This one is more geared towards video games, but it is still something I believe should be discussed. For those of you who are unaware of HD remixes, it simply is an older game that is brought back to the current console generation with updated graphics and perhaps new features added to enhance the experience. Now this has been fantastic for the most part since it has brought back many games that I enjoyed back in the day, and like just as much now. Where I am just blown away is seeing the progress that has been made in just 10 years in video games. What showed me this was on the Halo Anniversary Collection that came out last November. In the game, with the press of one button, you could switch between the old graphics of the original Xbox, and the current graphics of the Xbox 360. This game was a revival of the first Halo game that came out in 2001. I was stunned to see just how different the two graphic sets were. I am aware of the progress that has been made since the days of the original Xbox, but this game helped put things in perspective. Now where something negative that can, and in some cases has, come in is with the position it puts game developers of long standing franchises.
Now if the franchise is new, or relatively young like Mass Effect or Bioshock, this is something that they don't have to worry about. This deals with older franchise games like Mario, Sonic, and Zelda. I read an interview with the minds behind the latest SSX game, simply called SSX, and the mixed reception it has received since being released. Where the interview ties with this discussion is that the biggest thing the producers wanted to avoid is a HD remix of an older SSX because this was a reboot of the series that had gone quite awhile without a sequel. Where this statement is significant is that a lot of people simply wanted a SSX that was just like past titles instead of something new and going in a different direction. Now there isn't anything wrong with having a sequel being similar to past titles, or at least borrowing things from it, but at the same time, a game has to attempt to evolve and grow. If not, it grows stagnant and ends up being stale.
I believe the best examples of seeing franchises that has successfully, and not so successfully, balanced old and new is Mario and Sonic. For those who are savvy with videogame history, this are the two appropriate characters to use since they were bitter rivals in the 90's, back when Sega had their own consoles. Now Mario, for the most part, has done great with balancing old and new. One could be cynical and say that every open world Mario game is the same, just put in different settings with a few tweaks to mechanics, or that any platforming Mario game is the same as it has been since the 80's. While there is some truth to these statements, the fact is that each Mario game, whether open world or platforming, introduces new things that keeps everything fresh.
Now on the other end is Sonic, though saying this franchise has been a complete disaster would be a lie. The irony in the title is that 10 years ago in 2002, Sonic was riding pretty high with the success of the Sonic Adventure games and handheld games. Then 2006 happened. Sonic the Hedgehog 2006 was terrible. There is no way around it. In fact, the next couple of games after it were no better. Since 2009, Sonic has been trying to find the same balance that Mario has discovered. The fans have not helped since it seems that no matter which direction Sega attempts to take Sonic, the fans fight back demanding that it go another way. It has been very hit and miss, to say the least.
Now all of this is to say that we as gamers need to make sure that we don't force long-running games into a rut by limiting them to "back in the day" only, like with Sonic, and never trying new things. We also need to realize how far games have come in merely 10 years. It is very easy to think that as soon as we moved on from 8 and 16 bit animations to 3D scale animations that the progress has been in small jumps only. The truth is that even from the blocky animation seen in 2001 to the amazing, life-like graphics now in 2012, progress has been rapid and there is no indicator of slowing happening. In 10 more years, we could very easily look back on these games we hail now and just laugh at the graphics. It may seem ridiculous, but I'm certain that if you told people how games would look now in 2001, they would believe it, but not in such a short amount of time.
So in summary, for those of you brave enough to read this far, we need to be open to changes and innovations within a popular and long-running game franchise so that it can continue to grow and stay relevant. Second, we need to recognize the shear amount of progress made in graphics and presentations.
