HD collections

[MykonosFan]

There's one thing stopping me from getting this HD collection: no MGS1.

 

I thought this would be a great introduction to the MGS franchise for me, but if I don't play the very first game how am I going to follow the complicated plot and characters?

 

 

To be fair, the one game in the package most directly linked to MGS1 is MGS2. 3 is the first game in the series, Peace Walker picks up after it and I think Metal Gear 1 & 2 come after those. Then MGS1 comes into play. I think. Also this excludes games like Portable Ops, I have no idea where that goes 'cause I haven't played it.

[Tornado]

Portable Ops goes between 3 and Peace Walker but is pretty much irrelevant all things considered. Mostly because Peace Walker goes over everything that happened in Portable Ops anyway, which basically only amounted to

 

Big Boss meets Campbell.

[Shane]

Metal Gear Solid 2 and 3 HD are really shoddily-made. It's amazing how as the thread goes on, the members notice more and more weird bugs and inconsistencies and I'll never understand this collection's high reputation. Peace Walker HD, however, was a separate release in Japan converted beautifully by a different studio than the other two games.

[Tornado]

Because most of the things in that link, having read through it, is green-eyes level bullshit by people who have played the games front to back half a dozen times (and even then half of the things listed are things later clarified to have always been like that, or something that Konami themselves screwed up with Substance) which most people wouldn't give a shit about even if they did notice it?

 

 

Boo hoo, they messed up the timing in the intro of Snake Eater. Excuse me while I play the rest of the game in 720p at 60FPS (or damn close to it) when the original struggled to break out of the teens at times, and enjoy myself doing it.

[Solkia]

So what is it about ZOE HD that is so bad again? Should I just get the PS2 games instead?

[Dobkeratops]

So what is it about ZOE HD that is so bad again? Should I just get the PS2 games instead?

 

It runs worse than it should, at times lower than the original on PS2. But that one also drops pretty hard sometimes so it's just a case of disappointment for fans looking to upgrade - High Voltage couldn't match the expectations created by Bluepoint's work on HD Classics.

 

Still serviceable, though. If you've never played them, get the HD collection because it'll look a million times better than running PS2 games on a HDTV.

[Tornado]

So what is it about ZOE HD that is so bad again?

 

They took the MGS2 demo out.

[iDEATH]

Well... it's the Subsistence version minus a few things for licencing reasons.

 

Fine with that as long as I'm getting Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2

[KHCast]

 

I think Nintendo should start doing some HD collections for their Wii games. Imagine the already great looking Super Mario Galaxy 1 and 2 in HD!

 

 ?

eeeh, I personally wouldn't want a HD collection if the galaxy games yet. They still feel a little to fresh.

Metroid Prime worked because the game was almost inaccessible in many areas.

That aside, I have to wonder about the Resident Evil HD remakes. I mean the psn/XBL ports are so lazily done. And then you get revelations HD.....I really wish they put more effort into them.

[Teoskaven]

So, at the end of the day: Konami isn't capable of doing HD Collections, lol.

[Dobkeratops]

So, at the end of the day: Konami isn't capable of doing games

 

Fixed that for you.

 

All of their shit from original titles to HD remakes is outsourced now, and they can't even pick good studios half the time. Only MGS could be considered "internal" (KojiPro) and even those have to be salvaged by third parties (Platinum).

[The Kid]

Well HD collections are a hit and miss depending on who's doing them and builds they have. Because of the Silent Hill Collection I'm apprehensive about ever buying a collection without reading the reviews first. That being said, there are some great collections and honestly it's an easy way to jump into PS2/PS3 series without having to search through ebay.

[Badnik Mechanic]

And then Hogfather entered the topic.

 

This is not only one of my favourite HD remakes... it's one of my favourite games... ever. In fact it might actually be my favourite game, it's tough to decide as I've played Journey so...

 

Anyway.

 

If you want an example of a HD collection which is outstanding... this is the game you need. You have two of the greatest games of all time, in one box, sold at a discount price, all running in HD at a better frame rate with most of the bugs in the original fixed.

 

If the originals are considered a work of art, this collection is a work of love. Whilst the Japanese get a much better collection than we do (more extras and a collectors edition), when it comes to content, you cannot fault it....

 

Except for... one tiny problem.

 

In Shadow of the Collossus, when you complete the game you can unlock the time trials and the hard time trials. There is a big problem with one of the colossi. In the original PS2 game, due to the lower frame rate, it was possible to exploit it/beat the boss easier because back then the boss fight was timed to the lower frame rate.

 

Now however, the rate rate is better, as a result the boss moves faster/smoother and you have to react much quicker and accurately than before. The problem is that they didn't adjust the times accordingly. Boss 3 on hard mode in the time trials is exceptionally difficulty. it took me a long time before I mastered it and beat the time. However on the PS2 version, it takes no where near as long to master due to the lower frame rate.

 

The irony is, they made the game better, which technically made this one area slightly worse due to nobody adjusting the original time limit to reflect the upgrade.

 

But it is doable, and doable by a long way, I beat the requirement by over 40 seconds. It's just infuriating at times thats all.

 

But other than that one thing, this is a flawless labour of love. When you have a huge TV and this is playing, as you approach the first colossi, when you see it in the distance, coming out of the mist... you realise you a child in the valley of monsters... with only a horse for company.

 

Oh yeah and Ico, that giant castle on a HD telly, *insert picture of the indian crying*

[Teoskaven]

Fixed that for you.

 

All of their shit from original titles to HD remakes is outsourced now, and they can't even pick good studios half the time. Only MGS could be considered "internal" (KojiPro) and even those have to be salvaged by third parties (Platinum).

 

I liked both NeverDead and Blades of Time, other than the Castlevania reboot (but hey, maybe it's just me). The only franchise i feel bad for Konami is Silent Hill, wich is now at the bottom of the barrel.

[LATER BUDDY]

I'm a pretty big fan of them honestly.

 

I find myself more over playing games I grew up with more often than new games, so getting a remake of something I already like to replay with some crisper graphics and sometimes extra bonus stuff is icing on the cake for me. That said, I actually don't have too many HD collections/remakes, but the ones I do I love. Like I never had a PS2, so getting the Sly Collection and the GoW Collection was really practical and an easy way for me to experience those whole lines of games on a single disc.

 

But there's also some stand-alone HD remakes that I find to be the best version of the game you can get, such as Okami HD and Munch's Oddysee HD. The fact they're happily ready-to-play on my PS3 means my lazy ass can stay on the couch and pick them at any moment too *shot*.

 

Hell, Wind Waker HD is the sole reason I want a Wii U at the moment if that's saying anything.

[Shane]

Because most of the things in that link, having read through it, is green-eyes level bullshit by people who have played the games front to back half a dozen times

 

Atmosphere is a pretty big deal to me.

[Tornado]

 

Atmosphere is a pretty big deal to me.

 

Except, as also pointed out a few posts later in that thread, that that isn't a constantly happening occurrence. I certainly didn't see that pop up when I played it.

 

 

 

And I also said "most" for a reason. That there is quite a bit different from claiming that the game is shit and implying it is unplayable because they didn't fix the glitches carried over from Substance that weren't in SoL, like one person towards the end of that thread was going on about.

[MykonosFan]

That didn't happen to me either, for what it's worth. My buddy that got me into the series lent me MGS2 and MGS3 and I had a hard time getting into them, then when it came out I rented the HD Collection the other year (and bought it just the other week actually); boom. Totally into these games and understanding the love for the series even more after MGS4.

 

It is unfortunate that things like that can happen however.

[Tani Coyote]

They're a lucrative way to cash in on the PS3's lack of PS2 compatibility.

 

They made it really easy for me to get into franchises I'd never really gotten much of - Ratchet and Sly in particular.

 

Main drawback is when it just feels like a cashin with no real tuneups whatsoever. Needless to say I'm more partial to remakes than HD ports.

[Sean]

Some of my favorite collections ever are ones where the games are best experienced as a unit. While not an HD collection, Mega Man Zero Collection remains my favorite video game compilation for this reason, and I'd go so far as to say it's one of my favorite DS releases because experiencing all four games in one package feels very satisfying in a way that playing the original cartridges separately just doesn't. I haven't played Metal Gear, but I always felt that the collection would be the best way to get into the games.

Other series are different I guess; I probably would have gotten the collections if they were an option, but buying them separately isn't as much of an issue for me because I can play one game, wait a while, and then play the next entry some other time when I feel like it again, like with Sly Cooper where it's not essential for you to play each game back to back.

[KHCast]

After seeing some more of the Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 remix, and listening to some of the music,I think this actually could be one of the best,most polished and worked on collection in quite a while,perhaps even beating MGS HD! I mean it in no way just looks like a quick HD port to get cash. Gameplay changes and tweaks,new models for characters,remastered(or completely remade)tracks,potential bonus content,Final mix versions, I mean wow. Future HD collections should seriously look to this to see how to make a great HD collection!

[iDEATH]

Picked up the Jakand Daxter trilogy, so good to be playing those games again.

 

Half way through Jak II so far and the games seem to be ported perfectly, had one glitch in Jak II where the end of a level wouldn't trigger but apart from that it's been a blast.

[Your Vest Friend]

Personally, I'm not actually as hot on HD remakes as most others. If there's additional content that's exclusive to it then I'll bite, but otherwise I'll either look for the original or the most readily available port if the original is too rare.

[Tani Coyote]

Picked up the Jakand Daxter trilogy, so good to be playing those games again.

 

Half way through Jak II so far and the games seem to be ported perfectly, had one glitch in Jak II where the end of a level wouldn't trigger but apart from that it's been a blast.

 

Ah, good times, good times! Jak & Daxter is the series that gave me my immense fear of water and sharks in video games (joke was on me when I had to swim through a whole area full of them in Ty the Tasmanian Tiger)... Jak's actually pretty good at giving one aquaphobia, given the myriad of abominations they litter the deep waters with as the game progresses. The instant tentacle death of Jak 3 bears mentioning for this specifically.

 

Jak 2 really was a pleasure, showing you can take a lighthearted series, make it dark and edgy, and keep it bucket loads of fun. ...and then they had that whack a mole game near the end of it...

 

Personally, I'm not actually as hot on HD remakes as most others. If there's additional content that's exclusive to it then I'll bite, but otherwise I'll either look for the original or the most readily available port if the original is too rare.

 

Really this is my biggest disagreement with re-releases. They very rarely add much of anything to the original, barring a feature here or there. Every time folks bash Nintendo on not having new ideas, I will say this: at least Nintendo makes actual remakes from the ground up and not just a port.

[Your Vest Friend]

The only reason I bought Star Fox 64 3D though was because I don't own an N64. I don't have any interest in, say, the Mario remakes on the GBA, even with the improvements they have.