Sorry, when some random asshole on the internet lazily resorts to overanalyzing a game 15+ years after its release for some click-bait, all of your memories instantly become invalidated.
I agree with you for the most part, I suppose I just feel that when the budgets and team sizes are within reason, remastered titles aren't nearly as damaging a trend as the money pits(tacked-on MP, mainstreaming niche titles, unnecessary MMO's) of the last gen.
Publishers will always try to maximize the potential of their investments and expand upon increasingly slim profit margins one way or another, so considering all of the obnoxious ways they've attempted to do so over the last few years, I would rather deal with easily avoidable re-released content than a proliferation of dissected content in future releases.
While I do agree the prices should come down a bit, I don't believe a remastered version of PS3 game released within the last couple years should be considered in the same boat as a HD compilation of ten year old PS2 games.
The five year, three game ride leading up to it had fan expectations and emotions so high that such a disappointing lapse in quality at the 'worst' possible time was bound to lead that kind of drama and legacy. Fair or not, a choke at the finish line tends to overshadow the journey leading there.
I'm actually more disappointed when a game is knowingly announced too early, bringing about delays that many of the publishers/developers involved knew were inevitable. Some delays are due to unforeseen circumstances, others are a result of the hype train getting started sooner than necessary.
Contrary to whatever Square Enix was thinking heading into FF XIII, visually overproduced corridor RPGs are a direct path to irrelevance.
When your games typically have engrossing game design to go along with art direction that is head and shoulders above many of its genres recent releases, there's no real reason to force them to be graphical showcases.
Based on your feelings for those titles, I honestly think you'd be better off with sticking to Let's Plays or even other mediums for the horror genre. If for example you generally lack the patience and attention span to endure various game designs and mechanics used to purvey a sense of helplessness, something which is essential to the genre, then there's really not much of a point in bothering.
Comparing that in which is essential to the basic functionality of the hardware to an outside connection enabling optional add-on features is an apt comparison, said no logical person ever.
When you put your hand out for that kind of money you open yourself to a higher level of scrutiny, and deservedly so. While I agree those who feel they got their money's worth out of Ground Zeroes should be allowed to enjoy it for what it is, those who forked over $20-30 and were left more than a little let down have every bit the right to question what it 'should' have been.
In my opinion, it would benefit the series far more to debate Konami's approach going...
Oh, you haven't heard the last few years? Reasonable expectations of appropriate quality and content in relation to the price are brushed off as typical gamer "self-entitlement" now. How dare any paying consumer having standards for what they're being expected to pay for and support. /s
With any hope those hideous red greatest hits cases are next in line for a change.
It's unfortunate that the idea of a consumer actually controlling access to their purchases is now considered something from the 'stone age' by so many.
Anyways, beyond just the world's internet infrastructure, clumsy DRM and the death of net neutrality will have a major impact on how long consoles will have a place. Added fees and crushing bandwidth caps could also derail the possibility of an all-digital game industry from being anytime soon.
Likewise, I hope you made your console choice based on recent track records and prospects over the next few years and not on the small three month launch window that's hardly a proper indicator.
I'm glad to see your still going strong with your reviews and podcasts. As far as GS, my time has pretty much come to an end over there, it's a worsening mess that I have simply lost patience with.
Interesting commentary as usual, can't say I disagree much at all with what you felt defined 2013 in gaming.
Critics can say what they will about the campaign, but between R2's online co-op missions and intense 60 player competitive matches, it was one of my favorite online experiences of the last console generation.
Trust me, he's completely aware of his bandwagoning on the latest manufactured controversy. It's all a part of the same old predictable cycle that game sites like this help propagate.