Remake or Rehash: The Gaming Industry’s Obsession with Old Ideas
By Luke Condon (Gaming Editor)
Coming soon to stores near you: The Elder Scrolls 5, now available on stone tablets with chalk. Not a real headline, but one that wouldn’t come as a surprise to many gamers; Bethesda Game Studios’ most popular Role-Playing Game, colloquially known as Skyrim, has been released on almost every gaming platform in existence since its original launch in 2011. Three updated versions of the game, the Legendary Edition, Special Edition, and Anniversary Edition, also exist, as well as a Virtual Reality game and even an Amazon Alexa port. That last one is actually real, as featured in a satirical advertisement starring Keegan-Michael Key, with Alexa narrating your progress and in-game events. It’s good that Bethesda are in on the joke, but many developers aren’t; the gaming industry is becoming increasingly saturated with practices like this, and a decline in new intellectual properties is following them.
There’s a lot of different words flying around for the concept of revisiting old games with a fresh coat of paint: ‘remake’, ‘remaster’, ‘reboot’, and of course the derogatory ‘re-hash’, used for projects that are particularly lacking in any semblance of effort or creativity. Thankfully, the latter isn’t quite as common as it is in Hollywood (yet), but as big-budget studios become increasingly risk-averse, the possibility that the gaming industry will reach that level grows ever more likely. The revival of outdated games that need a bit of love is a custom that has a place in gaming, but the line between remake and re-hash is a very fine one.
To start with, it’s important to acknowledge that remakes don’t always denote a cash-grabbing scheme. Gaming as an art form and medium varies from others in that the original version of a game can become somewhat obsolete; you’ll always be able to read the original edition of a book and enjoy it just as it was when it was first made available, or watch an old film that still holds up. With video games, the sheer progress that has been made in terms of graphical fidelity, game design and overall production value can result in a feeling of missed opportunity when playing an older title. This mechanic could have been implemented more smoothly, this storyline could have been deeper, this game could be better; an endless barrage of wistful regrets about games that could have done so much more were they not restricted by the technology of their respective eras.
A remake can breathe new life into a video game, giving players of the original the chance to see their old favourites achieve their full potential, and allowing newer players to get their hands on the game at all. The advance in console generations often results in older games becoming inaccessible to a majority of players, but with a new release, games can usher in a whole new fanbase of players who missed the original due to being too young, lacking in interest, or a myriad of other reasons. Greater accessibility is never a bad thing, and remakes or remasters, given enough care from developers, can give an old game the time in the spotlight it rightfully deserves.
The 2018 remake edition of Shadow of the Colossus is a perfect example of this. Originally a PlayStation 2 title released in 2005, a console that has now been discontinued for over ten years, the game cemented itself as classic and captured the hearts of most who played it with its unprecedented and grandiose scale. Holding it back, however, was a clunky control scheme and performance issues that could severely impact a player’s enjoyment of the game. Bluepoint Games, a developer renowned for their prowess when it comes to remakes and remasters, were given the reins to produce a fully-fledged remake of the game, and did so with great success: the new version was lauded for its multiple control scheme options and much-improved graphics and performance.
In this case, the rationale for a remake was clear and justified, and the new changes implemented enhanced the game immensely. It’s rare, however, that the games most in need of remakes are also the ones that actually get remade. Games with flaws that detract from what could otherwise be a special experience are the most worthy candidates, but usually it’s universally acclaimed games that end up receiving the special treatment. This makes sense, from a company’s perspective; why take a risk on a venture that’s more likely to fail when there are far safer options available? Unfortunately, this often results in a loss for gamers overall; instead of a developer reviving a lesser known game to have its day in the sun, or even working on an all-new project, they may focus instead on creating the third or fourth remake that nobody is asking for.
Amongst these unnecessary remakes, The Last of Us: Part I comes to mind. The action-adventure series, developed by Naughty Dog, stands as a shining example of what video games can be; incredible storytelling, engaging gameplay and hyper-realistic visuals all combined to create an unforgettable experience. Both entries in the franchise enjoyed wild success as a result of these attributes, and the original game unsurprisingly received a remaster in 2014, just a year after its first release. Despite being near-identical to its forebear, this particular case is excusable, considering that its main function was to make the game playable for the new PlayStation 4 system, which lacked backwards compatibility with the PlayStation 3 and would have been inaccessible otherwise. Upon the announcement of the game’s 2022 remake, fans were less enthused. The 2014 remaster still holds up excellently, and is also available on PlayStation 5 systems, eliminating the accessibility rationale for a remake. Instead, it’s likely the game was conceived as a means of capitalising on the inevitable uptick in sales upon the premiere of HBO’s new The Last of Us television show. Not a low-effort attempt, mind you; the remake received positive reviews across the board, and many were glad for an excuse to jump back into the world of The Last of Us once more, but Naughty Dog’s efforts could have surely been utilised better on a sequel, or perhaps even a new world to explore. Cases like these may not rob us entirely of new gaming experiences, but they can certainly delay them.
It’s hard to stay angry at Naughty Dog, a developer that has pushed the industry forward in many ways and consistently produced quality games. Many more egregious examples exist, however, and the problem isn’t limited to remakes and remasters. The practice of ‘rebooting’ old franchises by bringing them back from the dead and attempting to start them anew is a practice that yields wildly varying degrees of success: some can eclipse the original series entirely, while others fail to bring any worthwhile additions to the table. In recent years, the former outcome has been more common; Wolfenstein, one of the progenitors of the first-person shooter genre, and XCOM, an early strategy game, were both rebooted over the last decade, with tremendous effect. The resultant titles have captured the hearts of players, but the question remains; did these games need to be reboots, or could they have been designed as new properties? Brand recognition is a powerful force, and one that gaming companies will understandably use to their advantage, but the prospect of a world where original video games cease to exist is an alarming one.
Revisitations of older video games come in many forms, and it would be unfair to brand them all as creatively bankrupt when so many are obviously not; the previous success stories prove that there is a demand for this style of game, and the successful ones usually prosper as a result of hard work and care from developer teams. Nevertheless, it’s disheartening to see so many capable developers fall back on tried-and-tested ideas when the avenue for new and exciting ones is wide open. One can only hope that the ever-growing numbers of talented programmers, artists, writers, and musicians employed in the gaming sector will guide the industry towards creativity, innovation and originality; characteristics the world can always use more of.
