Here is why I don't like video game remakes and remasters

A still from Xenoblade Chronicles X (2015), directed by Koh Kojima & Genki Yokota

I'm not against giving people some general health advice, since I've been asked to do this again. I'm fine with sharing information that will help people. I would recommend, for example, that people not eat sushi and bacon all the time. The sticky rice that's included in sushi isn't a good thing for a person's digestive system. Moreover, when you're eating foods such as sushi or pizza, which are not easy to digest, it's naturally best to drink unsweetened liquids. I've checked what sweetened liquids leave behind after they evaporate on a solid surface. So, don't drink liquids such as soft drinks or tea with sugar when you're eating pizza. Bacon is another food that's best to avoid eating all the time, at least the bacon that's sold in stores because it contains preservatives and additives. Preservatives especially can cause harm to a person's digestive system. For those people that are already allergic to plant foods, and to plant-based foods and drinks such as coffee, cheese, chocolate, and teas, I'd first recommend avoiding to eat such foods and drinking such liquids if you don't want to walk around with a stuffed nose for several hours. Boiling fruits and vegetables doesn't help. You have to avoid eating fruits and vegetables altogether most of the time. Eating meats and cooked potatoes is allowed. What can help to soften, or even to eliminate, an allergic reaction to fruits and vegetables are probiotics. But probiotics have to be consumed at the same time as when you're eating the food that you're allergic to. Moreover, you can't consume probiotics all the time because they're costly. Most of the time, it's best to simply avoid eating whatever you're allergic to. And not all probiotics are helpful. My mother is the one who told me about some of this because she's the only person that I know who knows a lot about such problems. She orders her probiotics, which actually do work, in capsule form by mail from the Russian Federation.

Since I was recently reminded of the fact that Dark Souls (2011) has some good locations where one can sit and look at the bonfire and to listen to its sound and the music that plays, I began to feel glad that I have a PlayStation 3 copy of this video game. As it turns out, the remaster of this game that got released in 2018 is quite flawed. I did make the mistake of buying the remaster on Steam at the end of 2021 because I didn't know about its flaws when I bought it. Fortunately, I bought it when it was on sale, and now I know that it's not really worth playing. I can't comfortably play the remaster on my laptop anyway because the RAM of my laptop (Samsung Notebook 7 Spin) is 8 GB. The remaster runs quite slowly on my laptop because of this. By the way, I now have two Notebook 7 Spin laptops in my possession. When my first Notebook 7 Spin ceased to work at the beginning of 2022, I first reacted to this problem by buying another Notebook 7 Spin on eBay in used condition. At that time, I thought that I'd simply take the broken laptop's 224 GB solid-state drive out and then put it in the replacement laptop that I bought on eBay. It's because many of my useful and favorite files were stored on the broken laptop's drive. The replacement laptop cost me about $430, but my first Notebook 7 Spin cost me about $1,000 in new condition. However, before the replacement laptop arrived by mail, I realized that my Notebook 7 Spin probably ceased to work because its motherboard broke down. Therefore, I then ordered a replacement motherboard on eBay for about $120. When I replaced the broken motherboard with the one that arrived by mail, my Notebook 7 Spin began to work again. Still, I already had a second Notebook 7 Spin by then. This second laptop was in very good condition, but a few of the keys on its keyboard didn't work. I suppose that this was the reason why the previous owner decided to sell it and why the laptop didn't cost all that much. However, the previous owner didn't mention that the keyboard malfunctioned. Still, I wasn't all that upset after the replacement laptop arrived by mail because I managed to fix my first Notebook 7 Spin without much trouble soon after. What's interesting is that several months later the replacement motherboard of my first Notebook 7 Spin also broke down. I then ordered a second replacement motherboard on eBay. While I was waiting for this motherboard to arrive by mail, I took the working motherboard out of my second Notebook 7 Spin and put it in my first Notebook 7 Spin so that it would work again. When the second replacement motherboard arrived by mail, I put it in my second Notebook 7 Spin. After I did this, the laptop obviously began to work, but its keyboard also began to work properly again. Therefore, a slightly malfunctioning motherboard was also the thing that was causing my second Notebook 7 Spin to not work perfectly. Well, this is how I ended up with two Notebook 7 Spin laptops. I'm not complaining. It's not a bad thing to have two good working laptops on my table. Anyway, I generally dislike remakes and remasters of video games, but they can be good on rare occasions. For example, Nintendo manages to release good remakes most of the time, or at least this used to be the case. I think that Metroid: Zero Mission (2004) is a good remake of Metroid (1986). Metroid: Zero Mission is an excellent, though somewhat difficult, video game for the Game Boy Advance that I finished playing in the second half of 2022. I finished playing its excellent sister game, Metroid Fusion (2002), at the beginning of 2021. Metroid Fusion is actually the game that made me appreciate side-scrolling action-adventure games because it's one of the most memorable video games that I've played. It has excellent graphics and designs for a Game Boy Advance game, it has a good music score by Minako Hamano & Akira Fujiwara, and it has enjoyable and memorable boss battles like Nightmare, Serris, Security Robot B.O.X., Yakuza, Nettori, and Neo-Ridley. Moreover, it's one of the most story-driven Metroid games in existence. However, Metroid Prime (2002) is the game that got me interested in the Metroid franchise. I finished playing it on my Wii U before I began playing Metroid Fusion. I wouldn't call Metroid Prime one of my favorite games, but it's undeniably one of the greatest video games of all time. Like Metroid Fusion, it's also a very memorable gaming experience. Metroid Prime features a well-designed, desolate, and often beautiful-looking world. The only downside to playing Metroid Prime was that I had to play it with a Wii Remote on my Wii U. I'm not at all a fan of playing video games with the Wii Remote. Motion sensing controllers are generally a hassle to use, and the Wii Remote is one of several reasons why I don't think favorably of Nintendo. For example, Super Mario Galaxy (2007) is one of the very best video games that I've played. The different galaxies in this game are incredible, and reading Rosalina's storybooks was another highlight. But I had to play this game with a Wii Remote, and doing this was often discomforting. Some of the best video games of all time got released for the Wii console, but they can only be played with a Wii Remote, and I just hate Nintendo for creating this hassle. Sure, one can say that the Wii was a successful home video game console, and that Nintendo games are made mostly for children, but this doesn't mean that I can't point out the negatives that Nintendo has created. The Wii Remote is the only reason why I don't look forward to playing Wii games. If the Wii Remote hadn't existed, I would have been playing Wii games a lot more often. Damn it. Simply thinking about the Wii Remote makes me angry and puts me in a bad mood. I'll have to stop typing and go and do something else because I feel irritated now. Well, I'm back. So, as much as I enjoyed playing video games like Metroid Prime, Super Mario Galaxy, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, I have to say that these gaming experiences were still somewhat hampered by the fact that I had to use a Wii Remote. Fortunately, I didn't have to use a Wii Remote when I was playing The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker because I played the HD version on my Wii U. Although the original game for the GameCube is great, The Wind Waker HD is perhaps my second favorite Zelda game, after The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. There was a time a few years ago when I tried to finish playing every Zelda video game that I could get my hands on. Because of this, at that time, I managed to complete Skyward Sword, Twilight Princess, The Wind Waker, Phantom Hourglass, A Link Between Worlds, The Minish Cap, and Ocarina of Time before I stopped and began playing other video games. When I was playing these games, I sometimes got help by watching video walkthroughs by ZeldaMaster on YouTube. I haven't played all of the Zelda games yet, but I enjoyed playing all of the ones that I've listed. It's possible that Twilight Princess would have been my second favorite Zelda game if I hadn't had to use a Wii Remote when I was playing it. I can say that the HD version of The Wind Waker on the Wii U looks beautiful. Some of the bosses in the game, such as Molgera, Gohdan, and Gohma, are unforgettable. I had a good time traversing the Great Sea and discovering the secrets of the game's world and looking for treasure and useful items. Since I've become a pro at playing Breath of the Wild, I can give some advice to players. First of all, get the Stealth Set, which can be bought in Kakariko Village, as soon as possible. While wearing the Stealth Set, Link can walk up to lizards and insects and easily catch them. Just don't run while wearing the Stealth Set if you want to catch something. Otherwise, if Link doesn't wear the Stealth Set, he has to crouch in order to catch anything. The Stealth Set provides little defense for Link, but, if it gets upgraded to the max at a fairy fountain, it becomes useful even in battle. Second of all, elixirs are often more important than food, especially at the beginning of the game, when Link's stats are low. In order to make an elixir, you have to mix insects or lizards with monster parts when cooking something. Elixirs can help Link regain his stamina, boost his speed, raise his temperature, and do other useful things. If you have a variety of elixirs in your inventory, you don't even have to change armor sets. You can always wear the Stealth Set, which is made by the advanced Sheikah tribe, and use elixirs when they are needed. Third of all, the abilities of the guardians are very useful in the game. The only problem is that you first have to take back control of the divine beasts before you can use them. Daruk's Protection can be very useful in battles against guardians because it provides Link with an impregnable shield. If a moving guardian fires its laser three times while Link is using Daruk's Protection, that guardian is toast. Urbosa's Fury is very useful in any battle, but you first have to charge a spin attack in order to use it. Fourth of all, it's best to first activate all of the Sheikah towers in Hyrule in order to have the ability to fast travel to any region. In addition, I can mention another place in the game where it's nice to stay and listen to the music and the sounds. This place is the cave where Noya Neha Shrine is located, in Hyrule Field. You can stay there, look at the entrance of the cave, and listen to the music that plays. By the way, the landscape of Breath of the Wild was partially designed by Monolith Soft, which is the studio that made Xenoblade Chronicles X (2015) for the Wii U. Xenoblade Chronicles X is actually another good reason to own a Wii U, and it's a pity that this game hasn't been made available on the Switch. The massive open world of this game if filled with incredible sights. A player can use transformable Skell mechs to get around and to battle, and this is one of the biggest attractions of Xenoblade Chronicles X because the Skells look great and they allow a player greater mobility when they become available. The only big downside to the game is that its battle system is not at all easy to master. I've managed to finish the game a few years ago, but I still haven't mastered the battle system, and I haven't defeated any of the huge, powerful, and frightening creatures that are scattered across Mira. So, although the game's open world is often a joy and a wonder to explore, the many creatures that inhabit it are not at all easy to beat.

Another good remake is Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen for the Game Boy Advance. Pokemon Red and Blue are great games that, with the aid of the first season of the Pokemon anime series, turned the Pokemon franchise into a sensation and brought enjoyment to many children after they got released. I even played Pokemon Red and Blue again, for the first time since I was a teenager, in the summer of 2021 in order to experience these games again. As in other great video games, some parts of these games are unforgettable, like when I explored Lavender Town and the haunted tower there, when I explored Cinnabar Island and the abandoned mansion there, when I finally reached Viridian City after going through Viridian Forest, when I explored the Team Rocket Hideout in Celadon City, and when I battled against the Elite Four on Indigo Plateau. Pokemon Red and Blue are actually full of memorable moments, and I've got to say that these games aren't all that easy to finish. I'm a pro at playing Pokemon games because I've played them all (except the ones that got made for the Nintendo Switch). But beating the Elite Four in Red and Blue, for example, wasn't all that easy. I couldn't simply sleepwalk through these battles. As much as I enjoyed playing Red and Blue again, I've got to say that I prefer playing FireRed and LeafGreen more. I must admit that playing Red and Blue felt clunky for me. For example, you can't store a large amount of items in these games. There's a limit, and, if you want to store more items, you have to drop some of the items that you're carrying in your inventory. It's also worth mentioning that Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver are great remakes of Pokemon Gold and Silver. In fact, the graphics and designs in these games can even be called beautiful, and I think that HeartGold and SoulSilver are my favorite Pokemon games. HeartGold and SoulSilver are perhaps the last good remakes of Pokemon games that Game Freak has made. I've got to say that I wasn't all that impressed by Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire for the Nintendo 3DS, although I like Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire very much, and I don't even want to play Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl for the Switch. By the way, the magazine Retro Gamer released two issues (#135 and #161) that feature big articles about the Pokemon franchise. I have both of these issues in my possession. Anyway, my opinion is that most remakes are bad. Why this is the case is simple. Almost all remakes and remasters are of old and great video games. These old games are great because they were made by certain people at a certain time. The "magic" that these games produce can rarely be replicated by different people decades later in remakes. It's not the graphics that make a good video game. It's the art style and the craftsmanship. If these are combined with memorable music, sounds, and gameplay, a great video game emerges. Simply creating newer, more detailed graphics won't improve the experience but will only make it worse most of the time if the art style and the craftsmanship are different or if they're worse. Therefore, Shadow of the Colossus (2018) and Demon's Souls (2020) are bad remakes because, although their graphics are newer and more detailed than in the originals, the art style and the craftsmanship are worse. These remakes are poor imitations of great originals. I'm glad that I looked a the gameplay footage from these remakes on the internet before considering to buy them. So, when it comes to video games, remakes and remasters are almost always a big no no for me.