We think about how new versions of our favorite games of the past could turn out.
With whom it happened: you go on Steam, you buy some childhood hit that you loved to cut into about fifteen years ago, install, launch, and there … Outdated gameplay, secondary mechanics and graphics cut down by an ax. The lion’s share of the golden classics by modern standards, at least, doesn’t look very good, but as a maximum – it is in dire need of a remake. Therefore, we made up our minds and remembered several masterpieces that a remake in a modern way would not hurt at all.
Thief
For its time, “Thief” was a revolutionary game. Stealth with a bunch of nuances, great freedom of action, multi-level locations, not stupid, in general, AI. All this (along with aesthetics) inevitably fell in love with the game of everyone who was able to get used to the unusual gameplay. The second part, although it left the style of the first towards steampunk, but only consolidated the success of the franchise. But the third one, developed with emphasis on the console, did not become a hit; The 2014 restart is completely remembered as a nightmare. Only the old-school fans will play the first and second parts now – technologically, it has grown terribly old (even with HD textures and mods), and the standards are different now.
The first two Thief are so skillfully made games that in inept hands they can easily turn into banal hide and seek. Therefore, they do not need to redo anything from scratch – just a little dust off the mechanic. “Humanize” the behavior of the guards, add dynamic lighting (light in the game has always played an important role) and realistic physics to make archery feel better. It’s worth the story, because Thief also has a stunningly crafted universe. And, of course, improve the schedule: otherwise the square guards no longer inspire fear.
Deus ex
This game, along with System shock 2, became the progenitor of the immersive sim genre. She showed what variability is and how to make hits that do not lose relevance even decades later. Neither Human Revolution, neither Mankind dividedcoming much later did not offer the kind of variation that Ion Storm once achieved. And with the player she was ceremonial much less.
The first part is still played quite cheerfully, but it hardly attracts a new audience, accustomed to the beautiful, convenient and effective Deus Ex. Fan art like Deus Ex: Revision is more focused on graphics and content – and practical things should be fixed first. For example, the interface. In the original game, you can go crazy while you figure out the numerous menus and submenus.
The main thing is to put up with existence Invisible war and just don’t think about her
Condemned
On release Condemned scared away those who did not expect such a sharp change of course from the studio that released the hurricane F.E.A.R.. The ordeal of dirty alleys, abandoned buildings and terrible schools in search of a maniac, where at every step you need to fend off homeless people, mutants, and to hell with whom, this is a specific pleasure. But the melee mechanics with artisanal weapons like pipes and pieces of reinforcement were truly innovative, and the plot resembled David Fincher’s films.
The main and indisputable advantage of Condemned is its authenticity. Tough, mundane realism, thanks to which dynamic melee battles are perceived naturally. Therefore, the most important thing is to preserve, and possibly complicate the mechanics a bit. Say, add a detailed damage model, strengthen the element of survival (crafting would be very helpful), slightly diversify the process of searching for evidence on crime scenes.
In extreme cases, you can just port the second Condemned to modern platforms. It is very different from the original, and sometimes not for the better, but many still have not played it
Parasite eve
That’s something, but the once famous series from the creators Final fantasy (then still just Square, without Enix) now looks like a strange dinosaur from the past. Hybrid JRPG and action, combining the ability to run in real time and turn-based actions, a static camera, the lack of voice acting … But then the story of Aya, a policeman who took on her own to stop the army of monsters, was incredibly spectacular, and it was breathtaking from unusual mechanics.
Of course, in its original form Parasite eve (https://www.igromania.ru/game/11536/Parasite_Eve.html) can not be transferred: at least, the same battles in the spirit of the old “finals” will have to rethink. And in general, the gameplay is too archaic, it largely needs to be done from scratch. On the other hand, they were able to adequately reproduce Final Fantasy VIIby adding battles in real time. Why not do something like Resident Evil remakes? If the masters get down to business, it can turn out a real hit, interesting for both fans of the original and younger audiences.
By the way, one attempt to rehabilitate the series still was for the PSP console. But it would be better if there was no such
Clock tower
All Outlast-like horrors grew out of the famous killer series with huge scissors. The first was and remains especially beloved Clock tower – the one in which the girl Jennifer and her friends get into the Burroughs mansion, where they are methodically cut out by the crazy son of the family. Who played on the memorable SNES, for sure still has not forgotten the impression of the first meeting with the maniac. Moreover, the Clock Tower really was a survival horror: the dangers exhausted the heroine psychologically, and the further, the higher the threat of literal death from fear.
Alas, against the backdrop of modern horror movies, the game looks like a standard point-and-click adventure in the spirit of the Sierra quests, only with hide and seek and a run from the maniac. You will not frighten such a player spoiled by “outlasts”. But if you transfer the Clock Tower mechanics to a modern engine, add a mental health scale and fill the Burroughs mansion with new crazy … Who knows? At Resident evil 2 remake it turned out!
The creator of the Hifumi Kono series tried to replicate the franchise’s success Nightcry – supposedly the spiritual heiress of Clock Tower. But it turned out, frankly, so-so
No One Lives Forever
The adventures of the charming spy Kate Archer are rightly on a par with Quake, Duke nukem, Blood and other classic shooters. The charismatic heroine, one of the richest arsenals of weapons in the genre (at least at that time), magnificent humor, making fun of all the cliches of espionage films … But after the release of the sequel in 2002, something went wrong. Amid unsuccessful spin-off Contract J.A.C.K. leapfrog with outbids began Monolith and Sierra entertainment, and now the rights to the series are divided between several owners. Legally play NOLF can only those who have preserved the original CD with the game.
It would be too optimistic to expect that we will ever see NOLF 3 (although the chance of reissuing the original on digital platforms seems to still be there is)but dreaming is not bad. Moreover, the potential for continuation is huge. Borrow a neat role-playing system from the second part, make complex levels with forks, more crazy gadgets – and you’re done.
The thing
Today’s game adaptation of the classic John Carpenter horror “Something“Few people recall, but for 2002 it was a real breakthrough. A third-person shooter, where subordinates are similar to real people – one of them, from a collision with cosmic horror, could completely refuse the psyche. And those that are stronger, at any moment could pick up an alien infection and mutate somewhere around the corner into a terrible monster.
By today’s standards, enjoy The thing complicated: square models can frighten unless excellent students in geometry. But the social mechanics and paranoia that it causes, to this day, looks great. This is a great candidate for rejuvenation: Resident evil 7 perfectly demonstrated how to make horror about enclosed spaces. First-person view, realistic shooting physics, elaborate facial expressions of characters, constant claustrophobia and really vile violence.
Distrust: Polar Survival I tried to reproduce the idea of The Thing in a slightly different form, but it turned out quite wrong
Dune ii
Of course, after the release, the ancestors of all modern strategies came out and other games in the universe of “Dunes”. Relatively good, but poorly balanced Dune 2000frankly secondary Emperor: Battle for Dune and completely unsuccessful action Frank Herbert’s Dune. Almost twenty years have passed since then, but the spice on the planet Arrakis is still untouched. If only they reissued the classic Dune ii for modern computers – just to nostalgia about how we protected the harvester from sandworms …
But seriously, Dune has such a rich universe that not making a new game in the series, especially given the upcoming film by Denis Villeneuve, is simply stupid. And the landmark is precisely the exemplary second part. Three warring houses with unique troops (for example, the Atreides ultrasonic tank adored by many or the Ordos rocket launcher that mesmerizes enemy units), neutral units (sandworms) and classic RTS mechanics. After remaster Warcraft iii sat in a puddle, such an idea has considerable potential.
We are sure that someone’s love for games began with Dune on Sega Mega Drive 2
Freelancer
When a potential hit from Chris Roberts, creator Wing commanderfinally came out after long transfers, the players were a little disappointed. With a quality story campaign and a beautiful universe, Freelancer was sometimes unbearably boring. It was not easy to explore a cozy and saturated space due to constant battles with pirates, the trading system turned out to be quirky, and the side tasks of the same type looked gray in the background of the plot. Nevertheless, fans of the space simulator were found, including thanks to the multiplayer.
Freelancer full of unfulfilled hopes, and to realize her ambitions would be very helpful. After all Elite fed up with the order No man’s sky not infinite, and the X series has long been in need of an alternative. Digital Anvil game fascinated with the balance between the complexity of space simulators and the drive of arcade “flying” like Rebel galaxy.
The first twenty to thirty battles in Freelancer caused a jaw blade. Then it began to reduce it from boredom
Black & white
It is difficult to find at least some game similar to one of the main hits of Peter Molyneux. RTS, combined with “Tamagotchi”, where you can pet a huge cow for eating people – so try to remember something like that! In addition to the innovative mechanics of the “God simulator,” Black & White clung to excellent humor and sophisticated mechanics of the choice between good and evil. The second part consolidated the success and finalized the experimental mechanics of the original, turning into a real dream game at that time. But now you will hardly surprise anyone with such conceptual projects – indie developers have long mastered this niche.
The ability to maximize the distance and then bring it almost to the very nose of any person in the game at that time added to the game divinity (in every sense)
Molyneux, having tried his luck in mobile development and sitting in a huge puddle with Curiosity: What’s Inside the Cube? and Godius, disappeared from radars, and even the legendary series Fable has sunk into oblivion, so count on a possible remake of Black & White is not at all worth it. But what if, as they say. In the updated version, we would like to see a more balanced strategic part. In the original, she was hand on heart, as if from the side of the heat and only distracted from fun with a divine pet. Improve the interface – even in the very friendly second part it was terribly inconvenient to manage troops, and the battles turned into a heap. Well, just add new chips. If there is someone with a divine hand, capable of not only destroying, but also creating.
Of course, almost all dreams of perfect remakes will remain so. Do you have games that you would like to see updated? Share your answers in the comments!
