Exploring Our Obsession With Video Game Remakes & Remasters
Nostalgia is everywhere these days. We’ve seen remakes and sequels of beloved movies like Bill & Ted and Coming to America hit our screens, while reboots likes Cobra Kai have become the most binged shows in recent years. Even in music, artists like The Weeknd and Kylie Minogue are currently winding the clock back to reference genres like synth-pop and disco.
We’ve also seen this trend seep into the video game industry. Beloved titles and game series like Crash Bandicoot, Resident Evil and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater have been given a fresh coat of HD-paint and re-released to the world.
So, why are we so obsessed with remaking and remastering things, including decades-old games? Is there a collective longing for simpler times? Or is there a whole lot more to it?
To help us unpack the remakes and remasters trend, we spoke with Alienware streamers Rudeism, ximOpti and MoonlitCharlie about what drives the trend forward and whether it always yields good games.
There’s no doubt the remakes and remasters trend in video games is driven by nostalgia. While we all love a fresh new IP that captures our imagination, there’s something about revisiting games and series that sparked our love of gaming in our formative years. Like eating your favourite childhood dish, it fills you with joy and transports you to an earlier time - a simpler time.
New Zealand-based streamer and custom controller creative, Rudeism, is of the opinion that nostalgia is behind it all, saying: “I’m 99 per cent sure that nostalgia is the main driver (behind the trend). There’s a tonne of games out there that we grew up with or played during pivotal moments in our lives and going back to those games helps us go back to those moments.”
Remakes and remasters definitely take us back to those defining moments; those memories of racing home from school to log into RuneScape, before the parents called you down for dinner, harking back to the days when you didn’t have to “adult” and could evade most responsibility. But is it really the same when you’re no longer a child, parents don’t do your washing and you must pay for the game yourself?
We’d argue the nostalgia is made better by the benefits of the modern world – a sort of hybrid of wholesome familiarity and technological advancement, disconcerting in the best possible way. Streamer, history buff and self-described geek, ximOpti agrees: “I love being able to see how far the game industry has advanced since the original release. Hardware has developed tremendously in the last 20 years and it is amazing to see what can be achieved even with classic games.”
Rudeism agrees that updated graphics bring the best feelings of nostalgia to current day, adding: “My favourite remakes and remasters are the ones that update visuals, while keeping them as true to the originals as possible.”
What about kids today? Surely, they don’t understand what nostalgia means or what it feels like? It’s not like they even have ‘bad’ graphics to compare to. For them, “remakes or remastered games are great for introducing them - a new generation of gamers - to a genre, franchise or story,” ximOpti says.
“Take Mafia: Definitive Edition for example. I was way too young at the time to have any idea what gaming truly was, nor could I appreciate the story.”
Now with 30-series GPUs, ray tracing and a plethora of 21st Century technology, it’s not only young or ‘noob’ gamers who get to enjoy a remake and remaster. ximOpti added: “With Mafia being remade and released last year, we got to see the game, known for its fantastic story, remade so that even people like myself could experience it and appreciate it in astonishing quality on my PC.”
Twitch streamer MoonlitCharlie argues that remakes and remasters are also viewed positively because they “make the game accessible to a larger audience, due to being released on larger and current platforms.”
It’s not just remakes and remasters then, that create accessibility. MoonlitCharlie explains: “Having the original games available on more platforms for a larger audience means more people get to experience those as well.”
It also means more money for developers, platforms, and the industry as a whole. In fact, while nostalgia, technological advancements and increased accessibility drive the trend forward, it’s easy to remember that the industry knows just how strong those comforting feelings of nostalgia are, making the trend great for sales, a win-win for all involved.
Remakes and remasters may lead to anticipation and exciting gameplay but they’re not without their faults. Sometimes the rose-tinted glasses can shatter, with Rudeism suggesting nostalgic memories of a game can be muddied by the reality of playing a game as an adult. “I think there’s always a little disappointment when you look back at an old game for the first time in years and it’s just not quite as high-quality as you remember it being. Remakes are especially great for bridging that gap,” he says.
As for the remakes and remasters that have these streamers lighting up, Rudeism loves Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon on PC but dreams of the day Hogs of War is remastered. ximOpti can’t wait to see Mass Effect: Legendary Edition drop in May on PC – it’s a game he’s always wanted to play and now, thanks to remakes and remasters, he finally can. His dream would be to see Bully: Scholarship edition made over, while MoonlitCharlie fantasises about a 2021 version of puzzle-game Portal 2. What do all these games have in common? They’re somehow tied to memories of our childhood, or the games we wish we got to play when we were younger.
With the trend of remakes and remasters looking like it’s on the up, it seems there are plenty of nostalgia-driven games to look forward to. Of course, the trend can disappoint when it’s so closely tied to old memories, especially when you consider that things often seem bigger and better from the eyes of a child. As well, the game may change too much, trampling on all the things we hoped would remind us of the old version.
By and large, however, this trend is allowing people to connect to these positive feelings, which is even more important when life throws personal, or even global challenges at you. What’s more, today’s PC and gaming technology breathes new life into classic franchises, but how far will this trend go? Will we see entire game libraries of old-gen consoles remade for today’s advanced PCs? Will developers run out of creative ideas for new games? Only time will tell. One thing is for certain – nostalgia sells, big time.
This feature was made possible with the support of Alienware and their partner streamers Rudeism, ximOpti and MoonlitCharlie.
