PlayStation or Nintendo, who recycles these games the most? We're talking about it!

Gaming News PlayStation or Nintendo, who recycles these games the most? We’re talking about it!

Published on 02/19/2023 at 3:00 p.m

With so many remakes, remasters, ports, and re-releases abounding in the video game world today, we have the right to wonder if these games make sense or, conversely, if they aren’t polluting the industry. . And above all, who among all the manufacturers is the professional when it comes to reissues and ports? This is the theme of this episode of JV Débat, found at the beginning of the article!

A practice that is not new and is beneficial.

Every year offers its share of remastered games, last year it was The Last of Us, the first of the name to benefit from a remaster on PlayStation 5. Earlier this year, Nintendo released a version remastered from the first Metroid Prime on Switch. Remastered games we could mention in spades: the HD collection of Devil May Cry, Silent Hill or Metal Gear Solid, the HD versions of several Zelda, etc. Remasters and remakes are a big part of the video game industry today.

With so many games and consoles out there, remasters and remakes have one undeniable advantage: they allow a new generation to discover old games they couldn’t touch. The 3DS version of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time in 2011 had a small impact on a generation that didn’t know this legendary game, but it also had an impact on a generation that wanted to rediscover this classic. We could go on and on about games like this: Okami HD, the 2019 remake of Resident Evil 2, etc. Recycling is good for everyone.

Above all, the other benefit of recycling is to bring aging gameplay up to date. Final Fantasy 7 in its PlayStation 1 version is hard to imagine today, hence the interest of the remake on PS4, the same goes for Shadow of the Colossus. Or simply to test new technologies by releasing games on new machines. With that in mind, Sony has poured the funds into its remasters and remakes. They recently acquired BluePoint, a studio specializing in game redesigns. They are the ones behind the God of War Collection on PS3, they have also been involved in the remastered version of Ico or the PS4 redesign of the Uncharted trilogy, recently we owe them the PS5 remake of Demon’s Souls. In short, Sony won’t give up on recycling its games and putting in the resources to make them work, but Sony isn’t alone in this race. Nintendo isn’t to be outdone either, and ever since the 3DS, the Japanese company has been trying to use gameports, first on portable consoles, directly on home consoles. We can’t count the number of Switch games on Wii U or DS for now. In short, recycling doesn’t stop there. But if it has undeniable qualities, it also has undeniable flaws. For more details see the episode of JV Débat at the beginning of the article.

But is it really necessary?

It won’t have escaped anyone: remakes or remasters are coming sooner and earlier, the most telling example being the remastered version of Marvel’s Spider-Man, which came out just under 2 years after the game’s release. At Sony, we talk about a Horizon: Zero Dawn remaster if the game isn’t even 5 years old. And there is no shortage of examples; Skyrim has been released twice in less than 10 years of its existence, the same goes for GTA 5, which has been released three times. It is a safe bet that these games will be released on current media. At the same time, how can you blame the manufacturers? These games are a hit, these licenses work very well, so why not focus on them?

As a result, one gets the impression that the industry may be capitalizing a bit too much on what works, playing on everyone’s nostalgia and leaving no room for new universes. This article is just the tip of the iceberg. To find out more, we invite you to watch the episode of JV Debate at the beginning of the article, dedicated to the recycling of PlayStation games. Fkz leads the debate with Panthaa on his left, who believes PlayStation is the king of recycling, recycling good. And on his right, Antistar, who thinks another company is king of recycling. Two visions face each other, and you, what do you think?