The remastered versions of Warcraft and Warcraft II (and the new version of Warcraft III Reforged) were recently released, entirely unexpectedly, but it seems that gamers are not really satisfied with Blizzard’s re-releases…
Blizzard has once again made its usual mistake and paid less attention to Warcraft than this legendary series deserves. The creators of Diablo and StarCraft recently released remastered versions of their classic strategy games. Still, unfortunately, they are not up to the original games – at least according to some gamers.
Anyone who meets Blizzard representatives at any gaming event will always ask them when Warcraft 4 is expected? The answer is always the same: there are currently no plans to continue the series. Although Blizzard has not completely forgotten about Warcraft, their tribute simply does not live up to fans’ expectations. This is especially painful because this is not the first time they have made this mistake: let’s just remember the first version of Warcraft III Reforged.
Many people look with envy at what Xbox did with the Definitive Editions of Age of Empires, or what EA did with the Command & Conquer Remastered Collection. All Blizzard did was bring back Warcraft: Orcs & Humans and Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness. That’s nice in itself. But. These remastered versions of their games were a complete rip-off. The visual updates are divisive, and while there are some interface and control tweaks, they’re not enough. Plus, the original Warcraft lacks online multiplayer.
After nearly 30 years, old games inevitably feel dated, even if nostalgia plays a role.
Making a good remaster isn’t easy: you have to stay true to the original while still providing a modern experience. Blizzard has succeeded in some ways, especially with the control changes. However, the games can still feel sluggish, especially when gathering resources.
Warcraft Remastered is a re-release, not a real update
Many people are disappointed that Blizzard hasn’t made any effort to improve the AI of units. Soldiers often get stuck in each other, trees, or buildings, which leads to frustrating situations that haven’t been seen since the 1990s. Of course, this problem was present in the original games. But is the purpose of the remastered versions to fix these errors, or not?
Others say that Blizzard should have updated the graphics more. Especially since the company has the best artists in the world. In the new versions, the pre-mission scenes are static images, the proportions of the troops and buildings are strange, and while the design remains faithful to the original pixel art style, the overall effect is not uniform. Fortunately, you can always switch back to the original graphics by pressing F5, and the original versions are still available for purchase on GOG or Battle.net.
There is something to be happy about. It must be admitted that the remastered versions make it easier and more convenient to enjoy the classic games. However, you can’t help but feel that Blizzard has only put in the minimum effort. In contrast to Diablo II Resurrected, which feels like a real, sophisticated remaster release. It’s all a missed opportunity that is not really worthy of the Warcraft series.
Warcraft III Reforged also received a major update that brought several improvements. However, it is still far from the remastered version that was originally planned. Among the innovations are the Classic HD versions, which offer graphics upscaled to 4K, but these don’t always look good with the new lighting. The new version allows for the combination of graphical elements between the original and Reforged versions and has also improved lighting and turned off the density of vegetation by default, which previously made it difficult to see battles.
