So, I’m about to dive in and play the original 1992 Alone in the Dark. Never played it, but am told and have read that it’s a must as it defined a generation. A lot of comments say that it hasn’t really stood the test of time though and people tend to play it more for nostalgia value.
Which made me think, what game would you like to see get a 2015 makeover? (I’m thinking more about graphics and controls without ruining the original atmosphere and keeping the original mechanics as far as possible).
I think mine would be: Realms of the Haunting. I think it could survive a 2015 update without being ruined, on the other hand the old graphics and cut scenes do add some real retro charm …so maybe just giving it a bit of polish, without going over the top.
What would you like to see?
(or do you think the whole idea is a travesty and gems like these should be just left alone?)
It was you!!! I was trying to remember to whom I spoke with about Alone in the Dark. Did you pick it up on the GOG sale!? They had it for 1 USD or something crazy like that!! I bought it myself to have a nice easy GOG copy. I’m tempted to follow down your path and do a re-play myself, it’s about time!
It’s a charming little game and I’m sure you’ll fall in love with it. Play it to your heart’s content and, if you ever get too stuck, peep at a walkthrough/guide without guilt, because it can be one mean and abstract and ridiculous game. One guide I would recommend would be the MST3K-style silly playthrough play Retsupurae: https://youtu.be/88mz58SFm4Y
Realms of the Haunting!!! Oh, such a sweet game. I was so completely blown away by this game when I was young. At the time my favourite games were Myst and shooters like Doom and stuff; this game combined the two… a little monster fighting here, and lots of puzzles and cutscenes and that spooky old house. That’s another one I want to revisit! In my mind the game is PERFECT as it is! But I haven’t played it in 15 years so I’m guessing it hasn’t aged so well! I wanna re-play it though, very soon.
I guess there’s always two ways to do it. There’s the “remake” and the “reboot”. For example, the “remake” of the original 2 Monkey Island games are absolutely charming and they retain all the style, puzzles and charisma of the originals, except with enhanced controls and visuals. The same goes for Grim Fandango and Gabriel Knight 1; all beautiful HD renditions. So it’s certainly possible to dig up an old grave, apply some cosmetics and have a beautiful being ready for life in the 21st century.
As for “reboots” where they take a long-dead series and make a new sequel, these have been hit and miss. Things like Shadow Warrior and Wolfenstein stuff like that. Anyway, I’m rambling.
Personally, my ultimate dream-remake would be my favourite game of all time Riven, and there’s actually a team of committed fans doing exactly that (as we speak) called The Starry Expanse project, doing the whole thing in 3D using the Unreal Engine. Very cool.
Although, on a sidenote, I wish Cyan would release a HD version of Riven. It’s still 800x600 res when you play it. I’m sure they have all the 3D models and textures stored in a hard drive somewhere, it would just be a matter of getting a computer to go through and render all the scenes and animations again in HD and release the game again. That would be magnificent.
I would love to see a remake of the original MDK. Leave everything as it is, just fix the controls, that would be cool. Maybe update the graphics. MDK 2 was awful. I complain about this endlessly but Omikron: The Nomad Soul desperately needs a clever fan to fix it, GOG have a reasonable version but it’s such a beautiful game and it needs some TLC. I’d like to see controller support. The game is so wonderful that I think a full-HD remake would be worthwhile but I don’t think the fanbase is there (although Quantic Dream are huge now compared to those humble beginnings, so who knows).
I really prayed and prayed for a remake of X-COM (1994) and it came, and it was horrible and very sad. Yup, they ruined it. They turned the greatest strategy game of all time into some sort of weird cinematic COD simulator. Thankfully indie devs stepped in and saved the day (once again) with Xenonauts which is a modern remake that retains all the charm of the original.
Oh, there was one game which was remastered perfectly. Have you sampled Black Mesa, the re-vamped version of the original Half Life? It’s simply superb. They just updated the graphics and made little tweaks here and there without killing the magic of the original piece.
Pathologic is getting a beautiful HD remaster which I’m going to play as soon as I’m done with Bloodborne (it was released only a few days ago).
I feel as though games like Starflight/StarControl could do with a modern remake. Those games are incredible, especially with the early procedural generation elements, but I suppose things like No Man’s Sky are kind of spiritual successors to these early works.
The original Alone In The Dark I think could do with a nice little modern remake. It’s a small game, it wouldn’t require much. It’s tough though, because a part of me would want to remove all the frustrating parts of the game including the horrible tank controls, but on the other hand those are the central elements that form the charm of that masterpiece. A HD update (with perhaps a hint and autosave system, and a modern HUD) would be nice though.
It’s hard for me to draw a conclusion on this topic. Sometimes it’s best not to disturb the graves. I was going to suggest a re-master/remake of The Longest Journey but then I stopped myself: I played the game, start-to-finish earlier in the year in its original form and I adored every moment of it. Perhaps a higher resolution would have been nice, but your eyes do quickly adjust to the graphics of yesteryear.
So I don’t know what to say. I think sometimes it’s ok to dig up these old titles and give them some spit and polish, but I think it must always be done with love, reverence and care, and by fans of the original. It should never be done because a publisher believes it can cash-in on the name. I feel like much of the recent Wolfestein/Duke Nukem garbage has been created solely because they know people with nostalgia will buy it and not necessarily because they wish to bring the old titles respectfully into the modern era.
Another thing to add is this: the worst of the worst seems to be in the film industry… So many horrible horrible sequels and re-boots and gritty superhero reboots of reboots. It’s enough to make one vomit at the thought. One may argue that we should let the dead rest in peace and strive forward, think of new cool ideas for cool new games, be creative and leave the past in the past. And I guess thankfully that’s what a lot of people are doing in the games industry… but in film, it’s different. I wish the creativity and innovation we see in games was reflected in the modern film industry… but I think the truth is film might be a dying artform. Games are really starting to replace film and the lines between the two formats are beginning to blur (as we look at titles such as Until Dawn, Beyond: Two Souls, Heavy Rain and the rapidly-emerging VR and 3D technology and increasing interactivity).
(Very sorry for the wall of textt! I get a bit carried away at times, apologies!).
Not sure if it was me, but I definitely read your post, so I picked up the Alone in the Dark triple pack (i.e. 1+2+3) from GOG, as it’s not available on Steam (not for Mac OSX anyway). Completely missed this when it was originally released, as I didn’t really engage in PC gaming until about 1995. Gosh this is old, very old. Playing it now, initially I just wanted to rage quit / delete / uninstall, thinking this really is just too retro and clumsy for me. But after persevering for a bit and going cross-eyed to smooth out the blocky graphics I am now hooked. I can really see the charm and I feel completely sucked into the world, so I just want to play more!
Regarding some others you mention: Realms of the Haunting (ROTH) - Played it again about 3 years ago, made my hairs stand on end. Love it, love it, just love it. As mentioned before, this would be my number 1 wish for a remaster. (for those who are unfamiliar, just type in “Realms of the Haunting Intro” into google / youtube, and watch the intro video, UK version, bearing in mind that this is 1996!) Myst - Don’t be mad, but I’ve never played it. I will though (probably the remastered edition) Riven - Ditto MDK - I missed this!! I remember the trailers and the adverts at the time, but for some reason I never got round to playing it. It’s a bit of a cult game, so I probably should. Black Mesa - OMG, OMG, OMG!!! Just seen the trailers on Steam, why oh why did I not see this before? Have I been in a coma or something? Personally, I prefer just a spring clean / polish for an update rather than a full reboot so as not to spoil the character / mood, but if gameplay is anything like the trailer then all I can say is “core blimey”!! Christ almighty! this looks like what dreams are made of! (The original Half Life was a jaw dropping moment that defined PC gaming for me at the time - even built a rig to play it with two Voodoo2 3DFX cards in SLI… those were the days). Pathologic HD - is on my wishlist The Longest Journey - I actually played the recently released iPad version of this (in bed with headphones on). It was a remastered version and I thought it was absolutely superb. To me it was handled just right, the graphics were given a bit of an update, although still had a real retro but very playable feel about it. It’s one of the rare occasions were a game on an iPad succeeded in immersing me completely (it had over 50 hours of gameplay as well as all the cutscenes).
…agree with you 100% on this.
…again, I can’t agree with you more. With the odd exception, the film industry is in a spiral of self destruction and people are just getting bored with it. There have been many articles about film being in serious decline, with over reliance on sequels, comic book heroes, predictable franchises etc, as opposed to TV drama which is having a serious renaissance with so much quality drama available it’s hard to know were to start!
So back to gaming… when done right, a remaster (even a reboot) can be amazing, when done bad, well lets not go there.
Oh gosh, you’re giving me nostalgia tingles! I might have to bump this one up the list and play it straight after Pathologic HD!!! Don’t be ashamed to peep at a walkthrough/my video LP if you get completely stuck because this game can be brutal at times. It’s better to get a little helping hand to get over the bump then to “save the game” and “come back to it at some point” because you never will! Persevere and play it through to the startling conclusion, and I’m hot on your trail.
Also, ROTH that’s another one I need to play. So many games! So little time.
In my humble opinion Riven is the greatest game ever created. Possibly the finest piece of ‘art’ humanity has ever generated. This game changed my life and has shaped me as a human being. You have to play it. But play Myst Masterpiece first, it’s a gorgeous faithful update of the original and it will set the tone and characters for Cyan’s masterwork: Riven. Myst Masterpiece is always on sale on GOG and I think you can play them both on iPad/tablets.
Wait wait wait! Slow down, put your wallet away immediately! Alert! Alert! So originally Black Mesa was a fan-made free thing, but now they’ve made it a $30 steam “product”. So, don’t be fooled. It’s like the game tlaeasflfalff, which is for sale on Steam for $10 even though it’s a freeware open source game. This lovingly-made reboot of Half Life is still available free, although the devs have stopped working on it and they’re now working on the “paid” version, but as far as I can tell they haven’t actually done anything. So, put your wallet away and enjoy the Black Mesa experience for free at the link below: http://www.gamefront.com/black-mesa-is-live-download-it-here/
Sadly the game only goes up until just before Gordon travels to Xen (the weird alien levels/jumpy platforming part of HL1 that everyone hated ) and apparently that devs will be making this and adding it to the final “paid” steam version. I’m a bit sceptical, stick with the free fan-made-and-loved link above. It’s a beautiful homage to the original, and they’ve changed it up just a little bit here and there to keep you on your toes (so it’s a fresh experience even if you’re already familiar with HL1).
Lol, they certainly weren’t kidding when they named the game “The Longest Journey”. It certainly is a long journey, lol. For me, zero nostalgia, I played this for the first time last year I think. It blew me away, absolutely and completely exceeded all of my expectations. It’s an incredible game, a wonderful story and such great characters. I’ve heard mixed opinions about the sequels but I’m going to give Dreamfall a go some time soon, I’ll see how I go with it. Some people say it’s terrible, others are in love with it. I’m interested to see if I enjoy it; picked it up on GOG a couple days ago.
It won’t be long before film is dead. In Australia at least cinemas are already starting to go out of business. Shrek 3. Shrek 4. Shrek 5. Shrek XXII. Shrek 17. And I can’t wait for Michael Bay’s upcoming gritty dark Batman Unleashed: Catwoman VS The Hulk VS Jason III. Not to mention the Adam Sandler abominations. The film industry is driven by money and money alone: the power is in the hands of the producers, and it’s expensive to create a film. It’s too risky to make something original but they know they’ll definitely make a couple hundred million if they do another Shrek sequel.
The games industry is different though. The power has shifted. Producers are powerless now because the consumers are now creating the content. Anyone in their basement with a brain, a bad laptop and a supply of ramen noodles can throw together a game that can out-sell and dominate the market and crush the AAA gaming companies (e.g. compare Minecraft to Arkham Knight).
We’re in a period of change. VR tech. 3D things. Games and film and interactivity and connectivity. Everything is merging. It the Information Age, and it’s so cool. I can’t wait to see what the future will bring, but in the gaming world the future looks bright. Even I myself have been making little games!
Yes, that’s the one exception. TV has had a major resurgence. I don’t understand how this has happened, but companies, particularly HBO have been willing to take risks and give directors the creative control. Game of Thrones. The Walking Dead.
And then we see this Twin Peaks reboot, with all the original cast, AND Lynch/Frost. Absolutely incredible and exciting. Even the X-Files reboot might show some promise. Yup, TV is alive and well. I think it’s because it also connects back to technology. People consume their media on their computer (Netflix/Youtube). In some ways the power has shifted here too; the new generation aren’t going to watch Shrek XIV instead they’re watching content made by geeks in their basements, especially as HD recording equipment becomes cheaper and software becomes more powerful.
[Sorry, I was intendng to write a tiny little reply but I got carried away again. Lol, this is not meant to be about film/tv, we’re talking about games!!! NO!!! lol. Btw, if you’re interested in playing my game (it’s a short point-n-click adventure game, takes only 5/10 mins to beat, and it’s just a prototype/early alpha) you can find it at my new website (under construction) http://www.torgo.co.nf ]
For a recent series, I would love to see all of Mass Effect remastered for newer consoles. I recognize that this has been hinted at in past, and is not terribly original, but it wouldbe fantastic to have all three taking advantage of a unified UI and contemporary console features.
The rest of the games I would love to see updated are a bit older.
A remaster would never take away my love for the original, but it might be nice to have a refreshed version to add to the enjoyment of the original.
Same comment as above.
The first game in the American McGee Alice series was great for its time, but to have a version updated to run on a contemporary engine with tighter controls might reinvigorate the series.
Pretty please?
Back in the good old Mac Bungie days. It would be nice to see Oni enhanced for modern systems.
as well as
Because being a Jedi is always entertaining.
Finally, all, or some, of the Zork series. Or, maybe simply a new entry to the series.
I thought of one this morning. I was listening to a Spotify playlist and a song from the following popped up in the queue:
I know this was only last generation and holds up quite well, but I would love to have an updated version running on newer consoles. Maybe throw in some additional new features (tame and command Blood Dragons perhaps). Blood Dragon seems short enough to to justify a remaster and having a version with additional polish would be welcome. Either that, or a completely new entry in the seires. Who would say no to Far Cry 4: Blood Dragon II (other than Ubisoft that is)? Complete with pet Blood Dragons, additional mechanics, and even more satire of additional 80s-90s action films.
I can remember when the original “Alice” game came out. It was supposed to be really dark with a touch of the surreal and got really good reviews at the time. I’m kicking myself for not playing it then, I bet I would have loved it.
It is still worth playing. It is a great game. My issue with it is that it was built on the Quake engine and, as such when it was ported to PS3 it lacked any semblance of decent game pad controls. Aiming was mouse based and thus is very cumbersome when playing on a console in your living room. However, with a mouse and keyboard I am sure you could have a blast. Playing both American McGee Alice games in succession is quite enjoyable.
I would absolutely love to play a remastered version of Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction preferably one that’s available on PC and has full mouse and keyboard support and HD remastered graphics, oh and co-op multiplay support that would be so awesome.
I love Loom, such a cool game, but it seems like it has been largely forgotten to modern gamers. To me it sits right up there next to Monkey Island. I guess LucasArts were trying to do something a little more serious and atmospheric.
I know I’ve already posted a long list on this thread, but one thing I’m excited about is the Riven Remaster which is currently in production by a team of crazy fans. It’s called Starry Expanse. These guys have been working on it for many years and it looks beautiful. The amount of time and effort they’re putting in is staggering. I believe they’re using the most recent Unreal engine. It’ll be freeware when they complete it, and Cyan are so cool, apparently they’re very supportive of the project (instead of taking them to court) and have actually been assisting them with resources and textures and stuff.
Deus Ex, cause I’ve heard so much good about that game that I’m certainly gonna play it (loved Human Revolution!) but sadly the graphics are way outdated. Gonna have to check if there are any good mods though!
Deadly Premonition, which I’m still in the middle of. Love it, but the gameplay is just horrible, graphics are pretty bad even with a mod, facial animations are mainly just scary, and the game glitches out and crashes all the time.
And of course Final Fantasy VII, but that’s gonna happen, yay! I’ll have to buy a PS4 for that though (and Persona 5!)
Have very fond memories of the original Deus Ex. I can remember at the time the graphics were top notch and the gameplay was pretty groundbreaking. I don’t think I could fire it up again though, without a remaster as suggested, I think I’d feel somehow disappointed, and I want to remember it for the great game it was.
I adore Deadly Premonition! I’ve only played it once, I should play it again. I missed out on many of those optional quests, they’re kinda hard to fulfil since they’re time-based. It’s funny though, I managed to get it looking gorgeous on my PC, did you use Durante’s DPfix? Though I guess one could argue that Deadly Premonitions bugs and weird ugliness is part of the strange charm of it. I’m looking forward to playing D4: Dark Dreams Don’t Die, have you tried it?
I remember trying to play Deus Ex in '00 but my computer was too slow for it. Last year I watched an LP of the whole game by youtuber Revocane, it was brilliant! I’ve never gotten around to actually playing it myself. If you want a trip down memory lane I’d recommend that LP.
Both are fantastic games but I have a lot of nostalgia attached to them. I would understand if someone thought it they were a bit dated. Though a HD remaster of realMYST was released recently, it looks really nice. Riven is the ultimate masterpiece though, it’s the perfect game imho.
Yeah, I’m using DPfix. Right now my save game file is corrupted and I don’t have another one, so I can’t continue. Makes me wanna cry. I know I can probably just download someone else’s save file to continue, but it won’t be the same, cause the side quests will all be in a wrong phase… but no can do. I haven’t tried D4, but I’m definitely gonna get it at some point. With episodic games I usually try to wait until all the episodes are out before buying them, cause Kentucky Route Zero traumatized me about that, haha.
I totally agree, I can’t stand episodic games, drives me mental, and I don’t like that it’s becoming a trend recently. I’m the same, I usually just wait for the full release or the “season pass” or whatever. Otherwise I would have bought D4 on release. There’s just something wholly unpleasant about buying an unfinished game, episodic is even worse than greenlight/alpha releases.
If I see it for cheap though I’ll probably grab it because it looks like there might not be any future episodes. Swery said that future development will depend on sales, but then he also said “there’s no guarantee about future D4 episodes and we won’t be starting work on them any time soon,” good one bro, that’s a great way to totally scare away any potential customers.
Wow, that sure sounds bad. I actually bought D4 as a present for my friend when it came out. Makes me mad when you buy something that promises you 5 episodes and then you just get 1. Learned my lesson though.
Old and very obscure games that come to mind like fade to black, magic carpet ride, hyperblade, OGRE, twilight 2000, or project Firestart. These games would be better without some of the technical troubles of their day, and are yet too unheard of to be marketing gimmicks.
magic carpet ride could be a good VR gimmick tho, hehehe.
I’ve always wanted a game kinda like scorched earth. There’s been a few things but nothing quite like it. ‘Most wanted’ Has to be Jagged Alliance 2, hands down… aint gonna happen. (Let’s just accept it and move on)
I’d also really like to play Betrayal at Krondor and similiar ‘traditional’ FPS style RPGs in a more modern format. (I haven’t played those yet, because the datedness of the format I suppose)
) and apparently that devs will be making this and adding it to the final “paid” steam version. I’m a bit sceptical, stick with the free fan-made-and-loved link above. It’s a beautiful homage to the original, and they’ve changed it up just a little bit here and there to keep you on your toes (so it’s a fresh experience even if you’re already familiar with HL1).
Last year I watched an LP of the whole game by youtuber Revocane, it was brilliant! I’ve never gotten around to actually playing it myself. If you want a trip down memory lane I’d recommend that LP.