It’s no secret that I love me some Mario, so I was really happy to hear that Nintendo was releasing a collection of the first three 3D Mario games (64, Sunshine, and Galaxy specifically) dubbed Super Mario 3D All-Stars (insert “Wahoo” here). Unfortunately, there’s been a cloud hanging over the game due to disappointment from fans and critics who say that Nintendo seemed to only do the bare minimum when it came to remastering these games. In light of this, and a similar situation involving the recent release of Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning, I think it’s worth talking about the expectations that come with re-releasing older games.
Let me ask you a question. Do you think people would be complaining as much if Nintendo has simply released ports of all 3 games on the eShop? I’d argue no. I think we need to acknowledge that when you release a remaster or a collection or an enhanced port or whatever you want to call it, there comes an expectation that the game will be improved upon to a certain extent. When all you do is improve the resolution (if even that) then people can feel disappointed. I love Super Mario Sunshine, I spent an unhealthy amount of time trying to find those blue coins but I acknowledge that there are some aspects that haven’t aged well and should be updated (I still shiver when somebody utters the phrase “chuckster”). Nintendo had a chance to update these games and instead chose to release a $60 emulator. Re-Reckoning did the same thing, releasing a game from 2013 at full price without any noticeable improvements. It’s cool that I can play older games on my fancy modern game boxes, but it feels disappointing when those games are branded as “revitalized classics” when they still feel exactly the same.
So, what’s the lesson here? I think it comes down to what people expect from a collection or a remaster. We’ve been spoiled in recent years by collections of older games that have a celebratory feel. A good collection wants to honor the games inside and that's why so many bundles have extra stuff like concept art, soundtrack, commentary, etc. Additionally, a remaster (or an enhanced port, or whatever you want to call it) comes with an expectation of updating a game to a noticeable degree. Part of that is the graphics, but more importantly you want the game to play well on modern hardware. If you just slap the game onto a newer system, lots of small issues can arise that drag down the experience (Sunshine, I’m looking at you). A re-master also grants the opportunity to make improvements to games from a time before you could make players download patches. When that’s not taken advantage of and problems are left un-touched it can annoy some players.
As I said earlier, I don’t think the internet would have been so vocal about 3D All-Stars if Nintendo had simply ported them onto the eShop. And I think that’s because a port doesn’t have that expectation. I don’t expect a port to provide additional content or re-texture all the models. Why? Because it’s a freakin’ port, that’s why! But when you advertise a game as a remaster or as a collection, you create an expectation of noticeable improvement and, in the case of 3D All Stars, Nindendo didn’t do that.
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