Capcom finally explains what a 'deluxe remaster' actually is, then asks which of its series you want to get the treatment next

(Image credit: Capcom)

Capcom's the most curious company in town. The studio has put out a survey asking players what they want next after the release of the Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster. A bit like the time it asked if you want more Resident Evil remakes, or when it asked if you want Dragon's Dogma 2 DLC, or when it asked if you want more Ace Attorney, or when it asked if you want more Resident Evil remakes (2020 edition).

In a set of questions posted online (via VGC), Capcom asked fans what they thought about the souped-up version of Dead Rising 1 it put out last week. But in among all the questions about which precise aspect of the remaster it was—be it Frank West's excruciatingly high-detail face or the newly three-dimensional audio—that tempted players to pick up the game in the first place, the company is also keen to know if you might maybe, possibly be tempted to pick up another game under the "deluxe remaster" classification it has invented out of thin air.

Capcom asks players to respond to a question reading "Would you like to see more 'deluxe remaster' titles like this in the future? ('Deluxe remasters' are defined as remasters with improved playability and updated graphics (including new 3D models).)" You can respond that you would like to see more deluxe offerings, that you'd prefer full-blown remakes, that you'd prefer a "simple remaster (with improved resolution to meet current hardware standards)", or that you don't want any sort of re-anything.

If you say you would like more deluxe remasters, Capcom goes on to ask which of its particular series you want to get the treatment. Your options are Dino Crisis, Lost Planet, Devil May Cry, Power Stone, Resident Evil, Onimusha, Darkstalkers, or Okami. If you aren't tempted to pick Resident Evil just because that would be incredibly funny, you and I are very different people.

Capcom's been on a tear recently, and it's been in no small part down to games like its Resident Evil remakes finding very warm reception with fans and newcomers alike. On the one hand, I suppose I can't blame it for ginning up new genres of re-do in order to keep riding that momentum, but it does feel perhaps a little creatively cheap to create a half-step between remaster and remake that lets you charge players for a game you've already remastered while leaving the door open to a potential full-blown remake later on down the line.

Anyway, the company also wants to know what you'd like it to do with Dead Rising specifically, giving you the option to ask for a deluxe remaster of Dead Rising 2, Off The Record, 3, or 4, as well as asking for a full remake of "one of the games in the Dead Rising series" or even "a completely brand new Dead Rising game." Despite, uh, everything I just said, I wouldn't mind a re-do of DR2, but only because the original version is a total bear to get running on my PC for whatever reason. I suppose what I actually want is a Dead Rising 2 patch.

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One of Josh's first memories is of playing Quake 2 on the family computer when he was much too young to be doing that, and he's been irreparably game-brained ever since. His writing has been featured in Vice, Fanbyte, and the Financial Times. He'll play pretty much anything, and has written far too much on everything from visual novels to Assassin's Creed. His most profound loves are for CRPGs, immersive sims, and any game whose ambition outstrips its budget. He thinks you're all far too mean about Deus Ex: Invisible War.