Here are five video game remasters that ruined its original source material or at the very least, contributed to tarnishing its good name.
Okay, the headline might be a little dramatic. That being said, some of these remasters simply do not deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as the games we love.
Please keep in mind that there are loads of remasters that helped to tarnish the good name of the original. So be sure to let us know what other remasters deserved to be on this list.
WORST VIDEO GAME REMASTERS
1. Silent Hill HD Collection – 2012 (PS3 and Xbox 360)
You just knew that this HD collection was going to make this list. In the early 2010s, publishers were jumping aboard the HD remaster bandwagon and for the most part that was fine.
However, the Silent Hill HD Collection fell so far below the standard set by the series, that it will forever be remembered as one of the worst video game remasters ever.
So, what was wrong with this collection? In a nutshell, it had a stuttering framerate, low res textures, poor fog effects, audio glitches, and more.
Silent Hill 2 even came with the option of new voice actors which included Troy Baker as James Sunderland. However, you can’t beat the original voices of Guy Chi (James) and Monica Morgan (Maria). Yet for some reason, Silent Hill 3 only came with the option of the new voice actors. If you prefer the original voice of Heather, tough luck.
So, what went wrong with this collection? Well, the blame in my opinion can be pointed towards Konami’s mismanagement, and not the developers handling the remasters Hijinx Studios. Konami had lost the original code for SH2 and SH3, and at best, Hijinx Studios was provided with unfinished assets.
2. Crysis Remastered – 2020 (PS4 and Xbox One)
We’re all familiar with the “Can it run Crysis?” meme. When Crysis was released for PC in 2007, it became the benchmark of high PC gaming standards. Even today, on a good PC, the original Crysis looks impressive. Eventually, Crysis would get released on PS3 and Xbox 360 in 2011, and as expected it was below the standards of the PC. This is fine because a console could never compete with a top-end PC.
However, when Crysis Remastered was released for PS4 and Xbox One in 2020, finally console gamers could get to see what all the fuss was about (or so they thought). So, what makes it one of the worst video game remasters?
For some reason, Crysis Remastered was based upon the 2011 release and not the PC original. This meant that we got horrible enemy AI and visuals that never even came close to doing the original justice. Worst still, it was full of bugs and glitches. Crysis Remastered was not the remaster we had hoped for.
3. Mafia 2 Definitive Edition – 2020 (PS4 and Xbox One)
When Mafia 2 was first released in 2010 it quickly became one of my favourite games of its generation. Being a fan of mobster movies such as Godfather, Goodfellas and Casino, Mafia 2 was the closest game that I felt replicated that cinematic experience. Friendship, loyalty, betrayal, action and more. Mafia 2 had it all.
However, when the “Definitive Edition” was released in 2020, it was very underwhelming, to say the least. In terms of visuals and performance, when Mafia 2 Definitive Edition was behaving itself, it was hard-pressed to find much of a difference between the 2010 and 2020 versions.
To add to the woes, Mafia 2 Definitive Edition launched with bugs, a poor framerate, audio glitches and texture pop-ins. The game has now been patched and it performs decently enough, but at its best, it’s barely better than the 2010 original. So, what was even the point of this remaster?
4. Warcraft 3: Reforged – 2020 (PC)
Without question, 2002’s Warcraft 3 is considered to be one of the best RTS games of all time. In fact, it’s so popular even today, that it still commands a loyal and active fanbase. So, when Warcraft 3: Reforged launched in 2020, it was supposed to be the pinnacle of the series. After all, a classic game loved by the fans enhanced in every way, what could go wrong? Sadly, a lot when wrong, making it one of the worst video game remasters I’ve played.
For starters, when Warcraft 3: Reforged was announced in 2018, the game looked far better than what was actually released. It would be fair to say that fans of the series felt betrayed by the version that launched.
There are simply too many issues that plagued Reforged’s launch to mention, but here are a few highlights. Players no longer had control over Custom Games or its royalties, it also had poor matchmaking, severe lag, disconnections, and poor HD visuals, you name it, Reforged had it. Warcraft 3: Reforged certainly helped to tarnish the name of its predecessor.
5. Devil May Cry HD Collection – 2018 (PS4 and Xbox One)
The Devil May Cry series is easily one of my favourites of all time. Though Devil May Cry 2 may be an exception, due to reports of it only releasing around 70% complete in 2003. That being said, ever since the original game launched for PS2 in 2001, it forever became one of the best hack and slash games of its genre.
In 2012 the HD Collection was released for PS3 and Xbox 360 which included the original trilogy in all its glory. Sure, this HD Collection didn’t set the world alight when it launched, but I was ok with that. After all, in terms of gameplay, this series is timeless. So, all I really wanted was crisp HD visuals, and that’s pretty much what we got. However, the in-game cut-scenes remained untouched, which was a shame.
The Devil May Cry HD Collection was then released for PS4 and Xbox One in 2018. So surely, we’d see improvements made to compliment that generation console?
Sadly, that was not the case. This was essentially the exact same HD collection that was released 6 years prior with little to no improvements made. It even came complete with its blurry cut-scenes. The 2018 release of the DMC HD Collection was simply a lazy port carried over from 2012.
Well, that concludes my five worst remasters that ruined the original games. Don’t forget to let us know what games we missed off the list in the Facebook comments and on Twitter.
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Featured Image Credit: Mafia Game Videos / Konami