The announcement of Darksiders II: Definitive Edition coming to PlayStation 4 later this year got Kotaku wondering if weāre seeing way more direct ports this generation. While it sure feels that way, Iāve compiled a list of them from last generation, and it doesnāt seem all that different!
I came up with a couple of rules to help put this list together. They are as follows:
The ports in question are from the previous generation to the current generation. That disqualifies games like DuckTales, for example, since weāre talking NES to modern times.
It had to be released in the US at retail shops. Otherwise, we end up with a bunch of games, especially indie titles, simply being released on a new platform ā i.e. Fez on PS4.
Here we go.
Last Generation (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii)
Interestingly enough, the re-release phenomenon takes a few years to get going, and for a while, the most prolific company was Nintendo. When the Wii was taking off, the platform was starved for new software. Since the GameCube didnāt sell nearly as well as the Wii, Nintendo started porting some of its GameCube releases to Wii. Why didnāt we get Super Mario Sunshine? Sigh.
Soon enough, though, Nintendo passed the baton to Sony, who would quickly embrace the remastering philosophy as the years between the PS2 and PS2 continued to expand. Iām not sure anyoneās upset Sony finally decided to give Shadow of the Colossus a decent frame rate.
Even though we have Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Wii U in our lives now, companies havenāt forgotten about these platforms, which is why some re-releases are still coming out in 2015.
2007:
Ninja Gaiden Sigma
2008:
Bully: Scholarship Edition
Donkey Kong Jungle Beat
2009:
Chibi-Robo!
The Chronicles of Roddick: Escape From Butcher Bay
Mario Power Tennis
Metroid Prime Trilogy
Pikmin
Pikmin 2
2010:
Medal of Honor: Frontline HD
No More Heroes: Heroesā Paradise
Prince of Persia Trilogy
The Sly Collection
2011:
Beyond Good & Evil HD
God of War Collection
God of War: Origins Collection
Halo: Combat Evolved
The Ico & Shadow of the Colossus Collection
Metal Gear Solid HD Collection
Oddworld: Strangerās Wrath HD
Tekken Hybrid
Tom Clancyās Splinter Cell Trilogy
The Tomb Raider Trilogy
2012:
Devil May Cry: HD Collection
Dragon Ball Z Budokai HD Collection
Doom 3 BFG Edition
Jak & Daxter Collection
Killzone HD
Okami HD
Ratchet & Clank Collection
Silent Hill HD Collection
Tony Hawkās Pro Skater HD
Under Defeat HD
Zone of the Enders HD Collection
2013:
Hitman HD Trilogy
Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix
Ratchet: Deadlocked HD
2014:
Cel Damage HD
Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster
Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Remix
Tales of Symphonia Chronicles
2015:
Resident Evil HD Remaster
Current Generation (Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Wii U)
Since weāre in the early years of this hardware cycle, weāre likely to see more re-releases in the future. Itās fair to say, however, publishers have been much faster with ādefinitiveā editions this time around, a likely byproduct of the formula being a success a few years into last generation.
Then again, weāre also looking at a generation in which two of the three major consoles have zero backwards compatibility with the previous hardware set. Xbox 360 games wonāt play on Xbox One, and PlayStation 3 games wonāt boot on PlayStation 4. Microsoft and Sony calculated they could leave the last generation behind, which no doubt has encouraged more re-releases.
By my count, we can look forward to, at least, nine more re-releases in 2015.
Anything with an asterisk (*) next to it is announced but has not yet been released.
2013:
Injustice: Gods Among Us Ultimate Edition
2014
Diablo III: Ultimate Evil Edition
Grand Theft Auto V
Halo 4 (Halo: The Master Chief Collection)
The Last of Us: Remastered
Metro: Redux
Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition
The Walking Dead: Season One
The Wolf Among Us: Season One
Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition
2015
Borderlands Remastered*
Darksiders II*
Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin*
Dead or Alive 5: Last Round*
DmC: Definitive Edition*
Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition*
Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster*
Saints Row IV: Re-Elected
Tearaway Unfolded*
I might have missed a game or two, so let me know in the comments. Iāll make sure to update the post as Iām able to verify what slipped through the cracks. Double-check the rules above!
In the meantime, Iāll patiently wait for Red Dead Redemption HDā¦
You can reach the author of this post at [emailĀ protected] or on Twitter at @patrickklepek
