Do we really need all these remasters?

About a week ago, The Last of Us re-released on PS4 in the form of The Last of Us Remastered. Just like the original PS3 release 14 months ago, the PS4 version has received universal acclaim from critics. But there has been a state of concern from many gamers. We have been getting a lot of remasters lately, most notably with Tomb Raider Definitive Edition and now The Last of Us Remastered. And there are more remasters to come, with games like:


Diablo III: Ultimate Evil Edition (PS4, XB1)
Metro Redux (PS4, XB1, PC)
Halo: The Master Chief Collection (XB1)
Payday 2: Crimewave Edition (PS4, XB1)
Grand Theft Auto V (PS4, XB1, PC)
Ratchet and Clank (PS4)
Resident Evil HD Remaster (PS3, PS4, 360, XB1, PC)
Journey (PS4)
The Unfinished Swan (PS4)
The Walking Dead: Seasons 1 and 2 (PS4, XB1)


And I'm sure there's more I missed, and it's also likely the Uncharted and Gears of War trilogies will get remasters according to recent rumors. So what's up with these remasters? Why is the majority of the next several months filled with re-releases of old games? Should we be concerned?


The discussion on remasters is nothing new. It's been around for ages. Remasters really took off in the last few years of the PS3/360 generation. Some of these include The Sly Collection, God of War Saga, Metal Gear Solid HD Collection, and Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, just to name a few. The majority of these games (save for God of War III in the God of War Saga) originally released on PS2/Xbox and handheld devices years earlier. Many of these collections earned significant praise and sold very well. The arrival of the next-gen consoles continued the trend, and many are fearful of this trend continuing. So is it something we should embrace, or protest against? Well, as with all discussions, there are pros and cons to this topic. Let's start with the pros.


Well for starters, it gives these companies a chance to work on the new hardware and get more familiar with the architecture. Crystal Dynamics stated that the Tomb Raider Definitive Edition let them get comfortable with the hardware before heading into Rise of the Tomb Raider. I'm sure Naughty Dog, 343, Rockstar, and the rest of these developers will say the same thing. Everyone's going to have a difficulty mastering the hardware, so why not the first game be a re-release of an old game before giving us a brand new game? And another pro, at least for The Walking Dead, is that now you can carry over saves from seasons 1 and 2 into the upcoming season 3 on next-gen. Another pro is that most of these remasters come with substantial content. Diablo III contains the Reaper of Souls expansion with the original game, Metro Redux contains Metro 2033 and Metro First Light, The Master Chief Collection contains Halo 1, 2, 3, and 4 including multiplayer maps and a Halo 5 beta key, Tomb Raider contains the original game and all DLC, and The Last of Us Remastered contains the Left Behind single player expansion and all multiplayer DLC. On top of all that, every game gets enhanced graphics, textures, and frame rate. Halo 2's cutscenes in particular look absolutely stunning. And, in cases of games like The Last of Us Remastered, people might not have played the PS3 version because they owned a 360. This gives them a chance to play it. And you don't need to restart your save from all games either, for example you can continue your Grand Theft Auto Online character on next gen regardless of what console you owned before.


So yeah, there's pros to it, but also there are some cons. Speaking of Grand Theft Auto V, it's virtually the exact same content on the PS3 version minus the technical differences. Since there's no expansion packs available, you will have to pay for the upcoming story expansions just like everyone else. And because of that, expect a GTA 5 Ultimate Edition to be released next year when all DLC is out. There's also been a lack of trade-in deals. The Last of Us and Tomb Raider did not have official discounts if you traded in your last gen copy, it was up to the retailers if they wanted to offer a deal. And these remasters are $50/$60, so you'll be forking over a lot of cash for one game. The success of these remasters also open up the door for more, I swear within the next year we will get Call of Duty and Assassin's Creed remasters. Hopefully developers and publishers don't get too carried away with this.


So in conclusion, yes there are more pros than cons to remasters. No that does not mean every remaster has insane value in them. Many remasters that are coming out just have prettier graphics, and that's what I'd avoid. If you're going to sell a remaster, make sure it has value in it. Don't make it a $60 graphic enhancement. That's all I have to say about this topic. What are your thoughts on remasters? Let me know!
And, as always, thanks for visiting 8-Bit Ape.