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[Poetic.Injustice]

Lorne Lanning is remaking his old classic platformer Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee. He’s not remastering it with HD textures; he’s rebuilding it from the ground up in 2.5D with Unity, using the tools of today to develop the game a second time with the same blueprint.

This new version has a new subtitle, New ‘n’ Tasty, but apparently that hasn’t been enough to keep some folks from thinking that what he and Just Add Water are making is the same kind of thing Square Enix just did with Final Fantasy X and X-2, a concept people like to refer to as an “HD remake.”

“We still see press calling it an HD remake, and it’s not a fucking HD remake,” Lanning emphatically told me as we sat at a table in the back of the lounge at the Marriott Marquis in San Francisco last week.

Lanning did have kind words for one giant publisher, Sony, in regards to deals they’d cut for Oddworld games on PSN. He said they’ve been “a godsend” as of late for their brand awareness, as, say, Stranger’s Wrath going free for PlayStation Plus members had the side effect of boosting sales on Steam. So he’s not a blanket hater.

http://www.vg247.com/2014/03/25/oddworld-new-n-tasty-its-not-a-fucking-hd-remake/

 

[Tizoc]

...but it is an HD remake Lorne =P
FFX and X2 HD is a remaster I believe.

 

[Always-honest]

He's right.

 

[Ninja Dom]

It is a fucking HD remake.

We got scrolling levels instead of flip screens but it's the same game with much better graphics and sound, right?

I'm not interested in whatever game engine they decide to use or not use.

 

[wrowa]

It's actually an SD remake, HD was too expensive.

 

[Krappadizzle]

Yup, he's right too. I can't wait. It looks fantastic.

 

[Ushojax]

Of course it's not an HD remake.

They've simply re-made the same game. In HD.

 

[GoldenHelmet]

Of course it's not an HD remake.

They've simply re-made the same game. In HD.

Actually, there are a fair few differences

 

[Frumix]

...but it is an HD remake Lorne =P
FFX and X2 HD is a remaster I believe.

Technically it's an enhanced port. "Remaster" is a marketing name and a bit of a misnomen.
So Oddworld: NnT IS an HD remake, while FFXHD is not, but a port.
Precision of language, mateys. It's gold.

 

[angular graphics]

Huh? It totally is.

Stuff like Splinter Cell 1-3 HD are NOT HD remakes, they are merely ports running at HD (720p) res.

But Oddworld: NnT? Is the very definition of HD remake.

 

[Tizoc]

Technically it's an enhanced port. "Remaster" is a marketing name and a bit of a misnomen.
So Oddworld: NnT IS an HD remake, while FFXHD is not, but a port.
Precision of language, mateys. It's gold.

Fair enough, but in FFX's case it' a port that was touched up to look pretier isn't it?

 

[SuicidalSteve]

Re-imagining?

 

[mrpeabody]

When you remake your game, in HD, it's an HD remake. Sorry.

 

[Fix The Scientist]

Are there any new levels in this? anything tweaked a bit?

 

[Chao]

But it is!

 

[SuicidalSteve]

Press Release of the game:

The modern neostalgic re-creation of the first Oddworld Inhabitants PSX game from 1997, called Oddworld: New ‘n’ Tasty is coming to PlayStation®4, with a release date TBA 2014. The title marks the long-awaited return of Abe the Mudokon to Sony’s PlayStation® console, where the adventure began.

After a half-decade hiatus from making games, Oddworld Inhabitants is now a proudly independent publisher, working with Just Add Water (Developments) Ltd on the new title. This is only made possible by open, digital, self-publishing platforms like Sony’s PlayStation®Network. Powered by the Unity3D game engine, Oddworld: New ‘n’ Tasty makes the most of the new console’s hardware.

Oddworld Inhabitants and JAW have worked closely together since they started their partnership in 2010. After releasing Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath HD on PlayStation®3 to critical acclaim and working on updating Oddworld: Munch’s Oddysee for multiple platforms, the work on New ‘n’ Tasty shows the relationship is a blossoming symbiosis that’s here to stay.

“We’re all excited by the opportunities for storytelling that the next generation of PlayStation® hardware can give Oddworld Inhabitants. It’s the perfect way for Abe to capture the hearts of new and old fans alike.” states Lorne Lanning, co-founder/co-owner of Oddworld Inhabitants, “We are extremely happy we have this close working relationship with Sony once again.”

So it is a re-creation

 

[ZeroX03]

His issue is that when most people say "HD remake", they're referring to things like FFX, SotC, Jak, etc that are actually remasters (upscaled port), but people don't make the distinction. It is most definitely not a remaster and on a completely different level to the other projects - most of them have their original glitches intact they barely change - but technically yes, it is a remake Lorne. Semantics, fuck yeah.

 

[Benzychenz]

It's the definition of a HD remake, it's the other stuff that's not.

 

[GoldenHelmet]

I'd def NOT say it's an "HD Remake" as it's a "Remake" using todays technology.

Where HD is the Standard, so we're trying NOT to emphasize "HD" at all, as every game today is an "HD" title.

 

[newsguy]

To be clear, he said it's not a "fucking" HD remake. It's more of a soft, slow petting and ear nibbles kinda remake.

 

[GoldenHelmet]

To be clear, he said it's not a "fucking" HD remake. It's more of a soft, slow petting and ear nibbles kinda remake.

I wish I could "like" posts here

 

[Raonak]

the game is a Remake.... but the problem is when people say "HD remake" theyusually mean a HD remaster/port-up.

New and Tasty is being remade on a completely new engine with actual 3D graphics instead of sprites and such. It's the most impressive remake i've ever seen, they totally nailed the look and feel of the original.

 

[mugurumakensei]

It is a fucking HD remake.

We got scrolling levels instead of flip screens but it's the same game with much better graphics and sound, right?

I'm not interested in whatever game engine they decide to use or not use.

Backgrounds are now rendered in 3d instead of being pre-rendered.
Cutscenes have been redone to be in real-time.
No loading between areas.
Much higher fidelity models for the characters.

It's a complete remake.

 

[Yagharek]

Or a Director's Cut. Like the sublime Final Cut of Bladerunner.

Art is art.

 

[Nikodemos]

His issue is that when most people say "HD remake", they're referring to things like FFX, SotC, Jak, etc that are actually remasters (upscaled port), but people don't make the distinction. It is most definitely not a remaster and on a completely different level to the other projects - most of them have their original glitches intact they barely change - but technically yes, it is a remake Lorne. Semantics, fuck yeah.

It's because unscrupulous publishers/devs try to present an upscaled/uprendered game (a.k.a. 'remastered') as a re-created (that is, rebuilt from scratch) one.

 

[GoldenHelmet]

To be fair to our team here at JAW...

Not ONE element of the original game has been used, EVERYTHING has been remade from scratch.

The only thing used from the original is the "design" and even then a massive of chunk of that has also been redone too.

 

[Yagharek]

To be fair to our team here at JAW...

Not ONE element of the original game has been used, EVERYTHING has been remade from scratch.

The only thing used from the original is the "design" and even then a massive of chunk of that has also been redone too.

Do you still have all the original art, designs, level plans etc? Or did all that get redone from an even more fundamental level?

 

[PedroPanache]

Actually, it is a remake, it's just that the term has been incorrectly subverted by those who have attributed the term to the HD ports of the likes of Ico/SotC, God of War etc. Certainly, 'New 'n' Tasty' is a remake in the category occupied by Capcom's Resident Evil remake on the Gamecube. Though, you understand his frustration at being lumped in with the former category of games. It's far more elaborate than a resolution boost and a touching up of low-res assets here and there.

 

[GoldenHelmet]

Do you still have all the original art, designs, level plans etc? Or did all that get redone from an even more fundamental level?

We have portions of the original art, we have 24bit 640x480 renders of EVERY screen in the game, as backgrounds. We have all the sprites relative to 640x480 screens.

We have NO level plans, we actually used an online guide for the full layout. But we did change a bunch of areas as they simply didn't work with scrolling.

We also have the originals source code and editor tools, so we were able to follow variables and other stuff from the original.

But it ALL had to be re-written, re-drawn, re-modelled, re-designed, re-created.

 

[Yagharek]

We have portions of the original art, we have 24bit 640x480 renders of EVERY screen in the game, as backgrounds. We have all the sprites relative to 640x480 screens.

We have NO level plans, we actually used an online guide for the full layout. But we did change a bunch of areas as they simply didn't work with scrolling.

We also have the originals source code and editor tools, so we were able to follow variables and other stuff from the original.

But it ALL had to be re-written, re-drawn, re-modelled, re-designed, re-created.

Cool beans.

I'm not sure what else is in the pipeline, but in principle would this lead to a quicker development time for an Exodus project? I imagine the switch to scrolling vs switching screens would have impacted puzzles and enemy strategies from the original.

So presumably those lessons would help down the line if it ends up happening.

And while we're here... any plans for new artbooks like the first ten years?

 

[newsguy]

Actually, it is a remake, it's just that the term has been incorrectly subverted by those who have attributed the term to the HD ports of the likes of Ico/SotC, God of War etc. Certainly, 'New 'n' Tasty' is a remake in the category occupied by Capcom's Resident Evil remake on the Gamecube. Though, you understand his frustration at being lumped in with the former category of games. It's far more elaborate than a resolution boost and a touching up of low-res assets here and there.

Nail on the head. You can see the love put into this title. He doesn't want to be seen as one of the many games in it for a quick cash grab.

 

[GoldenHelmet]

Cool beans.

I'm not sure what else is in the pipeline, but in principle would this lead to a quicker development time for an Exodus project? I imagine the switch to scrolling vs switching screens would have impacted puzzles and enemy strategies from the original.

IF we did do Exoddus next, yes, despite the game being almost twice the size of NnT (in terms of locations) the hard part of creating a 2.5d game engine will have been done

 

[Yagharek]

IF we did do Exoddus next, yes, despite the game being almost twice the size of NnT (in terms of locations) the hard part of creating a 2.5d game engine will have been done

Excellent news. Hope this one sells well for you guys.

 

[Earthpainting]

It's obviously a remake. It's just that that the industry just uses the term wrongly more often than not. We're often counting up-rezzed ports as remakes, when they are in fact "remasters" at best.

It's the difference between something like Final Fantasy IV for the DS and PSP. Regardless of which one you prefer, one of those titles built the game from the ground up again, re-evaluated the content and the result is a similar, but still very different game. The other is pretty much a port of the GBA port and After Years with some re-done assets. Both are valid choices for a re-release, but I can understand that they don't want all the extra effort they are putting into it to be trivialised a bit by putting them on the same level.

 

[PedroPanache]

I rarely follow the pre-hype train for most games these days, so this is the first time I've watched the brief trailer in the link, but, I have to say, it looks absolutely gorgeous and takes the dark, surreal flair of the original and amps it up to 11; GoldenHelmet, I applaud you and your team because New 'n Tasty is just dripping with visual charisma. I have fond memories of the original, so any chance to relive that nostalgia through modern game mechanics and graphics is always welcome. I look forward to seeing the end result.

I always think as someone who grew up in the UK with the Spectrum/C64/Amiga etc. that these types of games are the true heritage of our gaming legacy.

 

[StuBurns]

It is a HD remake, it's not a HD Remaster.

It's hard to know if he's wrong about what people call it, or just wrong.

 

[GoldenHelmet]

It is a HD remake, it's not a HD Remaster.

It's hard to know if he's wrong about what people call it, or just wrong.

No, it's a "remake" NOT an "HD Remake" HD has nothing to do with it, as it is the standard today.

 

[L.O.R.D]

actually , its a HD Remake , not HD remastered
what we see today ( god of war , FFX ,DMC ...etc ) , they are all remastered to HD image quality , not remake
Remakes is like Resident Evil remake

 

[mugurumakensei]

actually , its a HD Remake , not HD remastered
what we see today ( god of war , FFX ,DMC ...etc ) , they are all remastered to HD image quality , not remake
Remakes is like Resident Evil remake

HD is a useless term in labelling a remake. HD is the standard these days. Using HD as a differentiator only makes sense with remasters.

 

[SonyToo!™]

Whatever the connotation/denotation HD Remake is, New 'n Tasty is more than your run of the mill HD Remake and I hope the media stresses that fact.

 

[Ushojax]

HD is a useless term in labelling a remake. HD is the standard these days.

haha

if only that were true

 

[zackmorris]

How is that not a remake? Is it different at all? Maybe a reboot or reimagining?

 

[mugurumakensei]

HD remakes - FFX, Wind Waker HD, KH 1.5 ( some redone assets and in the case of wind waker redone shaders)
HD Remasters - Silent Hill, DMC, God of War (simple upres)
Modern Remake - Resident Evil Remake, oddworld new n tasty (significant changes to gameplay system as well as entirely new assets)

 

[Alienous]

How is that not a remake? Is it different at all? Maybe a reboot or reimagining?

The connotation of HD remake is that its only 'remade' quality is being HD.

New 'n Tasty is more of a remake remake, if that makes any sense. It's fully remade, and being HD wasn't the goal but simply the result of making a game in 2013/2014.

 

[Shengar]

I think Lanning just misused word here. This is definitely an HD Remake (or Remake, if an HD there really irks you Lanning), but what most people refer to HD Remake is the one like remastering assets for higher resolution. Alienous post seems better in explaining what Lanning actually means.

 

[L.O.R.D]

HD remakes - FFX, Wind Waker HD, KH 1.5 ( some redone assets and in the case of wind waker redone shaders)
HD Remasters - Silent Hill, DMC, God of War (simple upres)
Modern Remake - Resident Evil Remake, oddworld new n tasty (significant changes to gameplay system as well as entirely new assets)

i won't count FFXand KH1.5 an HD Remake , only HD Remastered
its not build from zero , its not new engine

 

[The Faceless Master]

he's right. the definition of "HD remake" was changed by a fuckton of upscaled ports, which this game isn't.

so it's not a HD Remake, or it is if you ignore reality and the fluidity of language.

 

[mugurumakensei]

i won't count FFXand KH1.5 an HD Remake , only HD Remastered
its not build from zero , its not new engine

I would. Most of the textures and models for the main characters and villains were complete redone albeit out of necessity due to lost assets. Lulu and Auron have drastically improved in the HD version. Similarly, the texture detail and model for Xehanort in KH 1.5 is based on the dream drop distance model. Again, it was partially out of necessity. Still, they are quite different from the likes of remasters such as God of War.

 

[Xater]

It's the definition of a HD remake, it's the other stuff that's not.

Exactly, the other stuff is just HD ports.

 

[Darklord]

When you remake your game, in HD, it's an HD remake. Sorry.

This is not the same as...

...this.

People think it's just upping the resolution but it's a remake and not an "HD remake". That term is used for basically re-releasing the identical game in a higher resolution.