10 Video Game Remakes That Butchered The Original

2. XIII

Grand Theft Auto Definitive Edition
Playmagic

Devising a solid remake of Ubisoft's XIII should be relatively easy since the 2003 cel-shaded shooter was far from perfect.

Although the comic book-inspired blaster excelled in art direction, voice-acting, music, and story, it was let down by its generic combat, unbalanced weapons, poor level design, and badly programmed AI. In fact, it's hard to think of another game that encapsulates the phrase "mixed bag" better.

But since XIII was teeming with potential, the bungled IP deserved another shot. So, when PlayMagic decided to have a crack at it 17 years after the original's release, it felt like the gaming community would get the XIII experience they should've received the first time around.

Instead, the remake took every aspect of its predecessor, good and bad, and made it significantly worse. The distinctive cel-shading of the original had been dialled down, giving everything a bland look. The sporadic frame-rate makes the simplest missions a Sisphyean slog. Due to the abundance of glitches and audio problems, the publisher and developers were compelled to issue an apology.

2003's XIII had its fair share of problems, but it was flawless compared to this abomination.

 
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James Egan has been with Whatculture for five years and prominently works on Horror, Film, and Video Games. He's written over 80 books including 1000 Facts about Horror Movies Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about The Greatest Films Ever Made Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about Video Games Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts About James Bond 1000 Facts About TV Shows