The Port Paradox
Laptop Battery Almost twenty years have passed since video game consoles first appeared in homes all around the world. During this era, there have been a good number of masterpieces that have graced our presence and along the way have made many names household words. Does Shigeru Miyamoto ring a bell? If not, you may be visiting the wrong site.
The point is that many of these unforgettable games were realized through now antiquated hardware. We all remember the NES, Sega Master System, SNES, Sega Genesis, N64, Playstation...and so on, and I'm sure that many of us can remember such great games like Chrono Trigger, Super Metroid, Final Fantasy VII, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. These games set standards for all other games of their time, and even today, some games are still regarded as the best to ever hit the home console scene. But should these games reappear on the video gaming scene, or has their time in the spotlight terminated?
There are many issues to think about when considering reviving an old classic for a new console. Will there be interest in today's market? Can the game be successfully translated into a 3-D world? Would the company be spending their time better on a fresh, new game? The answers to these queries are different for every case. This is where my own confusion steps into the scene.
Recently, Sega announced that their Dreamcast classic Skies of Arcadia would be ported with significant improvements for the Nintendo Gamecube. Its reincarnation, called Skies of Arcadia: Legends, has garnered a mixed reactions from both casual and hardcore gamers alike. Some say that the game is one of the best they have ever played, and they would give their first born to have such a wonderful game on their Gamecube. Others were hardly impressed. "Who needs an old rehash when we could be getting new games from Sega like the Xbox?" Does it seem fair that Sega continues to pile on the new games such as Sega GT 2002 and Jet Set Radio Future which sell so poorly on Xbox that they have to stoop to the level of giving the games away FREE with the purchase of a new Xbox, while Gamecube owners patiently buy rehashes such as Sonic Adventure 2: Battle which proceeds to sell like hotcakes?
But, in reality, are ports all bad? Don't forget that not everyone has played every game ever in existence. Skies of Arcadia: Legends is said to be vastly improved in that the overly-frequent battle encounters (one of the main complaints of the Dreamcast version) have been dealt with, as well as a new character being added (along with a story alteration to fit him in), and improved graphics. But when consumers hear about Skies of Arcadia: Legends, then seem to think, "Meh, I already played it on Dreamcast and I'm not spending another 50 bucks for the same game." Yet, when the question of Final Fantasy VII comes up, consumers jump at the idea of improved graphics with absolutely no other enhancements. They practically throw their Hamiltons and Jacksons at even the mention of such a project? Why? Didn't they already play it on Playstation? At least with Skies of Arcadia, there is a new character and therefore some changes to the story.
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