Yuna - "You're wrong. Although I've wished to be stronger, and I've wanted to change... I realise that losing my past would mean losing myself"
The quote above comes from Final Fantasy X-2 upon defeating Trema in the Via Infinito during chapter five (5). While there is no official word such as 'pastlessness' it essentially defines the quality/state of being without a past or a sense of the past. I think its fair to say that no such definition can be given to anyone or be used to describe someone (even those with dementia) because the truth is everyone has a past. The past is simply a connection to which everyone and everything evolves from, but its never non-existent.
Depending upon where one might look, it does appear that lately the 'past' seems to be the new present. Panic and deaths caused by acts of terrorism is something many would prefer was left in the past or to have never happened, and yet the recent calamities that have struck Paris brings much disdain and lingering memories of terrorist associated events such as 9/11 back into the threshold. When something new is unveiled by a company or organisation;, like Honda unveiling the new NSX, there are always lists that refer to something good or bad that occurred beforehand defined as 'the past' that is associated with that specific company and organisation. UK and Ireland fans of the WWE now can access the WWE Network, and while new and original content is available and will be gradually implemented in the future; a significant selling point of the WWE Network is its archives of PPVs from the 'better' times of professional wrestling and sports entertainment, like WrestleMania X-seven (17) and shows from ECW and WCW, which have and will continue to be explored by fans (I know this because I have done so).
Personally, I have begun to associate with a small group of people who are mentally challenged like I am, in aspects of life like socialising. Naturally I am apprehensive about taking chances and at times I wish I could be the literal definition of 'pastlessness' because the chances I took with my only true friend went so bad that I haven't seen the person for almost two (2) years after inadvertently scaring the person away. While I didn't engage in anything sexual or psychopathic like chasing the person with a chainsaw you understand, it was the way I obsessed with detail about putting the person first (1st) always and carelessness for the regards of my friend's space and comfortableness that caused the friendship to fail and for me to carry the weight of despair, haunting and regret to this very day and undoubtedly through the rest of my life. But opportunities don't always happen in a spontaneous manner, and apparently in order for me to improve mentally and become more capable outside of my comfort zone, I have to take chances and make opportunities happen, which is what I intend to achieve with this small group of people.
Happily, there are other examples where 'the past' is apparent in the present worth mentioning. While certain things from the 'old days' like vinyl records and space hoppers never really went away in the first place and merely experience momentary highs now and again; there is something to be said about how apparent practices in the gaming world are of late. So-called 'HD Remasters', much like the spaces hoppers, vinyl records and glowing wristbands; are nothing new or revolutionary, its a practise in gaming that was around before I was born.
Take Super Mario Bros. 2 which was released on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in 1988, and Super Mario Bros. 3 released in Japan in 1988 and subsequent years for North America and Europe for the same console. Move forward to 1993 and the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), and there's Super Mario All-Stars which contain enhanced versions of Super Mario Bros. 2 and 3. While this example came before 'HD Remasters' became a norm, the same practise is used today, and of late appears to be getting a little out of hand.
Nowadays we have 'HD Remasters' of games that aren't that old and are still rewarding and fun to play today like the original Devil May Cry released in 2001 which is now part of the 'HD' trilogy which was released in 2012 on PS3 and Xbox 360. We have games like Grand Theft Auto V (5) released on PS3 and Xbox 360 on the 17th September 2013, which have been re-released for PS4 and Xbox One (and subsequently soon on PC) 13 months later! Saints Row IV, Dark Souls II, DmC: Devil May Cry, Final Fantasy X/X-2, Resident Evil 2002 Remake, and so on are also getting so-called enhanced versions in the very near future.
WHY?! Its because its a sure-fire way to make money and its easier for developers to produce 'HD Remasters' or enhanced re-releases than make an original product or sequel. Now games are not the only guilty party here because big-screen movies are stuffed by the same practises. I do not see the reasoning behind having seen or owned the Titanic film on DVD, and then years later, watching the same film because it celebrates an anniversary and has 3D effects. I sound like a simpleton and a broken record because I have mentioned the overbearing nature of 'HD Remasters' before, but I have little regard for those who re-issue the past to compensate for the time-being.
Oh wait, that's the point; this is why this post is refers to the 'ever-presence of the past'... I am bringing this topic up (once again) because of the recent examples that have been made like the 20th anniversary of PlayStation back in December 2014, and the context involving the Resident Evil Remaster of the 2002 Nintendo GameCube remake of Resident Evil.
Duh! How can I be so stupid?!
Past games and memories are being revisited and re-released because without these past gems of history and trips down memory lane; the gaming industry wouldn't be where it is today. While there are clearly some half-assed ports that are supposedly remade with HD capabilities, but really aren't significantly different or better and are only there to cash in on nostalgia. There are noteworthy exceptions such as Oddworld New n' Tasty (which will be released on Xbox One in the Spring of 2015, Yay!), Resident Evil 2002 Remake (more on that later) and Halo: The Master Chief Collection.
With PlayStation recently celebrating its 20th anniversary in December 2014; it makes me release how long I have been playing video games. The first (1st) home console I ever played was the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and while my recollection isn't perfect, Double Dragons II - The Revenge was among the first (1st) video games I played, along with Super Mario Bros. and some piece of s*** where you play a character wearing sunglasses and blue jeans throwing boomerangs and ascending platforms (I really have no idea what it was or what it was called). Considering that my oldest brother never could hold onto a console for very long, it must have been around about 1995 when I could comprehend what I was doing with the rectangle controller after managing to insert a game cartridge inside the NES correctly. Needless to say, I never could get far with the vague controls of any of the NES games because I never had a instruction manual to tell me what the controls were, and there was no internet either. Although I had access to a Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) and had games like Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, Terminator 2 Arcade Game, and the truly terrible Rise of the Robots to play on; it wasn't until the original PlayStation console arrived where I got to grips with what the F*** I was playing and learning the way to win games and the button combinations and names for the Tekken characters and scoring the most points in Destruction Derby 2. As time went on, my understanding of video games grew as well as the time I spent playing on whatever console was in the house at the time.
This year (2015) will mark the my 20th anniversary of playing video games on several home consoles, handhelds and on PC. Realising this makes part of me wonder why I spent so much time on video games; while I didn't know why until about a few years ago (due to my sociopathic nature and strained mentality), at the time playing games was the easiest thing to do and I cared more about what each game's unique attributes were as opposed to doing homework or getting along with others in school, or doing enough exercise. The rest of the world was and still is unenticing, and above all else; unsuitable for someone who thinks and reacts like me. Video games became the only way I knew how to kill time with, whereas characters like Croc (from Croc: Legend of the Gobbos), King (from the Tekken series) and the Pokémon I caught and trained on the handheld series became the closest form of safe communication and interaction I had. Part of me knows this is truly sad; knowing as much as I do due to video games, and having no real life outside my room. As depressed or bitter I became however; the one (1) thing that remained constant is my fondness for video games, in particular the really memorable video games I still have and make the biggest impressions like the early Resident Evil games, Final Fantasy X, X-2, True Crime: Streets of LA, Oddworld: Abe's Exodus, Destruction Derby 2 and Corpse Party games.
Admittedly while I do not like the laziness and the blatant cheap tactics of some of the so-called 'HD Remasters' available on PS3 and Xbox 360; I do own several 'HD Remaster' such as the Devil May Cry trilogy, Resident Evil: Code Veronica X HD, Resident Evil 4 HD, Halo: The Master Chief Collection Metal Gear Solid HD Collection, Silent Hill HD Collection, and of course, Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster on the PS3 and PlayStation Vita (the rest are on the Xbox 360 and Xbox One respectfully). I feel that while these so-called 'HD Remasters' are mostly cash-ins and are mostly only lightly enhanced from the original versions of the games, these are regardless ports of great games made conveniently for the intended console (in most cases I enjoy playing the great games on Xbox 360 which wasn't possible originally). Plus as shallow as this sounds; I do enjoy collecting achievement points which add to my 'strangersparky' profile on Xbox Live.
Now some of these 'HD Remasters' are beneficial in terms of expanding a video game's presence to a growing world of gamers. There are some ports like DmC: Devil May Cry Remaster and Resident Evil Remastered (Remaster of the GameCube remake) which really have nothing to lose and everything to gain because both initially could not reach the expectations made due to fan backlash and console exclusivity. The Resident Evil Remaster of the 2002 Nintendo GameCube remake in particular deserves another chance to show how masterful the 2002 remake really is, because it is arguably the best Resident Evil game ever made, but due to console exclusivity; it was only available on the Nintendo GameCube which meant it sold under expectation and was a commercial failure, and while it apparently states on Wikipedia that Capcom sold 1.35 million copies, just imagine how much more copies would have been sold and how different the future of the Resident Evil series would have been if the 2002 remake was multi-platform. With any luck the HD Remastering of the 2012 remake of Resident Evil will validate my point and show Capcom what the future instalments of the main Resident Evil series should be based upon (even though it has been reported that Resident Evil 7 is still going to be more associated with 5 and 6 than earlier instalments... Crap...!).
That said; the HD Remaster of the 2002 remake of Resident Evil with its 'tank' controls and slow opening doors could be as much as a fad as the boasted popularity of vinyl records and ultimately prove nothing except how gullible gamers are for something considered retro and from the past. I would invest in the HD Remaster if it means Resident Evil Zero (0) gets the same treatment because personally I feel its really under rated and better than the later instalments. But I won't hold my breath because I am far too pessimistic, and more to the point I am already holding out for re-releases of some video games which I feel is as asinine as counting your fingers while crushed and splattered against the ground after falling from 200ft with a pack of six (6) grand pianos tethered to your back! Nonetheless I will list the video games that I think deserve a remake or a remaster:
- Dino Crisis Remake: Seriously how long has it been since a decent survival horror game with dinosaurs came out? The original was released in 1999, so its not out of the question to think that something might be done by 2019; 20 years after Dino Crisis was released.
- Blur Remake: Blur on the Xbox 360 and PS3 was an ambitious yet simple arcade style racer, blending Mario Kart mechanics with online social media. I'm no fan of social media, but the premises of an old fashioned racer with power-ups and real car licences is novel and would stand out today from the more serious racing simulation games like Forza Motorsport and Gran Turismo.
- Silent Hill 4: The Room Remaster: Seriously, can anyone explain why this wasn't included in the Silent Hill HD Collection? Silent Hill 4 may have been different, but it wasn't bad by any means and it provided plenty of its own unique psychological trauma like Room 302 becoming possessed and the giant floating face of Eileen staring at Henry. Out of all the Silent Hill games; Silent Hill 4 is my favourite and I think I am not the only one who thinks this way.
- Resident Evil Zero Remake: If the 2002 remake of Resident Evil can be so significantly enhanced over the PlayStation original, then a remake could reinvent Zero into a genuine survival experience with far more puzzle solving and distinctive attributes, advantages and disadvantages for Rebecca and Billy.
- Hogs Of War Reboot: Call me daft but Hogs of War was a load of fun, especially with multiple players. While it is a shame that Rik Mayall who did the voice-over work has passed away; a reboot could offer great multiplayer online and offline and more diversity in gameplay, weapons, characters and voice-overs. If the Worms series can exist in this age of gaming, adapt and still be fun; then why not give Hogs of War a chance to quench our lust for flaming hogs.
- Dino Crisis 3 Remake: I mentioned before my idea of reshaping the Dino Crisis series and transforming the underwhelming Dino Crisis 3 into something that actually fits in the same series and story.
- Final Fantasy X-3: I wanted a continuation and real finish to the beloved story and characters so badly, that I have a blog referring to my own idea of Final Fantasy X-3. Alas, seeing as how badly the Final Fantasy series has fallen from Grace of late thanks to some real idiotic s*** with the Final Fantasy XIII (13) series and incomplete rubbish that was originally Final Fantasy XIV (14); I think its best to withdraw from this hope and yet this dream lie before Squarer Enix ruins the X/X-2 story.
- WWE All-Stars 2: This can't be too hard to produce surely? Take WWE All-Stars and fix the problems that existed and put and implement a fresher roster. Its time once again for WWE games to loosen up and take a break from the realistic main series.
- Resident Evil 2 Remake: Fist (1st) off; while the Darkside Chronicles was a decent effort, a Resident Evil Remake inspired sequel would be interesting and prove that the old style of Resident Evil is better then the Gear of War style Resident Evil.
At the end of the day; the past is a double-edged sword for me, there's some great things including video games that I cherish to this day and will continue to do so in the future, but there is plenty of sombre badness too which no amount of fun or aversion can overcome. What we do when the past lingers within us or around us whether we like it or not in the present is up to us to decide. As with life; the past will be brought back into the present in some form or another regardless whether it is a person's memory, a form of media, or an entity that is significant. The fact is what is in the past teaches us while its what we do in the present defines us. Perhaps that's the purpose behind memories and the rediscoveries of significant items that have already happened. After all, what's the point in a future if you can't learn from the past and take the lessons and make yourself an opportunity in the present? For me; I choose to accept the way the world is as well as the things that matter to me whether they be good or bad past, present, and future.
Okay that's enough dawdling and morale s*** searching... I will draw this post to a close. I don't know what 'nonsense' I'll write about next month, but whatever the case, I will be back with more, so until next time, see ya!
