Do remakes ever get it right?

[namename11]

I'm sure some of what I have read is just how people are online, but I have never seen a remake of anything getting more love than the original. They are criticized to hell and back, and the criticism is usually pretty warranted too.

Are remakes just cursed?

 

[InsaneNutter]

Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver certainly did get it right, same with the Tomb Raider 1-3 remastered collection in my opinion.

Both were faithful to the original but improved where it mattered.

 

[David_LearnClash]

Resident Evil 2 Remake absolutely nailed it. Capcom kept the soul of the original but rebuilt everything from scratch. The over-the-shoulder camera made Mr. X genuinely terrifying in a way the fixed camera never could. It sold 13 million copies for a reason.
Shadow of the Colossus on PS4 is another one. Bluepoint basically rebuilt every texture and model but didn't touch the gameplay or level design. It felt exactly like you remembered it, which is the whole point.
The ones that fail are the ones that try to "fix" things that weren't broken. Or the ones that strip out content to sell it back as DLC.

Post automatically merged: Apr 1, 2026

Resident Evil 2 remake is probably the gold standard. It took what made the original great, modernized the controls and camera, and added enough new content that it felt fresh even if you'd played the PS1 version a dozen times. They didn't try to make it something it wasn't.
I think the pattern is: remakes that respect the original design and just improve what was limited by the hardware tend to work. Remakes that try to "reimagine" the game for a new audience usually lose what made people love it in the first place.

Post automatically merged: Apr 1, 2026

Resident Evil 2 remake is probably the gold standard for me. They modernized the controls and camera without trying to turn it into something it wasn't. The original DNA was still there.
I think remakes work best when they respect the original design and just improve what was limited by the hardware. The ones that try to completely reimagine the game for a new audience usually lose what made people love it.

 

[Flame]

pokemon were very good at making remakes for the main series. until DP remakes. so it depends on the game, the company, the devs.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_video_game_remakes_and_remasters

looking at that list. so sometimes they good. for example:-

Shadow of the Colossus
Ys I & II Chronicles
Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy
some of the Dragon Quest are good remakes

 

[Lostbhoy]

Ocarina? Links Awakening? Mario 64 DS?

 

[Cranesbill]

Y'all are stupid. The only good remake is Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door

 

[Hanafuda]

Are we talking video games exclusively here, or movies/tv also?

Ben Hur with Charlton Heston was better entertainment than the original film. Even though the original was the bigger production, it was done in the silent and b&w era, so it's more of an academic exercise to watch it now than actual entertainment.

But remakes are usually a downgrade from the original. On the video game subject, Ocarina and Majora's Mask on 3DS are examples of remakes that actually improved on the originals. But that's not the norm.

 

[tech3475]

I've heard comments saying Black Mesa is better than the original.

My personal opinion though is to play both.

 

[MPRTwice]

I do my best to avoid remakes; no need to rearrange my opponent's face no matter how angry I become.

Same goes for their vital organs.

In Truth, I'd rather not rearrange their entire bodies. And I always follow Truth.

 

[namename11]

Good point. Nintendo remakes do the originals justice without pissing all over its legacy. Mostly.

Shadow of the Colossus is not a good remake though. I guess most people haven't played the original but the PS4 simply does not have the same vibes. It feels like any other AAA game whereas the PS2 version felt unique.

Resident Evil, though..... I guess the remakes are better for most players due to the horseshit difficulty of the originals, but the originals have their own charm and personality. The remakes feel like just a generic horror game.

 

[tmnr1992]

I think Remakes that improve or add things but don't change the core game can be really good, like Super Mario All-Stars, Spyro Reignited Trilogy, and some can even be considered better than the original like Resident Evil 1, where they kept everything and also added new areas, enemies and story. But for the most part I don't see a reason for remakes, unless the source code of the original game got lost or for games where the developers intended to add more features but couldn't due to time constraints or hardware limitations.

 

[codezer0]

I'm sure some of what I have read is just how people are online, but I have never seen a remake of anything getting more love than the original. They are criticized to hell and back, and the criticism is usually pretty warranted too.

Are remakes just cursed?

I'd argue that Metroid Zero Mission is a remake worth supplanting the OG NES Metroid.

That being said, my inference of the Metroid timeline would say that there's not a universe where Other M and Fusion and Dread are in the same contiguous order. And if Nintendo can keep Mario on a linear timeline, Samus deserves as much. Say what they want, but I refuse to accept Other M as canon... not without invalidating Fusion and Dread. And even if I found Dread too hard to be fun, it is STILL a better game than that Team Ninja slop.

 

[Deleted member 718560]

Ocarina? Links Awakening? Mario 64 DS?

Props for mentioning SM64DS. No need to mention the controversial aspects of this game, but playing a SM64 on a nintendo portable that had Yoshi, Luigi, Wario, extra content and minigames back then was cool as fuck.

I wouldn't say Ocarina of Time 3D replaces the original but it at least stand out as a strong contender for me.

Anyway, jeb's Legend of Zelda got the aesthetic 100% right imo.

 

[Robert Newbie]

I tend to go with Resident Evil's GameCube remake, but I'm not sure if fans were welcoming to the additions made. Since it was a 6th gen game, directed by Shinji Mikami, and received favorable coverage and reception, I tend to think it's a good example.

 

[ChronosNotashi]

I'm sure some of what I have read is just how people are online, but I have never seen a remake of anything getting more love than the original. They are criticized to hell and back, and the criticism is usually pretty warranted too.

Are remakes just cursed?

Personally, I'd say that Trials of Mana (2020) did well enough remaking the original game (Seiken Densetsu 3) in 3D. Characters and locations faithfully recreated, the combat system being enhanced while still maintaining some core aspects, and most of the story beats being retained while still expanding on it (including a full post-game dungeon with a new boss).

The only gripes I've seen were the writing (compared to the original fan translation - same complaint with the Collection of Mana release), and fights being easier compared to original. That said, I'd say there are fights that still provide a challenge (especially if playing on No Future difficulty, since that places some limitations), and I'll take Dragon Lord for Duran/Angela's story being easier if it means I can deal damage to any part of the body and not just the head that refuses to stay still.

 

[InsaneNutter]

I've heard comments saying Black Mesa is better than the original.

My personal opinion though is to play both.

Black Mesa is a good call.

I think if you played the original Half-Life in the 90s, Black Mesa is probably more how you remember Half-Life looking at the time.

I agree play both. You need to have played the original to fully appreciate Black Mesa in my opinion.

 

[Taleweaver]

Most aren't. But exceptions...

Doom 1&2 throws a lot of punches. Many episodes, newer support, local splitscreen...
C&C/red alert remake. By EA, no less.

It's no coincidence these are older games where getting the original to work is wonky but doable. Many 'remakes' are just a new compilation, throw in an expansion or random stuff and know it'll sell because the consoles have planned obsolescence. Aka: Cash grabs.

 

[aoimatsuri]

Yes. Everything Capcom.
Megaman BattleNetwork Legacy Collection
Megaman Zero/ZX

And the best:
Megaman Starforce Legacy Collection.

Dominus Collection by Komoney is great too.

So yeah. If you are not named SqUareeniX then your remakes might not be terribad.
(Altho it is concerning that I only play Remakes these days.
Only dumb dumb games that make me commit laughter are played otherwise.
Maybe I have grown up.... Maybe... Ok. No.)

PS:
Do not bother listening to the "internet". Its all geared towards toxicity and maximum clicks.
Thats why I avoid Twitter/X and Reddit as much as I can. So many depressos.

 

[PerryRhodan]

I personally think that System Shock by Nightdive Studios on Windows was an excellent full remake of one of my favourite DOS games, whereas System Shock 2 seemed more like just an HD texture mod upgrade. I hope they do a proper remaster of Thief, and not just another texture upgrade.

 

[Ghost-Babel]

I'm sure some of what I have read is just how people are online, but I have never seen a remake of anything getting more love than the original. They are criticized to hell and back, and the criticism is usually pretty warranted too.

Are remakes just cursed?

Absolutely.

Off the top of my head, Metroid Prime, Metroid Zero Mission, Final Fantasy Tactics various remakes and Soul Reaver were all great.