Two of the year’s most impressive games in terms of fan and critical acclaim are Link’s Awakening and Resident Evil 2. They seem like shoe-ins for Game of the Year talks. The only problem is, as you probably know, they are both remakes. Let’s get into whether or not they deserve a seat at the GOTY 2019 table.

It’s not fair to say that all remakes are created equal. Devs are not simply taking an old game, sprucing it up, and throwing it back onto new consoles. The improvements in RE2 are far beyond the tweaks made to something like the Crash Bandicoot: N-Sane Trilogy. If you play Crash (2019) and compare it to the originals, it just looks better and feels the same. Something like Link’s Awakening or Resident Evil 2 do both: the game is improved visually and as a gameplay experience. They’re both great games, but do they deserve GOTY consideration?

It’s not a black and white question. The best Game of the Year doesn’t mean the best new game, nor does it mean the best original game. Game of the Year at its core comes down to whether or not its the best game released in a given calendar year. That’s if you look at it literally. In my eyes, GOTY means something new. In the year 2019, can we really say the best game to come out of these 12 months is a remake of RE2? It seems reactionary, and short-sighted.

I’m sure there might even be writers on the PG staff that rank RE2 or Link’s Awakening on their GOTY list. To me, that’s not what a GOTY ranking is about. When you look back at GOTY lists, it’s fun to revisit because you can remember what games really blew everyone out of the water. If you rank a remake as GOTY, that erases amazing, original games that made that year unique. Let’s just look at The Game Awards, for example. The list is comprised mostly of sequels to game series people enjoy, but no remakes. Technically, you could argue God of War is a remake, but it’s really more of a reimagining.

Is it wrong if one of this year’s amazing remakes is your personal GOTY? Absolutely not, and I think it’s a waste of time to argue someone’s opinion is wrong. That being said, when we look at something like The Game Awards or a major publication ranking titles for the year, I’ll be disappointed to see remakes make the top 5, let alone the list at all. It’s not ignoring the great work developers did to bring those games back to life in a new light. Rather, it’s a promise to new developers that unique, original content deserves our accolades. Without this promise, we fall into the trap of valuing nostalgia over innovation.

Thoughts on the argument? Let us know in the comments below!

Phenixx Gaming is everywhere you are. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.