What are some faithful remasters that actually improve on the original?

[vestan]

I think when it comes to remasters, there's plenty of attention placed onto what they get wrong than right but what are some faithful remasters that actually improve on the original game? No remakes so something like Resident Evil 2 (2019) or Shadow of the Colossus (2018) don't count.

My pick has to go to Killer7 PC remaster

Features added:
- 60fps
- Proper 16:9 support
- UI assets have been redone to accomodate 16:9 resolutions
- English subtitles (🙏🙏🙏)
- Mouse and keyboard support alongside proper controller support (keyboard bindings to switch between the Smiths and for healing make this so good)
- Remastered soundtrack with some unreleased tracks included too

I think this video does a bang up job of illustrating how much it improves on the original




To my knowledge, there aren't any major issues with this remaster aside from the reload animation being at 30fps or missing effects that are only available in the original game a la DMC in the DMC HD Collection. We've had to wait years for this, but it's easily the definitive edition of the game and how most people should experience it from now on. Engine Software did a 10/10 job with this, really couldn't ask for anything better. Quite possibly the best remaster I've ever seen which is funny in hindsight considering a bunch of people were scared it'd be awful or just an emulated version in Dolphin going by NISA's involvement and the slip-up in the announce trailer.

What say you, Era?

 

[Psamtik]

The Turok remasters are pretty great, especially in terms of cleaning up Turok 2's level design.

 

[neufel]

This thread is now a love letter to the M2 dev team.

No but seriously, without them, I would never have played Phantasy Star in such a luxurious state.
A lot of old games can gain from new QoL stuff, but the fact that you can always create how many new QoL settings you want is just perfect.

 

[PhantomKnight]

Currently going through FF12 Zodiac Age on PS4 and the 2x speed is a godsend, the same with the other Final Fantasy remasters.

 

[Lelouch0612]

The Switch version of Okami is the definitive version of the game thanks to touchscreen support.

 

[Aia]

FFXII

 

[GeekyDad]

Tactics Ogre (PSP) comes immediately to mind.

 

[Deleted member 16876]

 

[Raindammit]

GTA 5.

 

[Mr. Poolman]

FFXII Zodiac Age is the best way to play FFXII.

 

[Unknownlight]

The Taxman remasters of Sonic 1/2/CD are the gold standard to me. Technically they're full remakes (from an engine perspective) so maybe they shouldn't count, but they're carefully crafted to otherwise be identical to the original versions, just with huge technical improvements.

Now if only Sonic 1 and Sonic 2 were released on anything other than mobile...

 

[neufel]

The Taxman remasters of Sonic 1/2/CD are the gold standard to me. Technically they're full remakes (from an engine perspective) but they're carefully crafted to otherwise be identical to the original versions, just with huge technical improvements.

Now if only Sonic 1 and Sonic 2 were released on anything other than mobile...

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I still don't understand why the SEGA AGES on switch was yet a new build and not a port of the mobile one.

 

[Error 52]

A lot of people disagree with me on this, but I think the Halo CE remaster was done really well. It genuinely looked like a current gen (current being the 360, I mean) game, and being able to push a button and switch back to the old style was dope. The multiplayer being stripped out and turned into a Reach map pack was a real pisser, though. And the MCC is really good, even if there's some minor annoyances around the edges. (like no credits) Playing those games at 60 is a complete revelation.

Also, the remasters/remakes that Christian Whitehead and Stealth did of Sonic 1, 2, and CD are fucking superb. Technically cheating, but fuck it. Playing those games in 16:9 is absolutely incredible, and it is baffling that they've never brought 1 and 2 to consoles and PC. There's a reason they got to make Sonic Mania.

 

[Khaos Prime]

Uncharted Nathan Drake Collection

 

[Transistor]

Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age should be the gold standard for remasters.

Hell, they could have re-released the same game just with the new option to un-invert the camera controls which made the original control like complete ass what the fuck were you thinking Squaresoft?

 

[Vincent Grayson]

Zodiac Age and Tactics Ogre are the first to come to mind.

All the more reason I want more Matsuno remasters. Give me some FFT and VS.

 

[andymcc]

Sega AGES line by M2.

 

[Unknownlight]

I still don't understand why the SEGA AGES on switch was yet a new build and not a port of the mobile one.

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My only guess is that Sega doesn't want to pay licensing fees for the Star Engine. The only reason Sega approved the project in the first place was because the emulated classic games lagged on iPhones at the time (and Sonic CD didn't work at all), so the games needed to be recreated on a modern engine.

 

[Deleted member 864]

Definitely The Zodiac Age for XII.

 

[ThisThingIsUseful]

I feel most remasters do.

The one downside to the FFX one was that a few songs weren't as good remastered (the boss theme in particular), but in the current gen versions, you can switch soundtracks. Add the PAL dark aeons/Penance fights, and it's superior to the original.

I know there were issues raised with Arkham's look.

But for the most part, I play a remaster and it runs better, has added stuff, and all of that.

 

[Deleted member 48897]

I never really liked the remake of Sonic 1 (I don't think any of the changes that they made work well at all, except for the sound quality), though I agree that their remaster of Sonic 2 had features that I wish M2 had been able to capitalize on, in particular the 3D-rendered special stage. It's also nice that Knuckles is there, since a lot of Sonic 2 re-releases don't include the Knuckles in Sonic 2 stuff that was a selling point of Sonic & Knuckles as an expansion.

I also think Sonic 1's the one that least benefits from the addition of widescreen (the bosses aren't well suited for it and the game isn't all that fast in comparison to the later titles). It messes up the Chemical Plant and Aquatic Ruin bosses in Sonic 2 in my opinion, but those are the only ones that are really worsened by it.

 

[Deleted member 33533]

Twilight Princess HD

The texture work and lighting is redone to the point where it stays faithful to the original while improving it visually. I tend to remember games looking better in my head than they did in reality and the HD version of Twilight Princess looks like that imaginary version I had in my head of the original.

The game made a few adjustments here and there, like reducing the number of light bugs you have to find in each Twilight section and tweaking some elements in the opening to improve the pacing. With the Wii U gamepad, you can now swap items on the fly without having to open up a menu. You even get a dedicated Wolf/Human transformation button on the gamepad so you no longer have to talk to Midna to change forms but can do it instantly. Things like a bigger wallet and the Poe Lantern just improve quality of life in the game.

The game also has both the original layout and the mirrored version that was in the Wii version. I've always thought the traditional button controls in the Gamecube version were superior to the Wii mote waggling you'd do to attack on the Wii but the one thing that the Wii version had over the Gamecube one was being able to aim with the pointer which made using weapons like the bow really easy and accurate. While the HD version doesn't have that, it has gyroscope aiming which is just as good in my opinion. It's got the best of both the GC and Wii versions and it's own improvements on top of that; it's the definitive version of the game.

 

[SomaXD]

Odin Sphere Leifthrasir

• New skills and leveling system
• The POW meter doesn't deplete with normal attacks
• Improved performance (and no slowdown during critical fights)
• Alchemy is more varied and flexible
• Cooking during stages (not just between) to raise your level
• No more managing multiple forms of currency
• Grinding not required
• Better inventory system

...And Trophies

 

[BluePigGanon]

The Sega Ages mode of Phantasy Star (on the Switch) boosts the XP and meseta (money) for every battle, and eliminating the grind really shows off what a great, classic JRPG it is.

 

[squall23]

.hack//G.U. Last Recode is by far the STANDARD of what a remaster should have:

- 60 FPS
- HD resolution
- PC port
- Actually noticeable improved graphics
- Pre-rendered cutscenes are properly upscaled
- English and Japanese voice tracks
- Various gameplay and QoL improvements

And then the most important point:

A BRAND NEW EPILOGUE

Literally a brand new final chapter was added to a remaster. That just blew my mind.

 

[Sankara]

A lot of the Night Dive Studios ones are really good

The Okami HD ones too!

 

[Deleted member 34949]

Definitely the Taxman Sonic remasters. Special mention to Sonic 2's special stages being redrawn to not look like a mess of pixelated garbage.

As good as the Sega Ages stuff is, I think M2's most impressive line of remasters are easily the Sega 3D Classics stuff.

 

[striderno9]

Burnout Paradise on the current consoles is the perfect racing game.

 

[Deleted member 11413]

Gravity Rush Remastered is the better version. 60 FPS, 1080p, and some of the controls are far better on the DS4 compared to the Vita.

Muramasa: Rebirth as well. Completely new and improved localization, improved resolution and visuals, an entire new game's worth of content in the form of the Genroku Legends DLC.

HeartGold/SoulSilver. Has the special/physical split introduced in Gen 4, pokemon follow you, online features, Pokeathlon, new story content, improved visuals, new pokemon, etc.

 

[Deleted member 11413]

Odin Sphere Leifthrasir

• New skills and leveling system
• The POW meter doesn't deplete with normal attacks
• Improved performance (and no slowdown during critical fights)
• Alchemy is more varied and flexible
• Cooking during stages (not just between) to raise your level
• No more managing multiple forms of currency
• Grinding not required
• Better inventory system

...And Trophies

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Oh yeah, this too. Much like Muramasa: Rebirth, Odin Sphere Leifthrasier completely replaces the original. Can't believe I forgot to mention Odin Sphere

 

[DrLight66]

Ridge Racer 7. Adds 1080p, replaces the annoying announcer with a much better announcer, adds a few new tracks and added in the in-game trophy system and also the downloadable UFRA challenges (some of which took me 4+ hours to complete lol)

The Last Remnant Remastered. I won't compare it to the disastrous 360 version, but i will compare it to the PC version. Added in trophies including Platinum and a turbo travel toggle so Rush can traverse dungeons/areas SUPER fast, which makes going through areas way faster than the PC version especially places like The Great Sandsea. On the downside, it has an area of effect attack glitch that needs to be patched and doesn't have the PC version's max field of view, both of which i'm hoping are eventually patched.

 

[Freakzilla]

The Turok remasters are pretty great, especially in terms of cleaning up Turok 2's level design.

Click to shrink...

One and done. The Turok remasters are the benchmark for all other remasters.

 

[Deleted member 33057]

Wind Waker HD.

Wish they would drop it and TP HD on Switch

 

[Ryouji Gunblade]

HeartGold/SoulSilver. Has the special/physical split introduced in Gen 4, pokemon follow you, online features, Pokeathlon, new story content, improved visuals, new pokemon, etc.

Click to shrink...

To add to that, they also added cut content from the original like Viridian Forest proper and route music in both the new and GB sounds versions.

 

[Injustice45]

Virtua Racing on Switch. 60FPS, eight-player splitscreen, and online! M2 took what was at the time a revolutionary racing game and made it better.

 

[hikarutilmitt]

It's divisive for reasons, but I so very much prefer Wild Arms Alter Code F to the original. It brought the original up to the then-current series standard, it felt like a Wild Arms game instead of any other JRPG from the time and added a number of new elements. It also had a lot of redone music for an already fantastic soundtrack.

I wish we'd get a port or remaster of it that gives us back what was taken in the localization (like the voices).

 

[Deleted member 11413]

To add to that, they also added cut content from the original like Viridian Forest proper and route music in both the new and GB sounds versions.

Click to shrink...

Yeah good point, forgot about that

 

[PancakeBurglar]

Echoing FFXII Zodiac Age, just beat it over the weekend and it was fantastic just a big improvement over the original.

 

[Aurc]

I think it's a bit odd to count Shadow of the Colossus (2018) as a remake. I know it's a complete visual overhaul, but the remake component mostly begins and ends there. The gameplay, music, voice acting, and everything else is the same as it was in the original, unlike with Resident Evil 2, which was made using not even a single asset from the original.

If I really can't count that, though, Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath HD is an amazing remaster. A huge leap that honors the original game, and improves upon the visuals substantially.

 

[inspectah]

OoT3D

 

[Pargon]

I expect that you could probably list all of the games running on the Kex Engine, but I want to specifically praise the updated System Shock: Enhanced Edition that was released in September 2018 as it did not seem to get much attention.
Though there is also a remake of the game currently in development, this is what I really wanted - a way to play the original at high resolutions, high frame rates (well, 60 FPS), and with a modern control scheme.
Now it's not perfectly modernized - you still have to switch between free look and cursor interaction - but it largely controls like a modern FPS game now. The main difference is that you occasionally hit E to switch modes, which is pretty seamless.
This is incredible for a game known for its overly complex controls and interface, with low performance and highly prone to crashing in its original "Enhanced Edition" release prior to the 2018 source port.

Here's a "retro review" of the game prior to either of the Enhanced Editions being released, which references the awkward controls and interface throughout:

 

[leder]

Cool, didn't know Killer 7 was such a good port. I honestly just bought it for the OST and haven't booted up the game yet...

 

[tadaima]

Banjo-Kazooie XBLA was a pretty good update.

The game was exactly the same, but with an improved frame rate and resolution.

One of the biggest issues with the original game was having to collect all 100 musical notes without dying. If you failed, you'd have to start over from scratch, which ruined the game for many.

The port fixed this by making the collection of musical notes permanent. Serious QOL improvement.

 

[Qudi]

The Last of Us Remastered. It's superior in anyway. Showed how much better games can look on a ps4 compared to the old machines.

Key features:

• Resolution: From 720p to either 1080p or native 4k
• Framerate: from a very fluctuating framerate to a rock steady 30 or a 60 cap depending what you prefer.
• Higher textures and less pop-in
• Much better antialiasing and shadow quality
• Keeping the multiplayer - One of the reason why im a little bumped about the nathan drake collection
• Inclusion of Photomode
• Added HDR

Gravity Rush Remastered is also darn good as a port from Vita to the home console. :)

 

[monmagman]

Well,Dark Souls PS4 was certainly an improvement over PS3.

 

[Deleted member 9971]

Wind waker hd 👀

 

[Fevaweva]

I don't care what anyone says, Metal Gear Solid: Twin Snakes is a huge improvement over the original game. And a faithful reimaging that makes the jump from 1 to MGS 2 less jarring. That isn't to say the original is in anyway bad, however.

 

[Elodes]

I played The World Ends With You on both the DS and on Android, and the latter version was quite superior. Much better, high-quality art; a vastly expanded soundtrack; fantastic adaption of the control scheme. It was an absolute joy to play.

 

[Tedmilk]

From what I've played:

The Last of Us Remastered
Shadow of the Colossus
All of the recent Double Fine Lucasarts Remasters

 

[Doskoi Panda]

To add to that, they also added cut content from the original like Viridian Forest proper and route music in both the new and GB sounds versions.

Click to shrink...

HGSS is great but it's totally a full-on remake (bordering on reimagining) rather than a mere remaster