Summary
Capcomand the general gaming industry at large have been pumping out remakes left and right. Even back in the late 2000s, Capcom was infamous for their number of remakes, although that was largely because people didn’t quite know the differences between remakes, remasters, and ports back then.
They’ve still made quite a lot,especially of the Resident Evil variety, but nearly all of them are excellent. Some are better than others, and there’s a few stinkers like Dead Rising: Chop Till You Drop, but for the most part, these remakes are extremely well designed, faithful, or rightfully update certain elements.
One game that’s definitely well made and well crafted but sort of falls short in terms of being an actual remake is Resident Evil 3. The RE3 remake has that Capcom quality in regards to level design, enemy placement, presentation, and story. In terms of a remake, it’s missing a lot of stuff, even the Mercenaries mode. Most of the enemies are here, including the most important one, the hunters, who are even harder in the remake since they can do their one-hit kill attack anytime now.
It’s also missing the awesome randomization element in the original, but as a standalone game RE3 is great, objectively. There’s so many parts where you can see the designers clearly play-tested this, knew the habits most players would do, and placed enemies just right to catch you off guard.
Two bigMega Mangames could benefit from a remake, and one of them actually happened in Mega Man Powered Up for the PSP. If you played Mega Man 1, you’d know it’sthe hardest game in the series, and this remake lives up to that mantra. Compared to Maverick Hunter X on the same console, Powered Up is harder, without a doubt, but way more satisfying and rewarding.
You also get two brand new Robot Masters to fight here, and you may play as the Robot Masters, which is an awesome addition. It sucks that Powered Up remains a PSP exclusive, but there are tons of other games, like Ultimate Ghosts ‘n Goblins, that make the PSP worth getting.
2013
WayForward
Capcom
DuckTales Remastereddoesn’t get talked about enough in regardsto incredible remakes. Yes, it’s a bit too story-heavy, but skipping all the cutscenes makes that a non-issue, and you can engorge yourself in the amazing level design and treasure-hunting gameplay.
It’s so fun exploring and finding all the secrets and hidden loot. The controls are extremely tight, and difficulties are handled really well, with more differences than you’d expect. The soundtrack’s also pretty good but doesn’t top the OG music. Most people will likely only beat this game once, but it’s a blast of a single playthrough.
2008
Grin
When people talk about Capcom franchises that should come back, they never discuss Bionic Commando, which is a shame because, along with Sparkster and Trials, they’re some of the most unique and greatest platformer series of all time. Bionic Commando Rearmed is a remake of the NES classic, combining precise platforming and light metroidvania elements.
It’s not a very long game, but enjoyable the whole way through with its tight movement controls that require mastery. Thebanger soundtrack by Simon Viklundalso plays a huge part in elevating the entire experience. It’s frankly better than the classic music in the original. Sadly, getting Rearmed to run on modern PCs is a massive pain, and due to its short length, it might not be worth the effort.
When remaking a game like Resident Evil 4, it’s virtually impossible to mess it up, and Capcom proved it. So many arenas and locations are very close in design to the original and work just as well. The story was massively improved, and the dynamic between Leon and Ashley feels a lot more triumphant in the remake. The Separate Ways campaign was also leagues better than the original.
What holds RE4 remake back from being a top-tier RE remake is that there’s nothing really game-changing here. Every other remake had something big and new to bring to the table, but RE4 remake feels like Capcom’s on autopilot mode. RE4 remake is still one of the best RE games, but in terms of remakes, a couple are better.
you’re able to’t get much better than a remake made by the same development team, director included. Shinji Mikami had a lot of barriers to deal with when making the first Resident Evil on PS1, but the GameCube remake feels like his true vision. The pre-rendered backgrounds are some of the best ever created in games; the survival mechanics were at their peak herewith the best level designin the classic era, and even enemy spawns were really tricky.
Having dead zombies rise once again after a certain time passes was a great way to add tension. The story was also improved with better voice acting, although some will probably prefer the so-bad-it’s-good voice acting of the original. Objectively, RE1 remake would be the best game out of these remakes, but it’s not the biggest improvement.
The Resident Evil remake with the largest jump in quality has to be Resident Evil 2. In virtually every way, it’s better. The level design is expanded, but it still feels like classic RE. Mr. X is the real Nemesis of these RE remakes, always being on the map even if he’s not directly near you. The atmosphere is also killer and the best of these recent RE remakes.
The differences between the campaigns are also handled well, compared to the same puzzles you’d do four times in the original. It even has the Fourth Survivor and Tofu Survivor, with four more Tofus to play as. With the addition of DLC content, RE2 remake is the most refined, expanded, and improved RE remake to date.
