It is the age of the remaster in video games, and it appears to be one of the most divisive topics in gaming.
With so much negativity, I figured that I would point out why I feel that remastering games could not only be a good thing, but a great thing for a still blossoming games industry.
Getting to that backlog
So my first argument is one that has been said many times, but remasters are great for people who did not get to play the game on the original console. As someone who owns an Xbox 360 but never owned a PlayStation 3, I would love the opportunity to play some great games I missed, while also getting to experience them in the best quality.
I understand this is not everyone’s situation, however, as someone who has missed out on entire console libraries, I do not mind. At the same time, however, I understand people’s irritation with a game being remastered merely a year after releasing, such as The Last of Us for PlayStation 4. Honestly though, The Last of Us is an incredible game that got caught at the end of the PlayStation 3’s life cycle, and is a great entry point for someone like me who did not have a PlayStation 3 last generation but will be buying a PlayStation 4.
Despite this sentiment, I feel that remasters, even great games that were just released on older consoles, play a nice supplementary role. Remasters provide the opportunity to catch up on missed titles while waiting for that new IP or big AAA release.
Another reason that remasters are important: preservation.
Gears of War, a third-person-shooter that evolved the genre, released in 2006. If you were 8 years-old in 2006, you probably missed the boat on Gears of War. But now that you are older, have a new console, and love gaming, perhaps a potential Gears of War remaster would be an excellent opportunity to experience a great game you missed out on.
This is obviously a hypothetical, but the argument here is that remastering preserves games for future generations. I am fully aware that we can go back and get the original disc/cartridge and the system it was originally made for, however I feel that, in most instances, it would just be better to improve the game visually and in any other way seen necessary, and re-release it. Especially for a multiplayer-centric game, a la Halo 2, which couldn’t really be played for several years until the remaster came out in Halo: The Master Chief Collection.
And at the end of the day, don’t we re-release classic movies on Blu-Ray? Aren’t the Beatles’ albums available in CD form? I am not saying every game needs a remaster, just that we should be open to it, as it could serve a crucial role within the games industry.
