way to enjoy the game 
-Final Fantasy Tactics - The War of the Lions - More of an improved version than a remaster, but a fantastic one nonetheless
-Grim Fandango Remastered - To the point! As is the other Double Fine Remasters of LucasArts games

As a bonus the upcoming The Thing Remastered - What Nightdive has shown is delicious, can't wait for it!

[sialivi]

As I primarily play RPGs, controls are usually kept roughly the same and while I do appreciate updated graphics, I'm a modder so it's not a requirement. More important are bugfixes, primarily those that are at an engine level which are generally more difficult to fix with mods.

While a lot of people were disappointed by the limited upgrade to the graphics in the Mass Effect Legendary Edition, it was a great update for modders as the original games were 32-bit and easily could exceed the memory limit and crash. The update to 64-bit solved this issue and allows for more ambitious mods.

In recent times the update that I value the highest has been introduction of ray tracing or even full path tracing in older titles.

Edited August 28 by sialivi

[Kuvenant]

The remaster MUST retain the original story line.  Adding new chapters or changing parts can chase away the core fans.  Updated graphics, music, and controls can be awesome, but consideration for the original story and how those graphics and controls can change the story needs to be looked at.  If the original controls had every turn a full 90°, updated controls may make that unreasonable for a puzzle; changing that puzzle could destroy how the game feels so maybe the controls should enforce tight turns.

A re-imagined game is absolutely fine, the modern Tomb Raider games are great.  A re-imagined game works because it doesn't stomp on the original, it steps aside and makes it's own path.  A re-mastered game is the original and as such must keep the original footprint or it isn't paying homage and is instead crushing the trail made before it.

A variation of re-masters I love are the Mesen HD packs.  The Metroid HD and The Legend of Zelda - Remastered packs are phenomenal and do nothing but place updated graphics and audio on top of the original game.

[Drewmot]

I really like the idea of remastering certain games and bringing them back to introduce to new players and reimagining for returning players!  In my opinion, a great remaster maintains the spirit and feeling of the original game experience while adding elements that will enhance and not take away from what was already a successful game!  Graphic updates, re-scoring the soundtrack, and adapting the play controls to modern controllers are all essential to remastering a title.  For me, I also love to see the behind-the-scenes content and seeing how not only the original game came together but also how they went about completing the remaster!

DuckTales is a great example since it took a really enjoyable game and made it feel like you were actually playing the show!!!

The Halo Master Chief Collection is another great example with the ability to appreciate the original graphics and sound and then to enter the modern updated experience on the fly!  Also, great integration of achievements and challenges that encouraged you to play through the entire collection!

[Cyphermage]

For most games I would be happy with an increase in Graphics and Resolution and in some games maybe an increase in unit cap since it could take advantage of better hardware.  (Supreme Commander for Example!

[RenanFS]

For me, a good collection of remastered games needs to have the option to play the original version, with the graphics, music and gameplay of the original game, as well as the improved version, adding new musics, better resolution, new content and fixing problems. An example that I really like is Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap (2017)

[TerrapinFix]

I think it depends on the genre, but generally focusing on the "feel" of the story while taking liberties to change things and try new things. As a bonus, having the option for the player to flip between both games would be a plus (Command & Conquer remaster did a great job of this).

[Phas5D]

In my opinion, making sure the remastered game runs smoothly in modern systems should always be the priority, no one wants a 15+ years old game running with performance issues, but an updated control scheme is also very important. The ability to customize you controls can be a dealbreaker for a lot of players and surprisingly some remasters like the recent Castlevania Dominus collection don't offer that.

Besides that, I don't think they're needed, but I'm a big fan of those games that have a graphics toggle. It's a treat to be able to instantly compare how the game used to look with how it look nows. I played the Halo MCC games like that and it was very fun, especially because it has coop and we could promptly share our thoughts about the changes. 

As for the examples of remasters done right, I'm following what others have already said, Nightdive is currently the golden standard of game remasters and their work with the Quake/Doom games should be studied by companies attempting to remaster old games.

[MantaRay2K]

For me the most important is to give options to the player to choose what he want to combine from the original and the new options of the remastered. That includes controls, graphics and audio! Being able to switch on the fly between original and remastered is also a must for me. Like Monkey Island 1-2 and other Lucas Arts games or like Tomb Raider Remasters, Diablo 2 ect.

[Fr33Ki77]

I think for a remaster it's essential to focus on improving the visual and audio quality and perhaps quality of like improvements or minor tweaks like adjustments to the controls or ui. I do enjoy the ones where they let you easily swap between the old and remastered graphics at the touch of a button.

[Octopus6]

A good remaster for me is when it keeps the original game intact and they just improve the audio visual elements plus controls if needed. Also they need to make it run on new machines with the necessary extra options (like higher resolution on any monitor).

[AstroBob]

Some fantastic discussions happening here! Remasters can be a hot topic, but it seems most agree that audio and visual overhauls are the standard. When it comes to control or gameplay updates, it can vary wildly depending on the specific game.

Day 3 of the gauntlet is now complete and the winning game is...

⭐️ TOMB RAIDER I-III REMASTERED ⭐️

A well-regarded remaster, but it was honestly a class call between this and Ninja Gaiden. This will be one of the games with Steam keys up for grabs at the end of the event.

Day 4 of the Great Game Gauntlet is now open, focusing on duologies!