With the rise of remakes recently in games we got tons of many different shape and sized. Some that are just visual remakes while others are massive overhauls or reimagining

However the discussion, or rather criticism, of remakes at times boils down to how much things are different. As if for some people the only goal of a remake is being as similar to the original as possible, at times to the detriment of it being a good games for the current standards of gaming.

One example of a remake that for me it didn’t change enough was Metal Gear Solid Delta. That game was in a tricky spot where due to the very unique presentation and style of the original the creators of the remake wanted to be as faithful to the original as possible, which I agree. However I feel for a current AAA game the gameplay was pretty lacking. They made strives to have the actual controls be modernized, but everything else was almost exactly the same as the original, from boss fights to level design. For me that combination didn’t work. With the added control and speed that you could move the PS2 level design feels way more restrictive and claustrophobic, and some of the boss fights just have zero challenge, like The End, due to you being able to quickly flank, reposition and shoot.

Some might argue that they should have kept the gameplay/control faithful to the original game to mitigate this, but I feel that this remake would have been more interesting if they accommodated some of the enemy design and level design around the new movement controls. Have the maps feel much larger and free form, have the End boss be in one large area that feels like a massive arena, have the enemy AI be smarter and akin to MGSV. Have some of the map feel less like a tight corridor

So what’s like to ask is, is there a remake where you felt it should have been more different from the original for a better experience?

Apologies in advance for the overuse of the word “grounded” in the following text

Something that I realize about my taste in games is that I really like when a games gameplay “feels” grounded. However when I say this people assume I only like games that are “realistic” with zero fantastical elements.

For example, one day I mentioned how the Resident Evil games I like the most are those that the gameplay feels grounded, such as the early RE games, RE2 remake and RE7. Yet I was heavily downvoted and was responded with “how can a game with zombies and monsters be grounded”. But I still stand for what I said, those games feel very grounded in its GAMEPLAY. You aren’t doing slow motion backflips when shooting, or crazy combo moves. Your character moves slowly, feels heavy, and is limited to what a human can do. That’s what made those RE games I mention feel so appealing to me, because the horror elements are even more threatening. Hence why I much prefer the Grace section of RE9 over Leon’s

The best example I can give of a game that feels grounded in its gameplay while being in a fantasy setting is Shadow of the Colossus. I love this game and my favorite thing about it is the contrast between how grounded and real the characters gameplay and movements are in relation to the larger then life enemies you fight. The way the characters looses balance when the ground shake, how just getting on colossus feels like a major victory, the sense of speed and danger you get when you jump on a flying colossus. That’s what I think made the action of the game so gripping and effective.

And I can say the same to other games, such and Death Stranding and Breath of the Wild. Where the gameplay and world “feel” grounded despite their sci-Fi/fantasy setting. What I always say to people while sharing this point is: a game like Breath of the Wild feels far more grounded in its gameplay systems and how you interact with its world, despite all the fantasy elements, then something like Assassins Creed Valhalla, which takes place in our world with regular humans.