Look what they've done to my KOTOR...

 I don't believe it

It's all over.

 The Dark Side wins...

Aspyr really dropped the ball

It hurts to watch

I have to admit that the rise of Remakes in this modern age of trends has certainly spoken more to me than I'm comfortable admitting. I mean come on: Metal Gear Solid 3 and Knights of the Old Republic? My number 1 and 2 most favourite games of all time? Who could have ever predicted such a wild turn of events? Certainly not I, I'll tell you that one for free. And god was I excited about KOTOR when that remake was announced! Even knowing that the thing would be coming to the Playstation consoles first, just the promise of seeing a job as loving as the Final Fantasy VII remake visited upon my beloved standalone Star Wars adventure- oh, it just gave me chills to think about! And rumour has it that KOTOR II was being primed for a follow up remake soon after- presumably followed by a KOTOR 3 that would do away with the horrible butchering of Revan that The Old Republic perpetrated! Ecstatic didn't even being to describe my feverish state.

Which is why I took it so damn hard when the game vanished from everyone's radar and become a ghost. Even knowing what the portents held, I'm no rube afterall; it still hurt to hear the news that Aspyr dropped the project to another developer. Unofficial news, of course; because keeping customers in the loop is an absolute forbidden sin. Since then we've heard a little more speculation to fill the massive void of actually confirmed information out there. Now it's said that Playstation killed off the project even whilst Lucas Films was impressed, simply because they didn't think the game was cinematic enough, and thus did not fit their first party mandate. Clearly they got the same visions of that this game could be that I did after playing FFVII! Still, at least the Remake wouldn't go and get itself cancelled entirely whilst someone else works on it... even if they'll be working from scratch... and they still have nothing to show for their work... we're never getting this remake, are we?

KOTOR Remake really was going to be Aspyr's big chance to show off what they were capable of, and I'd imagine it was going to be the staging ground for a massive growth for the company too. Still, at least they could frolic in their current mantle as the fair harbingers of the Star Wars games of old. High quality ports and support when no one else could be bothered to- heck, they even promised to bring the massively popular fan mod for KOTOR 2, the Restored Content Patch, into their Switch port for free! A massive win for the modding community and a quiet prayer for all those excited Switch players who have no idea how painfully unbalanced that mod becomes in it's most ramshackle twilight hours. That finale is an utter mess as this mod tries to cram every half-finished idea that Obsidian ever had in there. Still that was going to be a new experience for those fans to enjoy!

And they screwed that up too. This one really did shock the heck out of me, because as with a great many other pundits and onlookers out there, it makes no logical sense. Everyone knew the devs were having some trouble from the way they missed the set deadline for the DLC and gave no updates on new prospective dates; radio silence is maintained for only the most difficult scenarios. But now they've turned around and declared the DLC officially cancelled and shrugged their shoulder about the whole affair. If I'm to guess, I'm assuming they ran into the CTD problem on Dxun and just gave up like I nearly did over three straight days of frustrated trouble shooting. It's literally one missing file guys, just verify the cache a few times, it'll work out!

Here's the thing, as much as I really desperately wanted a remake of KOTOR; that wasn't all I was excited for when that product was announced. I was most excited that Aspyr was getting a chance to solidify itself as a serious game developer after years of picking up the slack for lacklustre Star Wars game maintenance on behalf of Disney and EA. Aspyr were about to be rocketed into the leagues of a AAA developer with that KOTOR project, and a new fresh faced high quality developer who specialises in Star Wars products and, in this instance, RPGs... man, it was crushing to seem them stripped of the project. No one outside of the studio wanted them to succeed as much as I did, and every misfortune from here on out feels like a further rubbing of the wound.

The general sentiment around Aspyr is that of indignation and anger; people are rightly upset about this breech of trust and more so about Aspyr's attempt to correct the situation by offering access to one of their other Star Wars ports for free, all of which are cheap games that most of these fans probably already own. Personally I just feel bad for Aspyr. Clearly they most have been effected pretty badly once the project of a lifetime was forcibly ripped from their hands and if the company can't even manage to get this DLC out for KOTOR 2, I see that as confirmation that something seriously bad must be going on behind closed doors. It's not as though working on that DLC was a herculean undertaking for any decent staffed studio, which leads me to believe Aspyr might be facing something of a crisis of staff and capability.

Star Wars has really let the ball down in it's gaming division ever since Disney seized control of the reigns, and for a time it seemed like Aspyr was the only champion for us old school fans who just wanted to see life out of their favourite franchise in the gaming space. Even before I knew their name I'd hear about patches coming to years old games and smile about the fact that someone out there cared enough, someone out here was in the game for the right reason- to facilitate a great experience for the player. I won't dogpile on Aspyr, not when I can send out my heartfelt wishes that they whether their difficulties and build themselves back up so theirs is a name that the Star Wars franchise can still count on in the future. Maybe not as the saviours who revived KOTOR, like they wished- but as the museum curators who manage pristine exhibits.

Pulling from the past

 Burn the past.

We've touched on this before, but given the increasing success of remakes over the brand newly conceptualised titles of the current year, I can't help but ponder the idea of remakes and their place within the world of modern gaming more and more. I mean just look at the past few AAA titles to come out: Jedi Survivor, Hogwarts Legacy, Redfall- all terribly broken and buggy at launch, a few broken far beyond repair. (But still those developers want to try and stick with it, because people don't know when to put down a lame horse anymore I guess.) And then look at the AAA titles that were remakes which launched around about the same time. Resident Evil 4, Dead Space- fantastically reviewed, beloved titles that few people have anything substantively bad to report about. And yes, The Last of Us Part 1 has it's place in there, shill cash grab of a remake that was, but right now it's the exception rather than the rule.

Given recent empirical data it would seem we've rubbed up against that wall of compounding development teams and costs- where the vast ambition of the final products simply can't be met within development windows. Of course, Redfall had something else clearly going on that we've yet to uncover as a community, but for the most part the issues are bare and obvious; games can only feasibly get so big without it reflecting badly against the typical time to develop. Just as how big high-CGI Marvel movies simply can't be pushed out in such close proximity as they have been over the past two years without crimes against visual design coming out the pipe-line, giant games can't be cobbled together to working order in that old 2-3 year cycle that our industry loves to tout. Especially not in the present when every other game and it's mother wants to be the new 'biggest game ever'.

Whatever happened to nailing a simple premise for all to love in some small degree? Picking a niche, taking an idea, and expanding on that to it's core-most ideal- providing some small experience unlike anything else available to the masses? No, now we have to make everything a grand open world sweeping adventure that shoots it's players giant fully-developed narratives, side games, meta games and an online competitive scene. Every new game has to be the 'next generation of open world games', so giant it will swallow up your entire life and leave you a gasping husk of an empty human, totally devoid of any personal thought and drive. Which is... I mean is that a good thing? Yeah... yeah I'm sure that's the natural endgame everyone yearns for. We all want that GTA Online money, right? The money to literally buy our own Cayman island and live away from society for the rest of our natural lives. Not that the developers would ever that kind of money even if they could make those sorts of games.

So instead of focusing on the big new releases and their unrestrained ambition, we can instead look inwards to the influences of those games. The incredible confined yet polished stories that inspired the developers of today back when they had free time and hopes for the future, to pursue game design themselves that they one day might create something as special with their own hands to inspire a new generation some day. Resident Evil 4 revolutionised it's franchise and third person action games, so let's get back to that. Dead Space refreshed the horror scene with a new almost lovecraftian-meets-body-horror take. (Lovecraft actually is a bit body horror on it's own, now I think about it.) And if we're to take the rumours and 'leaks' of the past few weeks, this trend is only going to extend in the years to come as what was old is destined to become new again.

The most obvious example to pull from would be Persona 3 and it's long rumoured and recently leaked remake which is being worked on at ATLUS. (Allegedly.) Using the meteoric momentum built up by the explosion of the Persona franchise in popularity and funnelling it towards a game that many of the die hard fans still consider to be an unsung masterpiece. Using a story framework that exists, developing within that constraint and punching up everything around it to a mouth watering degree- the winning formula of all these recent remakes. Of course, I would personally also push for some narrative rewrites and reworks to incorporate some of the elements that weren't so well explored in the original, as well as a total restructuring of all Social Links to not be quite so... limiting. But it's a product with a pre-existing fanbase and a perceived quality attributed to it- you won't see remakes of failed games to try and fix what was broken, but retreads to capture that post glory and share it out for the crowd. 

Just as what would be the case with Knights of the Old Republic, if that remake ever ends up actually being made. A game that already had a smaller audience than your typical Star Wars fare simply by warrant of it being an RPG in the vein of DnD; but which has a place of honour for how it retold and remixed a familiar Star Wars narrative formula and played on audience expectation in a way they didn't anticipate. To this day fans yearn for a day when KOTOR could be reintroduced back into the canon, with all of it's fan favourite characters and lore tidbits largely intact; and that's the promise that this remake would have provided. More than a proposed adaptation either in film or movie; a remake would have been the perfect way to bring back what fans loved whilst heralding the modern world of Star Wars who had only heard of this apex of creation into picking up the, presumably decently more accessible this time around, port.

And now, I can say this with a bit of excitement once again, there's the Metal Gear Solid 3 Remake. Yes, apparently it's actually happening this time around, no take-backsies, for real-reals. After Konami demonstrated how pathetically incapable they are at carrying on the Metal Gear franchise by themselves, and to even hold their own in  a market that roundly hates them, remaking MGS3 is kind of like a last ditch attempt to score nostalgia points. Using the masterful work of Kojima for their advantage and almost certainly without his involvement overseeing it all. But by god is it a good choice. Even as a cynical ploy I can't help it- MGS 3 is literally my favourite game of all- I have to get excited about this. Even knowing I'm being manipulated, there's not a damn thing I can do about and that irks me to absolutely no end.

We can see the strings of what a Remake does to us, but what I find just fascinating is the way it lays the bodywork for the best games of this generation. As if the sheer over-ambition of modern games is what scuppers them, and by following a simpler framework from a more sensible time, new games can be created to that impeccable standard the AAA market has established for itself. What was starting to become a begrudging reality of the industry is steadily becoming it's sole saviour, and I for one welcome our new remake overlords as long as they don't start getting lazy with it- oh wait, the Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters just dropped with their boring unified UI design and ugly text proportions- well there goes the new standard!

The world is over: Knights of the Old Republic Remake has been delayed

 I'm typing up my epitaph now

That's it boys, I'm on the way out. There's no recovering from a blow this devastating and I might as well lay myself down to rest right now because I ain't making it to the new year. How could one be so cruel, so abjectly vindictive, to tease one of the single most glorious morels of meat ever cooked in the lapping flames of Hephaestus' open-flame grill, only to snatch it away and chuck it to the dogs? What gives you the right, to toss around the name of divinity like that; you think yourself some sort of god? Well even the gods suffer from shunning; and right now I can't even look as Aspyr Entertainment after they've all but effectively cancelled (Delayed indefinitely, to be precise) The Knights of the Old Republic Remake. Literally the one shining gem in the coming Star Wars Line-up; set ablaze and burnt to ash before our very eyes without so much as a public acknowledgement. (They could've told us something about the vastly shifting state of this immensely exciting game's developmental status, jeez.)

I, like many basement dwelling freaks out there, lost every last sensible neuron in my head casing when the KOTOR Remake was announced. Yes, it was a PlayStation exclusive, the single most annoying phrase that dogs me these days, but to know that someone out there realised the potential for reviving one of the most incredible Star Wars stories of all time, and the reverence of that original game did not just exist within my head like it sometimes feels, was vindicating. It was liberating. And when you looked to that shining subtitle, 'Remake', it was easy to see flashes of 'Final Fantasy VII', Resident Evil 2, or The Last of- no wait, that remake is kind of just a disguised remaster. And a bit of a cash grab. (If it wasn't true, why would the devs get so worked up about it instead of waiting for the product to speak for itself? Because they don't want to be looked on as grifting street artists!) But perhaps it was the very ambition behind the studio, and the expectation of the audience, which doomed the last thing worth enduring this twisted, hellish, thing we call 'existence' for.

Though details have been kept obscenely close to oblivion ever since announcing, Jason Schrier recently descended upon this project with his investigating talons and you know what that means. A. That the reporting is very likely to be extremely accurate and B. it's going to be sucky news. I don't think I've ever seen Jason's name in the byline of a story that made me pumped and excited for the future of gaming, he's like the cloaked Reaper of hope; not the unstoppable force of nature that causes the misfortune but the grim portent of sorrow that bears it's message. And the other day that message was of the various developmental woes, and now somewhat lack of development altogether, that has struck one of gaming's most anticipated projects. It's one of those articles that strikes at the throat, quickens the breath, turns the leg to jelly; it's the bell's first toll.

As the story goes, by the time we had the pleasure of enjoying that reveal trailer, this game hadn't just left the pitching office like is the case with a lot of these sparse fan-appeal projects nowadays. In fact it had apparently been worked on for near to three years before that point, and who knows how much of that was actual active development. (And we do have some ancillary evidence for that from at least one developer who was told his own pitch for a KOTOR project was turned down previously to that announcement because this was in development at the time.) What new sources are saying, however, is that the prospective release of this game was originally slated to be Christmas 2022; and it wasn't until an early demo built for showcase that caused Aspyr's internal teams to realise that was absolutely not going to happen and they'd bitten off far more than they can chew.

Though Lucasfilm and the other interested parties were reportedly impressed with the demo, internally there was some threating about how far along, or rather how not-so far, the demo was. There's little point speculating about the contents as with every vapourware project we merely need to wait a tenyear and the damn thing will be leaked out to the public, but personally I'm guessing it was flashy but substance light. At a guess. Either way, not long after their positive outside opinions, senior staff starting rolling down the chopping block with more than a little off the top. The art director and design director are just gone, without a second word; and Aspyr are currently eyeing up other contracts it can accept in order to keep itself busy in the meantime between now and KOTOR being anything near ready. Which sort of paints a dire picture, does it not?

Estimations, and as far as I can tell these are incidental estimations not some sort of official assessment of ability and workload, is that KOTOR is more likely to arrive come 2025. Which is... gah! What in the bloody hells are they even making over there, huh? Is this a remake or have they gone Tetsuya Nomura and decided to turn one game into a trilogy that loosely follows the cliffnotes of the original but is really veering off to tell their own story? We already know they were going 'action game' with it, but this is making me think that they haven't done the FF7R route and tried to translate the gameplay of the original into a new genre with references and move-set windows, but they've literally started from utter scratch and determined themselves to making something far beyond their studio scope. I mean, isn't this the first game they've made entirely from scratch? With everything else being ports? Maybe this whole idea was a bad one from the offshoot.

Which leaves us in a damnable stalemate. KOTOR is suffering a six year development cycle if it's lucky, which is the absolute calling card of disaster projects the world over, FF7R is a rare exception. Aspyr are struggling for other contracts to keep this main one going, which will in turn slow down the development of that remake. The triumphant return of The Old Republic to official Star Wars canon has been kicked back another few years. Everything is pretty much just completely terrible and the stars weep black gunk to wash this land in a sea of awful. I wish I could tell you that this was heartbreaking, but I honestly can't feel enough of my own emotions to be able to tell if I'm affected by this news. Almost as though I knew something was going to go wrong ages ago and subconsciously mourned for it until there was nothing left but bitter sardony. Either that or I'm having a stroke. Hopefully the latter.

So is KOTOR cancelled? No, it's not cancelled. But it is delayed indefinitely which is the signature move of the 'troubled product' uppercut. You may call me a doom and gloomer to write off the project so quickly the second we learn anything at all is not going to plan; but an 'indefinite delayal' is just some week of lost work. That's a total restructuring of an intricately designed development schedule to say "Actually, we have no idea how we're going to put this together and may be totally out of our skill range here." Why do you think dev teams stomp their feet down about even the most tiny delay? A whole working machine of moving parts requires everyone to chase to clock and hit their marks. Missing it by a little is a nuisance. Throwing in the script and saying "I give up on deadlines altogether" would be enough to shake anyone's confidence in the integrity of this project. Seems like Vampire The Masqeurade: Bloodlines 2 is going to need to shift over to make some room down in development hell.

Knights of the Old Republic Remake

 The Force can do terrible things to a mind

So I ain't above admitting I got a little teary-eyed when I saw this, and maybe I was partaking in a bit of silent screaming too, (The showcase was at night over here) but can you blame me when this was the bounty of the night? Again, after a year of meh showcases I had no interest in another and skipped Sony's offerings, only to end up missing what is pretty solidly the best overall showcase event of the year. Ain't that just the biggest kick to the nads? And best of all, pretty much everyone came away with their "wow" moment. The single game which drowned out all the others and stuck with them in their dreams. It just so happened that the game which achieved all of this for me, was the game which the show kicked off with. Show all the cool new sequels and side projects you want, Insomniac, because Aspyr media won me over the second they showed off my main man, the one and only, Darth Revan. It's Star Wars time, baby; and we're going back to the heyday.

You have to understand how big this reveal was for me. Knights of the Old Republic is my third favourite game of all time, a literal masterpiece that I worship as such, the only news that could have struck me harder would have been another Bioshock game or a Metal Gear Solid 3 remake. Even with the endless rumours, which I suppose are now confirmed leaks in hindsight, detailing the existence of this project; a large part of me didn't believe. Or maybe I just didn't want to believe, because part of me loved the old games as they were and sees any attempt to 'remake' them as an attempt to fix what isn't broken. Maybe that pessimism will return again some day, and mar my feelings towards this remake, but it hasn't happened yet and I'm just giddy. Giddy, and shocked, and excited, and indignant. All these shades of anticipation grip me at once and it's doing a number on me, let me tell you! I don't even know how I'm finding the calm to sit down and write this. How are my fingers finding the right keys without shaking? (With trouble. I'll say that much)

And whatsmore this is a remake, not a remaster. Originally there was speculation on this front, considering Aspyr were responsible for a remastering of Kotor 2, it would make sense for them to turn their talents on the original; but I suppose with a prize this vibrant to hand, the prize of the greatest Star Wars game ever made, the team couldn't contain themselves with anything less than the whole hog. (I don't rightly blame them.) This is going to be a proper game, worthy of standing tall in the modern age of gaming. A tall undertaking, and one that just sends shivers up my spine to so much as consider. And yet, I hope that Aspyr are acutely aware of the precedent they've set themselves to follow by going this route. PlayStation has been home to some of the greatest remakes of all time, such as the gorgeous Demon Souls, and the genre bending Final Fantasy VII. Does Aspyr have what it takes to adapt and evolve content as well as those other titles could? I suppose this will be their proving.

If only we were respected enough to have a trailer, like a proper trailer, but instead we have to deal with a teaser somehow even more insubstantial than FF7R's original reveal. (At least in that footage we got to see a classic scene from the original remade) In fact, if we break down the actual marketing material itself, then what we got is literally no better than the model showcase videos that Unreal Cinema put out on Youtube for their upcoming serialisation of the game. (I assume that's still happening and hasn't been hit with a cease and desist. That would suck if it was.) In fact, if I really want to be nitpicky, I might point out that the trailer missed a genuine opportunity to sing to the fans even in it's stark presentation. What we got was a hooded figure who lights a red Lightsaber and then brings it to their face to reveal the iconic Revan mask. Fine. But how much more visually heartstopping would it have been to have the Red saber alight, there be a pause for the monologue, and then a purple saber alights in his oft hand. Fans would go wild for there was only ever one Sith who was depicted with both, and we wouldn't have had to end on that rather awkward 'guarding' animation to reveal his face. (What? I'm a mega fan of these games, I can get petty!)

What we know now can be counted on one hand; the game isn't ready to be shown off and we're not even allowed to be told basic details. Right now everyone is making it out like we're several years away from the actual birth of this Star Wars game, and I'm happy for that because 2022 is getting ridiculously crowded as it is. What we have been told is that Aspyr are reshaping themselves with a lot of new faces in order to make this work, apparently including developers of the original Knights of the Old Republic. I wonder if that means they're angling to get the same voice work done too, because I cannot imagine seeing Bastila, or heck, Carth with a different voice. (Imagine if Carth didn't sound like a whiney arse for the entire game? Nah, that'd be sacrilege.) Interestingly, the producer of the game has specifically stated that the story and characters are staying the same (although I'm willing to bet money on that really being 'mostly') so we might see some gameplay evolutions this time around.

As we are probably early enough to still make predictions and/or demands; I would like to take this time to say the following: For the love of god leave Revan alone. I understand the allure of a character as larger-than-life, yet mysterious, as Darth Revan. The Jedi who broke the backs of the Mandalorians and rose to become one of the greatest of his day, only to disappear and come back as one of the most terrible Sith Lords in history. Those burning questions of "What corrupted him out there?" "What did he see?" have stayed with us for nigh twenty years now. (Even though after meeting his master in Kotor 2, it seems decently clear that, if she were that creepy back when they still knew each other, his breaking bad might be a natural reaction to living with her in his life for several years) That mystery is what makes Darth Revan. And his iconic hold over the story, as this figure that haunts the background of events, is perfectly balanced to making the game's strongest moments land as powerfully as they did. So don't ruin that with 'flashback missions' or prolonged explorations of Revan's lost years. (Although I wouldn't complain if they touched on that in some post-launch DLC. I'm talking about the narrative balance of the core product right now.)

As for the things that I would want; for one I want a completely different play style. I adore the turn based combat and would want nothing else for Kotor, but I need this new game to differentiate itself to the same extent that FF7R did, so real time action is a must. I'd love for the storylines nearer the end to be buffed up so that we can get a better sense of the state of the world in the face of the big twist, specifically how perceptions and opinions shift. (Just a beefier third act in general would be nice) I'd never say no to a few more worlds being added into the great chase, but something tells me that's extremely unlikely. There absolutely needs to be more clothing options, specifically the ability to get that mask which we weren't allowed to do throughout the first game without mods. And I'd simply love it if companions were rewritten around the Ebon Hawk to interact with each other more so that the crew feels more like a family, similar to how Mass Effect Andromeda treated it's team. (One of the few things that game did better than it's predecessors)

But my wants and needs are ultimately insubstantial in the wake of the great Lucasfilm beast that lords over this project, because regardless of this game being several years out, there are so many hands in the kitchen for this game I wouldn't be surprised if it's every feature has been laid out in full for months already. Speaking of parties that are involved, why in god's name did Sony have to stick their heads where it doesn't belong? That just means yet again the Sony boys have swooped in and nailed exclusivity of another game that played best on PC in it's original form, why must you guys torture me so? (Oh and GIVE ME PERSONA 5 ROYAL!) It's been a good run for Xbox, they managed to buy up some studios and tease a year of exclusives from studios who are either unproven or have a shakey history; (Bethesda) but Sony have crushed it with this event. Banger after banger, crowned with the holy grail of remakes, all exclusive to the PS5? Pfft, it's over man. Now all these guys need to do is actually find a way to make and sell their consoles and the new generation will be theirs! (Imagine that) Still, if I must, and despite the fact that Disney had the funds to pay for this entire development cycle if they so wished to, (tight-fisted creeps) I will offer 'thanks', through gritted teeth, to Sony for making next gen Revan a reality. (Hope you liked my appreciation, that's all you're getting of it.)