HD remasterings of classic games were huge during the last console generation: without the PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360 being backwards compatible, publishers re-released their games with updated graphics so that gamers could play the older titles on newer hardware. It was a massive trend, but since the latest console generation launched a year ago, it's died down quite a bit.
That being said, Square Enix doesn't seem to be slowing down, whether people want them to or not. At the PlayStation Experience event, the company announced that Final Fantasy VII would see an HD PlayStation 4 re-release, and the reaction wasn't great. Then, rumors hit that the Final Fantasy X games would also see a re-release on the console as well - but that couldn't be true, the Final Fantasy X HD Remaster only came out on last generation consoles earlier this year!
Never underestimate the gaming industry: Square Enix has, in rare form, just confirmed the rumors that Final Fantasy X HD will be making its way to the PlayStation 4 sometime next year.
The rumors began when the French Square Enix store accidentally listed the game early. Of course, the post was taken down within minutes, but not before plenty of fans were able to catch a glimpse of the re-re-release.
Then, at a press conference in Shanghai earlier today, Square Enix confirmed that the remastered versions of both Final Fantasy X and X-2 would be making their way to the PlayStation 4. No exact release date was given, though the publisher did confirm that the collection would be coming in Spring 2015 - a surprising move, seeing as how Final Fantasy VII HD won't be out until next summer.
Either way, it's almost insulting that Square Enix is so blatant with rehashing its titles. The PlayStation Experience trailer for Final Fantasy VII HD seemed tailor-made to bait fans with promises of a true remake, when in reality, the game is just a port of the PC version from last year. Now, Square Enix is re-releasing an HD remastering that's less than a year old. Mind you, the PlayStation 4 was available worldwide when the original Final Fantasy X HD was released.
It feels like Square Enix may be taking advantage of its fans, but only time will tell if HD remakes are as popular now as they were during the last console generation.
