This year, we have seen quite a number of remakes landing back to back.  Not just any remakes however, but three in particular that are quite ambitious in their design and follow very different road maps to what they were trying to pull off.

On one hand, we have REmake 3.  A game that retells the story of Resident Evil 3 Nemesis with similar gameplay mechanics to REmake 2.  The game is more linear and action oriented, but the core design for combat and exploration is the same.  This is not a 1:1 remake however, though it does stay true to the original plot wise and only expands where expansion fits.  My problem with this one has more to do with length and the fact that not only did they take away the multiple paths (damaging replay value), but there were a few instances of awkward time skips that could have easily been more gameplay segments.  While a great experience, it felt rushed in certain parts IMO.

Then we have Final Fantasy VII, which took things to an even greater extreme.  Only covering the first area of the original game, it is hard to tell just how many parts this episodic game will have.  The combat felt like a natural blend of turn based and action mechanics, and was a joy to play for me.  Also I feel the characters were accurately portrayed how I imagined them when I played the game the first time (aside from Aerith, who I felt was much more likeable and useful this time around).  However, the game itself felt more like a reboot with its own canon than a true remake of a classic game.  There were not only changes to the plot to expand the original story, but certain events take things in a new direction entirely.  In order to fully appreciate what they were trying to do, you almost have to disconnect yourself from the original for the most part.  A big negative here was the side content too.  It felt tacked on and as generic as they come.  It really kills the pacing of the game IMO, even if the rewards were actually quite nice.  Even certain main mission felt like filler, offering no real importance impact to the plot.  Even though I enjoyed the game overall, there were several things I would have liked to see done differently.

And that brings us to our most recent remake, Trials of Mana.  This game is probably the most accurate use of the term "remake" out of the three.  They took a game from a 2D era, put it in 3D space, and stayed faithful to the original game.  It follows the original very closely, but changes how you explore the world and experience the story entirely.  The combat felt like a natural progression and was very fun overall, despite seeming very simple in the early hours of the game.  You will find yourself using all of your items, abilities, and combos to make the most out of the fight and the challenge level feels just right (on hard mode).  And in the spirit of staying true to the original, most of the extra content comes in the post game, expanding on what the original game offered but not altering the experience overall.  With three different story routes and six different character arcs for who you can choose as your main, this game has a ton of replay value as well.  The only downsides to this game IMO is the english voice acting and lack of co op (which was present in the original).  You get used to the voices though and they did not bother me much, but if you can't stand it there is an option for the Japanese voices with subtitles as well (which seems to have been done much better).

So for me, the best remake so far this year has been Trials of Mana.  REmake 3 just did not offer me as much as I would have liked, but what was there was good deapite feeling rushed in a few spots.  FFVIIR was fun and a decent game overall, but having reflected on what it really has to offer leaves me questioning if square made the right decision.  I don't mind the reimagined plot but the filler content really killed the pacing and hampered my enjoyment a bit.  Not to mention the whole episodic release thing, which is not my preference.  Had the filler been replaced with more meaningful content and the story felt like it had a natural conclusion leading into the next game, maybe I would feel differently.

Trials of Mana however not only feels like a complete experience, but it was overall more fun to play IMO.  While FFVIIR left me needing a break when the pacing felt off, ToM flowed at a much more steady pace and left me wanting to push forward at all times.  It is truly a joy to play, and my preference between the three.  For other remake projects, I personally hope SE follows what they did with ToM rather than their plans for FFVIIR, albiet with better english voice actors and a little higher budget.  Despite being much lower budget however, it was by a good margin the better game for me.

So which remake this year is your favorite so far and why?

With three very different approaches we are likely to see some very polarizing answers in this discussion!

I don't know if FFVIIR should be considered a remake in the traditional vein of remakes in video games. The changes in the plot (ending), make it more of a sequel to the original, than a true remake. FFVII-2 seems like a more fitting description. That said RE3 is the best remake so far.

FFVII:R has been massively disappointing so far. I can definitely see the multi-release plan falling apart at some point and Square Enix being happy just to cash in now. They had given up before they had even started by releasing a Midgar only game. They know they have no solution for building a game that spans 3 continents.

Resident Evil 3 was disappointing in its own way with regards to the pacing, boss fights and how faithful they were to the original story. The core game they made is incredibly enjoyable though and feels like a more arcade-y and replayable Resident Evil 2, just like the original. There's nothing wrong with more of the modern RE template that Capcom have created.

I would not call it a sequel so much as a reboot.  For it to be a sequel, it would have to take place after the events of the original game.  The plot however starts at the same point as the original, and simply follows its own canon in favor of a different direction.  It is more of a remake than a sequel, but more of a reboot than a remake.

In any case, I have been saying for a long time that SE mislabled the game when they called it FFVII Remake.

Not much of a contest the way I see it. I found RE3 to be a big let down and somewhat of a step down from the quality we've come to expect, specially after RE2r. Certain segments didnt translate well, by which all mean everything involving Nemesis. Trials of Mana, while a decent remake, its a subpar game, specially in voice acting and graphics, which I think are not up to the standard of most games today. Still much better remake than Secret of Mana and worth the time. So by process of elimination my vote has to go to FF7r, which in my personal experience has been nothing short of a great game, holds well on both, its own mertis and as a remake, and has been very well received by critics and audiences alike.

To each his own, I really liked the visuals and art style in Trials of Mana.  At least it was consistent, unlike the hodgepodge that was FFVIIR.

FFVIIR looked really good in some spots, sloppy in others, and down right jarring in the rest.  The door textures among other things looked several generations behind and the flowers around Aerith's house looked blocky and blurry close up.  They did not even rectify it in cutscenes.

So while ToM was definitely not as technically advanced as FFVIIR, it was FFVII that fell short for me just because of how jarring it was in many spots.  Don't get me wrong, other parts were breathtaking.  It just had no consistency in visual quality.  Even non essential NPCs looked like they were from the PS360 days TBH.

Which I am confident will take the place of whoever wins this poll personally.  Of course at that time, the "remaster vs remake" debate will likely start back up and I just don't have the energy for that right now.

As someone pointed out to me, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon is missing from the poll. I have not played this one and therefore it eluded my mind. Having said that, I cannot comment on the game but I will add it for anyone who might want to vote for it.

I will agree that a 'reboot' label is more fitting than a remake label. And yet, the existence of the Whispers, and the fact that in all probability the original canon line took place; I get the sense that FFVIIR is more of a sequel. Towards the end it feels like a sequel that might end up pleasing some of the old fans who were in Aeris's camp back then, (****** I don't consider the next statement a spoiler as it has been 23 years********)

and were trying to resurrect her (be it by a glitch or fan fictions). They finally get the sequel, or chance to change those events. I had to convince myself to see FFVIIR as a 'sequel' in order to not hate the story changes as much.

Well Capcom made RE3 playable, so that.