The abundance of HD remasters that come out every year distracts from new IP and original creations. It's become a notable point of contention for this generation of consoles, as every other game feels like a remake or remaster. I adopt a quality over quantity approach in life, whereas the HD remaster trend raises problems because of the number of re-releases.
In some cases it makes sense from a business perspective. Uncharted 4 comes out next year, so why not release the first three games on PlayStation 4. Clearly there are people willing to buy games again, as a lot of these HD remasters prove successful. But then there are the less obvious choices, ones that make audiences scratch their heads.
Earlier this week Prototype and Prototype 2 were released on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and I couldn't help but think, "why?" Some of the less obvious choices for HD remasters can result in pleasant surprises, but for the most part they just stand out as strange choices. Here are 10 of the most noteworthy ones.
Top 10 Unexpected HD Remasters
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Assassin\'s Creed: Liberation HD
Assassin's Creed is one of the biggest video game franchises in the world, so a HD remaster of an AC game isn't the most surprising thing on paper. But the Vita to console transition doesn't happen often, and Assassin's Creed III: Liberation didn't generate a ton of buzz when it first came out in 2012. At least Ubisoft introduced a strong female protagonist in Liberation, arguably its strongest aspect. -
Beyond Good & Evil HD
File this one under the pleasant surprises section. When people mention video game "cult classics," Beyond Good & Evil usually enters the discussion. It didn't sell particularly well, and fans are still waiting for a sequel that will probably never come to fruition. Nevertheless, the game found an audience due to its charismatic female protagonist Jade, her trusty "uncle" Pey'j, and an inventive narrative that tackled journalism and government control. -
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate HD
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow and Lords of Shadow 2 are divisive games, but most people agree that Mirror of Fate for the 3DS was a forgettable experience. That didn't stop Capcom from releasing an updated version in late 2013 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Handheld to console ports in general can be hit-or-miss, and it seems that Mirror of Fate HD was mostly a miss. -
Cel Damage HD
Do you remember Cel Damage, the 2001 vehicular combat game for PlayStation 2, Xbox, and GameCube? Neither do I. And yet a HD re-release came out on PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and Vita last year. Trust me, I know... I even reviewed it. I'm not trying to disparage Cel Damage too much, because it's a decent vehicular combat game, and it's a genre that didn't have too many games. But Cel Damage may be the strangest choice for a HD remaster on this entire list when you really think about it. -
DmC: Devil May Cry - Definitive Edition
DmC: Devil May Cry is a great game. I enjoyed developer Ninja Theory's new take on Dante, and the over-the-top action provided plenty of entertainment. Unfortunately it didn't sell quite as well as Capcom was expecting, falling short of Devil May Cry 4's numbers. That's why this year's HD remaster, just two years after its initial release, feels out of place. The original already looks great, especially on PC, and if the sales proved disappointing on older consoles, then the same will likely hold true for current-gen ones. -
Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy Remastered
Before Heavy Rain there was Indigo Prophecy. It featured a mind-bending narrative, quick-time events, and designer David Cage's signature weirdness. It also came out 10 years ago, which is why this year's HD remaster on PC and iOS came out of nowhere. I'd say Indigo Prophecy falls under the "cult classic" category, so I didn't expect anyone to remaster the game. It's a memorable experience though, so much like Beyond Good & Evil, I consider this one a pleasant surprise. -
Nights Into Dreams HD
Nights Into Dreams is the most popular Saturn game, but it's a Saturn game. That means a lot of people missed out on it back in the day, so Sega tried to target new audiences with a HD remaster in 2012. On some level it makes sense, but I'm not sure there was a huge audience for Nights Into Dreams with its original platform. It seems like another one of those games with a small but dedicated fanbase, making it a less obvious choice for the HD treatment. -
Oddworld: Stranger\'s Wrath HD
Oddworld strikes me as one of those franchises that exists somewhere in between genuine popularity and general obscurity. It's a name plenty of audiences recognize, but I don't know a lot of people who have played the Oddworld games. That's especially true of Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath, an action-adventure game originally released on Xbox in 2005. The game used both third- and first-person views, a novel concept at the time. There are more popular entries in the Oddworld franchise, but it's good to see a game like Stranger's Wrath get the remaster treatment for a new generation of audiences. -
Prototype Biohazard Bundle
Here are the games that inspired this feature. Prototype Biohazard Bundle came out this week for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One without much of an announcement. It just kind of appeared out of nowhere, which speaks to the entire point of this feature. Some games are just strange choices for the HD remaster treatment, and it's as if publisher Activision knew that too when it stealth released the Prototype games again this week. -
Resident Evil Zero HD
The Resident Evil HD Remaster from earlier this year sold a ton of digital copies, so it's not surprising to see Capcom pursue another Resident Evil remaster so soon. The choice of Resident Evil Zero raised a few eyebrows though. It's a prequel to the original game that came out on the GameCube back in 2002. It's not the most popular game in the series, but it has plenty of fans and was well received upon its release. I just think a lot of people expected to see a Resident Evil 2 remaster first, myself included.
