It's been happening for years, but lately, the re-release of games from the past has become somewhat of a trend. With an easy avenue for bringing retro games to gamers on the PSN and XBLA, game developers haven't been shy about giving their classics another go in the marketplace. Mobile devices like the 3DS, smartphones, and soon, the PSVita, have become viable platforms as well, capable of spreading remakes out to even wider audiences.
The recycling of old games is a great way to expose new gamers to the landmark games in the industry's past. Providing additional incentives to play old games in the form of trophies, updated visuals, and additional content keeps everyone grounded in the history of the industry and allows those of us with a touch of nostalgia to revisit our past without cringing at outdated visuals or keeping twenty ancient systems stacked haphazardly on the entertainment center.
It's great that slightly less-played titles like Beyond Good and Evil and Oddworld: Strangers Wrath are getting a second chance in the market. Developers that simply slap a thin coat of paint on an old title and kick it out the door aren't to be commended, but many HD collections contain the definitive version of a game or compile a series of games into one package.
Movies are re-made and books are re-released, so why shouldn't games be updated for a new generation? It may seem like a simple way for developers to squeeze a quick buck out of an old franchise, and it does require less effort than developing an entirely original game, but it's hard to argue that revitalizing old classics is a bad thing, when done right.
As long as excellent packages like Ocarina of Time 3D, The Ico Collection, and The Metal Gear Solid Collection set the standard for re-released games, I'll spend money on my favorite games reborn.
It's great that slightly less-played titles like Beyond Good and Evil and Oddworld: Strangers Wrath are getting a second chance in the market. Developers that simply slap a thin coat of paint on an old title and kick it out the door aren't to be commended, but many HD collections contain the definitive version of a game or compile a series of games into one package.
Movies are re-made and books are re-released, so why shouldn't games be updated for a new generation? It may seem like a simple way for developers to squeeze a quick buck out of an old franchise, and it does require less effort than developing an entirely original game, but it's hard to argue that revitalizing old classics is a bad thing, when done right.
As long as excellent packages like Ocarina of Time 3D, The Ico Collection, and The Metal Gear Solid Collection set the standard for re-released games, I'll spend money on my favorite games reborn.
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