Remastered Games: My Thoughts

At E3 this year, there were quite a few remastered editions of games announced. And for some reason, this is met with negativity. Here are my thoughts on remastered games: if you want them, buy them, if not, just ignore them.

Full disclosure, I have a PS4. That’s the only gaming console I use, and while I have played some games on my laptop before, I don’t anymore, mainly because I can’t play without a controller, and I don’t see the point in buying one for my laptop when I can just use my PS4. I know that PCs are the probably the best way to experience gaming, but I don’t feel that way. First of all, I can’t have a desktop because it’s not practical for me. So I use a laptop, and there is no way in hell I can afford a gaming laptop. Also, it’s not very smart, because you can’t replace the graphics card on it, and there’s much less customization on a laptop than a PC, yet a laptop costs way more. So for all of you who rush to say that there is no need for remastered games because you can just play them on your PC, that’s not true for everyone. Also, The Last of Us is a PlayStation exclusive, so no one’s gonna be playing that on their PC.

Many people are annoyed by remastered games because they see it as an easy way for companies to make money. This is true, but they will never make as much money as they would releasing a new game, and also, since current gen consoles don’t have backwards compatibility, this is the next best option. I would honestly rather spend money and be able to play games on my PS4, than not play them at all. I would also much rather spend 60 dollars on an entire game, or three full games in the case of BioShock than spend 60 dollars on a Destiny DLC that is usually a huge disappointment, and has no value for money. Bethesda also said not to expect an Elder Scrolls game anytime soon, so I appreciate the fact that they are releasing Skyrim for the current gen consoles, to keep us occupied.

I don’t have a PS3 anymore, and it actually stopped working while I was in the middle of The Last of Us and Dishonored. I still haven’t got around to playing Dishonored, but I finally got to play The Last of Us, which I wouldn’t have been able to if the game wasn’t remastered, especially since it is a PlayStation exclusive. I will say though, The Last of Us did get less hate about the remaster because it came out at a very awkward time, a few months before the PS4 was released, so there were lots of people who hadn’t had the opportunity to play it on their PS3 yet. Missing out on experiencing The Last of Us would have killed me, so I am extra grateful for that remaster.

There are also so many games that I played on the PS3, which I would love to play again, the most important being BioShock. I love that franchise so much, and I have been waiting for the remaster for more than a year now. When it was finally announced, I was so relieved, and it’s also coming out in September, which is relatively soon. I can’t wait to get back into that world, and I’m so glad that I can experience it again on the PS4.

The remaster for Crash Bandicoot was also announced at E3 this year, and honestly, I didn’t know I wanted this until I played some of it in Uncharted 4. Now I am totally ready. This remaster is also getting less hate than usual, I assume because everyone loves Crash and that game is just iconic. No one would complain about being able to play that game again – just look at how happy everyone was about being able to play it in Uncharted.

The bottom line is, it’s your decision. If you don’t want the games, then you don’t have to buy it, but don’t hate on the developers for releasing the games. I personally love supporting developers, because it’s a way of showing them that you appreciate their product. So I am totally up for paying some cash to be able to experience a game again. And if you love the game enough to want to play it again, then you should be up for it too.

Featured Image: playstationlifestyle.net

Favorites in Threes

Hello! I’m sorry I have not been sticking to my schedule. Things have been a bit crazy for me. Today’s post is inspired by this one written by Marzia Bisognin and I am going to talk to you about some of my favorite things.

First is TV shows, because I am clearly obsessed.

Mad Men

The fact that I love this show so much confuses me because I don’t care about advertising, and usually watching anything set in this time period or before frustrates me because of the way women and minorities are treated. But the dialogue and characters are so compelling that you can’t help becoming obsessed. Despite the popularity of the show, I always dismissed it as something I wouldn’t enjoy, but as soon as I started watching it I was hooked, so you should totally give it a chance.

Jessica Jones

I am still so obsessed with this  show. I highly recommend reading the Alias series which it is based on, because it is so amazing. The show follows the original story as much as it can, and it definitely does it justice. The casting is perfect, the writing is excellent, and the pace of the show is awesome, like all other Netflix shows. It’s currently my favorite ongoing TV show after Game of Thrones, and I was so excited when it was renewed for a second season.

The Walking Dead

This show was amazing in the beginning, and then in seasons three and four became so boring I almost stopped watching. But this current season and the one before are amazing. They’re fast paced and full of action, but it also stops to explain the emotions and feelings the characters are going through as they lose people and try to find hope in a world that doesn’t seem to have a future. The new characters don’t feel like they have just been added to be killed off, they are legitimately part of the story. The casting of Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Negan has also got me super excited and terrified for the future of some characters. It’s a heartbreaking show, but so worth it.

 

I have surprisingly had quite a bit of time to read these days, probably because I have been procrastinating studying, oops. Here are some of my favorite books I have read recently.

The Fall of Giants by Ken Follett

I started reading this book about two months ago, and I just finished it. It took me a while to get through because it deals with a lot of history from World War I, which I’m not familiar with, so I got confused. But I kept reading because I fell in love with all the characters. Follett’s characters are definitely the best part of the book – the plot is interesting but not excellent. His storytelling is amazing, and I found myself desperately hoping, along with the characters, that war would not be declared, which is crazy because I knew that the book was based on history. History buffs will probably love this book even more than I did.

Asking For It by Louise O’Neill

I read this book because it was the first book for January for the Banging Book Club, which was started by one of my favorite YouTubers, Hannah Witton and two of her friends. It’s a difficult book to get through, but it is amazing because it shows the realities of rape culture and how in a small town where people have preconceived notions of people’s reputations, the victim is ultimately the one who is blamed. Many people have criticized the ending, but I think that it fits with the rest of the book in that the reality that sometimes, everything isn’t going to be okay.

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

This book broke my heart. I read it because I saw the trailer for the movie, which stars Sam Claflin and Emilia Clarke, AKA Finnick and Dany, and I had to know what happens in the story. Yes, it is a love story, but it focuses on important things which people usually feel uncomfortable talking about. The characters are interesting and the story beautifully captures the fact that sometimes time isn’t a factor when it comes to falling in love.

 

I love music, like most people, but I am not obsessed. I find my music from TV shows or games, or friends. Here are three songs I have been LOVING.

Intro by The XX

OMG this song. I listen to it on repeat for hours. My friend said to me, I have no idea what this is, but I keep listening. That’s exactly what I do as well. It just makes me happy and sad at the same time and I just can’t explain why I love this song so much, but I do.

The Set Up by Favored Nations

I can explain why I love this song. It plays at the end credits of GTA V when the three main characters are looking off into the sunset and then leave. I recently played the game for the second time and rediscovered this song. It’s an awesome workout song too.

Singing Satellite by Above and Beyond

I love this song because the vocals are amazing and it’s just a nice song. I also recommend checking out the other songs by Above and Beyond, they’re all pretty great.

 

Yay video games! Sadly I have not been playing as much as I want to. But here’s the ones I’ve been loving for a while.

Clash of Clans

 

THIS GAME. So I used to play it obsessively for around a year, and then I just got fed up because OH MY GOD, you needed so much gold and elixir and people kept stealing it from you and I basically rage quit. But then, my wonderful but stupid friend kept talking about it and I decided to play it again. I didn’t sign in to my previous account, I just started from the beginning. I’ll probably end up rage quitting again, but right now I am having so much fun, and I’m enjoying the new features that weren’t there before, which make the game less frustrating.

Star Wars Battlefront

I love love love couch co-op games. There are way too few because everyone plays online these days, but my brother and I love playing together so this game is what we have been playing lately. The game is fun and I love the different game modes, but I just wish that there was a story mode; that would have made the game perfect.

GTA V

As I said before, I recently replayed this game and I cannot even explain how much I love it. The story is super immersive, the characters are my best friends, I love them so much, and the humor is just off the charts. It’s subtle, slapstick and self deprecating. Despite having played the game before, I laughed out loud multiple times. I finished the main story and I’m currently running around completing the strangers and freaks and just going crazy. It’s the best.

 

So that’s it! Here’s some of my favorites and I hope you enjoy at least one of these 🙂