Of Remakes and Reboots - Revision history

Dog Pants: /* To Reboot */

2009-07-31T21:56:52Z

‎To Reboot

Dog Pants: /* Remake Vs Reboot */

2009-07-31T21:53:55Z

‎Remake Vs Reboot

Dog Pants: /* Why do they do it? */

2009-07-31T21:53:29Z

‎Why do they do it?

Dog Pants: /* What gets remade? */

2009-07-31T21:53:10Z

‎What gets remade?

Dog Pants: /* Remake Vs Reboot */

2009-07-31T21:49:15Z

‎Remake Vs Reboot

Dog Pants: /* What gets remade? */

2009-07-31T21:48:47Z

‎What gets remade?

Dog Pants: /* Remake Vs Reboot */

2009-07-31T21:48:19Z

‎Remake Vs Reboot

@@ Line 25: / Line 25: @@
 Point and click is pretty much dead today, but that doesn't mean this dystopian classic couldn't be re-imagined as a modern game. Grim Fandango showed how intuitive a point and click can be without the pointing and clicking, a beautifully rendered 3D version of BASS would be the perfect vehicle to evolve the genre some more.
 * Hired Guns (1993)
-Hired Guns was a tense and brutal first person game set on a Aliens-esque planet. Pioneering the survival genre, it had the same technological limitations of Eye of the Beholder. Again though, a modern team based FPS set in its dark and dangerous corridors could be a marvel along the lines of a protracted Left 4 Dead.
+Hired Guns was a tense and brutal first person game set on an Aliens-esque planet. Pioneering the survival genre, it had the same technological limitations of Eye of the Beholder. Again though, a modern team based FPS set in its dark and dangerous corridors could be a marvel along the lines of a protracted Left 4 Dead.
 ==To Remake==

@@ Line 11: / Line 11: @@
 ==Remake Vs Reboot==
 I'm being arbitrary now, but I'm going to elaborate on the differentiation I just made between remakes and reboots. In my mind, a remake is a game which has been polished and tidied for a modern audience, but which remains the same game at heart. The Secret of Monkey Island was released just this month with a new interface and modern graphics. A reboot on the other hand, in my mind at least, is a complete redesign of a game using only the themes of the original. Considering the differences it is perhaps understandable why a developer would opt for a reboot, by my definition, as they can almost make any game they like and tailor it to the modern market. It's effectively the same as having a movie license. A cynic might say that a developer could have a generic game in development and simply paste the theme of an old classic over the top, selling it off as a reboot and appealing to a whole other market of people who the original appeals to. Conversely, a remake will almost certainly be attempted because the original game was a cult classic. The gameplay probably being the key factor, it may well only appeal to those who liked it the first time around. This can be backed up by the large amount of (usually unfinished) fan projects to make old games, compared to the few commercial remakes.
-[[Image:BC3.jpg|frame|2009]]
+[[Image:BC3.jpg|frame|2009 - Reboot]]
 ==To Reboot==

@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
 ==Why do they do it?==
-[[Image:BC1.jpg|frame|1988]]I can only speculate at the motivation of publishers to want to revisit old games, but lets look at it logically. First off, there must be money involved. They wouldn't be interested otherwise. So from a developer point of view they want to make something which will sell to the modern market. They'll also want a franchise that will either be well known among their target audience, or that will have instant appeal on its own merits. Strangely, the recent remakes out there aren't based exclusively on big sellers though. Bionic Commando, for example, is probably unknown to most gamers younger than myself. I played the original on the Spectrum back in 1988, and there was no such thing as a blockbuster game back then. So maybe there's more than just money pushing remakes here, or at least more than just easy money. When a game is 20 years old, it must be considered a gamble to remake it. Games were simpler back then, and what appealed long ago may well not fit with the expectations of a modern gamer. In a world of identikit games, pigeonholed into their respective genres and released with slightly better graphics every year, such a gamble seems unusual. Whatever their motives, remakes seem to be growing in popularity, to the point where they've coined a new buzzword in 'reboots'.
+[[Image:BC1.jpg|frame|1988 - Original]]I can only speculate at the motivation of publishers to want to revisit old games, but lets look at it logically. First off, there must be money involved. They wouldn't be interested otherwise. So from a developer point of view they want to make something which will sell to the modern market. They'll also want a franchise that will either be well known among their target audience, or that will have instant appeal on its own merits. Strangely, the recent remakes out there aren't based exclusively on big sellers though. Bionic Commando, for example, is probably unknown to most gamers younger than myself. I played the original on the Spectrum back in 1988, and there was no such thing as a blockbuster game back then. So maybe there's more than just money pushing remakes here, or at least more than just easy money. When a game is 20 years old, it must be considered a gamble to remake it. Games were simpler back then, and what appealed long ago may well not fit with the expectations of a modern gamer. In a world of identikit games, pigeonholed into their respective genres and released with slightly better graphics every year, such a gamble seems unusual. Whatever their motives, remakes seem to be growing in popularity, to the point where they've coined a new buzzword in 'reboots'.
 ==What gets remade?==

@@ Line 7: / Line 7: @@
 ==What gets remade?==
 As mentioned earlier, the games which are being remade seem to be falling into a general category. They aren't necessarily hugely successful games, but those that show potential for a wide market. This translates to popular console titles which can be easily turned into a 3D, third person action game with fancy graphics and a name that makes older players feel nostalgic and younger ones feel like they're playing a part of gaming history. Nostalgia shouldn't be underestimated as a motivating force either. There has been a surge in popularity of 80s music in recent years, steadily growing from the mid 2000s. Not everyone who has bought into that surge was there for the music the first time around, but yet they still feel nostalgia for an age they never experienced, but probably wanted to. So, it is likely that games that are being remade are going to be successful based on their cultural impact, rather than the actual gameplay, which will undoubtedly be changed in a modern version anyway. Hence the term reboot over remake - the concept is there, but the thing has been rebuilt from scratch.
-[[Image:BC2.jpg|frame|2008]]
+[[Image:BC2.jpg|frame|2008 - Remake]]
 ==Remake Vs Reboot==

@@ Line 11: / Line 11: @@
 ==Remake Vs Reboot==
 I'm being arbitrary now, but I'm going to elaborate on the differentiation I just made between remakes and reboots. In my mind, a remake is a game which has been polished and tidied for a modern audience, but which remains the same game at heart. The Secret of Monkey Island was released just this month with a new interface and modern graphics. A reboot on the other hand, in my mind at least, is a complete redesign of a game using only the themes of the original. Considering the differences it is perhaps understandable why a developer would opt for a reboot, by my definition, as they can almost make any game they like and tailor it to the modern market. It's effectively the same as having a movie license. A cynic might say that a developer could have a generic game in development and simply paste the theme of an old classic over the top, selling it off as a reboot and appealing to a whole other market of people who the original appeals to. Conversely, a remake will almost certainly be attempted because the original game was a cult classic. The gameplay probably being the key factor, it may well only appeal to those who liked it the first time around. This can be backed up by the large amount of (usually unfinished) fan projects to make old games, compared to the few commercial remakes.
-[[Image:BC2.jpg|frame|2008]]
+[[Image:BC3.jpg|frame|2009]]
 ==To Reboot==