Remember all those games you loved in the 90s and early 00s? Well, now you're getting the chance to love them all over again. Many of the old titles that were originally conceived in standard definition are being remade for a new generation of high definition TV sets. But is it really necessary to remake every popular game that ever was, or should we be playing the original game in its purest form?

I received a surprise this morning when a copy of the Jak and Daxter trilogy, remade in HD, came across my desk. Up until that moment, I'd been unaware that such a remake was even in the works, but I wasn't exactly surprised. The list of HD remakes is getting long: Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, Ico, various God of War games... I could go on.

The benefits of releasing HD remakes are obvious, both for the consumer and for the publisher. These games were popular, and as more and more people are gaming these days - over 80% of households have a gaming device - there are plenty of people who missed out on those classics. A remake gives people the opportunity to experience a game that they missed, and it gives fans a chance to play through one of their favourites again. The publisher, of course, gets to cash in on the nostalgia and cult status of the game.

But the consumer isn't really getting the original experience, for better or for worse. That game you remember playing as a kid and loved? It's not quite the same anymore. A lot of people react badly to that, regardless of how well a remake is done. On top of that, a lot of those gamers would rather the time and money was spent creating either a new IP or a new game in the franchise for them to sink their teeth into.

Perhaps the answer is to do exactly what the team at 343 Industries did for Halo: Combat Evolved. Not only did they do their best to not change a thing about the gameplay - including keeping all the original game's bugs - they also inserted a 'classic' mode that allowed you to play with the original game's graphics. There are also some minor camera changes and a handful of extra collectibles. People who are new to Halo get to play with a shiny new look, and those who are playing for nostalgia get to choose how they play.

Regardless of your feelings on HD remakes, there are plenty more on the way. This year, you can look forward to remakes of the Abe's Odyssey games, Metal Gear Solid HD Collection for the Vita (it's already out for PS3 and 360), and two Zone of the Enders games, amongst others. Are there any you would purchase?

Posted by Siobhan Keogh at 2:12 PM | Comments ( 0 )

Sony-owned game developer Naughty Dog - the guys behind Crash Bandicoot, Jak & Daxter and Uncharted - announced an entirely new franchise at the VGAs, and what we've seen so far looks amazing.

The company showed off a trailer for The Last of Us, which Naughty Dog says a character-driven, story-based zombie game. Keep in mind that this game - and these graphics - are exclusive to PS3.

But there's a twist - it seems Naughty Dog is hinting that the zombification is caused by a fungus like the fungus Cordyceps, which essentially controls the minds of ants and makes them become cannibals. We'd guess it's a similar fungus that can affect humans, but not the same one.

Here's a teaser from the company, which has taken the clip from the BBC's Planet Earth segment about Cordyceps.

The game, which will be single-player only, revolves around two characters, Joel and teenage Ellie, a duo who've been on the run for so long, just surviving, that Ellie can't remember normal life. The two will journey across the United States in the game.

Ordinarily when there's very little information about a game other than a cinematic trailer (albeit one that was created using in-game graphics), I try not to get too excited. After all, the DC Universe Online trailer was by far the best part of that game, and Dead Island was a crushing disappointment. But Naughty Dog is a fantastic company, and (at least so far) doesn't deal in bad games. If you've been waiting for a great zombie game that's really story driven - like we all thought Dead Island was going to be - then The Last of Us could be it.

To be honest, like many people I've gotten a bit of zombie fatigue. But I'm willing to make an exception for a game like this one, if Naughty Dog gets it right.

Posted by Siobhan Keogh at 11:05 AM | Comments ( 0 )

New Zealand developer Luxaloffle has launched the alpha of a little indie title called Voxatron. The game itself will cost US$15 when it officially launches, but right now it's available on a pay-what-you-want basis through a cool system called the Humble Bundle.

So far, Luxaloffle has sold 96,109 copies of Voxatron, and that number is rising by the minute. The total payments made currently add up to more than US$427,000 - and this is only a day after the deal went live.

Voxatron is a platform shooter, with interesting, retro-but-not-retro graphics and super retro music. Check out the video below:

Anyone who buys Voxatron through Humble Bundle will receive all the patches and updates for free, and they can divide what they pay - however much it is - between the game developer, the Humble Bundle website, and charities.

Interestingly, the website has some stats that show what people using each operating system - PC, Mac or Linux - were willing to pay. As it turns out, Windows users are cheaper than Mac or Linux users - on average, Windows users spend around $4. Mac users sit in the middle, paying around $5.70, and Linux users are happy to pay an average of $7.30.

If your curiosity is piqued, you can check out the game, pay for it and download it at http://www.humblebundle.com/

Posted by Siobhan Keogh at 4:45 PM | Comments ( 1 )

Not every game developer will take the time to say thank you to fans of the publications that review their games. Cliff Bleszinski, design director for Epic Games' Gears of War series, is obviously not every game dev. He's recorded shout-outs to Stuff.co.nz, Gameplanet, NZ Gamer and, well, us! That's a top bloke. Thanks Cliff!

Check out the video:

Posted by Siobhan Keogh at 2:04 PM | Comments ( 0 )

If you're into games, podcasts, or both, check out the Well Played podcast on iTunes. We're a bunch of local game journalists - there's yours truly, plus Aylon Herbet from NZGamer, Gerard Campbell aka 'Game Junkie' from Stuff/The Press, Julie Gray from Game Culture, and Chris Leggett, freelancer and previous editor of Game Console. We talk about games, game journalism and the gaming industry at large, and in the episode linked below - the most recent - we talk the Resistance 3 multiplayer beta, our hands-on with Dead Island, and GamesCom.

If you're interested, download from iTunes here: http://itunes.apple.com/nz/podcast/well-played/id453388114

We're quite a few episodes in now - we've been doing it for the last 12 weeks - so if you feel like going back and listening to previous episodes they're all there. If you have feedback, you can review us on iTunes or join our Facebook group here.

Posted by Siobhan Keogh at 12:46 PM | Comments ( 1 )

Ubisoft showed off Assassin's Creed: Revelations at E3 today, and my, does it look epic!

More E3 trailers are incoming, but I just couldn't wait to get this one up on the blog for you guys!

Posted by Siobhan Keogh at 3:42 PM | Comments ( 0 )

I recently got to play the Gears of War 3 beta, and that got me pretty excited for the full game. But is it just me, or is this trailer really... samey? War, explosions, big monsters, yawn.

What are your favourite video game trailers? I have to say that Dead Island's trailer was pretty incredible, although I learned nothing about the game except that there would be zombies.

Posted by Siobhan Keogh at 12:01 PM | Comments ( 1 )

The virtually unanimous game of the year last year was Red Dead Redemption. It won nearly every gaming website's top award for 2010. Can Rockstar do it again with LA Noire?

Red Dead Redemption was dubbed 'Grand Theft Auto on horseback' by many gamers, and the style of LA Noire looks fairly similar. Check out the gameplay video below:

But Rockstar has a few new tricks up its sleeve. Most notably, they're introducing improved facial expressions. I played Heavy Rain for PS3 over the weekend, which requires you to interpret facial expressions to an extent, but for the most part they're just not good enough to depict any real emotion. In the trailers for LA Noire, you can see every line on a character's face and read into every furrow of the brow. It looks nice, but more importantly if you can read those expressions correctly, you'll make the right choices and fare better in the game.

LA Noire is out on 20 May - I definitely can't wait to play this one. What do you think the game of the year will be?

Posted by Siobhan Keogh at 12:16 PM | Comments ( 1 )

Into realistic FPS games? Looking forward to Battlefield 3? (Who isn't?) Check out this 12-minute long gamplay trailer. It's really less of a trailer and more of a walkthrough of a mission, but it looks noooice. There were a couple of moments in here that are really impressive - let us know what you think.

Warning for those of you who are in or were in Christchurch during the recent quakes: There are tremors in this video, so don't watch it if it freaks you out.

Posted by Siobhan Keogh at 12:06 PM | Comments ( 0 )

When we think of motion gaming, we don't really think of titles like Call of Duty - despite the fact that Call of Duty 3 was launched on the Wii - but a number of games for hardcore gamers, rather than just casual gamers, are either in the works or on shelves now.

One of the most exciting things about Kinect when it first came out, for me at least, was the idea that I could one day play a game where I physically had to run, duck for cover, hold my arm out and shoot. It would be a totally immersive, unique experience, and it's one of the big reasons I'm looking forward to the Gears of War title being made for the sensor. Of course, Microsoft will have to go through with that firmware upgrade and improve accuracy or I imagine it'll be hard to play.

I recently had the opportunity to play Killzone 3 with PlayStation's super-accurate Move device, though, and while I won't go into it too much - I'm going to be reviewing it for April's issue - I thought it was pretty cool. I literally had to hold my breath and steady my wavering hand to snipe at someone, and it added an extra air of realism.

The real hurdle for game developers making motion-controlled games for "real gamers" - in quotes because saying people who game casually aren't gamers is pure snobbery - will be the already-upturned noses of many people who label themselves "real gamers". The decision has already been made that Kinect and the Move are, like, for n00bs, bro, and it'll be hard to get them to have a change of heart.

It's funny. Realistic graphics - great! Interacting with the game more realistically - hells no.

Posted by Siobhan Keogh at 5:29 PM | Comments ( 2 )