JDelekto: While I notice that there are some games made with Unity 4 that are being re-released with the "rebuild" of the Unity 5 engine (I assume for performance and updated graphics benefits), it makes me wonder exactly if any (much older) 3D games would benefit being ported to a new game engine.

While I understand the code would have to have been written in a way that new API calls to an engine could be "plugged in" (and I'm sure they are not all created with the same architecture), would it be feasible to port some of the older games to a new engine?

Sure, I imagine that all of the assets would need to be updated to take advantage of more colors, higher resolutions and faster bit-rates (for sound/music), but are there some games out there others would really like to see take advantage of the technologies offered today?

I would really like to see games like Ghost Recon, The Elder Scrolls: Arena, even Bioforge and the original Descent in their same exact game play (many others as well), but with much more eye candy. I tend to think some of the classics were great for their game in an of itself and while I don't mind the nostalgia of the graphics back in the day (which were cutting edge for their time), I wouldn't find it a bad thing if they were re-done without taking away the original "play" experience.

Does it sound like an odd thought or do the classic gaming purists think putting on a fresh coat of paint is heresy?

nightcraw1er.488: I don't think its as simple as that. The engines they used were custom built proprietary engines. You would need all the relevant licenses for all the subsystems, then you would need to redo both the 3d and 2d assets. Then you need people who understand those engines enough to port it to a new engine, and then sell it on a to a market which has moved on to the new thing.

I know, I like older games and like to see graphics updates and such, but I imagine a large percentage of the market is just focused on the next big thing, so would it be financially viable? Wth the unity updates, its the same engine, just changes to various parts to take care of new architecture.

JDelekto: I would really like to see games like Ghost Recon, The Elder Scrolls: Arena, even Bioforge and the original Descent in their same exact game play (many others as well), but with much more eye candy. I tend to think some of the classics were great for their game in an of itself and while I don't mind the nostalgia of the graphics back in the day (which were cutting edge for their time), I wouldn't find it a bad thing if they were re-done without taking away the original "play" experience.

Does it sound like an odd thought or do the classic gaming purists think putting on a fresh coat of paint is heresy?

rampancy: If you look around, a lot of games that have had their engine code open sourced or enjoyed a lot of modding attention have done almost exactly what you've talked about. If you're willing to put in the elbow grease, you can add all sorts of graphical enhancements to games like System Shock 2, Descent, Quake, Doom, Deus Ex, Duke Nukem 3D and Freespace; enhancements such as improved visual effects and rendering, 3D models, and high res textures.

JDelekto: OK, going to look around, that's pretty cool!

rampancy: Here are some places to check out: