MediEvil (PS4)

[madhair60]

Just out for £25 this is a gorgeous remake of the strangeness that was PS1 MediEvil, a game I had no real attachment to and consequently no excitement for this remake. But I nabbed it for a squint and it is fucking joyous. People aren't gonna like it because it's as imprecise in its combat as you'd expect a PS1 game to be, just with a fresh coat of paint. It's so charming and the environments do a superb job of convincing you that you're in a larger universe. Tons of hidden stuff to find and the drip-feed of new weapons (all of which are available at any time once unlocked) keeps the level of variety high.

The thing that struck me the most about it is the defiantly old-school experience being so fucking involving even in what's essentially a kids' game - it doesn't lead you by the hand (though there are text tutorials), just says "go and find the exit". God, I love it. It's been so much fun.

[Glebe]

One of my fave PS1 games.

[Dex Sawash]

I have played this in its original form. Bit scary with skellingtons and ghouls.

[H-O-W-L]

Remake looks like complete generic Unreal remake shite. The original is superb and will never be topped.

[madhair60]

Remake looks like complete generic Unreal remake shite. The original is superb and will never be topped.

The remake is better in every single way

[Thursday]

How does it compare in feel then? The original was so loose to control, even at the time I'm really surprised at the extent to which it just seems to be the original made with modern tools, rather than a proper remake.

[madhair60]

It feels like the original, at a higher framerate, with a new strafe button. Yes, it's imprecise, but it fits. It's an old game that isn't ashamed of being an old game. I love it.

[H-O-W-L]

The remake is better in every single way

Nah. Music's shit for a start.

[H-O-W-L]

Play the original on an emulator at 60fps and you'll have an even better experience because you won't be rendered blind by all the shit bloom to replace real lighting and generic Maya out-of-the-box particle effects.

[madhair60]

Maya out-of-the-box particle effects.

no real people know what this means or care

[Ferris]

Bought the old one for about 3 quid and played it through recently. Great fun.

Not sure it's worth 25 notes though, although maybe if it's new to you then it's a decent investment?

[peanutbutter]

I remember loving the clumsy movements and controls of the original game, felt like playing with toys or something. Plus it had a timed demo that didn't seem to have an endpoint, probably the only thing I tried to speed run in my life.

[Glebe]

I dunno if the new version uses the same voice work, but it's worth pointing out (again!) that the original PS1 game features the late Paul 'Avon from Blake's 7' Darrow as the voice of Zarok, and comedian/actress Helen Lederer also voices some characters.

[H-O-W-L]

I dunno if the new version uses the same voice work, but it's worth pointing out (again!) that the original PS1 game features the late Paul 'Avon from Blake's 7' Darrow as the voice of Zarok, and comedian/actress Helen Lederer also voices some characters.

Apparently they re-recorded Dan's dialogue but the old dialogue is reused.

[madhair60]

To be fair I didn't play the PS1 version much so I don't really have an attachment to it, I had low expectations for the remake but I've found it joyous. Maybe I would like the old version better with emulator enhancements, idk. I thought the remake was enormous fun and joyfully silly.

[H-O-W-L]

To be fair I didn't play the PS1 version much so I don't really have an attachment to it, I had low expectations for the remake but I've found it joyous. Maybe I would like the old version better with emulator enhancements, idk. I thought the remake was enormous fun and joyfully silly.

I find the original superior because it got everything in one fine slap. Medievil 2 was fucking dull and missed the tone entirely, as did Resurrection (Which also has added-in nearly-almost-transphobic elements for good measure) but even worse. To me the remake represents an attempt to recreate lightning in a bottle so I innately disliked it, but having seen it play I dislike it more just because it's visually ugly to me. It's like the new Crash and Spyro games. They're good because the originals were but the visuals are actually quite poor in direction despite being graphically impressive. And considering what the originals managed with 2,500,000 less polygons on screen at a time... it's quite sad.

Probably nowhere near as bad as New 'n Tasty though.

[madhair60]

Probably nowhere near as bad as New 'n Tasty though.

We can agree on that.

They put live ads in Rupture Farms

[H-O-W-L]

We can agree on that.

They put live ads in Rupture Farms

And now the new one is Epic Games exclusive. I grew up with Oddysee and Exoddus both instilling anticorporate beliefs in me at a young age and to see them sell their principles down the fucking river like that has really fucking rocked me.

[madhair60]

On a gameplay fundamental level I was staggered by the decision to remove the - what should I call it, tile-based? - movement. I'm like, well, surely they've changed the level designs to account for the inherent imprecision caused by this modification.

Had they fuck.

[H-O-W-L]

On a gameplay fundamental level I was staggered by the decision to remove the - what should I call it, tile-based? - movement. I'm like, well, surely they've changed the level designs to account for the inherent imprecision caused by this modification.

Had they fuck.

Tile-based works, though in the [clears throat] Abe's Oddysee Speedrunning Community and the general Oddworld fandom it's known as just 'screens'. But no, you are correct. It was a crux of the original Oddworld system and Munch's Oddysee was shit because it didn't use anything like it and had to contrive movement restrictions. You would have thought they'd have cottoned on with this for NnT.

[madhair60]

Oops, woke up a Slig. I'll just leave the screen then come back and ah, yes, he's kipping again.

New N' Tasty: Oops, woke up a Slig. I'll just fucking stand here for ages until he drops off again. That's fun.

Soulstorm has a crafting system. Very Oddworld.

[H-O-W-L]

So you can see why I think the remake of MediEvil represents a very AIDS mentality even if it may or may not be AIDS. SchrodingAIDS.

[madhair60]

The remake of MediEvil has at the very least kept the gameplay unharmed (from my perspective), and the addition of the strafe on R2 is a nice QOL extra

[H-O-W-L]

This is a fan cover but the melody of Scarecrow Fields is so good. So good in fact they used it as the trailer music for the remake.

Al-Zalam, the incredibly insensitive and shitty genie character they added for Resurrection was in the remake trailer but I've heard no word of him being actually ingame. Madhair, is there a shitty genie with a comedy voice? I feel like the tiny tease of him in the trailer was a temperature gauge and they (wisely) fucked him off.

[madhair60]

I am yet to see a genie.

[H-O-W-L]

All is forgiven.

[Glebe]

Looking at the trailers on YouTube with comparisons to the original, it's certainly a huge step up graphically. Also, sounds like Paul Darrow is still used as Zarok!

I hope they use the original Enchanted Earth/Sleeping Village music!

They should redo the Soul Reaver games, btw.

[Thursday]

They should remake Soul Reaver as it was originally intended before half of it had to be cut because it was insanely ambitious and big for a ps1 game.

[Glebe]

They should remake Soul Reaver as it was originally intended before half of it had to be cut because it was insanely ambitious and big for a ps1 game.

Yeah, it's annoying that Turel was cut... he eventually pops up in LoK: Defiance of course.

[H-O-W-L]

I've looked at it and generally it's not as AIDS as I expected. It is generally lacking in the charm of the original, not because of the improved graphics, but just because of some of the animations.

Zombies are raspy, hissing, fat-bellied sacks of sludge that slump around and move too fluidly whereas in the original they were scary Frankenstein's Monster style stiff nightmares that waddled toward you with their arms swaying left-and-right and exposed ribcages and all.  Dan swings his sword in a way that's somehow more stiff. Too much glowy shit overall.  Really I just don't like the color direction. They've washed everything with blue and purple.

But really this is to be expected, if you're replicating a classic you're never going to please everyone. I'd have been content with a 1:1 upgrade but I know that the average game-playing public (read: fucking grave scum gas AIDS wraith bowel waste) would be mad about there not being bells and whistles and design changes.

Shit like this does actually fuck me right off, though:




Like, for fuck's sake. This really does just look full out worse in every way.