Sorry, maybe this title sounds ominous or something.
To tell the truth I would definitely buy a SR2 Remaster/Remake anytime but I also understand in my guts why Volition never planned any of it so far.
From a creative standpoint, working back on a past project isn't as easy than most may assume.
Every single creation is a product of its time in many senses: done with the mindset, skills, time, means, opportunities, luck and misfortune at the moment. At least to my experience, we work at the best of our abilities at the time being and no matter how invested we've been during the whole process, moving on as soon as the project is finished. It's part of the creative journey.
It's not video game but the example of webcomic can convey the issue:
An artist begin their webcomic publication by making pages, one at a time. After years worth of content, the artist notices flaws on the earliest works: mostly art, panel structure and story/character inconsistencies. We improve through practice and noticing flaws in past art is common. It would be tempting to remake the older pages up to the current comic standards. If successful, it could even be an opportunity to release a print with the updated art! Neat!
...it's however not a very good idea for many reasons:
-While readers agree with the past content being outdated, a lot of them may still perceive the old artworks as powerful in their own rights. Updating the art would look more polished but also miss the feel the artist conveyed back then. "The art looked better but I loved how impactful the character's expression was in the original"
-Remastering some very old art would often imply redrawing them from scratch. Applying this logic on years worth of past content will definitely take a lot of time, no matter how faster and better the artist got. A time that could be invested on making the continuation of the comic.
To my knowledge, the most reasonable compromise is to make manageable, minor improvements like text font replacements or such.
Now getting back on SR2:
As much as I love this game I'm aware about how dated and old it is. A up to current standards remake would require a significant overhaul on so many things: gameplay, animation, assets, engine limitations, etc... to the point of being as demanding as making a brand new game.
The people who worked on it probably moved on and no longer have the mindset they had back then. I saw statements from Volition devs pointing on the inconsistent tone in SR2. I cringe at drawings I made 5 years ago so I can relate to their feelings. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure a lot of SR2 devs are proud of what they accomplished but it's been made over a decade ago. It aged while still being a fine game many delightfully replay, me included.
By the way, I'm hoping IdolNinja's(T_T) SR2 PC patch project to get released in a near future.
We all have a finite time on earth and moving forward by making new things is often the choice a creative would make. We all have our opinion but Volition's approach with the reboot is actually the most risky while cashing hard on nostalgia and fanservice would be way more safer. I respect that regardless of the end result, most creatives never do bad stuff on purpose after all. I'm the type of person who want to be surprised, it's always a delight to unexpectedly enjoy something.
...like SR2 back in the days, actually.
Good luck to any creative out there, doing their best with the uncertainty of the end result. I will never hate anyone who's failing from trying.
P.S. : a SR2 remaster/remake remains possible, but most likely by another studio if it ever happen.
To tell the truth I would definitely buy a SR2 Remaster/Remake anytime but I also understand in my guts why Volition never planned any of it so far.
From a creative standpoint, working back on a past project isn't as easy than most may assume.
Every single creation is a product of its time in many senses: done with the mindset, skills, time, means, opportunities, luck and misfortune at the moment. At least to my experience, we work at the best of our abilities at the time being and no matter how invested we've been during the whole process, moving on as soon as the project is finished. It's part of the creative journey.
It's not video game but the example of webcomic can convey the issue:
An artist begin their webcomic publication by making pages, one at a time. After years worth of content, the artist notices flaws on the earliest works: mostly art, panel structure and story/character inconsistencies. We improve through practice and noticing flaws in past art is common. It would be tempting to remake the older pages up to the current comic standards. If successful, it could even be an opportunity to release a print with the updated art! Neat!
...it's however not a very good idea for many reasons:
-While readers agree with the past content being outdated, a lot of them may still perceive the old artworks as powerful in their own rights. Updating the art would look more polished but also miss the feel the artist conveyed back then. "The art looked better but I loved how impactful the character's expression was in the original"
-Remastering some very old art would often imply redrawing them from scratch. Applying this logic on years worth of past content will definitely take a lot of time, no matter how faster and better the artist got. A time that could be invested on making the continuation of the comic.
To my knowledge, the most reasonable compromise is to make manageable, minor improvements like text font replacements or such.
Now getting back on SR2:
As much as I love this game I'm aware about how dated and old it is. A up to current standards remake would require a significant overhaul on so many things: gameplay, animation, assets, engine limitations, etc... to the point of being as demanding as making a brand new game.
The people who worked on it probably moved on and no longer have the mindset they had back then. I saw statements from Volition devs pointing on the inconsistent tone in SR2. I cringe at drawings I made 5 years ago so I can relate to their feelings. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure a lot of SR2 devs are proud of what they accomplished but it's been made over a decade ago. It aged while still being a fine game many delightfully replay, me included.
By the way, I'm hoping IdolNinja's(T_T) SR2 PC patch project to get released in a near future.
We all have a finite time on earth and moving forward by making new things is often the choice a creative would make. We all have our opinion but Volition's approach with the reboot is actually the most risky while cashing hard on nostalgia and fanservice would be way more safer. I respect that regardless of the end result, most creatives never do bad stuff on purpose after all. I'm the type of person who want to be surprised, it's always a delight to unexpectedly enjoy something.
...like SR2 back in the days, actually.
Good luck to any creative out there, doing their best with the uncertainty of the end result. I will never hate anyone who's failing from trying.
P.S. : a SR2 remaster/remake remains possible, but most likely by another studio if it ever happen.
