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Lately, there has been a new trend in the gaming world. HD ports/remakes of classic games have become the new “it” thing to do.  It started with Sony, but has since spread a small ways. Most HD remastered games are on the PS3, but some such as the Zone of Enders, Silent Hill, and Metal Gear Solid Collections will also see light on the Xbox 360. Beside those, we’ve seen HD ports of games like Sly Cooper, God of War, Ico/Shadow of the Colossus and many others. Apparently, these collections are popular enough for them to keep coming. Recently, gamers saw the release of the long awaited Ico and Shadow of the Colossus HD port for the PS3. If you’re the kind of gamer that likes to take a closer look at things to see what they can find, you may have noticed a sort of pattern with these games. They are all apart of a series that are getting a sequel.
 
Take a look at the earliest example of this, which I believe is a case of Sony testing the waters of this new idea. The God of War collection, which was originally comprised of God of War and God of War 2, launched just a few short months prior to God of War 3. It’s quite clear that, in this case, Sony was simultaneously capitalizing on the hype for God of War 3 and generating more hype for it by getting any stragglers into the series in time for the sequel. The Sly Cooper Collection actually had a teaser for Sly 4 hidden in the game. Lately, it’s becoming more and more apparent that these remasters are a good indication of which series we might expect a sequel in.
 
One could also raise the argument that many of these collections already had a sequel announced for them. This is true for most of these, but it is the many that may prove it for the few. God of War 3, The Last Guardian, Beyond Good and Evil 2, and others were all known to exist prior to their respective HD remastered releases. As far as Oddworld goes, it was announced around the same time of the release of the Oddbox that a new game would appear in that series. The Oddbox represents a great way for a new generation of gamers to explore the Oddworld and therefore be interested in a sequel. While many are aware of Metal Gear Solid: Rising, it would be no surprise to see multiple things Metal Gear being worked on that we are still waiting to hear about. Metal Gear Solid 5, anyone? Zone of the Enders, Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima’s OTHER gem in gaming, has laid dormant for quite some time. With the Zone of the Enders games getting their own HD update, it may be safe to speculate that the wishes of many fans may come true, and that a Zone of the Enders 3 is on the way. Jak and Daxter, Naughty Dog’s star platformer prior to Uncharted, is also getting it’s own HD upgrade. With Uncharted 3 out in stores, it won’t be long before people start wondering what Naughty Dog’s next endeavor might be. Could the Jak and Daxter HD collection be a hint? I know more than a few fans of the series that would absolutely love to see those two return to gaming, especially after being almost entirely absent from the PS3 this generation.
 
The truth is, it could mean something or it could mean nothing. Obviously, it’s typically the popular titles, titles that would normally get sequels regardless, that tend to get these HD ports. There is no sure way to predict the future with them, but we can only hope. Most of these games deserve worth sequels, and if the HD collections are any indication at all of that, then that can only lead to more excitement whenever we see a new one.