What makes a remake worth playing? When should developers go back and change a game, and how much should they change? This week, the Triple Click crew tries to figure out when remakes work, when they don't work, and why. Plus: Kirk unveils his grand spectrum of Remakes, Remasters, and the Super Turbo Remake Plus.

Kirk’s Remake Spectrum*:

• Re-release (The original game, playable on new hardware) • Remaster (visually enhanced version of the same game, same tech, etc.) • Remaster Plus (A visual remaster that makes some changes to the gameplay - e.g. Skyward Sword, ME Trilogy) • Remake (New engine/tech and new visuals, but makes a point of keeping the gameplay the same. E.g. SotC, Demon’s Souls, Diablo 2 Resurrected) • Remake Plus (New engine and actual new gameplay/mechanics/etc. E.g. Black Mesa, Tomb Raider Anniversary) • Reimagined Remake (Uses the original as a template to make major changes, e.g. Resident Evil 2 & 3 Remake) • Super Turbo Remake Plus (There is only one of these and it is Final Fantasy VII Remake) • Sequel or Reboot

*Note that these are stops along a continuous spectrum and not a series of discrete categorizations. Many games fall somewhere in between categories.

One More Thing:

Kirk: The White Lotus Reloaded

Maddy: Dark Souls

Jason: The Forgotten City

Links:

Mat Bradley-Tschirgi on why Final Fantasy shouldn’t be modernized: https://www.polygon.com/22648602/final-fantasy-original-ff1-retro-gaming-classic-pixel-version-steam-square-enix

Mike White’s New York interview about The White Lotus: https://www.vulture.com/article/the-white-lotus-finale-mike-white-interview-departures-ending.html

Slate’s Working podcast interview with White Lotus composer Cristobal Tapia de Veer: https://slate.com/podcasts/working/2021/08/white-lotus-composer-cristobal-tapia-de-veer

Twenty Thousand Hertz episode about the Dies Irae (feat. Kirk): https://www.20k.org/episodes/diesirae

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