Can Devs Remaster Wrong?

Accessing awesome games on new hardware will never be a problem, not until you take into account utter redundancy and incredible cost anyway.

Remastering has always been a controversial thing. Where are all the awesome mid-tier games that have kept previous generations populated while AAA titles boil along?

Aside from Koei, nobody seems to be making them, and they’re certainly not bringing them out on PlayStation 4 or Xbox One. You either have indie titles that don’t quite scratch that AAA itch, or AAA titles that are underwhelming in their originality. There’s very little mid-ground outside of handhelds and RPGs.

Filling the gap with remastered collections is clever and profitable, not to mention popular. There are dozens of games I’d happily re-buy if it meant I could play them again, with trophies and improved visuals on the PS4. 

This is a terrible week to be a fan of remasters. Yes, the Handsome collection is going to be well worth buying, but announcements of God of War 3 and the Batman Arkham Collection sadly overshadow it.

The main question would be: who wants these remasters? God of War, arguably, will be played by people who missed it first time around, and that’s fair enough. It’s not an expensive game to buy on PS3, but not everybody has access to them.

The problem in this case lies more in the cost. The powers that be have decided that this old game warrants a decent chunk of full price. It doesn’t.

While I would never suggest to someone not to buy something they want, God of War 3 on PS4 will be a rip-off. If it were a full collection, it would only just begin to feel like a worthy purchase.

While the God of War 3 re-release makes sense when viewed as a cross-gen thing. Batman is a mystery.

While not confirmed yet, this wouldn’t be a surprise. The Arkham games are famously console blind, appearing on just about every platform that can support them. This isn’t a bad thing, but for how long are we expected to keep buying these games?

In the past, PC has been the place to go if you want to have constant access to your games. The Arkham titles work perfectly well there, and on PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii U. Fans of the franchise can continue their advanture with Arkham Knight later this year. What is the point in stepping back to the older games? 

The truth is, releases like this are what is ruining remasters. They’re either questionable, expensive, or both. The only reason they’re released is because people – like me – are stupid enough to buy them.

So here is the big question: if they have a value and people are willing to buy them, are they really that bad a thing?

With remasters showing no sign of going away, this may have to be a question we revisit in a year or two.