It’s fair to say that the notion of remastering or remaking a title of any renown inhabits the same mind space as creating a new title from scratch. Sure, while you effectively have a source material of sorts to start from, versus nothing for an entirely new title, you still must wrestle with that same overall objective of presenting a gaming experience to players that is attractive and compelling in the current era. What’s more, however, there is one prominent risk that remakes are particularly vulnerable to, and that is when studios listen a little too much to their inner voice and over-tinker, often breaking what was perfectly fine in the first place and creating a demonstrably worse final product as a result.
One developer that has seemingly managed to walk this perilous tightrope with deft aplomb, however, is Capcom. The Japanese developer/publisher has over the past two decades done a superb job of remastering, remaking and re-releasing versions of its classic back catalogue to an all-new generation of gamers. Far from being the sort of lazy, penny-pinching and thoughtless remasters that we’ve so often seen elsewhere, Capcom instead treats its properties with respect, with an eye on the past, to ensure that the essence of those games is maintained while keeping an eye on contemporary expectations of game design.
With a back catalogue that contains so many bonafide genre classics, that have arguably stood the test of time, Capcom runs a heightened risk of remastering or remaking its titles in such a way that it fails to meet such expectedly lofty expectations. Yet in recent times, the Japanese studio’s remake and remastering acumen has proven to be practically unassailable thanks to a largely superb run of Resident Evil remakes that have managed to capture the imaginations of series veterans and newcomers alike.
Speaking of Resident Evil, Capcom’s remastering journey arguably began with its legendary 1996 survival horror opus. First released on Nintendo’s beloved Gamecube console back in 2002, the Resident Evil remake (simply known as ‘Resident Evil’) kept the basic structure of the original game fully intact, maintaining the fixed camera perspectives of the PSOne original version all the while entirely remaking its visual presentation with all new high detail character models and re-rendered backgrounds.
Not only did 2002’s Resident Evil remake keep the essence of Capcom’s survival horror classic completely intact, but the developers went beyond their original aesthetic remit, expanding the inventory of the player, reworking puzzles, introducing new enemies, new weapons and whole new areas that didn’t feature in the original game. A thoroughly eye-opening example of what a remake of a classic could and should be in the hands of a careful studio, the Resident Evil remake appealed to both fans of the original and franchise newbies at the same time by so faithfully recreating its classic source material and making additions to it that only enhanced the overall offering rather than detracting from it.
Not long after, Capcom would continue to stretch its legs by embarking on a series of remakes from its popular platforming shooter series Mega Man, the pinnacle of which (at least in the words of this humble scribe), would be Mega Man Maverick Hunter X. Maintaining Capcom’s own heady calibre when it comes to remakes, Mega Man Maverick Hunter X was a completely faithful remake that played exactly how its source material, Mega Man X, did all the way back in 1993. Alongside a smattering of quality-of-life improvements, Mega Man Maverick Hunter X also boasted a complete visual overhaul, allowing the title to appeal to an all-new generation of gamers in 2005 on Sony’s PSP handheld.
Ironically, it wouldn’t be until many years later that Capcom’s talent for brilliantly remaking its titles would truly be put to the test – and subsequently given the praise it deserved – with 2019’s Resident Evil 2 remake. Already regarded as one of the best sequels of all time, remaking Resident Evil 2 was no mean feat not least because expectations were sky-high and fans wouldn’t accept anything less than a masterful remake of one of the best survival horror games ever. As it turns out, Capcom was more than up to the task, beautifully re-imagining the urban horror of the 1998 original with a modern-day visual presentation that entirely ditched the traditional fixed camera perspective for an over-the-shoulder, roaming third-person perspective and in doing so gave 2019 a true Game of the Year contender.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing for the house that Street Fighter built, however. In an attempt to swiftly capitalise on the outsized success of its Resident Evil 2 remake, a reimagining of Resident Evil 3 appeared just one year later to a decidedly mixed critical reception. Though the Resident Evil 3 remake certainly looked the part and boasted some eye-searingly cutting-edge visuals that still look incredible today, the game itself was a shade of the 1999 classic it attempted to reinvigorate. This was largely thanks to a whole heap of content that simply didn’t make it in the remake alongside a massive reduction in puzzles for the player to solve. All in all, the Resident Evil 3 remake was a relatively shallow and poorly executed effort – especially in light of the so-recent stellar Resident Evil 2 remake – and marked a rare blemish on Capcom’s otherwise near-spotless remake record.
Taking the right lessons from both what the Resident Evil 2 remake did well and what the Resident Evil 3 remake didn’t, Capcom would embark on its most ambitious – and arguably successful – project yet in 2023 – a full-fledged remake of Resident Evil 4. Perhaps more than any other series entry before it, Resident Evil 4 holds a special place in the series pantheon due in no small part to its shift into three-dimensional environments alongside a hugely satisfying retooling of Resident Evil’s somewhat clunky controls and adjacent combat systems. Coupled with an all-new enemy that shifted away from the traditional shamblers and an endlessly evocative setting in the deepest and darkest rural Spain, it’s clear that the smattering of Game of the Year awards that Resident Evil 4 earned back in 2005 were well-deserved indeed.
With the Resident Evil 4 remake Capcom utterly outdid themselves. While 2023’s remake did indeed boast the opulent audiovisual presentation that we all expected, Capcom went a few steps further and carefully adjusted certain aspects of the original 2005 release to make it more palatable for current players. Perhaps the best example of this is the infamous fight with one of the game’s villains, Krauser. In the original 2005 release, this fight was entirely driven by a series of QTE (Quick Time Event) sequences, where the player simply had to press specific button inputs at particular times to get through the scene. In essence, the whole ‘fight’ was a barely interactable cutscene and, well, that wasn’t great.
With the Resident Evil 4 remake though, Capcom has instead made the fight a proper scrap with maximum player agency as it relies on the new knife combat and parry systems that have been specifically engineered for the remake and as a result makes the whole encounter feel like a memorable one, rather than a cutscene with knobs on. In addition, the Resident Evil 4 remake also encompassed a broad range of other thoughtful changes over the original that did not adversely affect the core experience, such as new enemies, side missions, non-mandatory stealth sections and so much more besides.
And all of this is without even mentioning some of the more low-key remastering efforts that Capcom have delighted players with over the past couple of decades. From the superb Okami HD to the bombastic Devil May Cry Collection and even the more recent Monster Hunter Stories titles, Capcom hasn’t just been smartening up these beloved games for a new generation of players, they’ve also crucially preserved them in ways that I wish other publishers would consider instead of just letting them fade into the ether.
Looking to the future, the upcoming Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster also looks to be a remake in the truest sense – one that boasts an entirely refreshed audiovisual presentation and introduces a number of quality-of-life fixes that enhance the essence of Dead Rising, rather than changing it wholesale. By putting out obscenely polished efforts that stay true to the originals, along with maintaining a careful balancing act of knowing what to change and what to leave well enough alone, it’s clear why Capcom should be considered the masters of remasters and remakes. Long may it continue.
