Entertainment news and discussion on TalkFuse.
What we’ve been playing – “Forget the classics: remaster the duds”
Eurogamer’s weekly games column highlights three recent play sessions, led by a positive early impression of Elden Ring on Nintendo Switch 2. The writer says handheld and docked play make revisiting the game feel fresh, despite occasional frame-rate drops and small on-screen text, while another contributor finds unexpected enjoyment in the remastered The Lord of the Rings: War in the North.
The Elden Ring player is concerned that later, more demanding boss fights may expose performance limits, but values being able to play without buying a Steam Deck. War in the North, originally released 13 years ago, is praised for its split-screen co-op, action and sense of place in Middle-earth, even though its voice acting now feels dated; the article argues that flawed older games can be more worthwhile remaster candidates than established classics.
In short
- Elden Ring runs promisingly on Switch 2, with some caveats.
- War in the North’s remaster proves older imperfections can still charm.
- The column argues remasters should revive overlooked games.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Remastering flawed or overlooked games can give audiences a chance to discover strengths that were obscured by dated presentation or technical limits, while preserving distinctive experiences such as War in the North’s co-operative play and setting. It may also make better use of remaster budgets than revisiting classics that remain widely available and highly regarded.
The case against
Remastering an older game still takes money and development time, and a game’s flaws may be fundamental rather than fixed by updated presentation; those resources could instead improve or preserve titles with broader appeal. A Switch 2 version of Elden Ring also has to deliver reliably through demanding later sections, so portability alone may not justify compromises in performance or readability.
Explained simply
Elden Ring is a large fantasy action game first released in 2022, known for its difficult battles and a vast world that players can explore in different ways. Nintendo Switch 2 is a newer console that can be used both as a handheld device and on a television, making it possible to play games in either setting.
The Lord of the Rings: War in the North is a 2011 action game set in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth, but it follows its own group of fighters rather than the main characters from the books and films. It allows people to play together on one screen, a feature often called split-screen co-op.
A remaster is an updated version of an older game, usually made to work better on modern hardware and to improve its graphics or performance. The discussion reflects a wider question in games publishing: whether companies should revisit already celebrated titles, or give less successful but interesting older games another chance.