Regretably Rationalizing Remakes

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times
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The launch of new gaming hardware exposes a distinct dichotomy in terms of industry response. In one corner we have the gamer and the gaming media who receive the temporally Olympic event with great excitement and joy. In the other corner, we have the developers, console makers and publisher, who put on a brave face while accountants and shareholders assume the fetal position.

Mo hardware, mo problems
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For the latter group, new hardware represents significant expenditure. It also represents a chicken and egg scenario. In order to sell games, hardware must be sold. However, to get that hardware sold, games must be available. It is to this end, that many launch titles assume to role of the sacrificial lamb. They are put out and slowly assimilated in an effort to move that initial hardware. In short, huge losses can sometimes be incurred. Worse case scenario- platform death

A Brave New World
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Over the years, the various players in the console game have devised various coping mechanisms to deal with this. We have the "walk the plank" approach, where the old hardware is abruptly abandoned and the desire for new games and hardware nudges you forward. We now have the extended life cycle/future-proofing approach where the life cycle is set to be extended beyond the usual 5 years. We're only now getting to the point at which we see how that turns out.

Reincarnation Tiem
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During this console generation, we saw the rise of the re-make. Nintendo realized that they had a brand new audience that were never exposed to their classics. Sony realized that many gamers wanted to re-live certain titles in glorious HD. For different reasons, remakes were undertaken and proven successful.

Re-cycling the imagination
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This success, gave birth to a new launch approach by nintendo. Rather than create new games/IPs for launch, an old title could be re-tooled at low cost for a new platform, thus bolstering the launch library. This seems to have been the thinking during the build-up to the 3DS launch. It has received a mixed response.

When Sony began to reveal the library to the vita, a few familiar faces were seen. Titles like mod-nation racers and LBP were teased, and given the poor sales on the psp, i fully expected these to be re-makes. This has not been the case. Why then, did they not take the nintendo path?

One answer, no doubt, lies in the response that the strategy had already received. But, for the sake of argument, there may be other factors that they took into consideration.

The build up to the launch of a console represents an apogee in terms of consumer interest and attention. All eyes are on the new baby. The eyes of fans and detractors alike. It is a time to amaze and dazzle. It also represents an opportunity to define your console and the experience to be had. So while the re-make sounds good on paper, it can be detrimental to your console in the court of public opinion. Face it, when any new title is announced by nintendo with the "3DS" tag, the first instinct now is to find out if its a remake or not. That is not a good image to have.

Two psychological elements contribute to lure of gaming to the human mind. New environments and reward systems. It contributes to much of the addictiveness of games. By taking one of these out of the equation, the allure of what you do is greatly diminished.

Hindsight - Not available in 3D
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Nintendo launched a console where the main feature could not be shown readily to the masses via traditional means. They compounded this problem by promising titles that have already seen. They combined what could not be seen with what has already been seen, and the reaction in many corners has been "meh."

While remakes and re-releases are no doubt going to be a staple of the Vita experience, Sony chose to side-step these words thus far.Sony has focused on what is new to their device (inputs, controls) and gave little indication that they will be looking back (sideways yes, back no).Unlike Nintendo, they remembered the value of making a good first impression.

I can't help but think that nintendo need to distance themselves from their remake mantra. I would very much like them to shift gears and focus on the new and exciting for the 3DS. They are no doubt capable of this.