No WarCraft 1 & 2 Remasters Because They "Aren't That Fun Anymore"

[Gorrath]

I can understand why fans might want a remastered version of WC1-2, I just don't understand why they'd want to actually play them. Seriously, WC1 was about as bare bones as an RTS could get. I enjoyed WC2 as much as anyone back in the day, but much like trying to play so many old games out of nostalgia, I'd probably just see the shocking extent of how much this genre has improved over the years. I get why the fans want it and I get why Blizzard doesn't want to do it. Maybe the nostalgia would be enough for some to get into it and really give it a go but I don't think that'll be many people.

 

[DeepReaver]

To be honest they are missing a major opportunity for re-mastering, namely tying in their newly retconned lore to the whole through games people remember fondly. A re-mastered re-release would sell boatloads, and it is not like their RTS team is doing anything else anymore.

 

[Victim of Progress]

I'll join the camp of 'Warcraft 1 wasn't that great, so what's the point of remaking it'.

And besides, if you people want to play a Warcraft remake, why not play Warcraft 2000?

It's like Warcraft, but with 10 times the troops and nukes. Did I mention the game has NUKES?!

https://youtu.be/bEvE-oo2MxY?t=2m14s

It was made by the same guys who made the Cossacks games, and they actually tried to pitch it as a sequel!

 

[Aeshi]

I'll wholeheartedly agree with them for Warcraft 1, because to say that that game "aged poorly" is an understatement. Warcraft 2... somewhat less so.

 

[LTenhet]

Thats why you re-make them. Ya know, make them again, but better. I dont give a fuck about Warcraft, but Im sure the people who do, who were late to the party, might like to see the old games plots firsthand. Why not remake them, and use the chance to fill in the holes made by later additions?

...honestly, the plot of the first game makes no sense anyway, and has seen so many retcons over the decades that the only relation they have to the current storyline is in name alone. Hell, Warcraft 1's plot was literally 'You are humans/orcs, you go and kill Orcs/Humans, final level is blow up Blackrock Mountain/Stormwind'. They wouldn't so much be filling holes as just copy-pasting from a Wikipedia page on 'History of the First War' at this point.

As for remakes... ehhhh. It'd be much better to just do a GoG with 'em than spend THAT many resources rebuilding the things. Especially with Warcraft 1 - They'd be better off making a friggin' Warcraft 4 rather than try and bring that piece of garbage (note, I played it when it was new and it's what got me into Blizzard games) into a modern era. Really hard to remake a game that had no Voice acting, minimal animations, barebone gameplay, non-existant AI and an idiotic plot faithfully. Warcraft 2 maybe could fair better, but that's mainly because someone could probably slap all the War2 assets onto the Starcraft 1 engine and call it a day.

Sounds like a relative blank canvas to me. The lack of voice acting, animations, gameplay etc means there is little restrictions in what you do with it. Fewer people going to be mad if its different.

This is a Blizzard game we're talking about here - any change, no matter what, is going to make people mad. Hell, having fewer people to make mad is going to retroactively make more people mad. Don't ask how, I didn't make the rules, it's just how this shit works when it comes to Blizzard games.

This is Blizzard we're talking here. Any change, no matter what, will still get legions of people eating it up.

The first games plot was entirely adlibbed by the Narrator if I recall correctly. While interesting because of that, the way the background has updated so much I'm pretty sure all the WoW people who would want to play it would expect it to be up to date with their lore if it were remade.

Also as an aside; I miss oldschool Strategy games, I hate an RTS that lasts 10 minutes, I want my multiplayer game to last 6 hours!

 

[Saelune]

Thats why you re-make them. Ya know, make them again, but better. I dont give a fuck about Warcraft, but Im sure the people who do, who were late to the party, might like to see the old games plots firsthand. Why not remake them, and use the chance to fill in the holes made by later additions?

...honestly, the plot of the first game makes no sense anyway, and has seen so many retcons over the decades that the only relation they have to the current storyline is in name alone. Hell, Warcraft 1's plot was literally 'You are humans/orcs, you go and kill Orcs/Humans, final level is blow up Blackrock Mountain/Stormwind'. They wouldn't so much be filling holes as just copy-pasting from a Wikipedia page on 'History of the First War' at this point.

As for remakes... ehhhh. It'd be much better to just do a GoG with 'em than spend THAT many resources rebuilding the things. Especially with Warcraft 1 - They'd be better off making a friggin' Warcraft 4 rather than try and bring that piece of garbage (note, I played it when it was new and it's what got me into Blizzard games) into a modern era. Really hard to remake a game that had no Voice acting, minimal animations, barebone gameplay, non-existant AI and an idiotic plot faithfully. Warcraft 2 maybe could fair better, but that's mainly because someone could probably slap all the War2 assets onto the Starcraft 1 engine and call it a day.

Sounds like a relative blank canvas to me. The lack of voice acting, animations, gameplay etc means there is little restrictions in what you do with it. Fewer people going to be mad if its different.

This is a Blizzard game we're talking about here - any change, no matter what, is going to make people mad. Hell, having fewer people to make mad is going to retroactively make more people mad. Don't ask how, I didn't make the rules, it's just how this shit works when it comes to Blizzard games.

This is Blizzard we're talking here. Any change, no matter what, will still get legions of people eating it up.

The first games plot was entirely adlibbed by the Narrator if I recall correctly. While interesting because of that, the way the background has updated so much I'm pretty sure all the WoW people who would want to play it would expect it to be up to date with their lore if it were remade.

Also as an aside; I miss oldschool Strategy games, I hate an RTS that lasts 10 minutes, I want my multiplayer game to last 6 hours!

I basically just think a game that is a Warcraft game that retells an updated version of 1's plot would be welcomed. I dont care for Warcraft, but if I did, Id be super excited if such a game came out.

One of the neat things about 2011's Mortal Kombat was getting a better telling (until the divergence) of MK1,2 and 3's plot, such as characters like Nightwolf being present during the events of MK1, and pre-Cyborg Cyrax and Sektor.

I dont think just making an HD version of Warcraft 1 is a good idea though, but also as someone who values preserving games, just selling it, updated to work on modern PCs would also be appreciated by those who can stand the old gameplay.

Edit: The people saying "It sucks now, DONT remake it" I say if it sucks now, DEFINATLY Remake it. Its when the old game is still good, that you shouldnt waste your time.

 

[Hawki]

The first games plot was entirely adlibbed by the Narrator if I recall correctly.

Yep, pretty much. It's rather telling in the human campaign. For instance, Medivh - one of the major figures in Warcraft lore. In the human campaign, you're given a mission where you have to kill him, as he's threatening the land with some spell. In the campaign, Medivh has never been mentioned up to this point, and will never be mentioned after this point either. It's a "we need an installation mission, throw together an excuse." There is the manual admittedly, but, well, yeah.

Anyway, looking at the comments, still inclined to agree with a lot of them. I can understand a reluctance to remake Warcraft I (heck, the game has probably already been made in mods with better gameplay), but if only for posterity, I'd love a digital download option.

 

[flying_whimsy]

Replace the 'fun' with 'profitable' and I suspect we'd be closer to the truth there.

Also, if they were going to remaster or remake them, they should have done it for the release of the movie. Considering that's where the movie story came from they sure missed that opportunity, especially since they could have followed up with a hard hitting WoW update or wc4 to really capitalize on all that press and momentum. I actually wanted to go back and play the original and wc2 after I saw the movie, but they are hard to come by without a skull flag and an eyepatch.

Kind of a shame they seem to be squandering their ips these days. It's almost as bad as valve and their damn hats.

 

[Transdude1996]

Replace the 'fun' with 'profitable' and I suspect we'd be closer to the truth there.

Also, if they were going to remaster or remake them, they should have done it for the release of the movie. Considering that's where the movie story came from they sure missed that opportunity, especially since they could have followed up with a hard hitting WoW update or wc4 to really capitalize on all that press and momentum. I actually wanted to go back and play the original and wc2 after I saw the movie, but they are hard to come by without a skull flag and an eyepatch.

Kind of a shame they seem to be squandering their ips these days. It's almost as bad as valve and their damn hats.

You can pick them up for $25 on Amazon ($65 for both and W2's expansion pack). But, that does bring up another discussion.

 

[KingsGambit_v1legacy]

WoW's success is the reason we can't have Warcraft IV. While it's obviously fine for MMO players and of course, Blizzard's bank balance, I lament that one of the best RTSs ever will never be iterated on.

 

[Salrynn]

My opinion may be a tad... bleeggh.

But if people want it, then... well... can't stop them. I mean, modding does exist and such. If they wanted it to be all fancified and such, people could mod it.

Mods are getting done nowadays, there was even one made for SCII to make it all cartoony and cute, I fell head over heels for it's cuteness xD

 

[Neverhoodian]

I don't necessarily disagree with the assertion that they haven't aged well. That said, if Blizzard has no intention of commercially re-releasing the games then can they at least make them legally available for free download? Games are art after all, and every effort should be made to preserve art. If Bethesda and EA could do it with The Elder Scrolls and C&C respectively, surely Blizzard can do the same?

 

[MHR]

I remember my father playing Warcraft 1 when I was like 6. The most memorable moments were tiny little skirmishes with a couple crappy looking footmen against some weirdo crappy lookin orkies, and they swiped at each other, and all the town management was road building. And then to really mix it up, some scorpions came. There are hundreds of games that aren't even in the RTS genre that are better than Orcs and Humans.

Warcraft 2 was decent and had a decent story, but still. It's mechanically dull. I dare cringe and say even Halo Wars is a more engaging RTS.

War 3 remastered or even growing some balls and making Warcraft 4 would have been nice.

 

[Thaluikhain]

Yep, pretty much. It's rather telling in the human campaign. For instance, Medivh - one of the major figures in Warcraft lore. In the human campaign, you're given a mission where you have to kill him, as he's threatening the land with some spell. In the campaign, Medivh has never been mentioned up to this point, and will never be mentioned after this point either. It's a "we need an installation mission, throw together an excuse." There is the manual admittedly, but, well, yeah.

Medivh was quite a big deal in the manual, though, and manuals were more important back then.

Now, Blackhand's daughter running off with Turok the ogre, and how ogres came from the place the orcs did and why they are friendly with slimes...what's with that?

 

[Barbas]

Well, surely your players should be the judge of that. Granted, you'd probably have to redesign the interface at least, but if there is sufficient demand for a remaster from your players then I don't see what you have to lose.