As the cost of developing competent games skyrockets, in part due to the required graphical fidelity to appease the people who give half a fuck about gameplay, and in part due to the number of people needed to work on a title to complete it in a timely manner, sometimes publishers need to make a quick cash grab to recoup some of their out-of-control budget costs.
The most obvious among these are the HD remakes and collections that have become quite popular this generation, making (formerly) popular game X or series Y available on the current systems for those too struck by nostalgia to get a new release, or those who've never experienced these titles before, and are interested in an upcoming sequel/reboot.
Unfortunately for the consumer, the end result is often a blocky mess, tarnished by bad porting, rushed development, and a small staff. Worse still is that it would often be easier to appease the fans by re-releasing the actual last-gen title in a digital format, using console native emulation, with a much smaller budget. That's not even mentioning the higher possible sales numbers due to the lower price point, being able to purchase it piecemeal(in the case of collections), only obtaining the titles you want, and the higher overall profit margin due to a much lower budget/need for staff.
It is somewhat reasonable to choose to go this route, however, if there were any major issues in the initial release of the game, considering most of these titles pre-date the patch-on-demand infrastructure we have in the current generation of systems. It also allows(if the publisher will, as well), directors to bring the game back toward it's initial vision, if something like technical limitations required undesired changes on older hardware. All of that said, it's still difficult to convince most consumers of the value of such a package if they still have the originals, and with Playstation and PS2 classics on PSN, often for under $10(From what I can surmise, Microsoft stopped putting XBox Originals on XBLA somewhere around 4 years ago), paying $40 for what could be a sloppy port with upscaled textures in 16:9 instead of a (partial) remaster is a tough pill to swallow.
As far as HD collections go, I've spent some time with five of them(though only one title on one of them), and results have been mixed, at best.
The Devil May Cry HD collection is a pretty competent one, though it does have the oft-maligned Devil May Cry 2(and for good reasons I may get into someday), and only carries with it the watered down Special Edition of Devil May Cry 3(which added some nice features, but the easing of the difficulty can be a put-off to series veterans). However, with the ports being entirely faithful to the originals, it's visually a bit of a mess, with some poorly upscaled textures, and the original pixelated cutscenes still shown in their original 4:3 aspect ratio. It's still an enjoyable romp overall, with a lot of content, but if you've played through any similar titles recently(Bayonetta, Devil May Cry 4 or the reboot, hell, even the God of War series), it's quite obvious that the series' trademark difficulty was initally more due to inexperience with a new style of game, rather than an actual overall hard game. Having been one of the many people that were offered Easy Automatic mode back in the day, struggling to beat Phantom in chapter 3 for hours, it was a little sad when I cleared the first 5 chapters with no trouble when I decided to give the original Devil May Cry a spin recently. While this can make for a shorter, more enjoyable run, the game loses a fair amount of it's charm when you're not struggling from encounter to encounter.
The Ico and Shadow of the Colossus HD collection is probably one of the best presentations of the format, and one of the biggest reasons to have hope for re-releases that exceed the quality of the original. While I had only previously had experience with Ico(Yes, shame on me for missing Shadow of the Colossus the first time around, I know.), the game is presented beautifully here, with nearly everything remastered(outside of the cutscenes), though it does show it's age a bit, and is also quite different from the game I remember. Given that the HD version is based on the European version(which itself was quite different than the NTSC versions), there's a lot of encounters that were previously skippable and now aren't and vice versa. Other problems are that Yorda is still about as intelligent as a sack of bricks, though the shadows have gotten a lot smarter, and with the remastered models, some of the games platforming sections require much more precision than before. It's still an enjoyable, but short, game, and one of the finest titles from the last generation.
On the other hand, the Silent Hill HD collection falls flat in several ways, often looking worse than it's predecessors. The fog effect has turned into more of a smear on the screen that can cause the game to run at half-speed at times, and crash entirely at others. Certain cutscenes will seemingly randomly not load and force you to replay from your last save. The biggest downfall of the package is the lack of an updated Silent Hill 1, which the story for 3 greatly relies upon, but then again, with the awful mess this release was, it's probably for the best.
The Metal Gear Solid HD collection fares much better, even though.the same company made both it and Silent Hill. It has a lot of content, focusing on the reissues of Metal Gear Solid 2 and 3, with the latter having ports of the original MSX Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2. It also includes Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, previously only available on the PSP, though it doesn't have Portable Ops or Portable Ops Plus, which Peace Walker builds upon, and are also only available on PSP. The ports of MGS2 and MGS3 are both very faithful to their last-gen originals, look fantastic, and handle like a dream. The lack of a port for Metal Gear Solid isn't a huge loss for PS3/Vita purchasers, due to the original being readily available on PSN, though it does a disservice for XBox 360 owners, who may have never played it. With there already being a version of MGS1 in the MGS2 engine, Gamecube's Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes, it's something of an oversight, as many who did not have a Gamecube would love to play that version, myself included.
The last one is sort of an interesting case, as it's not a true HD collection, with two of the titles being straight ports, and the latter being a complete remaster. Doom 3 BFG Edition is an interesting mix of old and new, though Doom 3(and it's expansion Resurrection of Evil) loses a lot of the early game intensity with the armor attached flashlight, though the faster walkspeeds, new enemy spawns, and changes to the overall pace of the games make it feel more like the originals that people were so enamored with, though those who started the series with or preferred Doom 3, a remake of the first in a more survival horror vein, will be displeased by a lot of the changes. BFG Edition also includes The Ultimate Doom, and Doom II, with Doom II including the previously 360 exclusive No Rest for the Living expansion, though these are straight ports. Also included is some new content for Doom 3 that was previously scrapped during development, cobbled together in a mini-campaign called The Lost Mission, though if this is your only reason for looking to obtain the collection, I'd steer clear of it. It's short, and rough around the edges, while not adding a lot to the overall story, and the gameplay is just more of the same. What's particularly frustrating is the lack of Final Doom and the Master Levels for Doom II. Shortly after the release of BFG Edition, a digital only game on PSN called Doom Classic Complete released, featuring nearly the same ports of the older titles found in BFG Edition, with all the same content, but adding those two packs, for $15. While that's not a huge expenditure, it's a shame that there is not a DLC pack for BFG Edition containing Final Doom and Master Levels, instead requiring that I repurchase the Ultimate Doom, Doom II, and No Rest for the Living to obtain them.
When it comes to getting more game for your dollar, or replaying an older title that you're waxing nostalgic over, HD Collections can be a good way to go about it, but be wary, and do your research before diving in for a purchase. With results as mixed as these, it's in your best interest to make sure you're not getting the short end of the stick to make up for budgetary overflow on an upcoming title, and that you're getting the quality title you remember.
The most obvious among these are the HD remakes and collections that have become quite popular this generation, making (formerly) popular game X or series Y available on the current systems for those too struck by nostalgia to get a new release, or those who've never experienced these titles before, and are interested in an upcoming sequel/reboot.
Unfortunately for the consumer, the end result is often a blocky mess, tarnished by bad porting, rushed development, and a small staff. Worse still is that it would often be easier to appease the fans by re-releasing the actual last-gen title in a digital format, using console native emulation, with a much smaller budget. That's not even mentioning the higher possible sales numbers due to the lower price point, being able to purchase it piecemeal(in the case of collections), only obtaining the titles you want, and the higher overall profit margin due to a much lower budget/need for staff.
It is somewhat reasonable to choose to go this route, however, if there were any major issues in the initial release of the game, considering most of these titles pre-date the patch-on-demand infrastructure we have in the current generation of systems. It also allows(if the publisher will, as well), directors to bring the game back toward it's initial vision, if something like technical limitations required undesired changes on older hardware. All of that said, it's still difficult to convince most consumers of the value of such a package if they still have the originals, and with Playstation and PS2 classics on PSN, often for under $10(From what I can surmise, Microsoft stopped putting XBox Originals on XBLA somewhere around 4 years ago), paying $40 for what could be a sloppy port with upscaled textures in 16:9 instead of a (partial) remaster is a tough pill to swallow.
As far as HD collections go, I've spent some time with five of them(though only one title on one of them), and results have been mixed, at best.
The Devil May Cry HD collection is a pretty competent one, though it does have the oft-maligned Devil May Cry 2(and for good reasons I may get into someday), and only carries with it the watered down Special Edition of Devil May Cry 3(which added some nice features, but the easing of the difficulty can be a put-off to series veterans). However, with the ports being entirely faithful to the originals, it's visually a bit of a mess, with some poorly upscaled textures, and the original pixelated cutscenes still shown in their original 4:3 aspect ratio. It's still an enjoyable romp overall, with a lot of content, but if you've played through any similar titles recently(Bayonetta, Devil May Cry 4 or the reboot, hell, even the God of War series), it's quite obvious that the series' trademark difficulty was initally more due to inexperience with a new style of game, rather than an actual overall hard game. Having been one of the many people that were offered Easy Automatic mode back in the day, struggling to beat Phantom in chapter 3 for hours, it was a little sad when I cleared the first 5 chapters with no trouble when I decided to give the original Devil May Cry a spin recently. While this can make for a shorter, more enjoyable run, the game loses a fair amount of it's charm when you're not struggling from encounter to encounter.
The Ico and Shadow of the Colossus HD collection is probably one of the best presentations of the format, and one of the biggest reasons to have hope for re-releases that exceed the quality of the original. While I had only previously had experience with Ico(Yes, shame on me for missing Shadow of the Colossus the first time around, I know.), the game is presented beautifully here, with nearly everything remastered(outside of the cutscenes), though it does show it's age a bit, and is also quite different from the game I remember. Given that the HD version is based on the European version(which itself was quite different than the NTSC versions), there's a lot of encounters that were previously skippable and now aren't and vice versa. Other problems are that Yorda is still about as intelligent as a sack of bricks, though the shadows have gotten a lot smarter, and with the remastered models, some of the games platforming sections require much more precision than before. It's still an enjoyable, but short, game, and one of the finest titles from the last generation.
On the other hand, the Silent Hill HD collection falls flat in several ways, often looking worse than it's predecessors. The fog effect has turned into more of a smear on the screen that can cause the game to run at half-speed at times, and crash entirely at others. Certain cutscenes will seemingly randomly not load and force you to replay from your last save. The biggest downfall of the package is the lack of an updated Silent Hill 1, which the story for 3 greatly relies upon, but then again, with the awful mess this release was, it's probably for the best.
The Metal Gear Solid HD collection fares much better, even though.the same company made both it and Silent Hill. It has a lot of content, focusing on the reissues of Metal Gear Solid 2 and 3, with the latter having ports of the original MSX Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2. It also includes Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, previously only available on the PSP, though it doesn't have Portable Ops or Portable Ops Plus, which Peace Walker builds upon, and are also only available on PSP. The ports of MGS2 and MGS3 are both very faithful to their last-gen originals, look fantastic, and handle like a dream. The lack of a port for Metal Gear Solid isn't a huge loss for PS3/Vita purchasers, due to the original being readily available on PSN, though it does a disservice for XBox 360 owners, who may have never played it. With there already being a version of MGS1 in the MGS2 engine, Gamecube's Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes, it's something of an oversight, as many who did not have a Gamecube would love to play that version, myself included.
The last one is sort of an interesting case, as it's not a true HD collection, with two of the titles being straight ports, and the latter being a complete remaster. Doom 3 BFG Edition is an interesting mix of old and new, though Doom 3(and it's expansion Resurrection of Evil) loses a lot of the early game intensity with the armor attached flashlight, though the faster walkspeeds, new enemy spawns, and changes to the overall pace of the games make it feel more like the originals that people were so enamored with, though those who started the series with or preferred Doom 3, a remake of the first in a more survival horror vein, will be displeased by a lot of the changes. BFG Edition also includes The Ultimate Doom, and Doom II, with Doom II including the previously 360 exclusive No Rest for the Living expansion, though these are straight ports. Also included is some new content for Doom 3 that was previously scrapped during development, cobbled together in a mini-campaign called The Lost Mission, though if this is your only reason for looking to obtain the collection, I'd steer clear of it. It's short, and rough around the edges, while not adding a lot to the overall story, and the gameplay is just more of the same. What's particularly frustrating is the lack of Final Doom and the Master Levels for Doom II. Shortly after the release of BFG Edition, a digital only game on PSN called Doom Classic Complete released, featuring nearly the same ports of the older titles found in BFG Edition, with all the same content, but adding those two packs, for $15. While that's not a huge expenditure, it's a shame that there is not a DLC pack for BFG Edition containing Final Doom and Master Levels, instead requiring that I repurchase the Ultimate Doom, Doom II, and No Rest for the Living to obtain them.
When it comes to getting more game for your dollar, or replaying an older title that you're waxing nostalgic over, HD Collections can be a good way to go about it, but be wary, and do your research before diving in for a purchase. With results as mixed as these, it's in your best interest to make sure you're not getting the short end of the stick to make up for budgetary overflow on an upcoming title, and that you're getting the quality title you remember.
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