This week for Video Game Tuesday I’m covering the differences between two different things. It’s Remaster vs. Remake!

Remaster?: Remasters are games that have been ported and than had the basic artwork improved on to suit the new system that it was ported to. This may mean improved models, improved textures and frame rates, sometimes even improved music. However it is not a complete redo of everything, just somethings are improved upon. Skyrim’s recent rerelease is an example of a remaster, but given that it’s from Bethesda not a very well done one. Bugs are just as prevalent in the remaster as they were in the original launch.

Remake: Remakes are completely redone games that have everything redone, from the base code to the gameplay. It isn’t done very often, but when it is done it’s usually worth looking at. Usually, sometimes it happens because the original developer lost everything of the original game, like what happened to the first Kingdom Hearts game.

So if you are getting requests for a Remake or a Remaster for this holiday season, make sure you are getting the correct thing! That Skyrim you see for $15 at a local game store isn’t probably going to work on the recipient’s Xbox One or PlayStation 4.

That’s it for this week’s Video Game Tuesday. Happy Holidays!