A Game That is Too Familiar?
Metal Gear Solid Delta Snake Eater, a giant Unreal Engine 5 remake of the original PS2 game, just released a few days ago and has received mostly positive reception. The game is an extremely fateful remake, keeping all of the original voice acting, easter eggs, and charm of the original game, but now with amazing visuals and a few quality of life improvements. Rather than taking a risky approach to their remakes like Capcom has done with the Resident Evil remakes, it is clear that Konami wanted to play things safe with the remake of Metal Gear Solid 3, which makes a lot of sense. I mean, we all remember what happened the last time Konami tried to release a Metal Gear Solid game without Kojima, right? Metal Gear Survive pretty much killed the franchise for nearly a decade, so I'm glad they're sticking to Kojima's vision. However, I think they played it too safe with this remake, considering the asking price.
Aside from improved visuals, controls, and some goofy minigames, there is not a whole lot of content in MGS Delta to justify the $80+ price tag. I say 80+ because in some countries, the game is literally over a hundred dollars. Look, I love Metal Gear Solid 3; it is without a doubt my favorite game in the franchise, but it’s also only about nine hours of content, with three of those coming from cutscenes or radio messages. Value-wise, the remake feels more like a remaster. In fact, earlier this year, we got two remasters that were similar to MGS Delta’s release: The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion and Ninja Gaiden 2 Black. Both of those games are giant, Unreal Engine 5 graphical overhauls, but are priced a bit more reasonably for what they offer.
Remaster Versus Remake?
Now, I know that game publishers set prices based on how quickly they can make a profit, and it’s not based on what their competitors do or public opinion. However, I do think it's important for game publishers to be rational when deciding their prices for re-releases of old video games, and I think that begins with a clear and consistent definition of what constitutes a remaster vs a remake.
A lot of this confusion comes from the industry's inconsistency in how some studios label their games. Traditionally, remasters were older games that recieve a visual upgrade as a selling point of the game being ported to newer systems. Remakes, on the other hand, were old games getting completely rebuilt and redesigned for modern audiences. Resident Evil 1, 2, 3, and 4, as well as Silent Hill 2 and Dead Space Remake, are perfect examples of old games completely reimagined from the ground up. Seems easy to differentiate at first, but then you have games that completely throw those two definitions out the window. For example, Oblivion recently got a 1 to 1, giant Unreal Engine 5 visual overhaul, but that is only considered a remaster. The same goes for Ninja Gaiden 2 Black and Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster with Capcom's own RE Engine. All these games are re-releases of old games remade in a similar fashion to MGS Delta, but are labeled and marketed as remasters. They are also reasonably priced at around $40-$50 US dollars compared to MGS Delta’s $80+ price tag.
I don’t think we should be paying a premium price on a game we already played before, especially if that game is one for one the same game as the original, and the original version is widely available on multi-platforms. Snake Eater was re-released on modern hardware through the Metal Gear Solid Collection that came out two years ago, making MGS Delta feel a bit unnecessary.
Final Thoughts?
Now, before I go, I must state that while I am critical of the game's price, that same attitude is not reflected in my opinion of the game as a whole. In fact, I love this game. I had an absolute blast replaying this game and seeing how beautiful everything is now in Unreal Engine 5. It makes me super excited to see which Metal Gear game they remake next. In theory, Peace Walker should be next if they continue to follow the story in chronological order, but I personally hope they remake Twin Snakes, which was a remake of the original Metal Gear Solid that was released exclusively on the Nintendo Gamecube. Yes, I want them to remake the remake, as silly as that sounds. However, Konami should lower the price and expectations next time.
