14 DAY TRIAL // High-definition remakes and remasters have become quite common nowadays, as plenty of developers and publishers have realized that they can generate new profits by bringing back old games onto new platforms with minimum investments.
As such, we're now flooded with HD versions of old games, not to mention complete collections of trilogies that offer at least a higher value by sheer amount of content, especially for people who didn't get a chance to experience them when they first appeared.
New HD remakes are available nowadays
The last few weeks have seen the debut of several high definition remakes, starting with Capcom's Resident Evil HD Remaster and continuing with Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy Remastered from Aspyr Media and Quantic Dream.
Both titles bring back games from the early 2000s or 1990s, to be technically correct when it comes to Resident Evil, and perform different enhancements in terms of visuals, not to mention a few improvements when it comes to actual gameplay.
Unfortunately, both still suffer from some problems in different areas, as with a bit more effort, the two titles could have made a much better impression on veteran gamers who played the games when they first appeared, as well as on those who didn't get a chance to play them many years ago.
Resident Evil HD doesn't go far enough with the improvements
First up, for Resident Evil HD Remaster, Capcom has tried to make some improvements when it comes to gameplay, such as a revamped control scheme that allows players to use the analog stick to move their character, instead of the analog pad or the WASD keys. This makes the characters no longer move like they're tanks and dodge zombies much more easily through the twisted halls of Spencer mansion.
Unfortunately, while the game does try to cater to newcomers through the easy mode, it keeps the confusing puzzles, the annoying door opening animations, and the clunky inventory. While I'm sure that veterans welcome these unchanged mechanics as they can experience the game as it originally came out, it just serves to frustrate new people who want to see how the series started out many years ago.
Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy HD needs quality textures, not just bigger ones
Meanwhile, Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy HD boasts about its enlarged textures, which allow it to support higher resolutions than the original 1024x768. While that's certainly a great effort, the new textures lose a lot of their detail and end up looking worse than the original title. Check out the comparison below, the shading that made the clothes look good is lost and the quality disappears.
It's good that both games have returned in the gaming spotlight through these remakes but they could have made a much better impact provided extra time and a bit more effort were spent on them. If the projects got approval, then they should have received the required attention.
Both Capcom and Aspyr could have used the remastered titles as a gateway for new fans to buy other Resident Evil games or explore other Aspyr titles.
