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	Microsoft takes a stab at Sony’s constant remakes
	Gavin Mannion January 24th, 2012 10:00 am

Quake1NotHD

It’s not often that Microsoft would compliment Sony and the PS3 and generally when they do it’s more like and underhanded stab than a real comment.

And thankfully the petty corporate bickering is still going on with Phil Spencer of Microsoft saying that Sony has done a fantastic job with the current crop of HD remakes.

He told Gameinformer, via Gamezone, magazine

Sony’s done a great job with looking at their back catalogue and selling those games again

And then continues to clear up that the recent Halo HD remake wasn’t the start of a HD remake trend but rather a celebration of the game.. yeah right.. but he also goes on to say

I [don't] want to get into a world where people felt like I was just trying to sell them things that they’ve already played.

Ah the simple beauty of an underhanded compliment / attack.

Personally I agree with Phil and have very little desire to see any old games simply remade into HD for this generation.. unless of course it’s Police Quest or Quake 1. Then it’s different, because you know those games are awesome.

What do you think, are HD remakes just milking us or is it something you really enjoy?

Follow Gavin Mannion on Twitter and like us on Facebook

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Cyril
I would not play the same game again, but I do think it is cool for people that missed some classics the first time round.

Eric Viljoen
Neither would I. Unless it was Final Fantasy VII

Anonymous
Heh, I bought FFVII again on PSN, even without the remake lol.

http://twitter.com/SonnyBonds Sonny Bonds
Well I got suckered into buying the Monkey Island series again……. and I’m happy as a ……….. monkey.
Now give me Indy: Fate Of Atlantis HD

Anonymous
Yeah, I bought the monkey island series again also, and I actually already conquered the Fate of Atlantis…man, definitely before I finished high school, that’s for sure. Probably….late 92 or early 93 I think. Oricalcum solves all problems!

camper2020
Yeah that fridge in Crystal Skull was probably covered in the stuff…as for Fate, I got stuck in that final maze years ago, and alas the ghost of Indy still haunts that cave, at least in my machine….
Purple Dragon
Is the monkey island worth getting? Is there an option to play with the original graphics? Would love to play that game again, I loved all the dialogue choices.

Anonymous
The original monkey island was awesome, and wasn’t upgraded graphically, at least, not the one I got through steam.

Anonymous
Awww, it’s ok Microsoft, someday you’ll actually have a back catalog of games that you can exploit your fans with.
Agree with Cyril, I wasn’t really interested in replaying any of the PS2 remakes either, but, I also realize that some people never actually owned a PS2.
Erwin Kempff
- Syndicate Wars HD
- StarCraft 1 HD
- System Shock 2 HD

http://twitter.com/HighOnFireZA Kaptein
Starcraft 1 HD? No thanks, they improved too much on the control scheme in 2 that would make 1 frustrating in comparison. They can probably release a Starcraft 1 mod on Starcraft 2 which I would rather play.

Erwin Kempff
Ja, thats a good idea for a SC1 mod

Milesh Bhana
Not really interested in replaying the classics (Unless it’s Star Control 2!!), but I never owned a PS2, so I was grateful to have had access to the GoW Collection, and when i have the time, i’m definitely going to grab the ICO Collection too.
And, they’re usually bundles for 2-4 games, for R350. So the price is good imo.

http://twitter.com/HighOnFireZA Kaptein
Star Control 2 was epic! I remember buying it on two floppies and using that large map you get with the game for copy protection. Good times!
Guest
Star Control 2 was one of the best games ever made. I’d pay crazy money [points] for an XBLA remake.

Uberutang
Microsoft did Halo… um what else did they have on the original xbox… Forza?

Anonymous
They could do an HD remake of Steel Battalion and actually throw the people who bought the freekin game @ ~$200 bucks (Though, I think it was as low as $150 in the States once) a bone. Kinda sad they never really did anything more with that game. So much fun, and almost Stalker-esque in difficulty (the controller had around ~40 buttons, was 2-2.5 feet long, and came with pedals)…when you died in that game (if you didn’t eject…which there was a button for), it erased your save game. Quite honestly the best game on Xbox by a very very wide margin.

http://twitter.com/JimLenoir James Lenoir
Damnit Morne.. I was about to write about Steel Battalion. If there was ever a game that deserved to have an HD remake, it’s Steel Battalion. I never owned it, since the hardware was so incredibly expensive, but one of my mates had it, and it was a beast. This was the mecha game that put mecha games on the map. Where the tweens of 2001 -2002 had halo, adult gamers had Steel Battalion.

http://twitter.com/JimLenoir James Lenoir
On the other hand, a remake now would probably involve that abortion called Kinect… groan.

http://twitter.com/JimLenoir James Lenoir
Oh god.. it does.. a third game is planned and it will involve Kinect… I’m now dismally disappointed.
http://twitter.com/HighOnFireZA Kaptein
I can picture you yelling at the TV “Fire! Fire! Fire!” (doesn’t fire)
Anonymous
Yeah I know, and the friend of mine who has a 360, an Xbox, and Steel Battalion has no interest in a Kinect Steel Battalion. It’s almost insulting really, spend ANOTHER ~$130 bucks, plus $60 (game) to play the next installment of Steel Battalion…yeah, no thanks. All told you’re almost at $500 bucks just to play 2 games. Not including console purchase.
Robertacevedo
Steel Battalion is in HD! It’s called Steel Battalion Line of contact, the online sequel to the first game on the original xbox. It is one of the very few legacy xbox games that supports 720p, and it’s one of the most beautiful games ever made and far surpassed the the campaign only first version.
Anonymous
A sequel isn’t actually a remake of the original, but yes, there is a sequel. However, that still doesn’t mean they couldn’t do something with the first one again. And you can bet your arse that nobody who shelled out the money for the original is going to shell out for the abortion they put on kinect (I know my friend Nate has absolutely no plans on it, and he’s quite pissed that they ditched the massively expensive controller for another expensive controller in Kinect…to say nothing of how ridiculous it’ll be to control a mech hands-free.)

Anonymous
As I said, by far the best game on the Xbox.

http://www.lazygamer.net Gavin Mannion
Whacked!… it was possibly my favourite game from the original Xbox and the character I played in that was the inspiration behind the naming of the site…
Now you know

Anonymous
Did you ever get a chance to play Steel Battalion Gav? Freekin amazing.

Alki
I think it’s a great idea especially if you didn’t own a ps2 like back in the day. i haven’t played the ico collection yet and can’t wait to get it, and its HD so win win situation for me
Waynster ZA
At first I thought it was a cool idea, but not something I was going to consider.
Until they announced Tony Hawks Pro Skater in HD! I am totally getting it. No matter the cost. So I guess it’s all about the nostalgia factor. Some games you really loved from back in the day. Also, achievements play a big role in the HD re-makes. Nothing like having the proof on your profile that you finished a classic.

Anonymous
I really yearn for the days when people used…knowledge of the game as proof of beating something. Achievements/Trophy’s could’ve been a great idea…then they started awarding them for finishing levels. C’mon, that is so pathetic. And ‘achievement’ is reaching Zone 101 in Wipeout, though, I guess my definition of achievement is different. And no, I’ve never reached Zone 101 in Wipeout lol, that is crazy skill.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hof7S2jJxxA

Waynster ZA
I love the achievement system. I went from PS and PS2 days of finishing games on regular, never even gave a game a second play-through thought. Until the Xbox 360. Now it’s a challenge to finish a game. On insane difficulty. I’m a better gamer for it.

Anonymous
Strange that some people need additional motivation to play the game they paid for, no offense meant really. But, I never really understood the need. Even in WoW which is the biggest achievement whoring game there is, I used those simply to point out areas of the game I hadn’t completely dominated yet, and as much as I wanted the OVER 9000!!!!!! Achievement, I actually retired with 8960 achievement points, maybe a month or two after Cataclysm. I always replayed on higher difficulty just to see how much of a pain in the arse the game could be (and how good I could get). To each their own I guess.

http://twitter.com/JimLenoir James Lenoir
I couldn’t agree more, if you’re primary motivation for playing a game is to inflate your achievement or trophy level, then clearly you’re doing it wrong. That doesn’t mean your a better gamer Waynster ZA, it actually means that you’re an achievement addict, rather than a gamer.
claudiu a
I respectfully completely disagree.
I used to play games to completion if the game interested me (heck, I’ve got more than 250 hours logged into Final Fantasy IX, and that’s without my current 40 hours+ playthrough that I’m hoping to do to complete completion on my PSP). I play Castlevania games on my PSP (yeah, emulators, sue me) and for some I rake the castle (Symphony of the night), for some I’m just pleased to be done with them (Harmony of Dissonance).
Even so…I ENJOY trophies. I enjoy a game that offers me a reward for doing a harrowing task, more than a pat on the back and “Do it again man. The princess is in another castle).
I did all the stuff in inFamous without caring much for trophies…but damn that last shard felt satisfying to get when the DING of the trophy came on and then the whole Platinum after it. It’s satisfying to receive rewards on doing something great. “I head shot a Chimera from across the map, while singing the Kazooie Bungaloo (not sure if a real song), hopping on one foot and with no scope…I deserve a fucking medal for that”.
Once you got little rewards from the game itself for finishing on the last difficulty or for doing the same things until you mastered them. It was a nice reward system and gave bragging rights.Nowadays we all know ingame rewards are so stingy that it’d make a grown man cry for his childhood. But with trophies…you get a feel that at least you’re getting a little bit of recognition back.
Anyone can say they’ve beat Darksiders…but how many can actually claim to have killed 160 beasts while riding the angelic beast?
Anonymous
You apparently didn’t read my first message, Achievements could be ok, but they’re given for ridiculously simple tasks. Completing a tutorial stage, completing stage 1, 2, 3, 4, etc… That is ridiculous. Gathering all shards in InFamous, sure, that was a task and at times could be quite difficult so I’ll give ya that one. Likewise with getting Zone 101 in Wipeout, that’s not easy.
Achievements just became way to simple, and really, meaningless for me to really care about them anymore. It’s unfortunate, but the system itself rendered them useless to me.

Phaeo
Well, I owned a PS2 (which was stolen from long term loan to a friend of mine along with my old favourites) and I’m looking forward to, amongst other things, the Metal Gear HD release. Some of those oldies are just so replayable.
Plus, I mean really, at the princely sum of R350 for weeks of entertainment? Any time, Sony. Microsoft can eat its heart out.

Phaeo
It just occurred to me that the Metal Gear HD collection is also available on the 360. Sooooo…there’s that.

Anonymous
Yeah, Kojima’s a 3rd party though, so not exactly the best of examples to be using in a jab at Microsoft lol.

Phaeo
I am well aware of that (see second post) and it wasn’t really a jab, “lol”. Console fanboyism is retarded.
I guess what I was very clumsily trying to get out was this: good on Sony for making more money out of old crap that people still might want a chance to play. Microsoft should absolutely do the same shamelessly, instead of beating around the hypocrisy bush.

Anonymous
You guys are all contradicting yourselfs saying you’re not interested unless its so and so. Which means basically you are interested.
You might not care for a Tomb Raider, Prince of Persia or a God of War remakes, but I’m sure there are people out there who would love to replay those games, in HD.
It just seems to me that more people are for the remakes then they would care to admit.

Anonymous
Not everyone is contradicting themselves, the games I’ve talked about are either PS1 games, or old PC games. Plus, I’ve got a BC PS3, I don’t need HD remakes.

Mikestory
i wish we can get a damn HD shenmue remake!!! or a shenmue 3!
Anonymous
I have nothing wrong with it. If you don’t want it, don’t buy it.
Loving God of War 1 & 2, want Ico+SoTC. Also loving Halo1:A.
http://twitter.com/JimLenoir James Lenoir
Oh that’s interesting… guess what I’m currently playing Halo HD remake… I suppose it’s not really a remake but rather a celebration of a decade’s worth of Halo?
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_GVDX355HFBVAQVTDTIOUJCJY7M Lans
jealousy makes you nasty. If ms could they would eg. Halo Anniversary. Unfortunately ms is not big with exclusives, and only see the light now, when sony are benefitting from their rich heritage

http://twitter.com/JimLenoir James Lenoir
They acquired 3 new studios this last week, bringing their total in-house developing studio number to about 17. Sadly, all that might is crafting Kinect games…
Sigh…!
FoxOneZA
Reality check! Only a handful of Sony’s exclusives are worthy of a (sub) HD remake. Actually if they kept BC in the PS3, then there would be no need for HD remakes but alas….sigh. Double reality check! MS original XBox was merely a market tester so there wasn’t much need for exclusives.
HD remakes are unnecessary if consoles just have BC included. Look at the modern day PC. It can still play the original Quake effortlessly through a simple DOS emulator that you can get for free.

Anonymous
I don’t think I have ever bought a game that I played already… its awesome for catching up on what I did miss though. I’m currently playing Final Fantasy 8 on my PSP and Resident Evil Code Veronica X on my Ps3

http://twitter.com/JimLenoir James Lenoir
I wouldn’t mind replaying FF9 on my PSP, that was one of the most under-appreciated FF games ever. Just a pity it went downhill after 10.

Anonymous
*Sigh* see what you have done now. I actually really loved FF9 and I’m considering playing it again now after 8 -_- your comment made my happy memories from that game flash before my eyes might as well play 7 too dammit

http://twitter.com/JimLenoir James Lenoir
Do it, oh and 6 too

Chaosritter
I’d be cool with actual remakes like Resident Evil on GC, but Sony doesn’t seem to know the difference between remaking something and simply upscaling old stuff.
V@mp
I never had a PS2, so if it weren’t for HD remakes, I would’ve never gotten
to play GOW1 and 2 or the ICO collection. That being said, for Sony to have
removed backwards compatibility in the first place is unforgivable.
So what happens with the next gen? Do they do it again and then bring out
HD remakes of the same games again along with HD remakes of PS3 games?
;-P
Anonymous
Police quest & space quest was the best. Re-making those in HD will kinda spoil it. Classic’s should stay classics, normally the re-makes are another dig at your wallet.

This post made me think about: Go Go sucker punch, HD remake, Phil Spencer, Quake 1, Sony

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