Xenoblade DE is such a great upgrade in that it pretty much matches exactly what you think the original game looked like - while actually being a huge step up. The OG character faces were something else!Let's hear it for OG Shulk!
Not really sure if it's the kind of thing you mean, but the Metroid Prime Remaster is how you remember Metroid Prime to look, and it's only when you look back at it you realize all the details that you brain filled out. It's a testament to the original game and the power of skilled (human) artists.
Let's hear it for OG Shulk!
Demon's Souls PS5 is outstanding. The remake was my first exposure to DeS, so I made sure to go back and play the PS3 original immediately afterwards. Not just out of sheer curiosity, but also reverence for what came before. After all, it was the foundation for what's now a genre encompassing some of the best games of all time. I admired the original PS3 game for the iconic piece of gaming history it obviously is, but yeah... I wasn't the biggest fan of its visual identity, lmao.Demons Souls PS5 made it hard to even go back to Dark Souls 1 and 2 let alone the ugly Demons Souls PS3.
While it’s a little ugly in plenty of areas I’ll still go to bat for Dark Souls 2 mostly due to its gorgeous skyboxes and locations - stuff like Majula shore, Heide’s Tower of Flame, and Shrine of Amana still hold up IMO.Demons Souls PS5 made it hard to even go back to Dark Souls 1 and 2 let alone the ugly Demons Souls PS3.
Xenoblade Definitive is the best example for this thread for sure.
Yeah, it looks absurdly good. The visual style they landed on is perfect. Highly faithful to the original, with some embellishments here and there that only make sense.Not really sure if it's the kind of thing you mean, but the Metroid Prime Remaster is how you remember Metroid Prime to look, and it's only when you look back at it you realize all the details that you brain filled out. It's a testament to the original game and the power of skilled (human) artists.
I think I read something where they said the Wii couldn't handle as much distance detail as they were throwing at it, so they hid the LOD behind a watercolor filter and tried to build the painterly aesthetic of the game to go along with that. Which I like in theory but I wish they coulda made it look more watercolory and less pixely-blurry (which appears to be exactly what they did in SSHD, thankfully)I’ll toss out a mention for Skyward Sword HD. Not only because of the FPS upgrade but like .. there’s aliasing, there’s a lot of aliasing and then there’s Skyward Sword on the Wii, which at times looks like it has a pixel filter.
PS2 looks better imoI think I read something where they said the Wii couldn't handle as much distance detail as they were throwing at it, so they hid the LOD behind a watercolor filter and tried to build the painterly aesthetic of the game to go along with that. Which I like in theory but I wish they coulda made it look more watercolory and less pixely-blurry (which appears to be exactly what they did in SSHD, thankfully)
But as far as my contribution to the thread question:
Shadow of the Colossus got a hell of a glowup. When I saw screenshots of the original after I played the remake I kinda couldn't believe it. Like the title says, I went "wait, that's what it looked like?!"
My only issue with, arguably both WW and TP remakes, is that they went even harder on the bloom than the original games didTwilight Princess HD is a much more subtle kind of remaster, but it made me forget how crusty the original looked.
Let's hear it for OG Shulk!
A lot of direct comparisons between SD games and their HD remasters, while fine as a reference, will inevitably miss that those older games were built with and for the limitations of older displays (CRTS or lower resolution LCD).
In their native 240p/480i/480p, those older 3D titles will look nice and cohesive when mapped to the original phosphors or pixels of older screens. Low res assets and 3D models are properly blended. Dithering patterns become deep shades of color. Bloom effects are enhanced by the natural glow of a CRT.
Here's Vagrant Story as an example (honestly the left screenshot looks better to me than just forcing the game to run at 4K or whatever, but the right shows the result of how those 'tricks' work together to create a seamless visual on a CRT):
The illusion breaks when you force these older games into high res. One of the reasons I don't like N64 NSO.
That being said, the character models of Ocarina 3D are a noticeable improvement. Keeping in mind that this remaster is still designed for the 3.4 inch 240p screen, so there's still shortcuts being taken like Link's hand being one solid model without distinct fingers.
Credit to CRT Pixels on Twitter for the comparison shots.
I'd actually argue otherwise for the faces; they very noticeably adhere closer to XC2 and XC3 design language in DE, which is rather distinct from the OG imo which has always stuck with me. I do prefer DE's faces to be clear, but it's very hard for me to forget the original didn't look anything like that.Xenoblade DE is such a great upgrade in that it pretty much matches exactly what you think the original game looked like - while actually being a huge step up.
I’ll toss out a mention for Skyward Sword HD. Not only because of the FPS upgrade but like .. there’s aliasing, there’s a lot of aliasing and then there’s Skyward Sword on the Wii, which at times looks like it has a pixel filter.
Subtler upgrades like TP HD and SS HD are great candidates for these threads. You don't notice the upgrades because they don't stand out, but after you get used to them and go back, it's strikingly rough. While they're a lot safer visually, they also feel a lot more definitive since they're careful to avoid changes that someone might not appreciate.Twilight Princess HD is a much more subtle kind of remaster, but it made me forget how crusty the original looked.
Reverse on TP HD; the bloom was toned down, at least in Twilight areas. The Twilight lost a lot of its distinct flair due to that imo.My only issue with, arguably both WW and TP remakes, is that they went even harder on the bloom than the original games did
This is also rather important. Sometimes the answer to "wait, that's how it looked back then?" is just a resounding no. Though it's also worth noting accounts like CRT Pixels often go for the highest-quality CRT setups they can manage, and most people played on significantly worse sets. Still, the natural blending a CRT provides often drastically changes how a game looks. If you want an example you can see on the Switch, load up Donkey Kong Country on NSO with and without the CRT filter (which itself isn't as great as being on an actual CRT, but it's a lot better). It's night and day imo.A lot of direct comparisons between SD games and their HD remasters, while fine as a reference, will inevitably miss that those older games were built with and for the limitations of older displays (CRT or lower resolution LCD).
In their native 240p/480i/480p, those older 3D titles will look nice and cohesive when mapped to the original phosphors or pixels of older screens. Low res assets and 3D models are properly blended. Dithering patterns become deep shades of color. Bloom effects are enhanced by the natural glow of a CRT.
Here's Vagrant Story as an example (honestly the left screenshot looks better to me than just forcing the game to run at 4K or whatever, but the right shows the result of how those 'tricks' work together to create a seamless visual on a CRT):
The illusion breaks when you force these older games into high res. One of the reasons I don't like N64 NSO.
That being said, the character models of Ocarina 3D are a noticeable improvement. Keeping in mind that this remaster is still designed for the 3.4 inch 240p screen, so there's still shortcuts being taken like Link's hand being one solid model without distinct fingers.
Credit to CRT Pixels on Twitter for the comparison shots.
Twilight Princess HD is an overall improvement. But I'd say it's another example of how the original had cohesion with its low res assets, and that upscaling + texture replacement can expose that 'rawness'. Like here with Ilia - the lower quality textures actually blend and create the illusion of a face with depth, and stitched clothing. If you play the original on a CRT or 480p LCD, it produces a stunning picture where textures and models work in unison.
On the Wii U version it looks like they just swapped textures but didn't do anything else to her face geometry, so it looks a little... off.
They did a better job with Link, but the original... still looks good, has that same idea of creating depth and detail.
(I prefer the original and am the type of person to just play the original games with upscalers, still Nintendo pls port TPHD to Switch at 60 FPS thanks)
At the end of the day we're working with GameCube assets and texture replacement is as far as they could've gone with the scope of the project. It's why a part of me wishes for an actual remake. But it's still obviously the best version to play if you want to enjoy Twilight Princess on an HDTV. I'd say the interior dungeons enjoy the most benefit from the increase in detail and resolution.
Twilight Princess HD is an overall improvement. But I'd say it's another example of how the original had cohesion with its low res assets, and that upscaling + texture replacement can expose that 'rawness'. Like here with Ilia - the lower quality textures actually blend and create the illusion of a face with depth, and stitched clothing. If you play the original on a CRT or 480p LCD, it produces a stunning picture where textures and models work in unison.
On the Wii U version it looks like they just swapped textures but didn't do anything else to her face geometry, so it looks a little... off.
SotC is one of those few remakes where I don't think it's entirely better; more different. For as blurry and pixelly the original is, I think there is a bit of a deliberate drabness that the remake doesn't emphasize as much, which isn't a really hard mark against it, but I think especially in the case of the Colossus, there is something just a bit more menacing in a half blurred silhouette towering over you that you can on partly make out.I think I read something where they said the Wii couldn't handle as much distance detail as they were throwing at it, so they hid the LOD behind a watercolor filter and tried to build the painterly aesthetic of the game to go along with that. Which I like in theory but I wish they coulda made it look more watercolory and less pixely-blurry (which appears to be exactly what they did in SSHD, thankfully)
But as far as my contribution to the thread question:
Shadow of the Colossus got a hell of a glowup. When I saw screenshots of the original after I played the remake I kinda couldn't believe it. Like the title says, I went "wait, that's what it looked like?!"
I can understand that. I think what shocks me about it is that I've been gaming for so long that when a remaster/remake hits, chances are I've played the original, and that wasn't the case with SotC. The version I know is the new one, and going back and seeing the old one is wild because of how different it looks. Setting aside preference for one look vs the other, it was just shocking to see like a lo-fi version of a world I had already played through.SotC is one of those few remakes where I don't think it's entirely better; more different. For as blurry and pixelly the original is, I think there is a bit of a deliberate drabness that the remake doesn't emphasize as much, which isn't a really hard mark against it, but I think especially in the case of the Colossus, there is something just a bit more menacing in a half blurred silhouette towering over you that you can on partly make out.
My personal dream remake for chrono trigger is rebirth stylrSecret of Mana.
It was, imho, the worst remake ever produced by Square Enix. Clearly the budget was low, and it showed. It showed players who hadn't played the original that sometimes some games don't need to be changed.
If ever Square Enix were to create a remake of Chrono Trigger (or Final Fantasy VI), I hope they will put more money into a rendering worthy of these games, like Octopath Traveler II and its magnificent 2D.5. I'm waiting for Dragon Quest III !
To be fair, these are unnoticeable at it's original N64 resolution. Nintendo just doesn't care about that and decides upscaling N64 games to 3 times their resolution is always the best solution (it isn't).OOT is a big one for me. It looks so good on 3DS, than you play the N64 version which has texture thin walls to act as world boundaries and the occasional model seam you can see the void through, and it's kinda insane.
The PS3 version of Shadow of the Colossus looks the best.PS2 looks better imo
Feel the same about Demon's Souls. I think the bluepoint remake looks terrible.The PS3 version of Shadow of the Colossus looks the best.
The PS4 remake ruined the art style, and killed the game's atmosphere.
While the upscaled environments are an improvement, the PS2 version has better looking character modelsFinal Fantasy X HD honestly looks like what my faulty memory thought FFX originally looked like.
I bet they probably aren't noticeable on the N64, but I wouldn't know because unfortunately my N64 doesn't show any picture for some reason. :/To be fair, these are unnoticeable at it's original N64 resolution. Nintendo just doesn't care about that and decides upscaling N64 games to 3 times their resolution is always the best solution (it isn't).
Oh yeah, I agree with OoT3D looking way better, I just personally think it's a little unfair to criticize it for things only visible in rereleases like it's use of prerendered backgrounds that were compressed under the assumption of being viewed at 240p, even if a higher resolution is how a lot of people will experience that game going forward.I bet they probably aren't noticeable on the N64, but I wouldn't know because unfortunately my N64 doesn't show any picture for some reason. :/
That said I still think OG OOT looks bad nowadays. I love the game and grew up with it, but the 3DS version is basically the pinnacle of the games art style imo. It also just adds so many cool little details like the ancient Hylian language that was introduced in WW now bring found in the updated Temple of Time. It's hard to want to play any other version imo.
I wouldn't say the PS4 remake "ruined" or "killed" anything except Wander's face, tbhThe PS3 version of Shadow of the Colossus looks the best.
The PS4 remake ruined the art style, and killed the game's atmosphere.
While the upscaled environments are an improvement, the PS2 version has better looking character models
Specifically, original hardware on CRT's. The low resolution of old consoles interacted with the way CRT's work in a way that makes then appear to have a better resolution than they actually do. Combine that with the far better contrast and color saturation of a CRT, retro consoles tend to look far better on the original intended hardware. Of course, you need to find a high-quality, well-calibrated, CRT display, which get's harder with each passing year.I feel this a lot but in a "ah, so THAT'S how it was supposed to look" way. Lots of old games, particularly N64 and PS1, look so much better on real hardware than on remasters. In a different way I suppose Demon's Souls is a good example of that too.
While the upscaled environments are an improvement, the PS2 version has better looking character models
I'm kinda in agreement. The original OOT's aesthetic feels like a lot of assets were strung together. Seeing all the betas and how the design shifted over time, I think this is chalked up to the devs really just winging as much as they can.I bet they probably aren't noticeable on the N64, but I wouldn't know because unfortunately my N64 doesn't show any picture for some reason. :/
That said I still think OG OOT looks bad nowadays. I love the game and grew up with it, but the 3DS version is basically the pinnacle of the games art style imo. It also just adds so many cool little details like the ancient Hylian language that was introduced in WW now being found in the updated Temple of Time. It's hard to want to play any other version imo.