HD Remakes Will Be the End of Me

As I write this, I am eagerly awaiting the moment I wake up tomorrow, fore the 27^th marks the release of two of my all time favorite games on the PS3: Ico and Shadow of the Colossus. Yet while I wait for these games to be released on the $40 disc that many PS2 classics have been ported to, I have to wonder if we would even be having this conversation six years ago, before the release of the PS3. Back when the PS2 was current, the need for disc remakes of PS1 games was unnecessary, because every PS2 could play close to any PS1 game via backwards compatibility. That being said, now we have reached an age where it seems like the gamer is being ostracized through these “HD Remakes.” The big wigs at the head of the game hardware companies have realized that they can make more money off of gamers by not including backwards compatibility, instead re-releasing old disc-based products.

What strikes me as even more strange is that, as of the publishing of this article, I am playing the first Metal Gear Solid on my PS3. This means that Sony knew that they could feature backwards compatibility in their systems, but despite this knowledge, went with the strategy that would make them more money in the long run. Now, I get why they do this. They are a corporation that is trying to make money, and I am willing to bet that next generation, Microsoft will be doing the exact same thing.  The idea of HD Remakes just seems a little shady to me. I’m not trying to say that I wont buy into it, because I have already completely paid off my preorder of the Ico/Shadow pack and I had previously purchased the Sly Collection, but seeing the success that this venture has had, I fear what the big corporations will think of next.

Another problem that I have with the HD remakes is how some of the deals seem to be better than others. For example: one can procure The Sly Collection new for $29.99 at most retail stores. While the first Sly game is a bit short, the other two are actually quite lengthy, which makes the whole package a pretty great deal. The Ico and Shadow collection comes out tomorrow for the average remake price of $39.99. I love both of the games to death, and considering how  Ico is now a rare PS2 game, it seems quite worth the money, but the fact of the matter is that for $39.99, I am getting a much worse deal than if I got the three Sly games for $29.99. This is compounded by the fact that the new Metal Gear Collection, that is coming out on the 8^th of November, will be $49.99. While I cannot disagree that the Metal Gear games in the collection are worth it (especially the revolutionary MGS3), it seems like the execs are going to charge more and more, just because they know that they can get away with it. But as gamers, at some point we must be willing to pull back the curtains and really ask ourselves, is it worth it?