There's been a recent topic about sequels that changed everything, as well as a recent topic about the release of a new Ys game, which appears to be a remake of an older one, so I figure I would post this topic. Some examples that I am aware of:

Ys: The Oath in Felghanna: The change from side-scrolling 2D to 3D isn't the only change; the mechanics were changed completely. The rings from the original (which could have various passive effects, including healing and invincibility, but used up ring energy) are gone, and instead you have bracelets that produce active offensive and movement effects. Also, the change from save anywhere to save only at savepoints.

Sword of Mana: Supposedly a remake of Final Fantasy Adventure, but changed drastically. Again, change from save anywhere to save at savepoints, but also a completely different magic system, the fact that the playable character you don't choose now has full stats (in toe original, your companion was uncontrollable but invincible), and many other changes. If you play as the boy (which was the only option in the original), the airship dungeon is apparently short and trivial; it was not in the original.

SaGa 3 DS: The original differed from other games in the SaGa series in that it had levels and experience points (standard RPG elements, but not in this one). The remake got rid of them, and changed the game mechanics completely, adding things like weapon (and spellbook) durability (but throwing out MP), and changing the way various races work (though the ability to transform into a different race via meat/parts is retained).

Any others that you can think of?

The not yet released Final Fantasy VII remake. Resident Evil 2, Tomb Raider Anniversary edition was pretty different from the original.

Final Fantasy 4 DS. For the worse. The DS absolutely bit-crushed the poly resolution, several obtuse mechanics were added, and they cranked up the difficulty by several notches. Later releases fixed the graphical issues, but I think I'd be more interested in the PSP version myself.

Later releases of Final Fantasy 1: Replacing the traditional prepared spells idea with traditional MP along with fixing most of the bugs would probably count.

The Avernum Remales (pick): From reducing the entire spellbook from two pages down to a grid of around 22 spells with multiple levels, to redoing the stat system twice, changing the inventory system, the entire graphical scale and tile set, and many other changes, it rather boggles the mind how Jeff keeps this going.

Colonization > Colonization (Civ IV): The way the entire game functions is for a simple word, entirely different. The management aspect is familiar, but almost entirely unlike how it was before.

Myst to Realmyst doesn't quite count.

This thread.

So another jRpg thread...


You should really try out alchohol or drugs or going outside :ox

Nazi Germany.

EDIT: I think this is a good thread and I apologise for interjecting stupid stuff for the purposes of black humour.

Wouldn't that start more with assiassination of arch duke fredinand and the build up thereof and before?

I can't think of any remakes that would be worth that much.

A possible exception could be Leisure Suit Larry, as that game and the series that followed was more notable than Softporn Adventure was. Whether this was because the remake was so brilliant, or whether it was simply a graphics vs. no graphics issue can be debated.