“Remaster” versions divide the player base, for example with Warcraft 3: Reforged. But Cortyn believes: This is exactly what we ordered, and this is what we are getting now.
In recent weeks, a lot has been revolving around a new “old” trend in the gaming scene: Remaster games are on the rise.
The biggest representative here is probably Blizzard’s Warcraft 3: Reforged, but other classics have also reappeared. Recently, EA announced that it would revamp the two “Command & Conquer” games, Tiberian Dawn and Red Alert.
Players are divided over these decisions – both with Warcraft and with C&C. One half of the players celebrates the return of the classics in a new guise, while others criticize the developers’ lack of creativity when they remake old games.
With Warcraft 3, the sentiment is: It would be better to make Warcraft 4 than to rehash the old one.
Nostalgia is Ruined by Reality
Nostalgia is a fine thing, as it turns good memories into wonderful ones. We all know the proverbial rose-tinted glasses. Anyone who hasn’t played Diablo 2 in the last 17 years but was “fully involved” at release and had a lot of fun now has a clear picture of the game.
The problem: In our memory, the game is always more beautiful than it actually was.
It was similar in my circle of friends. Out of nostalgic feelings, we wanted to try out Diablo 2 again and found after about half an hour:
“Okay, this is not a graphical error; this is apparently how the game looked at maximum resolution.”
A pure pixel feast, with choppy animations.
For me, this realization with Warcraft 3 wasn’t that bad since I had pulled out the strategy game every now and then over the past few years to play one or another campaign.
Objectively speaking, the graphics today are of course a horror, and when one of the human children in Warcraft 3 opens their jaw, it reminds me more of horror movies than of cute comic graphics.
Less Tolerance for the New
I notice this in myself. With more than two decades of gaming under my belt, my preferences have crystallized rather clearly. I’m into MMORPGs, zombie shooters, asymmetrical “monster-chasing” games (Evolve, Dead by Daylight, White Noise 2), JRPGs, and the occasional strategy game or hack-and-slash in the Bayonetta style.
Even though I still check out many new games and literally “fall in love” with some new games, I notice that I categorically exclude other games without giving them a chance.
The fact that I would install Fortnite or PUBG wouldn’t even happen under torture.
Surely, this self-imposed “filter” also has to do with the fact that there was less choice in the past. Even Warcraft 3 and Diablo 2 had flaws. But due to the lack of alternatives, one lived with the flaws, and they became part of the player experience that we loved so much. The flaws were overlooked.
If you play these games again today and find these flaws, they are just as annoying as they were back then.
Today, I have not just one or two games to choose from, but hundreds to thousands per genre and that with just a few clicks that lead to purchase.
This abundance of choice has made me more dissatisfied personally, which is why I often turn back to the tried and tested.
We Ordered Remasters, Now They Are Coming
So why are the developers making a remaster? The answer is not just “because it’s easy”, but because we have been shouting for it for years. Because we want games that cater to our nostalgia. Because we want games that are “just like back then”.
But this is a case where I believe that many do not actually know what they really want. Because most do not want a game “that is like back then”, but exactly the game from back then. I did not want to admit this at first.
The developers are now catering to this desire and presenting us exactly the games we have been longing for for over a year: The old, same games, just more visually appealing.
We can play the beginnings of the first “Tower Defense” games in Warcraft 3 again, or remember where the MOBA genre actually came from – from a map for Warcraft 3.
And that is exactly why I think that we should not view “remasters” of old games so negatively. Of course, it is less work for a company like Blizzard to simply polish an old game like Warcraft 3 and sell it again as a “Reforged” version.
For me, there is absolutely nothing wrong with taking a former worldwide hit, polishing it up, and pushing it out again. The latest Halloween movie was at least quite okay.
Just because Warcraft 3: Reforged is being made does not mean that something else will fall by the wayside or that the developers will now start only reviving old projects.
But for all fans who are waiting for Warcraft 4, there is at least a glimmer of hope: If Blizzard with Warcraft 3: Reforged realizes that the strategy genre can still excite, they might consider a new installment. Let’s hope that it doesn’t become mobile.
