Why Capcom is the King of Remakes

We're in the age of the remake - every publisher is recreating its old favourites with new engines and assets. But there's one publisher that's doing things differently. Here's why Resident Evil's remakes stand out above the rest.

=== Before you watch ===

Content warning: Blood, Gore, Violence

=== Sources ===

[1] Psycho | Roger Ebert

[2] Resident Evil 2: Roundtable Part 2 | Resident Evil on YouTube

[3] How Capcom Is Modernizing Mechanics In Resident Evil 4 | Game Informer on YouTube

[4] Shadow of the Colossus’s 4K remake looks too good | VentureBeat

[5] Why Video Game Remakes Are So Good (When Most Movie Remakes Aren’t) | Inverse

[6] A Discussion With ‘Resident Evil 2’s’ Re-Creators | Variety

[7] How Capcom updated Resident Evil 2 for 2019 | Polygon

[8] Cover Reveal – Resident Evil 4 | Game Informer

[9] Inside the Dead Space remake... | GQ

[10] E3 2004: Resident Evil 4 Interview | IGN

[11] Why Capcom Changed Ashley In Resident Evil 4 | Game Informer

[12] Nintendo's Eiji Aonuma Pulls Back The Curtain On 'The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD' | MTV

[13] Shinji Mikami X Tatsuya Minami (HYPER CAPCOM SPECIAL 2002 Summer) | PRoject Umbrella

=== Chapters ===

00:00 - Intro
00:42 - The Shot for Shot Remake
02:06 - What Capcom Does Different
03:21 - How To Stay Faithful
05:43 - Modernisation
07:02 - Addressing Criticism
07:57 - Accessibility
09:25 - Why RE Remakes Work
10:27 - The Problem with Remakes
12:58 - Conclusion

=== Games Shown ===

Demon's Souls (2020)
The Last of Us: Part I (2022)
Mafia: Definitive Edition (2020)
Resident Evil (2002)
Resident Evil 4 (2023)
Resident Evil 2 (2019)
Dead Space (2023)
Shadow Of The Colossus (2018)
Myst (2020)
Yakuza Kiwami 2 (2017)
Dead Space (2008)
Resident Evil 2 (1998)
Resident Evil 4 (2005)
Final Fantasy VII Remake (2020)
Pokémon: Let's Go Eevee! And Pikachu! (2018)
Ratchet And Clank (2016)
Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered (2020)
Florence (2018)
Alien: Isolation (2014)
Spyro Reignited Trilogy (2018)
Goldeneye 007 (2023)
Bioshock Infinite (2013)
The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time (1998)
The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD (2013)
Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy (2017)
The Legend Of Zelda: Majora's Mask (2000)
Mafia (2002)
Pokémon Brilliant Diamond And Shining Pearl (2021)
Resident Evil 3 (2020)
Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (1999)
Silent Hill 2 (2001)
Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World: The Game (2010)
Titanfall (2014)
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas - The Definitive Edition (2021)
Metroid Prime: Remastered (2023)
Silent Hill 2 (Unreleased)
System Shock (2023)
System Shock (1994)
Metroid: Zero Mission (2004)
Warcraft III: Reforged (2020)

=== Credits ===

=== Subtitles ===

[jonahblaine]

That “super easy barely an inconvenience” nod to Pitch Meeting was incredible

[VoxelPassport]

I do think preservation should be a bigger deal in the gaming sphere. Right now, for a lot of gaming's history, your only option of enjoying it is through piracy and emulation. And with some games not even working with that, or being too unpopular to be preserved, a lot of gaming's history is slowly vanishing. I know a part of not releasing older content for players on modern systems is issues with who holds the rights for certain things in the games, but there has to be a way. For now we have to rely on piracy and gray zones..

[johntitor]

Regarding your point about preservation, the video game industry is the worst when it comes to preserving classics. What's worse is that a lot of game developers and even gamers have this mindset that once a remake comes out you don't have to bother with the original. The idea that a remake should or even could just replace the original is really bad for video games as an art form because it devalues them into content to be discarded as soon as the new shiny replacement comes out.

The same thing applies to other forms of media, but in the gaming industry this kind of mindset is more celebrated than elsewhere and it is depressing. Imagine movie buffs telling you not to bother with the iconic original Cape Fear and instead just watch the new shiny remake.

[NakeyJakey]

hi, I’m mark brown and THIS is a pretzel from wetzels pretzel *hands u a pretzel*

[MrHGravity]

Honestly Capcom just deserves an award for releasing games that work on launch

[CheesecakeMilitia]

Glad you made the game preservationist pitch, as that's ultimately the most important. Companies keeping *both* versions of their game easily playable like Capcom with RE4 and Square with FF7 are unfortunately the exception rather than the norm. And then you have companies like Nintendo that hold back emulated versions on modern hardware (as with SM64 and Link's Awakening) until their unnecessary remastered/remade versions get their year or two of exclusive sales.

[cameronpavelic]

I am still so incredibly bummed how the RE3 remake turned out. RE3 was my starting point in the series when I was a kid. It’s what got me hooked. The remake wasn’t terrible, but when compared to the RE2 and RE4 remake it feels like a free DLC than an actual remake. I really hope they revisit RE3 again sometime in the future, as Nemesis is still one of the biggest standout villains in the series.

[frapippo]

For me the "Capcom remake philosophy" is perfectly captured in the section of RE4REMAKE were you free yourself from chains and have to retrieve your equipment. It perfectly plays with your memory of the OG, while teaching you a new mechanic (stealth), changing the order of things in a more "realistic" and sensical manner, and right when you have accepted that you can't rely on your memories this time, it throws you a bone and rewards you with the exact same treasure (decorated mask) in the exact same position it was in the OG. Then the game proceeds to play with you by making you face a gauntlet in an old stage (the windy canyon) but with a new layout, and so on and so on...
I really felt a kid again while playing RE4REMAKE, it was THAT good, and I have to thank Capcom for making me experience, again for the first time, one of my favorite games ever!

[EmeralBookwise]

I really do think one of the best compromises is when updated remakes include the unaltered original as a bonus feature. Especially considering how much smaller older games are there really is almost never any excuse not to do so.

[joseayala]

8:59
GMTK : This wrecked the balance and made the game super easy, barely an inconvenience
Me : Ohhhh!! Wrecking the balance in a remake is tight!!!

[Seltyk]

Yakuza Kiwami is a notable example in my opinion because it's not just a remaster with touchups, like most remakes, it's a complete *remake*. The story and dialogue are the same, sure, but the combat is completely different, there's way more side content, and of course there's Majima Everywhere.

Thank you also for making the preservation pitch. It's a downright crime that piracy is the best way to play games released more than 10 years ago.

[empresslithia]

I like the idea of remakes keeping the same spirit as the previous game, promising and delivering the same experiences, but going further and doing the concept more justice than they ever had the opportunity to do with the original.

[teakettle]

I constantly found myself saying “I don’t remember this…” but it never felt alienated from my memories, needless to say I loved every second of it. Ashley in particular had me devoutly WANTING to help her because she was just so supportive and resilient, in a real and believable way. The actress that played her did an amazing job for an industry so ridden with bad voice overs (more than I can say for Ada but I digress). I’d love to see more companies do remakes in this style.

[rockinroller]

The point on preservation of older games is a major factor and worth being discussed more. There needs to be some handling of it like how Scorsese has committed to preserving old films.

[epsilonthedragon]

“Right now, we are in the age of the remake”
Me, rebuilding a favorite Flash game from the ground up in Unity out of sheer love and passion:

[epiccontrolzx]

That last point about game preservation really hit home.

I think it's great when remakes try new things...as long as the original is still widely accessible. If it's not playable, then the widely different remake, by its existence, crushes any chance the publisher will ever go back and ensure that the original is available to play. I would've LOVED to see a Demon's Souls HD Remaster come out first, so that the remake could've added/changed up things a bit more(6th Archstone anyone?)

[afroarchitect]

9:00 I see Mark is a fan of pitch meetings.

[AdventureMase]

9:00 i was NOT expecting a pitch meeting reference in a gmtk video holy crap that was amazing

[Cuiasodo]

In particular, I appreciate when remakes or re-masters introduce quality of life improvements. To borrow a non-capcom example, the Spiro trilogy remake added an ability to Sparx where he'll point in the direction of loose treasure if you hit a button combination. It's an optional feature, so you don't need to use it, but it's there for those moments when you're one gem shy from 100%, while still being unobtrusive.

Another example, this one a Capcom game, is the Devil May Cry 3 HD remaster for the Switch. DMC 3 classic introduced styles to the game, a system of perks that you could equip Dante with at the start of each level. The issue was, experimentation was kind of discouraged due to you being locked into a style for a whole level. Pick gunslinger when you're on a tight map and enemies are right next to you? Pick Royal Guard on a boss that's very hard to time blocking correctly? Tough luck.

In the remake, tho, they switched to what later entries in the series did, allowing you to shift between styles on the fly. While it does kind of make Dante a bit more broken, part of the cool factor of the series has been being a nigh-unstoppable badass, so I personally didn't feel like it diminished things. Plus, it's an optional feature you can turn off if you absolutely need the classic inputs.

[trace]

I'd argue for a #4, the remakes retcon the story to fit with future games. Game writers aren't usually preparing stories for games with games 2-4 entries later in the series in mind, so these decades-long series build up a body of lore that tends to get tangled and messy as future games have to either fit within- or change- pre-established series history. Remakes give the devs some room to smooth out the kinks and retcon in a narrative foundation for future plot events that makes those developments feel more natural. RE4 retconned Luis' story to make him a connecting element that ties RE4 back to RE2 and 3 (*), and used Ada's story as a bridge to the story of RE5.

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(*) Luis was retconned to have been born in the village and had lost his grandfather to a Las Plagas infection. Because of that experience with the parasite, they also expanded his role at Umbrella to make him part of the Umbrella team that developed the Nemesis Parasite, bringing his experience with Las Plagas to the team.