Nostalgia

[Skyblade]

So, there have been some really good remakes/reimaginings of classic games lately. Things like XCOM and Link Between Worlds. Now we have an upcoming game that is essentially Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri all over again.

While reception of these titles have been really strong overall, most people still seem to rate the original games higher. I'm curious to see just where everyone here falls on the view of nostalgic classic versus a remake. Do you think that the original game is going to be better just because it is the original? Do you think the improvements in technology and capability mean that we can now produce a version of these games that are simply better?

[Rez09]

Nostalgia is a hard beast to overcome, that's for certain, and more often than not I do find myself erring on the side of the originals. Games like Super Mario All-Stars and Nightmare in Dreamland, for instance, are largely identical to the base games and my preference for said original games is due entirely to nostalgia; the originals are the standards to beat and near ties simply do not cut it.

That's not to say I don't give remakes a fair shot when I evaluate them though, which is good since several have surpassed the originals by pretty wide margins. As much as I love the original Mega Man, Powered Up provides an excellent example, since I feel it is the much superior game, improving almost every element of the base game while offering entirely new ones all its own. The case is similar with BS Legend of Zelda (once patched to play normally), Star Ocean: First Departure, both Lunar remakes, PSX Tales of Phantasia, Front Mission DS, Metroid: Zero Mission, and KoF2k2: UM.

So, it's hard to say. I have a definite slant towards what I know and am familiar with, and that means a remake has to be that much better to impress me, but I've certainly seen some knock the ball right out of the park.

[Mercen-X]

New Super Mario Bros pwns Super Mario Bros.

[Fynn]

I've learned to take off my nostalgia goggles and appreciate the now. Coming back to an older game that you played in your childhood can turn out to be a huge disappointed, with things like outdated mechanics making you ask yourself "what was I thinking?" One of the reasons why I think the Pokemon remakes and things like Final Fantasy IV DS are awesome - they take a game that was awesome for its time and make it up to date with today's standards.

[Ayen]

Depends on execution but the potential is there. I found the GameCube remake of Resident Evil to be better than the original although I can still enjoy the original game for what it was. I found Metroid Zero Missions more enjoyable than the original Metroid as well. Metal Gear Solid The Twin Snakes could have been better if they didn't trade out the soundtrack and had all those ridiculous 'Matrix' style action scenes that removed the realism of the original game. Not to mention the voice acting wasn't as well executed the second time around.

[Wolf Kanno]

Depends on the game, Final Fantasy for instance, I almost always side with the originals because I feel the early games had pretty solid mechanics and often the changes to the game cheapen the original experience, on the other hand, the Dragon Quest remakes make the franchise finally playable and I chuckle to myself how often people praise the series having only played the remakes not realizing how much of the UI has been updated to make it less of a pain in the ass to get through. I had a similar experience with Zelda: OoT3D which I felt tighten the controls enough to make the game feel less clunky than the original.

With all that said, I don't mind remakes, my issue is that I've reached the point where I want the developer to seriously remake the game, not just update the graphics and maybe fix a few problems, I want developers to bring something new to it, which is why I do really like the DS remake of FFIV as it brought a lot of new content to the original and made it feel like a fresh new experience, I wish they had actually gone a bit further but who knows. Even if the remake sucks, its not like you don't have the original to go back to.

[Spuuky]

the Dragon Quest remakes make the franchise finally playable and I chuckle to myself how often people praise the series having only played the remakes not realizing how much of the UI has been updated to make it less of a pain in the ass to get through.

How dare you, blasphemer.

Most remakes of games are created because they are trying to capitalize on nostalgia, not because they have a sudden vision of what could be done better. That's why the originals are almost always better.

I mean, just look at how much better Skyrim is than Morrowind. (SPOILER)SETTLE DOWN This was a test to see who is reading my post. THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE.

[Wolf Kanno]

the Dragon Quest remakes make the franchise finally playable and I chuckle to myself how often people praise the series having only played the remakes not realizing how much of the UI has been updated to make it less of a pain in the ass to get through.

How dare you, blasphemer.
]

I'm sorry but I don't enjoy having to open up a separate menu in order to talk, using stairs, doors, and going to the bathroom.

[Vyk]

I thought this was going to be about the game called "Nostalgia" lol ...

I consider myself fairly objective. The real problem is that some companies that do remakes, don't quite understand what made the original special. I give remakes and re-imaginings a fair shake. I agree New Super Mario Bros. is better. Bravely Default is almost a re-imagining of what Final Fantasy could have been had they taken Final Fantasy V more seriously. Love them. The new XCOM was awesome

Newer Sonic games suck. When they remade Shining Force... *gag* ... maybe it's just SEGA who doesn't get it lol

Never played it, but I know a lot of people love the Resident Evil remake, and I super duper want to add it to my collection someday

[Spuuky]

I'm sorry but I don't enjoy having to open up a separate menu in order to talk, using stairs, doors, and going to the bathroom.

I'm pretty sure you don't have to do any of that past DQ2. Certainly not by DQ4. And they are remaking up to 7!

[Wolf Kanno]

I'm sorry but I don't enjoy having to open up a separate menu in order to talk, using stairs, doors, and going to the bathroom.

I'm pretty sure you don't have to do any of that past DQ2. Certainly not by DQ4. And they are remaking up to 7!

Wanna Bet about DQIV?

Dragon-Warrior-IV.GIF

It was the SNES era that finally did away with the old DOS style menu interaction of yore.

[Bolivar]

But no one praises the NES games as much as the later ones, so where does your aforementioned chuckling come in?

[Wolf Kanno]

Honestly the first game gets a lot of love from fans and DQIII is often considered to be one of the best games in the franchise next to DQV. DQIII-V are considered the best entries in the franchise with only newer fans praising DQVII and VIII.

[Spuuky]

The fact that you CAN use that menu to open doors doesn't mean that menu is REQUIRED to open doors =/