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You know what remake I’d like? Xenogears.

By Heath | September 10, 2007 at 1:19 am

With all these remakes coming around, and demand for other remakes seemingly increasing, I got to thinking today in the car while driving on the wrong side of the road, I’d like a Xenogears one.

People yelling expletives at me from the sidewalks served as background to me thinking what could be done with a revised, more detailed translation–and if they could swing it well enough, maybe voice acting. Maybe not on that last part, as voice acting can be such a hit-or-miss feature. Either way.

As horns honked at me coasting through a red light, I remembered all that stuff that happened on the seconds disc, when like, Fei was in a rocking chair or something, telling me about “We went to Whatsitcalled and fought Soandso.” I want to actually go to Whatsitcalled this time. And Soandso? His ass is grass. I want that. Hearing about it was okay at the time, but doing it is always better. Let me do that stuff.

I considered the Cinderella-type makeover that could happen here. Flashing lights in my rear view danced amid my wonderment regarding what could be done with graphics on a system like the PS3 or Xbox 360. I’d even be okay waiting until PS4 or Xbox 720. Those pixelated sprites from the original could become almost lifelike, 3D characters. The Gears and the cities might go from looking “good” to “awe-inspiring.” Picturing myself exploring that game’s great towns such as Bledavik, Lahan, Solaris, and others with current-gen visuals was surprisingly intriguing to me — and this is coming from a guy who considers graphics fairly unimportant in RPGs.

I noted silently, however, when a pedestrian rolled up my hood and over the car, that the anime sequences used within the game would, preferably, remain intact. If somehow there could be a few more added, that’d be great, though I realize it might be tough to pull off. Does the technology exist yet for things to transition from one to the other while a scene progresses? I don’t know. But hey, I’d know if there were a remake.

While thinking this, I argued with myself, “Wait, am I asking for Xenogears to become Xenosaga, in so many words?” Then I told that self of mine how stupid he was. I was all, “Hell no, jerkface.” This would be Xenogears: its original dungeons, scenarios, story — everything that made it great.

But in the end, I find myself torn. Much as I’d like to play a tuned-up Xenogears, I do realize that there’s minimal chance of it ever happening. And that’s fine too. Remakes can be great things, but in some cases, I don’t mind the extra respect and reverence for the original that comes with not being remade. After all, it was great as it was, and there’s something to be said for that. Should there be one? It’s hard to say without knowing in advance how it would play or what it would and wouldn’t retain. In the end, I’d pick “Yes,” in part because I’m curious, but also because RPGs have grown in popularity a bit since this game’s release, so a remake might be a good way to show genre newcomers one they missed, without the need for eBay and/or backwards compatibility.

The biggest concern to me is that, if it happens, will I be out of prison in time to play it when it’s timely, or will I be writing in want of a re-remake?

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