As of lately, movies, TV shows, and even video games have been seeing a surge in remakes and remasters. Studios want to capitalize on our nostalgia for the classics while adding more modern takes to them. Unfortunately, this can have… disastrous results. In my rant, I plan to go over some examples of remasters and remakes that worked, ones that didn’t work, and what I would love to see brought into the modern era if done correctly.
The Good: Modern Warfare Remastered
For some, CoD 4 Modern Warfare was probably one of the most enjoyable Call of Duty games. This is because it was so simple, but so enjoyable too. There weren’t too many guns, no loot boxes, fun maps, and simple class setups. Yes, there were plenty of negatives as well, but overall I loved CoD 4. So when Modern Warfare Remastered was initially announced, I was excited beyond belief. That was until I heard it was being piggie-backed with Infinite Warfare.
When Modern Warfare Remastered came out, I was definitely annoyed by the appearance of lootboxes and new weapons obtainable from said boxes. That being said, the game still had a similar feel to the CoD 4 I knew and loved. The weapons and gameplay were simple, the maps classic and old-school mode even made a comeback. With only a few changes, such as improved graphics, those damn lootboxes, character skins, a few more guns, and a prop hunt mode, it was CoD 4 in essence. No, it wasn’t perfect, but it was close enough to bring me back to the golden years of CoD.
Star Wars Battlefront II (2017)
Star Wars Battlefront II (2017) had a rough start. EA faced a huge amount of backlash when it was made aware that credits were required to unlock heroes, and lootboxes were available for purchase. The backlash was so immense that EA made changes to make the fanbase happier and to make those heroes easier to get. With the usual issues most modern remakes and remasters face aside, Battlefront II eventually turned things around and became a really enjoyable game. Customizable characters, multiple races, space battles, heroes vs. villains, and the nightmare known as Ewok Hunt, Battlefront was great fun.
EA claims they learned from all the criticism, but none of us really believe that. In any case, Battlefront II reminded us of how the original Battlefront 2 made us feel way back in 2005. Though not exactly what we all want, it was close enough. The vastly improved graphics and design, along with better controls and more customization, made it a great Star Wars game.
The Bad: Skyrim: Special Eddition
We all know the jokes by now about how there’s like ten different versions of Skyrim available and how they’re all exactly the same. That’s why I consider Skyrim’s remastered version a bomb. Besides improving the graphics a bit and adding mod support to consoles, Bethesda just released the same game again. The same bugs and glitches were there, we still couldn’t marry Serana like we wanted, and now we had more content to pay for in the Creative Club section. Yes, I’m glad they did what little work to upgrade the game they did, but seriously? Another copy of Skyrim for $60?! Damn you, Todd Howard.
Modern Warfare 2 Remastered
This game came out of nowhere. One day, we randomly got the MW2 Campaign remastered on the store, and I quickly downloaded it. Yes, it was exactly what it advertised to be, and I enjoyed it, but that was it—just the story. I know so many people who desperately want MW2 remastered completely, online and story. I’m glad they gave us the campaign and didn’t touch it or remove anything, but that wasn’t what we as a fanbase wanted. And I have this sneaking suspicion that MW2’s online may get remastered, but it will be separate or attached to another CoD game. I only consider this a bomb due to the fact that we only got half of what we wanted. But, at least the price was reasonable.
What I Want to See
With all these remasters and remakes coming out, there are a few in particular that I would absolutely love to see—the first being Star Wars Battlefront 2. Yes, I know we already have one, but it still doesn’t nail the feeling of the OG Battlefront 2. I miss galactic conquest and the vehicle gameplay of the old game. If we could get SWBF2 remastered the way it was, and combine it with the newer version’s customization and graphics, then it’d easily be my favorite game. That might be too much to hope for, however.
Another game I’d love to see make a comeback is Skate 3. Either that or a new Skate that is just as much fun as Skate 3 was. I missed the golden years of that game, but playing it these days makes me wish I had given it a chance when it was popular. Hall of Meat, S.K.A.T.E, and just roaming around with your friends while doing tricks must’ve been the best.
And finally, one final obscure idea is Freedom Fighters. An old PS2-era game where you were in New York fighting the soviets as a band of freedom fighters. You got to recruit followers to your team, could command them to attack, hold, follow, and retreat, and it was a third-person shooter. It wasn’t perfect by any means, but the number of hours I put into that game was crazy. It also felt unique. There really wasn’t another game that felt like it ever since. Give me better graphics, bigger maps, more enemies, and all the other remaster must-haves, and I’ll be in heaven.
In conclusion, there are some great remakes/remastered games, some not-so-great ones, and a ton I’d love to see properly done. At least there haven’t been as many bombs in the gaming world compared to movies and TV shows. But you never know how long that’ll last. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed my first rant—plenty of more to come in the future.
The Ranting Gamer 