Some games never get old, and most video game fans who have been playing for a while can think of at least one title that they always come back to. Sometimes, it’s the only way to relive a franchise that hasn’t gotten an entry in many years. Over the past couple of years, though, video game remakes have been on the upswing, and it seems 2020-2021 may be it them hitting full stride. Some remakes are reviving franchises that were one thought dead, like Prince of Persia. Others, such as Resident Evil and Final Fantasy, are reliving their glory days in high definition. For some reason, it seems everyone across the industry wants to take another stab at old projects.
On the whole, most fans aren’t really complaining about all these remakes, though there will always be those critical of them, but a lot of remakes have been really well received and have shown the potential of modern gaming platforms. Of course, some fans of particular studios and developers might feel anxious about all these remakes. That’s understandable, since it would make sense that remakes will take attention and resources away from new IPs and continuations of franchises. However, Final Fantasy is going strong, remake or no remake. There’s probably no need to be anxious about remakes. In fact, this trend isn’t stopping the game industry from moving forward in general, and it might be a great stepping stone in the long run.
Remakes are fertile ground for testing the capabilities of new technology. By returning to a game and reusing its plot and characters, developers can experiment with design without putting too many resources into developing new plots and settings. That means that, ultimately, remakes will give developers experience and information ahead of new games. For instance, supposedly there’ll be some major changes to catching Pokemon in the rumored Pokemon Diamond and Pearl Remakes, making it more like the Pokemon Let’s Go! titles with Pokemon Let’s GO‘s simpler catch mechanics. Fans responded negatively to Let’s Go!‘s Pokemon catching before, and probably will again if the Diamond and Pearl rumors are true. That data will be imperative to Nintendo as it shapes Pokemon‘s future.
Remakes don’t just have to be testing grounds for new mechanics, though. They can be the perfect means to test out graphical limitations of new devices or try redesigning classic characters before reviving their franchises. It’s also worth nothing that remakes might be popular right now, but they’re in no way consuming the industry. There’s still lots of AAA studios and indie developers working on new IPs and sequels rather than channeling nostalgia for old projects. Games like Horizon Forbidden West, Halo Infinite, and Hades all show that plenty of franchises are still emerging and moving forward.
Frankly, the emergence of all these remakes is a good sign; video games are a relatively young form of entertainment. The sudden interest in remaking classic games from more than 20 years ago indicates that the game industry is finally old enough to have a lot of good times to look back on. The fact that the industry has room for Final Fantasy and Resident Evil remakes alongside lots of new games is a sign of video games’ longevity as a type of media. Games aren’t going anywhere, and both fans and developers are eager to celebrate all the places they’ve been over the years.
The remake train doesn’t look like it’s stopping anytime soon. Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 2 and Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne HD Remaster are still on the horizon, and fans are still hoping for Persona 3 and Pokemon Diamond and Pearl remakes. The gaming industry is still growing even with all this collective nostalgia. With that in mind, it really doesn’t seem like there’s any harm in revisiting the past.
All these trips down memory lane are probably really inspirational to all the developers involved, whether they’re industry veterans remaking games they worked on the first time or fresh-faced developers who fell in love with video games because of the very titles they’re remaking. The video game industry has more than enough reason to celebrate its many achievements, so why not do it now?
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