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Grim Fandango Remastered
Yeah, it would be fantastic if they’d be able to redo the game art completely. Perhaps there’s still hope, as we don’t know what scope that remake has.
Peter Chan’s concept art is beautiful, no disagreement there.
But the genius of Grim Fandango’s art direction is that it turned the limitations of early 3-D into strengths. Graphically, Grim Fandango has aged better than just about any other 3-D game from that era, and there’s really no need to re-do Grim Fandango’s graphics from scratch. Sure, it’d be fun to see an “alternate universe Grim Fandango” with 2-D art, but that is not reflective of the original game.
I know DustCropper gets this (hence “99.99% unlikely”), but I think it’s worth reiterating Jannik’s earlier point:
Remastering usually means upscaling of the existing graphics to HD and a few tweaks. It’s not the same as a remake. That said, everything that can be done with a minimum of resources is possible, including new control modes.
I agree with Jannik that that’s become the conventional understanding of what “remaster” means in the video game space. Tim Schafer’s comments in the retrospective video also suggest small enhancements, not a full remake.
It’s worth keeping in mind that the main reason for this remaster is just to make Grim Fandango easily purchasable again by people who have never played it. It’s not necessarily meant to be so drastically different that people who already own it like many of us will want to buy it again. I would anticipate a minor upgrade more along the lines of Ico (PS2) -> Ico HD (PS3 re-release) or Another World -> Another World: 20th Anniversary Edition.
My guess is that the reason Sony announced the Grim Fandango remaster at E3 is to show off the fact that they helped rescue a lost classic (it’s the #1 Most Requested Game on GOG) from limbo. Not because the remaster itself is going to be some mindblowing graphical overhaul. Of course I could be wrong, but that’s what the evidence thus far suggests to me.
If they use the game’s original pre-rendered backgrounds, it would be nice if they could somehow “patch” additional art to the edges to allow for the game to be played widescreen without any stretching. This is a game that cries for widescreen. That would be enough to make me very, very happy.
With the shift toward widescreen TVs and monitors, it’s certainly possible that they would consider this, depending on whether or not they still have the original 3-D environment art files and how feasible it is. But personally, I would argue that Grim Fandango belongs at a standard 4:3 ratio and not a widescreen ratio. Most of the films that Grim Fandango was inspired by (such as Casablanca, The Maltese Falcon, The Big Sleep, and The Third Man) were shot at that standard 4:3 ratio. It’s true that Chinatown (a neo-noir from the 1970s) was widescreen, but it’s an outlier. Grim Fandango’s images are composed very much like those of 1930s and 1940s films, and re-composing them for widescreen would change that classical feeling, I think.
But personally, I would argue that Grim Fandango belongs at a standard 4:3 ratio and not a widescreen ratio. Most of the films that Grim Fandango was inspired by (such as Casablanca, The Maltese Falcon, The Big Sleep, and The Third Man) were shot at that standard 4:3 ratio. It’s true that Chinatown (a neo-noir from the 1970s) was widescreen, but it’s an outlier. Grim Fandango’s images are composed very much like those of 1930s and 1940s films, and re-composing them for widescreen would change that classical feeling, I think.
Not really, 4:3 ratio is an analog TV standard, not a movie standard. Most old movies were filmed with several different aspect ratios, all of them widescreen. Casablanca and Maltese Falcon are for an example in 1.37:1 ratio, where as The Good, The Bad and The Ugly has original aspect ratio of 2.35:1.
Not really, 4:3 ratio is an analog TV standard, not a movie standard. Most old movies were filmed with several different aspect ratios, all of them widescreen. Casablanca and Maltese Falcon are for an example in 1.37:1 ratio, where as The Good, The Bad and The Ugly has original aspect ratio of 2.35:1.
Sure, I get what you’re saying and you’re right. I also think you’re nitpicking, particularly when you say all movie ratios are widescreen, which is likely to confuse people, but that’s okay, I’m a nitpicker myself so I love you anyway. 
1.37:1 (a.k.a. Academy ratio) is the one I was referring to and to the average consumer that is not considered “widescreen,” nor does Wikipedia consider it so. Functionally it’s not far off from the 1.33:1 (or 4:3) ratio of older, analog TVs.
Most people I know are familiar with terms like “standard ratio” or “full frame” because that’s what the back of DVDs tended to use, or with “4:3” because that’s the stat they they would most likely hear in regards to monitors and TVs. Or at least that’s how it is in the United States. So that’s why I said “standard 4:3,” since we’re on an adventure gaming forum and not a classic film forum, so I thought it was more likely to be widely understood what I meant. Maybe different terms are common internationally, I don’t know. I guess I probably shouldn’t have written that those films were “shot at that standard 4:3 ratio” because you’re right, that’s misleading.
So yes, technically the films I mentioned (Casablanca, The Maltese Falcon, The Big Sleep, and The Third Man) were shot at 1.37:1. But to the average consumer, this will look more or less the same as the standard 4:3 ratio of an older, analog TV.
Also, maybe I wasn’t clear and this added to the confusion, but when I said Chinatown “was widescreen, but it’s an outlier,” I didn’t mean it’s an outlier among movies in general (obviously there are many movies at widescreen ratios like 1.66:1, 1.85:1, or 2.35:1), I meant that it is an outlier among Grim Fandango’s influences, because most of GF’s influences are from the era when 1.37:1 Academy ratio was common. So most of GF’s images seem, in my opinion, composed to evoke that look.
Just no. Grim Fandango doesn’t need a sequel and I hope they never make one.
However, if a sequel DOES get made, it needs to be an entirely different story with entirely different characters, just within the same universe. And if they do that, they could just as easily make a standalone game with universe-similarities.
Yes no Calavera but Mexican folklore + Papercraft characters , the world of GF itself
is character, so i can see stories, that can be told with different cast.
For me Year2 Rubacava was best thing in whole GF so even that and other new places can
be explored as extension. Lots of potential in Series.
They just need good lead and strong NPCs like Virago,Charlie,Maximo etc. to flavor
things up.
Yeah, you’re right, it’s mostly nitpicking. I doubt most people would really see a huge difference, as the cropping isn’t as harsh between them.
And I do think that they aren’t going to touch the background art, that’s just wishful thinking from my part.
It’s funny, whenever the characters of Grim are discussed, Maximino is usually mentioned. However, despite playing the game through countless times, he only exists for me in the cutscene where Glottis’ gambling account is shut down. I understand you’re able to talk with him in his office, but I never visited and completed the game anyway. Something to explore in the remaster, I suppose.
And I do think that they aren’t going to touch the background art, that’s just wishful thinking from my part.
Understood. Sorry to all if I was being a bit of a killjoy, I’m just trying to keep expectations in check for what the remaster might be like, but of course people should feel free to discuss the Grim Fandango of their ideal imaginings, be it 2-D, widescreen, or with characters made of actual papier-mâché. 
DustCropper, as for widescreen, you might enjoy this video (if you haven’t already seen it) where a fan painted extra art in Photoshop to the sides of the backgrounds to make a widescreen GF video. (It’s not actually widescreen in-engine, just video editing and Photoshop.) As I said, personally, I’m a purist and prefer Grim Fandango at its original aspect ratio to reflect the classic film feel, but it’s still a cool little project, and I wouldn’t be opposed to a widescreen mode in the remaster provided the original aspect ratio were still an option.
The comparison image at the top of this Grim Fandango Deluxe blog also gives an idea what GF might look like with improved character models and textures. (It’s the “HD version” Tim Schafer cited in the retrospective video.) No idea if that’s the kind of thing Double Fine has in mind to do themselves, but it would make sense.
To be honest I’m not familiar with the details of those old film noir movies, so I didn’t consider the authenticity of the 4:3 aspect ratio. I personally prefer widecreen—to me it feel more cinematic (as the movies that I am familiar with usually have the widescreen ratio), but mostly I like it because it fills up my widecreen monitor nicely without any black bars on the side.
DustCropper, as for widescreen, you might enjoy this video (if you haven’t already seen it) where a fan painted extra art in Photoshop to the sides of the backgrounds to make a widescreen GF video. (It’s not actually widescreen in-engine, just video editing and Photoshop.) As I said, personally, I’m a purist and prefer Grim Fandango at its original aspect ratio to reflect the classic film feel, but it’s still a cool little project, and I wouldn’t be opposed to a widescreen mode in the remaster provided the original aspect ratio were still an option.
Cool—if they could magically do that to every scene and do it in-game, my dream would come true. Though I’m not sure how realistic it would be for them to this, considering they’d also need to somehow make adjustments to the pre-rendered cutscenes as well.
It is fun to get carried away and dream about the possibilities (even the unrealistic ones), considering that the game is so loved by fans and that very little information on this remastered project has been given. Realistically, we should probably expect minor updates.
However, I am curious to see how they plan to make those original 640x480 backgrounds look good on modern HD screens.
We’ll just need to wait and see how this develops!
I’m pretty sure the backgrounds are going to be re-done, with added effects to make it more immersive (lighting, atmosphere etc). I honestly think for new audiences to take it seriously this will need to happen, and each scene will need to be revamped.
There’s no way they won’t update the backgrounds. They are extremely dated looking, and they are trying to reach new audiences.
The main difference between this and the Monkey Island remakes is that Double Fine will almost certainly stick to the game’s original art style, which is iconic. Both backgrounds and characters/objects will be redone.
We won’t see a point-and-click control scheme added, because this game is coming out for PS4 only (so far.)
My predictions. 
I don’t know if they’re trying to reach new audiences or if they’re just trying to make the game available to an audience that already knows it from nostalgia or by reputation, but for whom it isn’t currently commercially available.
I certainly hope they update the visuals, but the interface was always the main thing holding it back.
I must be one of the only people here that didn’t have a problem with Grim Fandangos/MI4’s control scheme/interface. I didn’t think it was bad at all! I think it could be simplified a little bit maybe. It should be a good transition to consoles also!
I don’t love the controls but they aren’t a huge problem, the game is still a 10/10.
EDIT: Thinking further, the inventory system was a nightmare.
I think because the game is such a cult classic, people who haven’t played it are going to try it. I think that’s what they look for when they choose games to remake. For instance not a lot of people played Beyond Good and Evil yet it got great reviews so it was a good choice for remake.
I think the graphics were incredible in the original GF. I hope to see something very similar in this version. I don’t want something like Monkey Island where the new graphics have more pixels, but are ... I don’t want to be negative so I’ll stop here.
The control scheme was only a problem because it was on a damn keyboard. Direct movement is the only scheme that makes sense for a console adventure game. I doubt they’ll do much to change the controls—they’re just going to map them to a gamepad and the problem will solve itself.
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