Issue #69: Three Takes on Remakes – January/February 2024

Books don't usually get rewritten. Music is sometimes re-recorded, either by its original artists or by cover bands paying tribute to those originals. Movies getting remade is a fairly frequent occurrence, and has led to things like the film Freaky Friday having four different versions and lots of different spin-offs and homages beyond that . . . but even Hollywood's total count of remakes can't quite keep up with the video game industry. In the gaming world, old media being brought back to life for an encore appearance is an incredibly common occurrence.

We've touched on the topic of video game remakes in NF in the past, but with the release schedule we're right smack in the middle of at the moment, it seemed like now was the right time to revisit it with a more in-depth discussion. The Big N's last big release of 2023 was a remake: Super Mario RPG, which claimed our cover spot last time. And now, as 2024 is dawning, the first-party slate is full of several more -- four out of the five first-party titles Nintendo currently has on their release schedule are some shade of remake!

Another Code: Recollection is on the slate for January. Mario vs. Donkey Kong drops in February. Luigi's Mansion 2 HD is set for sometime in the Summer and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door will be getting an encore in 2024 as well.

And then third-party publishers are pitching in, too! We've got Contra: Operation Galuga coming soon, a visually remastered Tomb Raider trilogy due in February, freshly refurbished versions of The Legend of Legacy and the Apollo Justice trilogy of Ace Attorney titles . . . and surely many more to follow beyond those!

With all of those on the way -- as well as the huge number of remakes that the Switch has already seen released over the last seven years -- it was time to take a closer look at the whys and the hows of remaking old games. Our central feature in this issue will break down the terminology as we attempt to clearly define "remakes" and "remasters" and "reimaginings," so we can all get on the same page with the proper word usage. We've also prepped previews of all the games I just mentioned, and have reviewed several more that fit into this category in some way or another.

But there's more to discuss beyond that! We've got the announcement of a live-action Legend of Zelda movie to discuss (so we reconvened the NF Film Club for that). We've got our 2023 Game of the Year Awards to give out. We've got reviews of major titles like Super Mario Bros. Wonder and Sonic Superstars to complete. And more! So please enjoy this NF issue, just as it is. (We probably won't remake it in the future.)  

Print subscribers, your physical copies are in production now and will be mailed to you by the end of this week. Because they'll be in transit over the Christmas/New Year's week, please have patience while waiting for delivery! All the same, issues should arrive to you sooner than last time, since we got production on this issue wrapped up about 10 days earlier!

Digital patrons, keep an eye on your email this Wednesday, December 20. I'll send out the DropSend links to download your issues on that day!

Thank you all for continuing to support us through the end of 2023! As we head into 2024, the next NF issue will be the milestone NF #70! Please look forward to it!

~ Lucas M. Thomas