Destroy All Humans! 2—Reprobed is not the first early 2000s game to be remastered, however the game has been met with excitement by many avid gamers with the release date of 30 August. Regardless of your feelings on the release, Craccum takes you through the ins and outs of how old games are being given new life.
The original Destroy All Humans series took the gaming world by storm, straying very far away from the classic alien games such as Oddworld: Abe’s Odyssey, with a third person, open world approach. You can read the review of the original game on page 23[insert/hyperlink]. The remastered edition has been built from scratch in Unreal Engine 4 by the same creators who remastered the original Destroy All Humans in 2020. Remastered versions of games are described as an HD version of an original with minor technological improvements, keeping the playthrough and gameplay relatively the same. Alternatively, a remake is when an old game is redone with new elements, such as a new storyline or side missions, updated or extra DLC, graphics that are different to the original style. Both techniques are used to keep up with new and more popular consoles, and new design and software technologies.
The Reprobed remake includes all the original weapons and Meteor Shower feature, with the classic Cryptosporidium skins all available, and the DLC the same. However, the open world maps have been made larger and more open world, allowing players to explore Bay City, Takoshima, Albion, Tunguska, and the Moon. New skills can be attained by abducting humans from different countries and blending their DNA together. New skins have been added to the collection, and if the Need for Speed game franchise didn’t fulfill your customisable vehicle needs, Reprobed allows you to change the paint job of your flying saucer.
The first game to ever be remade was Mario Bros., switching the gameplay from an arcade platform to a Nintendo Entertainment System. Since this, hundreds of classics have been remade or remastered, such as numerous Grand Theft Auto games, all three Jak and Daxter games, and games like The Last of Us which saw a PlayStation 4 remastered edition released only a year after the original. The concept of remastering and remaking raise questions around how video games are preserved, and whether these concepts destroy or add to the integrity of the game. It’s argued that the remastering of a game revitalises the classic games that have fore fronted the industry. However, remaking a game may lead to substantial changes in plot, weaponry, and console control that may not give the nostalgic taste of the past. In contrast, the remaking of a game can give an entirely new experience, such as moving from an isometric perspective to first-person, which develops the person’s attachment with the characters or the gameplay.
Demaking is also a concept becoming popular in the gaming community, which is the antithesis of a remake. Fans take a game that was originally made for a more modern console, for example a PS4, and they remake the game how they would imagine it would be played and showcased on an earlier console, such as a PS1. Instead of adding a modern twist to the game as remaking does, the creator hopes to restore the nostalgic and traditional elements of video game technology to a contemporary storyline.
Further remake and remaster releases for the year include Pac-Man World Re-Pac a remake of the 1999 Pac-Man World to be released 26 August, The Last of Us Part II to be released on 2 September, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II to be released on 28 October.