The Place of Video Game Remakes: In Our Hearts, and in the Market

Insomniac's Recent Remake, Ratchet & Clank

This past Tuesday, Insomniac Games released Ratchet & Clank for the PlayStation 4. Ratchet & Clank is a well established franchise that made its premiere on PlayStation 2 fourteen years ago, since then, the series has appeared on the PSP, PS3, PS Vita, and now, PS4. This most recent game is actually a remake, or as some Sony representatives called it, a reimagining, of the original outing of the same title featuring the cartoony duo. This is not the first remake I have played in my life, but it is the first I have played of a series that I am familiar with. I have stated in the past, Ratchet & Clank is one of my favorite series of all time, having played it throughout my childhood and continued to follow it loyally until now, and inevitably in the future. I love what I have experienced of the remake so far, and I see it as very deserving of this treatment.

Ratchet has really gotten me thinking about the place for remakes. Video games, like most other popular entertainment industries right now, are suffering in the originality department, with too many games being sequels, parts of annualized franchises, or the currently mega-popular reboot. We are in a weird place right now where remakes of older games are more justified than ever. Games reached a major milestone during the lifespan of the PlayStation 2, where controls became dual control stick central and timeless because of that mechanic's relevance still today. Our memories, games' stories, and in some cases, their graphics, these things make certain games timeless, but gameplay is one of the biggest challenges that pre-dual-stick games face in whether or not they stay timeless. Certain games, say, Super Mario Bros. or even Crash Bandicoot, will stay timeless forever. The thing that they have in common that makes them timeless, simplicity: Few buttons, easy to grasp mechanics, and no camera controls.

Most modern games take advantage of the ability of the player to easily control the camera, the right control stick is an invaluable resource for game developers, and it makes the players experience far more immersive. The majority of games today, excluding side-scrollers and games like that, give the player full control over the camera positioned in the first person perspective or behind the shoulder of their character. This is such a common game mechanic, that its exclusion from a game causes confusion that, in many cases, ceases to subside even after much gameplay. Looking at games like Metal Gear Solid or others with intricate controls, this lack of a now universal mechanic with the camera control creates a rift between the games' brilliance and player accessibility. I have tried multiple times to play the original MGS for the PlayStation, but, as hard as I try, I fail every time. I have a great deal of interest, the story and characters and future entries fascinate me, but even with a passion for older games, I cannot get into this modern-style game that lacks the modern polishes that the PS2 brought us.

Games like MGS deserve a remake. (Yes, MGS was remade on Gamecube with Twin Snakes, but I am talking a remake with these mentioned modern polishes, and Twin Snakes did not achieve that.) Games that are a part of an established franchise that is still relevant, ones that have a brilliant story and characters, but graphics and gameplay that have fallen to a point that's difficult for modern players to appreciate or approach, those are the ones I am suggesting. This argument largely applies to a frequent subject of mine, Final Fantasy VII Remake. This game has one of the best original stories of the past 20 years, and characters that compete with classics in any medium. I love this game to death, but the only reason I can play the original today is because of a powerful nostalgia. The original PlayStation game, while it may be a turn-based RPG, still has gameplay that shows its age and has a multitude of confusing and wonky mechanics, and the visuals, sad as it may be, really are now terrible. The argument of something being good for its time does not matter, we aren't in that time, so we have to cater to the modern consumer. I believe that remaking games like these; games that have aged in almost all places besides their writing; games whose fanbases still care immensely; games who deserve to be exposed to a larger and broader market; these are the remakes that should have a place on the game store shelves.

PlayStation and Naughty Dog's Classic, But Currently Dormant, Crash Bandicoot

So, as the title implies, I believe that there are two different motives for remaking a game. One, which I just explained, is updating games that have aged too much to be accessible to most of the modern market. The other, one that is hard to recognize as unnecessary, is their role in filling gaps where classics used to be in our hearts. I played a great deal of the original Crash Bandicoot trilogy on PS1, and I enjoyed every minute of it, and continue to when I return to it even now. The series has a special place in my and many others' hearts. The original does not need remade or rebooted. The biggest reason to remake a game is if it is no longer accessible to the modern market, Crash is not inaccessible at all. The game was very simple, and the gameplay makes it very easy to pick up still today. Graphically, this game went for the cartoony approach, so even if the polygon count isn't tremendous, the characters and environments are still a joy to look at, and really can stand the test of time. It's not fun to hear from anyone that a favorite series of theirs does not need to continue, I know, I also wish I could stand to defend a remake of the game. Crash Bandicoot is essentially dead right now, the franchise hasn't seen anything even close to its former glory since its last PlayStation main series game, being the third in a trilogy. The first three games are truly timeless, a remake is not the best way to use developers' resources, there are plenty of new games that are more deserving of those. Now, this is not to say anything negative of the original trilogy whatsoever, it is tremendous, it is important to PlayStation's early history, and it will stay important to gaming forever. I also would still buy a remake or reboot if it was released, which Sony seems to have hinted at in the not too distant past. I am simply proposing that it might be a non-essential effort.

Now, how can I sit here and say this when I am a supporter of the very recent Ratchet & Clank remake? Well, the circumstances differ a bit. Ratchet & Clank has had a far more active, more consistently high-quality franchise than Crash. The series has rarely dipped in quality over its multi-console lifespan. I personally would like to see Ratchet sit on the sidelines for a few years to allow Insomniac to try something new, but considering this series is by far the biggest presence of the mascot platformer in the market (when not looking at Nintendo), its presence is sure not to shrink anytime soon. 

Why a remake instead of a sequel then? For those who haven't played the original Ratchet & Clank and/or the later entries of the series, the first game had a very different feel than every other game. The main character, Ratchet, was a far less likable and friendly presence, and it was also the only time that he wasn't voiced by his current voice actor, James Arnold Taylor. The gameplay saw a huge jump with the second entry in the series as well, introducing a number of mechanics that the original lacked, all of which are now series staples, including challenge stadiums, a dynamic health bar, strafing, and biggest of all, weapon leveling. Considering that the Ratchet & Clank series will definitely not be going away anytime soon, a remake of the first game seems to be the best step to have taken. 

This game can bring the origin story of the characters Ratchet and Clank into the gameplay standard that began in the second game, a nice service to long time fans who want to experience the original story in a more modern gameplay setting. It also is a good way to introduce gamers that are new to PlayStation with this generation to the series and mascots. The biggest selling point for me is the introduction of this series to a brand new generation of gamers; there are many kids who are getting PS4s as their first console, and being able to introduce them to this fantastic and family-friendly franchise, as well as getting them intrigued in the mascot based platformer-- its simply wonderful. Keeping this sometimes seemingly childish genre alive has been proving a challenge as developers aim their focus at the aging players. This remake has a great deal of potential to keep the mascot platformer, and potentially just family-friendly games in general, alive and well outside of Nintendo platforms.

Remakes are a touchy subject for many, and it would take a great deal of time and effort to figure out what all older games deserve to be remade, but hopefully, with a sort of criteria for what we should and should not ask developers to remake, it will become clearer to us what beloved childhood franchises we want remade.

What series do you think deserves to be remade? Do you think remakes deserve a strong presence in the current market? Let me know in the comments or wherever you see fit.

Have a tremendous day.