Is the cost of Nostalgia worth it? (i.e. Continued Discussion on Remasters)
So it has been nearly a month since I posted about some racing games which I believe should be remastered following the announcement of the Burnout Paradise re-release. Now that the hype is settling down with the game launching tomorrow, now is a good time to take a more rational view of if buying a 10 year old game for a price that is not too far off a new AAA title is justifiable or not.
Burnout is a franchise I grew up playing and have many fond memories of. For starters, Burnout was all about face paced racing which meant you needed to have razor sharp reflexes to avoid crashing out. And even when you do crash, you are treated to a spectacle of your car crumbling to a million pieces and wiping out in spectacular fashion as a cut-scene is played to you. Essentially, the game always had some action packed footage to show you and it is something I would love to experience again with some more up-to-date graphics.
However, does it really make sense for me to pay £35 to replay a game from 10 years ago with some visual enhancements? It's easy to assume nostalgia is getting in the way of common sense, but there are more benefits of a remastered game than some sharper imagery. The main advantage is having an expanded player base; the gaming industry has grown substantially in the past decade, so re-releasing a critically-acclaimed title from the 00's can bring new players to a franchise and form new communities and a larger fan base of a game, where new and old players benefit alike.
Another benefit is that those who have played remastered titles in the past can relive fun experienced enjoyed back in the day, which is more meaningful to those who have sold their old systems or disc copies of their games. Furthermore, the opportunity to run this games on modern hardware provides an additional scope for developers to fix bugs present in the original game and improve overall stability for even more enjoyment.
On the flip side of things, there are still people who are not sold on the idea of remasters. One of the strongest arguments for those opposed to remasters is that since they don't offer anything in the form of new content, they are essentially ports to a new system, thus making it an easy cash grab for developers. In this sense, you can sense that toying on the nostalgia of gamers is an easy cash grab and getting in the way of developers working on new and innovative projects for us to enjoy. Then there is what Microsoft is doing - enhancing original Xbox and Xbox 360 for no cost at all, one of which includes Forza Horizon. It makes you wonder, why should we parting with cash when services like these are available?
The bottom line is that the appeal of remastered games will vary from person to person. If you have access to an original game with the platform to play it on, just boot it up and enjoy without having to pay for a remaster. However, many of us sell, exchange or get rid of our old gaming equipment to spend on new things. In some instances, we miss some of the experiences old games provided us with and this is where the appeal of remastered games starts to come in. Add to that some more appealing graphics and sometimes premium DLC thrown in for free, and you have a very attractive bundle.
However, does it really make sense for me to pay £35 to replay a game from 10 years ago with some visual enhancements? It's easy to assume nostalgia is getting in the way of common sense, but there are more benefits of a remastered game than some sharper imagery. The main advantage is having an expanded player base; the gaming industry has grown substantially in the past decade, so re-releasing a critically-acclaimed title from the 00's can bring new players to a franchise and form new communities and a larger fan base of a game, where new and old players benefit alike.
Another benefit is that those who have played remastered titles in the past can relive fun experienced enjoyed back in the day, which is more meaningful to those who have sold their old systems or disc copies of their games. Furthermore, the opportunity to run this games on modern hardware provides an additional scope for developers to fix bugs present in the original game and improve overall stability for even more enjoyment.
On the flip side of things, there are still people who are not sold on the idea of remasters. One of the strongest arguments for those opposed to remasters is that since they don't offer anything in the form of new content, they are essentially ports to a new system, thus making it an easy cash grab for developers. In this sense, you can sense that toying on the nostalgia of gamers is an easy cash grab and getting in the way of developers working on new and innovative projects for us to enjoy. Then there is what Microsoft is doing - enhancing original Xbox and Xbox 360 for no cost at all, one of which includes Forza Horizon. It makes you wonder, why should we parting with cash when services like these are available?
The bottom line is that the appeal of remastered games will vary from person to person. If you have access to an original game with the platform to play it on, just boot it up and enjoy without having to pay for a remaster. However, many of us sell, exchange or get rid of our old gaming equipment to spend on new things. In some instances, we miss some of the experiences old games provided us with and this is where the appeal of remastered games starts to come in. Add to that some more appealing graphics and sometimes premium DLC thrown in for free, and you have a very attractive bundle.
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