With the News of the Final Fantasy VII remake being more than just an imagination, I wanted to discuss remakes and reboots, and their implications for modern gaming.  To start I’d like to try and define a remake and a reboot.  A remake for all intents and purposes is the original game often with improved graphics and added on content to the game, either extra dungeons and storyline clarification or an added NG+ mode.  A reboot on the other hand is a reconceptualization of that original game where many game mechanics, story elements and even characters can be completely changed, often the reboot has only a passing resemblance to the original game.  With Square’s comment on Final Fantasy VII remake being a reimagining, it sounds like they chose a murky middle where a large chunk of the game may be unrecognizable from the original; only time will tell on this.

Remaking The Past

Games that have been remade well often give a sense of nostalgia with a few easter eggs.  Final Fantasy Tactics War Of Lions, was one such game where everything that was added to the game storywise gave a sense of closure to character quest lines that were initially left open ended.  Baldur’s Gate and Icewind Dale’s Enhanced Editions updated graphics and even added characters, quests and maps which were well received by fans.  RealMyst the remake of Myst, only needed to update its graphics to bring life back into the game, the story was done so well the first time.  Star Ocean  First Departure was a remake of the Original Star Ocean game which was unreleased in North America, the remake brought the battle system in line with Star Ocean Second Story and even added Cutscenes.   Kingdom Hearts is another example of a well received remake.  The Kindom Hearts remake updated the battle menu and even updated graphics and added cutscenes.  Even a game like Earthworm Jim got a remake with enhanced graphics and a multiplayer mode.

It has become a trend to bundle remakes in a series together and be called collections.  These Collections often only have enhanced graphics and any DLC or extras bundles with the game. Games as Halo, NES final Fantasy,  God of War, Devil May Cry, Assassin’s Creed, Prince Of Persia trilogy, and Infamous.  For the most part remakes seem to be seen as favorable because they leave the original story intact and only update graphics.

Pressing Reset

Reboots on the other hand can be viewed more apprehensively, more often than not the reboot of a beloved series can be seen with disdain.  The Pacman reboot didn’t really translate well the initial premise of the original game.  The Devil May Cry reboot, has beautiful Graphics, but the gameplay and even story pale in comparison to the original series.  Golden Axe is another classic SNES game that did not translate well into 3D models.  NeoContra was a Game that made little to no impact on players who loved the original game, and the 3D models very rarely acted as a 3D shooter.  The Contra series tried to recover by rebooting again to the side scroller shooter in Contra Rebirth, which was met with more favorable views but still little interest against games like Modern Warfare or Call of Duty.  The Double Dragon Reboot was yet another game that failed to garner any real interest.   Bomberman Act Zero was considered a travesty on the fun loving colorful Bomberman Games, changing the setting to a dystopian future.

There are a few reboots that were as well received or even more popular than the original games. Donkey Kong Country was a reboot of the original arcade Donkey Kong and making him a hero was well received.  The Tomb Raider reboot has received critical acclaim and breathed new life into a stagnant series.  Ninja Gaiden which brought a platformer/sidescroller into a 3D environment was well received by fans and took 5 years to make as well as 2 remakes to be fully accessible to all systems.  SimCity is another example of a well received reboot that has players choosing it over the original.

Here are a few games that deserve a remake or a reboot of the series:

• Suikoden Series: not many games come close to the enormous cast of characters or mock war scenes and castle customization.
• Legacy of Kain: deserves at leat a remake the story and gameplay were addictive.
• Saga Frontier: with it’s multitude Of Characters and Skill/Spell progression was a fun RPG to play.
• Dark Sector: would be interesting to see a reimagining.
• Half Life: should be remade then rebooted, Half Life 3 was supposed to have come out so long ago.
• Crash Bandicoot: and his spin moves.
• Bushido Blade: would have so much potential as a Multiplayer Trollfest.

I’ll stop myself before my wish list ruins the article.

There is always talk of beloved series being remade for the modern era, but an apprehension of the original concept getting ruined.  Once the door is opened for a remake, a developer could just as quickly change their mind and decide to reboot a series which complicates things further. There are so many different factors that determine whether a remake or reboot would be successful, but reboots have a much weaker track record than remakes. This is obviously because rebooting a game involves so many risks, most of all which is alienation of the core fan base who made the game so popular in the first place. Perhaps there is a way to develop these reboots in a way that takes those opinions in mind?  What are your thoughts on remakes and reboots?

More Game Articles