Posted November 26, 2015
I'm not a big fan of remakes, mostly because they have to adapt to the average player.
Many games were great because back then developers were (more) free to execute their ideas, and the product had to impress because the niche market was always interested in originality; now, the customer base simply want the same old crap -the proof is in all those ongoing, yearly series like Call of Duty or Assassin's Creed. I'm not saying they are not good or you that you cannot like them, yet they are suffocating the creative spirit, and now everything tends to move on their rail.
Let's take your example and think about how an hypotetical Duke Nukem 3D remake should be if it wanted to sell a big amount of copies: shiny graphics (so far, so good), regenerating health, damped down difficulty, pointless cinematics and narrative (with the Duke? Really?), reduced number of enemies and extremely slowed down gameplay to allow gamepad support and console versions, because if it is not multiplatfrom it is not profitable.
Call me elitist or whatever you want, but there is a big difference between a console shooter and a PC one: the speed and frenetic action of the old 3D realms build engine games cannot be reproduced on consoles, and the PC version will have to suffer a shallow gameplay because making two different versions would cost too much.
So, I'll say this: I don't want to see remakes, unless they are like Grim Fandango, were the core game is precisely the same with improved resolution and better controls. That I would like.
Even today, if I have the choice, I usually buy and play the original version.
the only exception to my rule could be for Anachronox, and only because I want to see the long-awaited sequel; if only Eidos bothered to lunch a decent advertising campaign, the game would have had much more success, and maybe now the series would be complete. A well-advertised remake could help in bringing it the fame it deserves.
Many games were great because back then developers were (more) free to execute their ideas, and the product had to impress because the niche market was always interested in originality; now, the customer base simply want the same old crap -the proof is in all those ongoing, yearly series like Call of Duty or Assassin's Creed. I'm not saying they are not good or you that you cannot like them, yet they are suffocating the creative spirit, and now everything tends to move on their rail.
Let's take your example and think about how an hypotetical Duke Nukem 3D remake should be if it wanted to sell a big amount of copies: shiny graphics (so far, so good), regenerating health, damped down difficulty, pointless cinematics and narrative (with the Duke? Really?), reduced number of enemies and extremely slowed down gameplay to allow gamepad support and console versions, because if it is not multiplatfrom it is not profitable.
Call me elitist or whatever you want, but there is a big difference between a console shooter and a PC one: the speed and frenetic action of the old 3D realms build engine games cannot be reproduced on consoles, and the PC version will have to suffer a shallow gameplay because making two different versions would cost too much.
So, I'll say this: I don't want to see remakes, unless they are like Grim Fandango, were the core game is precisely the same with improved resolution and better controls. That I would like.
Even today, if I have the choice, I usually buy and play the original version.
the only exception to my rule could be for Anachronox, and only because I want to see the long-awaited sequel; if only Eidos bothered to lunch a decent advertising campaign, the game would have had much more success, and maybe now the series would be complete. A well-advertised remake could help in bringing it the fame it deserves.
