Short post today, but an interesting question. When you review an HD Collection, do you review the games themselves or the quality of the HD remastering of the games instead?
The Silent Hill HD Collection made me think about this a bit because it was bashed by numerous bloggers and reviewers for muddling the graphics or dulling the colors, taking away certain aspects of the game like the deep browns of the rusty walls or the dark red bricks and masses of blood.
In retrospect, both are excellent games, but do you base your review on that alone? Or should you judge more harshly if the HD remastering feels a little lacking or rushed? To me, it’s like watching an older film remastered on bluray that you really liked before on VHS or DVD. You know that going in you’re going to like the movie anyway, but what if the bluray remastering wasn’t as good as you expected. Do you still enjoy the film or are you pissed off that you just bought a movie you already owned, but are unhappy with the movie not getting the “bluray treatment” that “you” think it deserved?
Personally, I’m not sure where I stand. Part of me thinks that a game is a game and graphics don’t always make a game great to begin with. I like HD Collections because I get to play some games that I either loved when they originally came out (like Ico & Metal Gear Solid) or that I completely missed out on (like Jak & Daxter or Sly Cooper). Having them remastered in HD is definitely icing on the cake, but the idea of having multiple games on one disc that includes trophy support and more of a reason to play them over and over again, usually at a reduced price, is fine by me. Even if they get the Capcom treatment like Resident Evil 4 HD or Code Veronica X. I’ve played them both to death, I know their flaws, but I’m still okay with playing them looking a “little” better. If I were to review them, I suppose the verdict would be based on the overall experience of the game.. and that may include being disappointed by the lack of effort put in to the remastering, but that would be a small deduction because, overall, the games themselves are the reason I purchased the collections in the first place.. not the graphics.
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