The complete list of Xbox and Xbox 360 games backwards compatible with the Xbox One is huge. Though support for backwards compatibility on the Xbox One has ceased, there are currently 41 Xbox games and a whopping 575 Xbox 360 games available through the current-gen console.

Below, you will find two lists with games in alphabetical order. The first is for Xbox titles. The second is for Xbox 360 titles.

The lists include games such as Battlefield Bad Company 2, Batman: Arkham Origins, Borderlands, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, Dark Souls, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Silent Hill HD Collection, and many more. Unfortunately, certain games, like Skyrim, are not available. 

Microsoft is currently focusing on its next-gen console, the Xbox Series X (formerly Project Scarlett). Through an interview with Head of Xbox Phil Spencer via GameSpot, we now know the console will feature backwards compatibility for all previous Microsoft consoles. The functionality will be available when the Series X launches in Holiday 2020.

However, we currently do not know exactly what previous-gen titles will be available on the Series X, as not every Xbox or 360 game is available on the Xbox One. 

List of All Xbox Backwards Compatible Games

• Armed and Dangerous
• Blinx: The Time Sweeper
• Bloodrayne 2
• Breakdown
• Conker: Live and Reloaded
• Crimson Skies
• Dead to Rights
• Destroy All Humans!
• Full Spectrum Warrior
• Fusion Frenzy
• Grabbed by the Ghoulies
• Hunter: The Reckoning
• Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb
• Jade Empire
• King of Fighters: Neowave
• Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction
• MX Unleashed
• Ninja Gaiden Black
• Panzer Dragoon Orta
• Panzer Elite Action: Fields of Glory
• Pirates!
• Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
• Psychonauts
• Red Faction 2
• Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy
• SSX 3
• Star Wars Battlefront 2
• Star Wars Battlefront
• Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy
• Star Wars Jedi Starfighter
• Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords
• Star Wars Republic Commando
• Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
• The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind
• Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Chaos Theory
• Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double Agent
• Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow
• Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell
• Unreal Championship 2: The Liandri Conflict

List of All Xbox One Backwards Compatible Games

• 0 day Attack on Earth
• 3D Ultra Minigolf
• A Kingdom for Keflings
• A World of Keflings
• Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation
• Aegis Wing
• Age of Booty
• Alan Wake
• Alan Wake's American Nightmare
• Alaskan Adventures
• Alice: Madness Returns
• Alien Hominid HD
• Aliens vs Predator
• Altered Beast
• AirMech
• Anomaly Warzone Earth
• Aqua
• Army of Two
• Assassin's Creed 
• Assassin's Creed 2
• Assassin's Creed 3
• Assassin's Creed 4 Black Flag
• Assassin's Creed Brotherhood
• Assassin's Creed Liberation HD
• Assassin's Creed Revelations
• Assassin's Creed Rogue
• Assault Heroes 2
• Asteroids and Deluxe
• Astropop
• Axel and Pixel
• Asura's Wrath
• Babel Rising
• Band of Bugs 
• Banjo Kazooie 
• Banjo Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts 
• Banjo Tooie
• Batman: Arkham Origins
• BattleBlock Theater
• Battlefield 1943
• Battlefield: Bad Company
• Battlefield: Bad Company 2
• Battlefield 2: Modern Combat
• Battlefield 3
• Battlestations Pacific
• Bayonetta
• Bejeweled 2
• Bejeweled 3
• Bellator: MMA Onslaught
• Beyond Good and Evil HD
• BioShock
• BioShock 2
• BioShock Infinite
• Blazing Angels
• Blood Knights
• Blood of the Werewolf
• BloodRayne: Betrayal
• Bloodforge
• Blue Dragon
• Bomberman Battlefest
• Boom Boom Rocket
• Bound by Flame
• Borderlands
• Borderlands 2
• Braid
• Brave: The Video Game
• Brain Challenge
• Brothers In Arms: Hell's Highway
• Brutal Legend
• Bullet Soul
• Bullet Soul — Infinite Burst
• Bully
• The Bureau: XCOM Declassified
• Burnout Paradise
• Burnout Revenge
• Calbela's Dangerous Hunts 2013
• Cabela's Hunting Expeditions
• Cabela's Survival: Shadows of Katmai
• Call of Duty 2 
• Call of Duty 3
• Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 2
• Call of Duty: Ghosts
• Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
• Call of Duty: World at War
• Call of Juarez Gunslinger
• Capcom Arcade Cabinet
• Carcassonne
• Cars 2: The Video Game
• Castle Crashers
• Castlestorm
• Castlevania: Harmony of Despair
• Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
• Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate HD
• Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2
• Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
• Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse
• Catherine
• Cars: Mater-National
• Centipede and Millipede
• Child of Eden
• Civilization Revolution
• Contra
• Comic Jumper
• Comix Zone
• Command and Conquer 3 Tiberium wars
• Command and Conquer 3 Kane's Wrath
• Command and Conquer Red Alert 3
• Command and Conquer Red Alert 3 Commander's Challenge
• Commanders: Attack
• Condemned: Criminal Origins 
• Costume Quest
• Costume Quest 2
• Counter-Strike: GO
• Crackdown 
• Crackdown 2
• Crazy Taxi
• Crysis
• Crysis 2
• Crysis 3
• Crystal Defenders
• Crystal Quest
• Dante's Inferno
• The Darkness
• Darksiders 
• Darksiders 2
• Dark Souls 
• Daytona USA
• Dark Void
• Dead Rising 2: Case Zero
• Dead Rising 2: Case West
• Dead Space
• Dead Space 2
• Dead Space 3
• Dead Space Ignition
• Deadfall Adventures
• Deadliest Warrior: The Game
• Deadliest Warrior: Legends
• Deadly Premonition
• DeathSpank: Thongs of Virtue
• Defense Grid
• Dig Dug
• Deus Ex: Human Revolution
• Dirt 3
• Dirt Showdown
• Discs of Tron
• Disney Bolt
• Divinity 2: The Dragon Knight Saga
• Domino Master
• Doom
• Doom 2
• Doom 3 BFG Edition
• Doritos Crash Course
• Double Dragon Neon
• Dragon Age: Origins
• Dragon Age 2
• Driver San Francisco
• Duck Tales: Remastered
• Duke Nukem Forever
• Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project
• Dungeon Siege 3
• Earth Defense Force 2017
• Earth Defense Force 2025
• Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon
• Earthworm Jim HD
• Eat Lead
• Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion 
• Enchanted Arms
• Enslaved: Odyssey to the West
• Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two
• Escape Dead Island
• F1 2014
• Fable Anniversary 
• Fable 2 
• Fable 2 Pub Games
• Fable 3
• Fable Heroes
• Faery: Legends of Avalon
• Fallout 3 
• Fallout: New Vegas
• Far Cry Classic
• Far Cry Instincts Predator
• Far Cry 2
• Far Cry 3
• Feeding Frenzy
• Feeding Frenzy 2
• Flashback
• Fighting Vipers
• Fight Night Champion
• Final Fantasy 13
• Final Fantasy XIII-2 
• Final Fight: Double Impact
• Forza Horizon 
• Foul Play
• Fret Nice
• Frogger
• Frogger 2
• From Dust
• Frontlines: Fuel of War
• Fuel
• Galaga
• Galaga Legions
• Galaga Legions DX
• Garou: Mark of the Wolves
• Gatling Gears
• Gears of War 
• Gears of War 2 
• Gears of War 3 
• Gears of War: Judgment
• Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved
• Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2
• Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions Evolved
• Ghostbusters
• Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime
• Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter
• Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2
• Ghost Recon Future Soldier
• Gin Rummy
• Girl Fight
• Goat Simulator
• Go! Go! Break Steady
• Golden Axe
• Golf: Tee It Up!
• GRID Autosport
• GRID 2
• Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
• Greg Hastings Paintball 2
• Gripshift
• Guardian Heroes
• Gunstar Heroes
• Guwange
• Gyromancer
• GYRUSS
• Half-Minute Hero — Super Mega Neo Climax
• Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary 
• Halo 3 
• Halo 3: ODST
• Halo 4
• Halo: Reach
• Halo: Spartan Assault
• Halo Wars
• Hard Corps: Uprising
• Hardwood Backgammon
• Hardwood Hearts
• Hardwood Spades
• Harms Way
• Heavy Weapon
• Hexic 2
• Hexic HD
• Hitman HD Pack
• Hitman: Blood Money
• Hydrophobia
• Hydro Thunder
• I Am Alive
• Ikaruga
• ilomilo
• Infinite Undiscovery
• Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet
• Interpol
• Iron Brigade
• Jeremy McGrath's Offroad
• Jet Set Radio
• Jetpac Refuelled
• Jewel Quest
• Joe Danger
• Joe Danger 2: The Movie
• Joust
• Joy Ride Turbo
• Just Cause
• Just Cause 2
• Kameo: Elements of Power
• Kane and Lynch 2
• Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning
• King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie
• King of Fighters 98 Ultimate Match
• King of Fighters 2012 Unlimited Match
• King of Fighters Sky Stage
• King of Fighters 13
• Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light
• Lazy Raiders
• Left 4 Dead
• Left 4 Dead 2
• LEGO Batman
• LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes
• LEGO Indiana Jones 2
• LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game
• LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga
• LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
• LEGO Star Wars 3: The Clone Wars
• Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy 13
• Lode Runner
• Lost Odyssey
• Lost Planet
• Lost Planet 2
• Lost Planet 3
• Lost Planet Colonies
• Lumines Live!
• Luxor 2 Arcade
• Madballs Babo: Invasion
• Mafia 2
• Magic: The Gathering
• Magic 2012
• Magic 2013
• Magic 2014 — Duels of the Planeswalkers
• Marathon: Durandal
• Marlow Briggs and the Mask of the Death
• Mars: War Logs
• Mass Effect 
• Mass Effect 2
• Meet the Robinsons
• Mass Effect 3
• Matt Hazard: Blood Bath and Beyond
• Medal of Honor: Airborne
• Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
• Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker HD Edition
• Metal Slug 3
• Metal Slug XX
• Midnight Club LA
• Midway Arcade Origins
• Might and Magic Clash of Heroes
• Mirror's Edge 
• Missile Command
• Monaco: What's Yours is Mine
• Monday Night Combat
• Monkey Island: SE
• Monkey Island 2: SE
• Monopoly Deal
• Monopoly Plus
• Moon Diver
• Motocross Madness
• Ms. Splosion Man
• MS.PAC-MAN
• Mutant Blobs Attack
• Mutant Storm Empire
• Mutant Storm Reloaded
• MX vs. ATV Reflex
• N+ 
• NBA Jam: On Fire Edition
• NeoGeo Battle Coliseum
• NiGHTS into Dreams
• Ninja Gaiden 2 
• Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge
• Nin2-Jump
• Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising
• Operation Flashpoint: Red River
• Orcs Must Die!
• Outland
• Overlord
• Overlord 2
• Pac-Man
• Pac-Man Museum
• Pac-Man Championship Edition
• PAC-MAN CE DX+
• Peggle
• Peggle 2
• Perfect Dark
• Perfect Dark Zero 
• Persona 4 Arena
• Phantasy Star 2
• Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds
• Pinball FX
• Plants vs. Zombies
• Poker Smash
• Portal: Still Alive
• Portal 2 
• Port Royale 3 Pirates and Merchants
• Prey
• Prince of Persia
• Prince of Persia (08)
• Prince of Persia The Forgotten Sands
• Pure
• Putty Squad
• Puzzlegeddon
• Puzzle Quest
• Puzzle Quest Galactrix
• Puzzle Quest 2
• Quantum Conundrum
• R-Type Dimensions
• Radiant Silvergun
• Rainbow Six Vegas 
• Raiden 4
• Rainbow Six Vegas 2
• Raskulls
• Rayman Legends
• Rayman Origins
• Rayman Raving Rabbids
• Rayman 3 HD
• Red Dead Redemption 
• Red Faction: Armageddon
• Resident Evil Code: Veronica X
• RoboBlitz
• Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis
• Rumble Roses XX
• Runner 2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien
• R.U.S.E.
• Sacred 3
• Sacred Citadel
• Saints Row
• Saints Row 2
• Saints Row: The Third
• Saints Row 4
• Saints Row: Gat Out of Hell
• Samurai Shodown 2
• Sam and Max Save the World
• Sam and Max Beyond Time and Space
• Scarygirl
• Scrap Metal
• ScreamRide
• Sega Vintage Collection: Alex Kidd and Co.
• Sega Vintage Collection: Monster World
• Sega Vintage Collection: Streets of Rage
• Sega Vintage Collection: ToeJam and Earl
• Sensible World of Soccer
• Shadow Assault Tenchu
• Shadow Complex 
• Shadows of the Damned
• Shinobi
• Skate
• Skate 3 
• Skullgirls
• Slender: The Arrival
• Silent Hill: Downpour
• Silent Hill: HD Collection
• Silent Hill Homecoming
• Sine Mora
• Small Arms
• Sniper Elite V2
• Soltrio Solitaire
• Sonic Adventure
• Sonic Adventure 2
• Sonic and All-Stars Racing Transformed
• Sonic and Knuckles
• Sonic CD
• Sonic Generations
• Sonic the Fighters
• Sonic The Hedgehog
• Sonic The Hedgehog 2
• Sonic The Hedgehog 3
• Sonic The Hedgehog 4: Episode 1
• Sonic The Hedgehog 4: Episode 2
• Sonic Unleashed
• Soul Caliber
• Soul Caliber 2 HD
• South Park: The Stick of Truth
• Space Giraffe
• Space Invaders Infinity Gene
• Spec Ops: The Line
• Spelunky
• Splinter Cell Blacklist
• Splinter Cell Conviction 
• Splinter Cell Double Agent 
• Split/Second
• Splosion Man
• SSX
• Stacking
• Star Ocean: The Last Hope
• Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 
• Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2
• Steinsgate 
• Strania
• Street Fighter 4
• Sega Bass Fishing
• Super Contra 
• Super Meat Boy
• Super Puzzle Fighter 2 Turbo
• Super Street Fighter 4 Arcade Edition
• Supreme Commander 2
• Syberia
• Syndicate
• Tecmo Bowl Throwback
• Tekken 6
• Tekken Tag Tournament 2
• Texas Hold'em
• Ticket to Ride
• TimeShift
• The Cave
• The Darkness 2
• The Orange Box
• The Maw
• The Misadventures of PB Winterbottom
• The Splatters
• The Walking Dead: Season One 
• The Walking Dead: Season Two 
• The Walking Dead: Michonne 
• Too Human
• Tomb Raider Anniversary
• Tomb Raider Legend
• Tomb Raider Underworld
• Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X.
• Tom Clancy's EndWar
• Torchlight
• Tour de France 2009
• Tower Bloxx Deluxe
• Toybox Turbos
• Toy Soldiers
• Toy Soldiers Cold War
• Toy Story 3
• Trials Evolution
• Trials HD
• Triggerheart Exelica
• Trine 2
• Tropico 4
• Tron: Evolution
• Ugly Americans: Apocalypsegeddon
• Unbound Saga
• Undertow
• Unreal Tournament 3
• Vanquish
• Virtua Fighter 2
• Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown
• Virtual-On
• Virtual On: OT
• Viva Piñata 
• Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise
• Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings
• Wolfenstein 3D
• Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3
• XCOM: Enemy Unknown
• XCOM: Enemy Within
• Yosumin! Live
• Zone of the Enders HD
• Zuma
• Zuma's Revenge!

Whew! That's a lot of games. It's worth noting that not only can you play all of these games on the Xbox One, but you can also use your Xbox and Xbox 360 saves and save data. You can do this manually and through cloud storage. You can even transfer your saves back to an Xbox or Xbox 360 through your Xbox Live profile or manual storage.

While it's unfortunate we won't get any more backwards compatible Xbox or Xbox 360 games on the Xbox One, it's possible we'll get even more on the Xbox Series X. 

Over the past few years, there has been a major number of HD remasters of games, such as Skyrim, Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection, Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition, and more. Many have argued that these are pointless as you can already get the original game for cheaper, while others have said that they are worth buying due to the amount of content that is presented in the HD version, such as expansion packs or additional missions for example, which normally served as DLC in the vanilla games.

It's understandable why some people can be hesitant towards buying a remaster of a game. It's more expensive, there's nothing new added to the game to make it worth buying, it's taking the game and giving it a somewhat new coat of paint to make it look good along with other games available on the system, while not adding anything new to give a breath of fresh air to the game itself.

HD remasters began to appear mostly during the seventh generation of consoles (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii) with titles such as Jak And Daxter Collection, The Sly Trilogy, and Prince Of Persia Trilogy, since then, it seems there's no stopping the onslaught of HD remasters welcoming themselves into the current generation and onto future console generations we have yet to witness.

But is it really worth it for you to spend money on a slightly prettier version of the game you already own? I say YES.

An HD remaster is a perfect way to introduce someone to a series you yourself have enjoyed in the past, especially if the remaster itself is a trilogy (Such as Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection) as well as give yourself the chance to try out a series yourself that you may have missed the first time around.

Perhaps you've sold a game from your PlayStation 3/Xbox 360 collection, but want to sink your teeth into it again, chances are it has been made available on PlayStation 4/Xbox One.

And whilst not many remastered games have any additional content, there are a few games out there that have heaps of content to keep you occupied well after you've finished the main story. Square Enix released Kingdom Hearts 1.5 and 2.5 which housed the Final Mix versions of Kingdom Hearts (1.5) Kingdom Hearts II and Birth By Sleep (2.5) on PlayStation 3 in 2013 and 2014 respectively. The games will be released again on PlayStation 4 in March of this year, giving gamers yet another chance to experience the series before the release of Kingdom Hearts III.

Each of these games was at first released in Japan only, and offered additional challenges and bosses for players to try. With updated visuals and music made for the remasters, it was an absolute delight to be able to enjoy these additions that Western fans had been asking for at last.

Now, of course, no remaster is perfect, you'll most likely come across bugs that were present in the original game and may also have bugs of their own (looking at you, Silent Hill HD Collection) you should at least give a remaster a chance before you decide to cast it aside, in favor of the original.

What do you think? Should remasters continue to be made or should developers leave their games alone? Let the comments roll!

The Silent Hill series is basically the only horror series I like.

Lately however, it seems likely to be dead since the last main series title Downpour fared quite poorly in 2012  and the reboot that was to be directed by Hideo Kojima, of Metal Gear fame, and Guillermo del Toro -- famous for Pan's Labyrinth and Pacific Rim-- ended up being scrapped.

But why is it like this? Let's find out.

Silent Hill came out in 1999 and was quite innovative in the Survival Horror genre, because your character was basically just an average guy, not a trained policeman of a special ops unit like in Resident Evil for example. The game tried to make you feel dread and fear by not only putting you up against unholy abominations -- not that there weren't any, but they weren't what sparked fear into you.

The world itself, the Silent Hill city, felt otherworldly and not right. The ambience was built to scare, and it was done goddamn well too! Due to this, the game had an overwhelmingly good impact on the public and press, and a series was spawned.

The sequels themselves, at least at first, were not only up to par with the original, but at times even better. Silent Hill 2 being most likely the best of them all and 3 coming close. However, most critics do agree that the series itself, after 4, and maybe even with 4, started on a slippery slope towards less and less quality. Series need to change themselves to stay relevant or to continue to deliver the same experience but in ever better ways -- this is why Civilization is still a big hit after more than 20 years. Let's see if the Silent Hill series failed to do just that, and where in particular did they fail.

Silent Hill 4 started changing the series' formula, giving greater emphasis to combat, this in itself wasn't bad, in fact the game is still better than average, but it can be argued to have been the last time the series was very good, tough no longer exceptional.

It was still atmospheric, the city, while no longer being the titular Silent Hill was still a malevolent and eldritch location, but the fact that you could--and had to-- fight, made it feel a bit less scary compared to previous installments where combat was marginal and the likes of Pyramid Head in the second installment, could just kill you outright in one hit.

Origins tried to recapture the spirit of the first 3 games and while being overall a decent game it wasn't like the games it tried to emulate, since its storyline was less compelling than those of previous installments were and the overall atmosphere of the game didn't feel as scary and oppressive as previous entries set in Silent Hill.

Homecoming went all out with the idea of making combat even more prominent than it was in 4 --the game itself wasn't bad-- but every instance was now feeling less and less scary and old time fans started to complain, since it didn't remind them at all of what Silent Hill used to be. There was no longer that oppressive fear of being overpowered at every turn and not being in control. The story here was decently written and the main character was relatable, but the series had lost itself, and sales started to confirm the dip in quality the series had experienced selling less than 900k copies worldwide, but still, Konami decided to give it another sequel.

Sequel that did indeed arrive with Downpour in 2012, the last mainline title to be published to this day, and one can hardly question why since the game itself did even worse than its predecessor selling less than 800k globally.

It wasn't bad, the story was better than the previous one and the setting was scarier. It overall may have been a step in the right direction, but it can be argued that it was too little and too late, the franchise had been suffering, and needed a huge hit to be brought back to a healthy status, Downpour wasn't able to deliver that. Although it went back to its roots, basically putting you against your innermost fears from your psyche as the first and second installment had marvelously done, it didn't get great reviews from critics who overwhelmingly though, not without reason, that the game had a generally bad gameplay and control system that made it difficult to enjoy its other qualities.

[Sales figures for all Silent Hill Games]

Now we've seen why the series has died, lets concentrate on the scrapped Silent Hills game--that  might have brought it back into relevance had it been released.

Silent Hills, as previously said was a joint project of Hideo Kojima and Benicio del Toro, their names alone generated a lot of hype among fans due to how good at their respective works they both are, a demo was released on the Playstation 4 PSN and met overwhelming praise from all, players and press, but why then was the game ultimately scrapped?

I fear that the cause was the retirement from Konami of Hideo Kojima and later the retirement from the Silent Hills project of Benicio del Toro, it may very well be that Konami's higher ups felt the game could not live up to the hype generated by the demo without those big names working on it anymore and classified as not worth risking the company's resources over.

To be honest, this is understandable, since the game would have greatly benefited by del Toro's touch and by the publicity associated with his name, and needed to have exceptionally great sales to revive the franchise. An objective hard to approach without said publicity boost he would have granted.

The franchise at the moment, needs something that goes back to the basics in its storytelling, but innovates on the gameplay, not an easy feat, certainly, but I've yet to give up all hopes and indeed think that there will be another attempt to revive the franchise, let's just hope it comes soon and does well.

We need a Silent Hill game that once again creates in us a sense of impotence and dread while exploring the world, that scares us without jumpscares but rather with eerie ambience and that has a well written and likeable protagonist struggling against such an alien, eldritch location and I do hope we get it soon.

Remasters are all the rage nowadays and show no signs of going away anytime soon. This E3 brought news of even more remasters, and we still have more of E3 to see. You can just look here at GameSkinny to see a number of articles concerning the topic of remasters posted within the past month alone. However, of these articles, only one by Elijah has expressed any qualms with the remaster practice, and he even urged players not to buy the new Uncharted Collection (an attitude I heartily echo).

Let me be frank, I have no issues with the idea of remasters or re-releases in general. However, like anything that is remotely profitable or good, in theory, it has been abused by the AAA world to the point of saturation. Right now, there are four main issues with “remasters” which I will delve into here:

1. Most “remasters” are simply re-releases with the bare minimum of work invested into them pushed by greedy publishers eager to make a quick buck.
2. Many of these “remasters” change bugger all from the original release, ship with missing content, or are inferior to the originals.
3. Most “remasters” are being sold at ridiculous prices.
4. The games that are getting the “remaster” treatment. 

1. “Remaster” is a false moniker

The process of remastering has its origins in the music world where new master recordings of songs are made in an effort to improve the quality of the sound. This was great for landmark albums released on vinyl or cassette or otherwise hard to track down, allowing fans new and old to experience albums which would otherwise be lost to the passage of time. With games, we have something completely different. Most games released under the moniker of a “remaster” are simply a re-release instead of an actual remaster. 

What exactly do I mean? Well if you go by the musical standard, most of these remastered games have the bare minimum of effort invested into them. They are usually a simple upscale in the resolution and framerate released onto the new consoles. That’s it.

Most games released under the moniker of a “remaster” are simply a re-release instead of an actual remaster.

There is no special treatment to these games being ported to a new console; they just make it playable in 1080p resolution and finally allow you to have 60 fps framerate on a console (took long enough).

The Last of Us Remastered was a game with an increased framerate and resolution. Yes, some additional content was added but was the game truly remastered? Not really.

Now let’s look at Homeworld Remastered Collection, this is an example of an actual remaster. If you compare the original game to the remaster, the difference is staggering.

So much of an upgrade it's hard to even tell it's the same game.

You can see the improvements made by the developers in bringing this classic to the modern age. They didn’t just make it look like a modern game though. They also improved the UI, gameplay, and multiplayer.

The team actually worked on this, and as a result, it is a substantial release able to compete with anything on the current market instead of a greedy cash grab.

2. This is even a remaster? 

This is perhaps the most egregious practice with the remaster craze: content missing or the remaster being inferior in quality to the original. The most infamous example of this is the Silent Hill HD Collection, and for damn good reason.

The SH Collection was not only inferior to the original games; it was also a dreadful release in its own right. The only code Konami only provided the developers was an unfinished build of games, resulting in all sorts of technical issues plaguing development and release. In fact, the issues were so prevalent, the game was so broken, and player outcry was so overwhelming that Konami actually came up with a replacement program for players who purchased this pile of drek. 

Another recent blot on the practice of re-releases is the Heroes of Might and Magic III: HD Edition. Not only does this release have plenty of its own technical issues, but it does not include the expansion packs.

Now, yes, expansions are not considered part of the main game, but considering this game is available on GOG.com with all of the expansions for less money than the HD version, this is a severe problem since the expansions add a lot to the experience.

What is the point of releasing these games if they are missing content or add nothing to the experience?

Again, like The Last of Us: Remastered bugger all was added to the experience. Sure some maps were added and an unnecessary Photo Mode was along for the ride, but was there anything that different between the original game and remaster? Elijah has already pointed out the Uncharted Collection will be shipping without the multiplayer and some other content found in the original games. What is the point of releasing these games if they are missing content or add nothing to the experience?

3. You want how much for this??

Another issue occurs when remasters are sold at the full retail price of $60. This is especially egregious when you consider missing content or bare additions to the original releases. The Uncharted Collection is selling for $60. $60 for a rehash of highly linear campaigns you have likely already played with no cooperative modes or multiplayer with the exception of the limited multiplayer beta for Uncharted 4.

So what in the hell are you paying for here? 1080p resolution? A 60 fps framerate? The Uncharted 4 beta? None of these justify the pricing of $60, especially when you look at remasters that are done correctly, like Metro: Redux.

Consider Metro Redux. 4A Games revisited Metro 2033 and not only brought the game up to date visually, they also added numerous fixes and gameplay improvements found in the sequel Metro: Last Light. For all of their work and improvements made, the Redux version of the games are being sold for $30 apiece and go on sale for quite a bit less. How can you justify asking $60 for an incomplete game with minimal effort invested when developers like 4A are actually pouring time and effort into a remaster and put an asking price of half that?

The same thing applies to Homeworld Remastered Collection. The developers completely remade not one, but two games, included the original, unaltered games as well as multiplayer and only asked $35 for their efforts. Oddworld: New ‘n’ Tasty is a complete, ethical remake of one of the most beloved games of all time and is being sold for $20.

If a greedy publisher wants to push a shell of an experience for $60, then by all means, please do. As consumers though, we need to speak with our wallets and not allow these hollow, over-priced products to be rewarded with success.

Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty set the bar for remasters. 

4. Can we at least remaster games that deserve it?

Let’s be honest, most of these games released as a remaster do not deserve the re-release. They may be good games or even great games, but do we really need a re-release of the Uncharted series (which is rubbish) or Dishonored (which was good, but so recent)? This E3 has brought news of Gears of War also receiving this treatment as well as Darksiders II.

What about the games which are classics or will be lost to the passage of time unless we set about preserving them?

 What about the games which are classics or will be lost to the passage of time unless we set about preserving them?

The release of the Silent Hill HD Collection and Heroes of Might and Magic III HD should show how important it is to preserve classic games. Both of these remakes suffered because the source code could not be found. Remasters could be a way to prevent this problem by preserving the original experience as well as bringing classics up to speed for modern gamers. Forget Borderlands, Uncharted, and Gears of War, why can’t we get more remasters of things like Thief, Legacy of Kain, or Day of the Tentacle?

I understand there are licensing and rights issues that stem from these projects.

However, we have seen remasters of Homeworld, Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee, and Grim Fandango. Classics games can and should be preserved for generations to come. The recent P.T. debacle has shown the problems with a digital distribution system where a publisher can revoke our access to a work of art if they please. Remasters could prevent this problem, but we should be remastering classics instead of rehashing games that have yet to be potty trained, much less hit puberty.

 The recent P.T. debacle has shown the problems with a digital distribution system where a publisher can revoke our access to a work of art if they please.

At the end of the day, I like the idea of remasters, and game preservation is important to keep classics that could be lost to the passage of time. Like all good ideas though, we have seen this great idea used by greedy publishers to make a quick buck and constantly rehash properties. Games are being released with no effort invested or in broken states. These practices are unacceptable and should not be encouraged. Instead of buying the Uncharted Collection or Gears of War Ultimate Edition, we should support worthy remastering projects such as Homeworld and Oddworld: New ‘n’ Tasty. Until we show we won’t support these practices, they will continue.

Now how about some Legacy of Kain & Soul Reaver in HD, eh?