Yesterday, we put up the first part of a two-part series about the flurry of remakes that are headed to the DS, and today, we'd like to pose the same question to you ... or at least, part of it. What do you think is driving the remakes on the DS? Sure, remakes come to every system for a variety of reasons, but the DS seems to be home to a lot of games, and we think it's for a variety of reasons. What's your opinion? Sales? Popularity? Technology? Portability? Or something else?DS Daily: What drives the remakes?
Yesterday, we put up the first part of a two-part series about the flurry of remakes that are headed to the DS, and today, we'd like to pose the same question to you ... or at least, part of it. What do you think is driving the remakes on the DS? Sure, remakes come to every system for a variety of reasons, but the DS seems to be home to a lot of games, and we think it's for a variety of reasons. What's your opinion? Sales? Popularity? Technology? Portability? Or something else?Related Headlines
Reader Comments
(Page 1)2. Nostalgia. In my experience, a lot of the people playing DS are the ones who grew up on NES and SNES. The DS just somehow has the same sort of feel to its games, where it was more about the fun factor than OMGWOW3DFPSSHOOTERYAY. So I think it's easy to capitalise on those feelings that dudes and dudettes like me have, nostalgia for the "good ol'" days, and remake those games we loved when we were younger, with a few added bonuses. To be honest, I think the people making most of these remakes are definite fans of the games, as well, and they're handling them with care. It's respectable.
Mostly. Honestly, Front Mission DS -- while I'm going to buy it -- looks like a direct port, with hardly a shred of new. It's going to be good, because it's Front Mission, but it's not what it could be. It's no wonder it's a less popular series here, when they haven't really pushed it and respected it.
Posted at 9:50AM on Oct 11th 2007 by onepointfivevolt
3. Here's my pet theory:
The DS is and first and foremost, a portable system, as it stands most "sessions" rarely last more than a half-hour for me (one way on the commute). So the games have to be simple enough to play through in spurts (my main gripe with FFIII). Though simple they also should be rewarding and immersive.
Then, the screens aren't exactly hi-res. There isn't really so much detail you can get away with, so a simplified aesthetic should prevail to make sure the information onscreen can be read effectively.
Now imagine that there was already several decades worth of such concepts. Hundreds of low-res gems that have already been tested, approved, and profitable.
Oh, and my dream remake?
Donkey Kong Country with both screens blazing!
(added bonus FMVs of that propaganda video they sent with nintendo power that one time)
4. Remakes are released for a varity of diffrent reasons. First of all, I believe that releasing a once console title on a handheld is a great idea. I have brought all of the Mario, Zelda, and Final Fantasy titles that were ported to the GBA. Love them.
Another good benifit of remakes are the chance to see the titles in a new light. Final Fantasy 1 on GBA plays almost identically to the NES version, but looks graphically much more modern.
The third benifit of re releases is the ability to reach a new market. With the industry continuing to grow, remakes are almost becoming necasarry if companies are wanting to get the idea of a particular game or series across to a new generation of fans.
5. Being a 28 year old male, I am squarely in the "nostalgia" range. My memory of the great NES/SNES/Genisis/TG16 world is very strong and it has been an intergral part of my life growing up. I mostly remember how difficult most games felt at the time, and how frustrating it would become, then the loss of interest in the game and moving to the next. Megaman is a prime example. Never could beat it as a kid. I tried everything, cheatsheets, maps, guides but could never do it. Then a few years ago I purchased the Megaman collection for Gamecube and blew throught the first 5 games in the series with what seemed to be much less difficulty. The reality is that I have become an adult, with better coordination and thought process. So for me the draw of going back to those old classics and finally conquering them is a true joy. Nintendo has done well in helping me relive my childhood.
6. Remakes are driven by the following:
1) Laziness
2) Greed
They should be outlawed under penalty of death.
Posted at 12:07PM on Oct 11th 2007 by Gumbydunzeeto
7. Low development cost, risk-free sales expectations, or as the first post sums it up real nicely: MONEY. Now where's my mario collection for Wii that has everything up to N64 or so?...oh right, virtual console/marketplaces killed compilations. Dammit. Make New Super Mario World!
8. I am genuinely surprised that nobody has posted "It prints money" as a response to that question.
With that out of the way, I would say that it is probably the install base. Not only is it hugely popular in Japan, but it appeals to a wide audience worldwide. I think most companies feel that this is a big enough demographic to release games they feel people should have played but may not have because they were never into games before. Most likely, however, it is the potential for big money shown by the DS.
Add your comments
Please keep your comments relevant to this blog entry. Email addresses are never displayed, but they are required to confirm your comments.
When you enter your name and email address, you'll be sent a link to confirm your comment, and a password. To leave another comment, just use that password.
To create a live link, simply type the URL (including http://) or email address and we will make it a live link for you. You can put up to 3 URLs in your comments. Line breaks and paragraphs are automatically converted — no need to use <p> or <br> tags.
1. MONEY.
Posted at 9:32AM on Oct 11th 2007 by Afterlifer82