Right, so let’s get the confusion over quickly: I’m not DMV, I’m his mid-season replacement. But just like any proper stepfather, I’ll only be around long enough to shatter your self-esteem and devalue your home with discarded, oily car parts left in the front yard. I might even destroy your sexuality with some ill-timed pats on the ass. Anyway, ol’ DMV will be back next week. But for now: Capcom? A word, please.
It pains me to say this, and I’m sure you won’t be happy with my decision, but there’s simply nothing I can do to make it easier.Super Street Fighter II HD Remix?Yeah, that’ll be the lastStreet Fighter IIrevision you ever do. Hm? Yes, that’s right. Ever.Fo’everever. Sorry, but– no, Iknow, Capcom. But I ran it by the guys up top, and they said thatHD Remixwould be the last. Sucks, I know, but that’s how these things go.
Dry those eyes, gentle Capcom; it’s a sad day for all of us. Why? Well, y’see, it’s like this — there are so many platforms out there now, two major handheld players and three major consoles and digital distribution platforms for just about all of them, and those other developers are taking advantage. They seem to think that just because we’ve got ninety different ways to play a game, they can release or remake a game ninety different times with ninety different varieties of flaws. It’s the insatiable appetite for nostalgia that’s driving the market to ruin, Capcom. You did the best you could with your awesomeMega ManPSP ports, but the saturation’s reached a critical point. It’s time to shut it down.
Don’t despair, pal. It’s entirely possible to turn a negative into a positive. Look, we’ll compromise. For the upcoming release ofHD Remix, all you have to do is include everything great from every prior edition ofStreet Fighter II, toss in them HD graphics you’re so jazzed over, and call it done for… oh, five or six years. Yeah, that’s a long time, especially nowadays. But you’ll make your customers a lot happier with the products you turn out.
Somewhere during my time at Destructoid, I got pinned as the “retro guy”. That’s a badge I’ll wear, because it’s more or less correct — I like retro gaming, if only because a lot of the sensibilities that make classic gaming what it is have been largely abandoned by recent generations of gaming platforms in favor of 3D environments and first-person shooting. There’s nothing at all wrong with games that incorporate these forms of play; there’s a time and place for everything. But 2D platforming, shooters and other genres that were once steadfast capstones of the gaming industry are a little scarce nowadays.
Given this urge, it seems likely that I’m the sort of guy typically targeted by a remake or update of a classic game, the sort that we’re seeing in waves as of late. This is absolutely true. I’m amassivewhore for this stuff, so much so that when they find my mangled corpse in a back alley in the worst part of Seattle, traces ofMega Man: Powered Upwill be found in the filthier parts of me. I like the idea of having my favorite games brought to newer platforms that I play regularly. What makes me wonder — and worry — just how valid public claims of companies making fast-grabs for cash with these remakes is their hit-and-miss quality.
I know, I know — that’s the point, and you’re able to’t shit on companies for simply wanting to turn a profit on their intellectual properties. Still, these developers would win a lot of fans (and sell a lot more units) by simply getting it right the first time.
You can’t talk up a topic like this without mentioning the industry’s most lauded repeat offender, Square-Enix. Their legendary first foray into theFinal Fantasyseries has been ported and remade a staggeringseventimes in the twenty years following its release, and the latest,Final Fantasy: Anniversary Editionon the PSP, isn’t receiving as warm a reception as Square-Enix would probably like. Everything inAnniversary Edition— even down to thebestiary order, Jeremy Parish reported in a preview — is lifted from the 2003 GBA incarnation,Dawn of Souls. Shelling out $29.99 forFinal Fantasy IandII(individually, mind) will net you a bonus dungeon, a new orchestrated soundtrack, and sickly-cute graphics straight out ofRagnarok Online.
Is $60 for two PSP revisions worth what $20 will get you on the GBA? For some, maybe. But after twenty years of refinement, Square-Enix is still reaching for a perfect version ofFinal Fantasy. Will they ever get it? Fuck, why would they want to? That’d ruin a perfectly good reason to do it again in another 3 to 4 years!
I don’t mean to imply that all those remakes that we’ve seen over the years have been terrible. I’m sureFinal Fantasy: Anniversary Editionwill be a hoot, but it’s not quite as good as it could and certainly ought to be. You may have noticed that vaguely-phrased definition of perfection in this article’s title, “definitive version”. Let me ‘splain that.
In regards to remakes or ports, a “definitive version” is the game in the best shape it could be on existing hardware. Problems that plagued the original rendition of a title ought to be fixed, audio and visual standards raised, and new content added. In a remake, the preservation of the look and feel of the original product ought to be maintained as much as possible; enhancement should bring out the best in a game.
Capcom’s insanely excellentMega Man: Powered Upis a great example of what I look for in a remake. Developers took the brand of gaming innocence that is now personified by the classicMega Manseries and jacked it to eleven, added two new bosses, 100 challenge stages, someincrediblevisuals and very well-translated level design, a fuckinglevel editor, and the big kicker: the opportunity to play through the entire game with sixteen different playable characters. That’s a whole lot of new, which is what you’d expect from sixteen years without an update. The less you return to the well, the moreawesomethat well will be once you finally go back.
Konami seems to be on the ball too, having finally decided to remake the incomparableDracula X: Rondo of Blood, a game that actuallydeservesto be remade. It’s not only one of the bestCastlevaniatitles ever made, butRondonever saw a US release, having been originally developed for the PC Engine CD — not exactly a high-profile import in the states. On top of completely revised visuals rendered entirely in 3D, a new soundtrack and other additions, Konami’s including the original PC Engine version and, because they love us,Symphony of the Nightin its entirety.
These games, and a handful of others, are fine candidates for the fabled definitive version. Capcom, having createdMega Man: Powered Up, can rest easy knowing that they’ve created the absolute best version of the originalMega Manthey could have, and can lay the title to rest for awhile. Similarly, ifDracula X Chroniclesbrings it together well, we’ll have an excellent version ofRondoto sink our teeth into for years to come.
It’s like buying a really great blender. It blends like a son of a bitch, does what it’s supposed to do very well, and will never need replacing until there’s some sort of massive revolution inblending technology. Or something like that.
Now back to you, Capcom.
HD Remixsounds like a swell idea. It’s high time thatStreet Fighter IIgot an upgrade that goes beyond laggy, underwhelming online play or multiple costumes and playable boss characters. It’s a great idea to jack up the graphics towards today’s standards, but– come on, you know there’s room to grow yet.
Hyper Street Fighter II: Anniversary Editionwas a great, great game. Xbox Live online play, arcade-perfect graphics, and characters fromevery versionofStreet Fighter IIcould be pit against any other character. It’s the most complete, most polished version ofStreet Fighter IIto date — why isn’t it serving as the base ofHD Remix? Why go with justSuper Turboinstead of the all-encompassingAnniversary?
It’s not like this is another straight arcade port for XBLA, as last year’sHyper Fightingwas. If you’re already putting so much work intoHD Remix, you might as well go the extra mile and combine this brave new direction forSFIIwith the series’ best effort to date and make a definitive version. If the gameplay remains pixel-perfect, of the graphics are really all that they’re cracked up to be, and if you can maintain the level of excellence established byAnniversary Edition, you’ll have created the only version ofStreet Fighter IIgamers willeverneed.
If you want to update it again, do so in small doses using the magic of downloadable content. But how about a bit of a rest before your next big release, eh? I’m not asking as just some random whiny gamer, I’m asking as a bloke who already owns six different versions ofStreet Fighter IIand wants the One Version To Rule Them All.
My reasoning behind begging for a definitive version is, for the most part, tied into a plea for my empty wallet and growing pile of debt, but it goes farther than that. Games that get remade most often are because they’re of immense importance to our history; they’re cornerstones of genres, they kick-started the most popular series we’ve ever seen, and in the case ofFinal Fantasy, they’ve saved companies from financial ruin and helped to launch massive development empires. Give these games and the consumers who love them the respect they deserve. Get it right the first time so we won’tneeda next time — at least not for awhile.
