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Best "director's cut" version of a game?

SpotAnime

Member
...wasn't performance of the DC a nightmare on PC?

I just played it and it runs perfect on modern PCs.

Also, it includes the DLC mission and injects it in the storyline which doesn't flow well with the original story, IMO.
Losing all of your augmentations and having to respec wasn't fun, and there's a glitch where you don't even fet all of your points back for the final missions.
 

Kurita

Member
VI1zsPp.jpg

I already thought Gen 4 was great thanks to DP but Platinum was on a whole new level. Favorite Pokémon game ever, nothing will ever come close.
I like that it took place during Winter, added a lot of charm to the region.
 
Kingdom Hearts 2 Final Mix added a ton of new content, fixed one of the biggest problems of vanilla version and came bundled with a remake of the GBA game.

MGS3 Subsistence too, I dunno how I ever played with the old camera.
 
The new soundtrack is what really made it the best director's cut in history.

I can't stand the music in the Director's Cut. So cheesy (even by RE1 standards) but it does have the Battle Mode and arrange mode at least.

I own the NTSC Director's Cut, as well as the Japanese version, in addition to the "Dual Shock Version" which is different still. So many releases to keep up with!
 

Jazzem

Member
Though I do take umbrage with the new lighting system at times, for the most part Zelda: Wind Waker HD does wonders to improve the original game. The flow and pacing benefit so much from many smart and beneficial changes, and the gamepad is used in non-intrusive and helpful ways.
 
Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence

They unfucked the camera

I remember playing the demo for MGS3 back in the day, and the camera was simply abhorrent. Subsistence just makes the game so much better.

Also came to post this. The game felt expanded upon and the extras in the LE were worth it as well.

The OP's post of Pokemon Yellow is a good one too. Felt like night and day from Red/Blue. Although I still loved Blue because I could get my fav gen 1 Pokemon, Raichu.
"Raiiii Raiiiiii!" ^_^


The main reason this director cut is the best around. Metal Gear Signit.

This too! MGS3 was the gift that kept on giving lol. Best MGS by far just for all the crazy extra stuff added in.
 

Annubis

Member
Star Ocean: Till the End of Time DC (known only has the normal title outside of Japan)
logo.jpg


The previous version of the game was pretty much unplayable.
 
TBH I've only felt that with ACF they should have sped it up a bit since it doesn't keep pace with the original and is actually slower than 3 and 4 (even though it came out between them).

I feel like a number of items were actually fleshed out more, mostly for the better. It's also much better balanced gameplay-wise.

It looked pretty bad, music was changed and towns were smaller (I think they couldn't render some insides so just locked the front doors?)
I also recall the dialogue being a lot worse. Don't know if the original Japanese changed or it was just a much poorer localisation.

I agree the gameplay was better though
 

Justinh

Member
Would A Realm Reborn count for this? I've never played it, I just know people hated FF14 before, and liked it after.
 
dmc3specialed_ps2box_usa_org_000.jpg


The Special Edition of DMC3:
- Rejiggered the difficulty modes so Normal was Normal again (original US release had you play on the Japanese Hard mode)
- Added Gold Orb mode (no need to worry about running out of Continues and having to repeat the entire level)
- Added Turbo mode, which increased the speed of the entire game by 20%. It was a huge gamechanger that made it impossible to go back to the vanilla game
- Added some new bossfights against Jester, which were... eh, decent at least
- Most importantly of all, it added Big Daddy V himself as a playable character

giphy.gif
 
It looked pretty bad, music was changed and towns were smaller (I think they couldn't render some insides so just locked the front doors?
I also recall the dialogue being a lot worse. Don't know if the original Japanese changed or it was just a much poorer loclaisation.

I agree the gameplay was better though

Part of it was the localization, part of it was the reworked script. I'm not sure I would care much about not being able to walk into so many houses if only because that's a trope in itself of RPGs, yet almost nothing of consequence is ever in them. The towns themselves were mostly the same size aside from that.

Some music was changed, yes, but some was added.
 

Brandon F

Well congratulations! You got yourself caught!
My personal favorite.


They addressed almost every issue of the original game, fixed up a ton of glitches, improved the graphics, added in two additional new characters and lengthy quests, improved the lock-on and camera, and generally improved upon the original Castlevania 64 in every single way.

I think it's a bit of a shame so few people played it and "ha ha, Castlevania 64 sucks" is the dominate impressions of the 3D games. It's not perfect, but it's a massive improvement over the original.

I always liked CV64, but I did find some of the music/presentational changes to be worse in LoD(no more violin at title screen for starters, replaced with a lame werewolf focus now). The expansion pack lessened the frame rate for a minor bump in iq as well. Most of the other changes were mixed as well for me, and part of me still holds CV64 slightly higher. But yes it is an expanded experience with some nice changes for newcomers.
 
We really need to define "Director's Cut". Does a re-release with a new camera style constitute a director's cut? I certainly don't think a 1080p/60FPS re-release should count as one either. Thinking about it, does something like "Super Street Fighter IV" count as a Director's Cut, or Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3, for example? We need to define what it actually MEANS before we throw out suggestions.

To me, a Director's Cut should feature a new scenario, some additional chapters, and content that was actually CUT from the original game. Something like Deus Ex: Human Revolution certainly counts in my book due to the inclusion of Missing Link.
 

Miker

Member
I don't think Persona 4 Golden is a good choice at all for this category. It streamlined some gameplay stuff, which is great, but all the actual additions ranged from pointless to pointless fanservice to, uh, Marie. Besides, did Hoshino actually have a hand in creating any of the additions? To me, the term "director's cut" makes it sound like it's a series of changes coming straight from the director in order to better fit his or her version, and P4G, judging by the quality and tone of the additions, doesn't really fit the bill.
 

Easy_D

never left the stone age
Deus Ex Human Revolution Director's Cut fixed some very annoying things about the original. A genuine upgrade.

Except on PC where some people have a ton of stuttering :(. It's kind of shitty that Square never bothered fixing the regression found there. They basically just ported back the Wii U version to PC without applying all of the fixes made for the vanilla PC ver.
 

Heero5

Member
Definitely cannot agree with SOTN. PSX version handles the game far better. I consider the Saturn version only worth the time of die-hard SOTN fans. No amount of 3rd hands, extra areas, new familiars, and playable characters will ever make this game superior to the PSX version to me.
 

Garlador

Member
I always liked CV64, but I did find some of the music/presentational changes to be worse in LoD(no more violin at title screen for starters, replaced with a lame werewolf focus now). The expansion pack lessened the frame rate for a minor bump in iq as well. Most of the other changes were mixed as well for me, and part of me still holds CV64 slightly higher. But yes it is an expanded experience with some nice changes for newcomers.

The ONLY thing I missed was the violin in the intro and some of the voice acting. But we got a great new intro that was significantly more creepy, atmospheric, and story-driven than the original (along with a pretty chilling rendition of "Bloody Tears" to go along with it!) Legacy of Darkness Intro

Even without the expansion pack, the graphics were still improved, and even WITH the expansion pack, while the framerate took a big hit, comparing it to the original and it was pretty similar (the original framerate definitely wasn't optimized yet). I opted to play without it for better performance, though.

I found the remixed areas to be significantly more intuitive than their original counterparts, though, and there was SO many new areas and levels that I felt were worthwhile. The Tower of Execution and Duel Tower remixed come to mind as standouts. And it DID include the entire original two campaigns as well, only I had a MUCH better time controlling them due to the control and lock-on improvements.
 

nkarafo

Member
My personal favorite.


They addressed almost every issue of the original game, fixed up a ton of glitches, improved the graphics, added in two additional new characters and lengthy quests, improved the lock-on and camera, and generally improved upon the original Castlevania 64 in every single way.

I think it's a bit of a shame so few people played it and "ha ha, Castlevania 64 sucks" is the dominate impressions of the 3D games. It's not perfect, but it's a massive improvement over the original.
It has many flaws but it's still the best 3D Castlevania.
 

DeSolos

Member
I'd say Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix, and it may not count, but I'd say specifically KH2FM+.

So KH2FM was a Japanese rerelease of the NA version of KH2 with a LOT of new additions:

- New "Critical" difficulty mode
- New drive form
- New collectible side quest
- LOTS of new cutscenes including a new secret movie by Visual Works
- TONS of new optional bosses:
*Boss fights with the 5 absent Org XIII members from Chain of Memories
*Mushroom XIII. Literally 13 gimmick battles
*Boss fight with Lingering Will (preview of a future game)
-Boss fight with Roxas that seemed to have been cut from the original version of the game
-Theater Mode so you can watch all previously seen cutscenes in either English or Japanese
-Special ultra hard area that actually has a lot of cool platforming that concludes with a room where you can refight all members of Organization XIII in an ultra hard mode.
- Lots of random challenges added throughout
- Graphical polish to a lot of characters
- New songs from Yoko Shimomura
- New costumes for Sora and co


ANNNNNNNDDD

The "+" in Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix + referred to the fact that it also included a full 3D PS2 remake of Chain of Memories which was previously exclusive to GBA. And not only was that a full remake complete with cutscenes, voice acting, and a redone soundtrack, but they also added a new final boss phase.


So yeah. I have to say that's about as big a director's cut as a I can think of.
 
I've been thinking of trying out the Tales of Destiny DC copy I've had sitting on my shelf. Maybe I will.


Hard mode and Nightmare mode make the game. The Dreamcast is worth it for this port alone.
 

Justinh

Member
It has many flaws but it's still the best 3D Castlevania.

Is it really that much better? Damn. I played Castlvania 64 a lot back in the day and I didn't hate it as much as most I think, but I never tried the new version because I just thought it would be mostly the same with just another character. I guess I should look it up on youtube. I'm guessing it's expensive now on ebay, though...

Also, I like Twin Snakes more than the OG version, but it feels weird calling it a "director's cut" since it had a different director. Though I guess Kojima did sign off on it, from what I understand. Still my favorite MGS game...
 

Garlador

Member
Is it really that much better? Damn. I played Castlvania 64 a lot back in the day and I didn't hate it as much as most I think, but I never tried the new version because I just thought it would be mostly the same with just another character. I guess I should look it up on youtube. I'm guessing it's expensive now on ebay, though...

Also, I like Twin Snakes more than the OG version, but it feels weird calling it a "director's cut" since it had a different director. Though I guess Kojima did sign off on it, from what I understand. Still my favorite MGS game...

I'll say this... the game is still very flawed, but that's mostly due to how it's dated and aged over time (it's been over 16 years, after all), though it still had some rough patches there even at release. It's not exactly a homerun, but I found it to be far better than reputation would imply (and most of that reputation is based on the original Castlevania 64).

BUT, in my opinion, compared to the original, it's a gargantuan improvement in every area. Let me summarize:
+ 2 new playable characters, both with unique mechanics (a transforming werewolf and a shotgun-totting knight)
+ New stories, new cutscenes/characters
+ 4 new stages, plus many of the original stages from C64 have been improved and redesigned
+ 8+ new bosses
+ 2 new costumes for every character
+ new minor enemies
+ new weapon effects and particle effects added
+ new music (sinking old sanctuary remix is great)
+ new sub-weapon system
+ slightly sharper graphics (even without the expansion pack)
+ tighter controls and better jumping/platforming mechanics
+ more responsive, more customizable, more reliable, less buggy camera with better angles
+ Bugs/glitches fixed from the original

- Malus' Violin song from the original is missing
- Giant skeleton jump scare removed
- sparkling snow crystals removed from Tower of Sorcery
- No voice acting except for Cornell's intro narration

But you can tell this was meant to be the true "definitive" version of Castlevania 64. The original Castlevania 64 campaigns are unlocked in the game in their entirety with additional new stages, bosses, and mechanics as well.

Also, the game isn't that expensive. I bought my copy awhile back on ebay for around $30, complete in box with instructions.
 

Justinh

Member
I'll say this... the game is still very flawed, but that's mostly due to how it's dated and aged over time (it's been over 16 years, after all), though it still had some rough patches there even at release. It's not exactly a homerun, but I found it to be far better than reputation would imply (and most of that reputation is based on the original Castlevania 64).

BUT, in my opinion, compared to the original, it's a gargantuan improvement in every area. Let me summarize:
+ 2 new playable characters, both with unique mechanics (a transforming werewolf and a shotgun-totting knight)
+ New stories, new cutscenes/characters
+ 4 new stages, plus many of the original stages from C64 have been improved and redesigned
+ 8+ new bosses
+ 2 new costumes for every character
+ new minor enemies
+ new weapon effects and particle effects added
+ new music (sinking old sanctuary remix is great)
+ new sub-weapon system
+ slightly sharper graphics (even without the expansion pack)
+ tighter controls and better jumping/platforming mechanics
+ more responsive, more customizable, more reliable, less buggy camera with better angles
+ Bugs/glitches fixed from the original

- Malus' Violin song from the original is missing
- Giant skeleton jump scare removed
- sparkling snow crystals removed from Tower of Sorcery
- No voice acting except for Cornell's intro narration

But you can tell this was meant to be the true "definitive" version of Castlevania 64. The original Castlevania 64 campaigns are unlocked in the game in their entirety with additional new stages, bosses, and mechanics as well.

Also, the game isn't that expensive. I bought my copy awhile back on ebay for around $30, complete in box with instructions.

Ah, thanks for your impressions. I kinda really wanna try it out now, lol...
 

SolVanderlyn

Thanos acquires the fully powered Infinity Gauntlet in The Avengers: Infinity War, but loses when all the superheroes team up together to stop him.
I'll say this... the game is still very flawed, but that's mostly due to how it's dated and aged over time (it's been over 16 years, after all), though it still had some rough patches there even at release. It's not exactly a homerun, but I found it to be far better than reputation would imply (and most of that reputation is based on the original Castlevania 64).

BUT, in my opinion, compared to the original, it's a gargantuan improvement in every area. Let me summarize:
+ 2 new playable characters, both with unique mechanics (a transforming werewolf and a shotgun-totting knight)
+ New stories, new cutscenes/characters
+ 4 new stages, plus many of the original stages from C64 have been improved and redesigned
+ 8+ new bosses
+ 2 new costumes for every character
+ new minor enemies
+ new weapon effects and particle effects added
+ new music (sinking old sanctuary remix is great)
+ new sub-weapon system
+ slightly sharper graphics (even without the expansion pack)
+ tighter controls and better jumping/platforming mechanics
+ more responsive, more customizable, more reliable, less buggy camera with better angles
+ Bugs/glitches fixed from the original

- Malus' Violin song from the original is missing
- Giant skeleton jump scare removed
- sparkling snow crystals removed from Tower of Sorcery
- No voice acting except for Cornell's intro narration

But you can tell this was meant to be the true "definitive" version of Castlevania 64. The original Castlevania 64 campaigns are unlocked in the game in their entirety with additional new stages, bosses, and mechanics as well.

Also, the game isn't that expensive. I bought my copy awhile back on ebay for around $30, complete in box with instructions.
...I wish I still had my N64 now...
 
Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence. The addition of the Splinter Cell camera makes it a much better game than vanilla. And they added some other fun stuff.
 

bman94

Member
320px-SADX_GC_title.png


Updated the Chao Garden with Sonic Adventure 2's upgrades.
Full on mission mode added
Ability to play as Metal Sonic
And best of all, the entire Sonic Game Gear collection. This was huge since the only way to play those games at the time was to own both Sonic Mega Collection Plus (which didn't even hit the GameCube) and Sonic Gems Collection. This game just had them all and there's still not a current platform that has all of the Game Gear games digitally.
 
250

Which was basically a patch for the game before we knew what patches were on consoles.

or:
latest

Because the VR Mission disc was worth the price of admission alone (and was alone in the US)
 
320px-SADX_GC_title.png


Updated the Chao Garden with Sonic Adventure 2's upgrades.
Full on mission mode added
Ability to play as Metal Sonic
And best of all, the entire Sonic Game Gear collection. This was huge since the only way to play those games at the time was to own both Sonic Mega Collection Plus (which didn't even hit the GameCube) and Sonic Gems Collection. This game just had them all and there's still not a current platform that has all of the Game Gear games digitally.
The extras were nice and the Chao garden was much improved but I found the core game more enjoyable on the Dreamcast, I think it's mostly because of the ultra shiny character models on GC but the game just feels a bit different.
 
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