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The Last of Us Part 1 Remake was recently released and has gotten a lot of people talking about what makes a video game a remake. A lot of similar words are thrown around when a new iteration of an older game comes out: Remake, Remaster and Rerelease and it can be confusing trying to figure out what each of them means. To clear up some of this confusion, let’s take a look at each of these terms and what kinds of games are covered by them.

Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury (2021)

Let’s start with what’s probably easiest to understand. A re-release is when a company publishes and releases a pre-existing game that they have previously released. This is usually to port the game to another console. An example of this is when Dragon Ball FighterZ was originally released on the PS4, Xbox One and PC and later re-released on the Nintendo Switch.

The game’s assets and content are usually exactly the same as how it was the first time, although you can sometimes get “enhanced ports” that are still the same game, but may have some extra content. Many of the Wii U ports to the Switch are like this, offering new content to encourage players to buy an older game, such as the new Bowser’s Fury section added to Super Mario 3D World.

Releasing and porting games like this is important because it gives the game access to a wider market than those who owned the original release console. This is especially true if that original console was something like the Wii U, which very few people owned.

Final Fantasy VIII (1999) compared to Final Fantasy VIII HD Remaster (2019)

A remaster is when the original game is re-released but the graphical fidelity is improved. This is most common when a game is released on a Standard Definition (SD) console and later ported to a High Definition (HD) console. The PS3 generation in particular has a lot of HD Remasters because it is one of the first HD consoles. The game and its world have been upgraded to a higher resolution for the more advanced machine. This results in sharper textures and cleaner character models.

There are countless examples of HD Remasters, many of which bundle multiple games together to give more value to the port, such as the Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD Remix or The Metal Gear Solid HD Collection.

Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire (2014)

A remake is when a previously made game is recreated with new assets, art, and possibly new controllers or gameplay features. These are usually created years after the original was released for new consoles to make the game more accessible to a new audience that may have been too young to play the original. Pokemon fans who couldn’t try Ruby and Sapphire might be able to play their remakes: Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire.

Shadow of the Colossus (2018)

Some remakes, such as Bluepoint Games’ Shadow of The Colossus Remake and Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us Part 1, are intended to be as close to the original as possible, although the games are still made with fresh resources from the start. This has led to some confusion among players, as at first glance they look more like remasters of the original games (which have already gotten both titles) rather than full remakes.

While it’s easy for fans to look down on remakes or HD remasters because they’re so similar to the original game, when they’re placed side by side, you usually see a significant difference in quality. It could even be theorized that the reason these remakes are so similar to the original is because that’s how we imagined the original game. I mean, have you seen the original PS2 Shadow of The Colussus? Brilliant game, but probably a bit blurrier than you remember.

video game makes remasters
Resident Evil 2 (2019)

On the other hand, several remakes are quite different from the original game to the point that they can be seen as less of a remake and more of a remake. They can still roughly follow the plot points set up in the original game, but have a completely new combat system or add new characters. These are important because they can often serve as a reboot for the series, acting as a fresh start that can act as a springboard for new fans.

Good examples of this are Resident Evil 2 (2019), Tsukihime -A Piece of Blue Glass Moon and Final Fantasy VII Remake, which despite its name is actually more of a soft reboot and maybe even a sequel to the original Final Fantasy VII games. .

video game makes remasters
Soul Calibur VI (2018)

There are many different ways to bring a game or series to a new audience. The best way differs per game. Some remakes or remasters have been mishandled, like the glitch-ridden XIII Remake (2020), but for the most part, remakes and remasters are a good thing.

A new entry in a series, no matter what it is, can help bring the franchise to a new audience and attract a new player base. Sometimes a remake or reinvention can even help revive a series like Soul Calibur VI, rebooting the franchise and undoing Soul Calibur V’s unpopular plot points.

video game makes remasters
Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy (2017)

They can also be a surefire way for companies to test the waters and relaunch a long-dormant series, such as with Trials of Mana (2020) or The Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy that eventually led to Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time, the first brand new Crash game in about ten years.

As nostalgia continues to sell and the demand for video game preservation grows, there’s a good chance we’ll see more reissues, remakes, and remasters, and if that means more new content for my favorite series, I’m all for it.