Ports, Remasters, and Remakes

1. Gaming News
a. Boss Key Productions shuts down https://www.gamespot.com/articles/radical-heights-dev-boss-key-shuts-down-one-month-/1100-6458930/

b. Kotaku’s stanky Smash players article https://compete.kotaku.com/smash-players-plead-with-each-other-to-please-for-the-1826150759

c. COD BLOPS IIII is happening. No campaign mode, Battle.net only, shoehorned in battle royale mode with no specified player counts - but people will still buy it https://www.thesun.co.uk/tech/5350837/call-of-duty-black-ops-4-release-date-2018-blackout-battle-royale-zombies-xbox-one-ps4/

d. Green Man Gaming controversy - tracking a game’s value by hours played https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/kzk8vx/green-man-gaming-cost-per-hour

2. Ports, Remasters, and Remakes

a. Port begging 101 - why is every game on the planet either being ported or in extremely high demand to be ported to modern consoles or PC
a1. Technical reasons, both hardware and software: PS4 and Switch completely cutting backwards compatibility (nobody wants to keep all their old shit hooked up anymore, also old consoles suck and have reliability issues), old games often run at sub-optimal frame rates and especially resolution
a2. New audiences/resurgence of attention - even rereleases temporarily bring games/franchises back to the limelight of the shared gaming enthusiast consciousness and also potentially introduce the game/franchise to new players
a3. Switch - console’s unique selling point makes it a prime contender for port begging. This is fine when the ports are realistic (indie games, Wii U ports, some other select titles like Okami or Ikaruga), not so fine when the ports are of games like Doom or Wolfenstein 2 that don’t fit the systems specs

b. Effect these rereleases have on the gameplay experience
b1. Positive - games run better and look better (on paper). You don’t have to rely on emulation or old, possibly faulty hardware to continue playing these games. PC ports in particular are about as future proof as you can get, assuming that the port is of high quality. Developers are given a second pass to polish unsatisfactory gameplay elements or to implement QOL changes - my examples: Ocarina of Time 3D, Persona 4 Golden, Odin Sphere Leifthrasir, Uncharted: Nathan Drake Collection
b2. Negative - changes to visuals may harm a games art style or identity (Shadow of the Colossus PS4, Wind Waker HD, Kirby Super Star Ultra, Dark Souls Remastered), especially egregious if the game’s main selling point is its atmosphere or world. While gameplay or technical improvements are usually appreciated, they can also make a game actually feel more uneven than it did originally. Changing some mechanics for the better while ignoring others feels like a missed opportunity. Also, removing games from the original context of their release can be harmful to players respecting or appreciating the technical restrictions that plagued these games originally: best example is how Sonic Adventure’s rerelease as a late GCN game turned a technical showcase for the Dreamcast into a laughing stock, a reputation the game endures to this day
b3. Neutral - rereleases and original releases can coexist and be appreciated at the same time. In the case of games like Majora’s Mask 3D, Wind Waker HD, SOTC PS4, and Persona 3 Portable, the changes made are both ultimately good and bad; definitive editions of these games no longer exist as the versions all have viable tradeoffs.

3. Conclusion: will people ever be satisfied with rereleases and stop demanding them?
a. No

4. What are you playing
a. Deep in my Strange Journey. Overall a good remake, not 100% ideal due to lack of budget and some minor changes I don’t enjoy, but a great way to replay a game that I swore I would never ever play again after completing nearly 5 years ago.
d2. everyone else says their shit