With the imminent release of Persona 3 Reload and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, modern remakes are more than a new coat of paint.

From the gaming world to Hollywood, remakes are all the rage. The constant desire for nostalgia. The fondness of yesteryear when life was simpler, when we didn’t have twelve million screens staring back at us, like the one I’m using right now.

Remakes/Remasters are far from a new concept. We made remakes in the 80s when Super Mario Bros was brought from the Arcade to NES. Despite not featuring many visual improvements, it did include six different levels and several other tweaks.

So what is a remake? Is it a 100% faithful translation of the original with modern assets? Or can it be something more?

Coming out this Friday, February 2nd, we will all be fortunate enough to play the remake of the beloved Persona 3. The game that essentially put the series on the map was directed by the one and only Katsura Hashino.

We were turning it from a Shin Megami Tensei spin-off into something entirely its own. It is equal parts Japanese High School Sim and equal parts epic psychological RPG. (though it was still technically called Shin Megami Tensei: Persona until Persona 4 Golden, that’s beside the point).

The entire game was built from the ground up in Unreal Engine 4, emulating the style of the MOST stylish game of the last decade: Persona 5.

Yeah, Atlas is in a mood; I said it.

Not only does the game look fantastic, but it features a slew of new content and changes from the original, guaranteeing it will be a whole new experience even for those who have played it before.

Meanwhile, we also have the second installment of the remake of Final Fantasy VII, which is due at the end of the month. Sony just announced the FFVII Rebirth-focused State of Play for next Tuesday, February 6th, to shed more light on the upcoming installment.

The first part, which came out on April 10th, 2020, covers the first section of the original game in Midgar. Rebirth, however, will take us out into the wide open world, covering everything from the end of Midgar to Aerith’s… well, you know where I’m going with this.

While inspired by the original, the two games could perhaps more appropriately be called a reimagination. While the same characters grace our screens, and the same general story beats are hit, the experience is entirely different.

The first installment goes out of its way to flesh out what was essentially only the first seven hours of the original game, turning it into a nearly 42-hour game.

According to reports, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth will be a whopping 100 hours, which is great news if you’re a completionist like me.

How will Rebirth deviate from the original story, if it does at all? We’ve seen from trailers that some alternate-universe shenanigans are taking place in the form of one Zach Fair. So who’s to say?

Perhaps more will be revealed during Sony’s focus next week, so be sure to tune in, and I’ll see y’all next time in the Lifestream.

Personal 3 Reload is out February 2nd for PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, and PC, and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth will be released February 29th as a PS5 exclusive.