The updated facial model for Isaac Clarke in Motive’s Dead Space has been divisive since it was revealed. The surprising fact about this facial model, though, is that it is actually modeled after Gunner Wright’s likeness. That said, Wright was not the facial model for the original Dead Space’s Isaac, and fans have probably become so accustomed to Isaac’s look in Dead Space 2 and Dead Space 3 that the difference is staggering anyhow. This change was always inevitable in the Dead Space remake, and there will always be strong opinions about such changes.
It is true that this Isaac lacks facial hair and has an overall less rugged look about him, but perhaps that was decided upon in an effort to make him look more innocent and ordinary as a mild-mannered engineer. Regardless of why Isaac looks the way he does in the Dead Space remake, there will always be debates about how he looks compared to the original, whether those comparisons are positive or negative. Many modern games have seen facial reworks or outright swaps to different models, and they too will forever be compared to the facial models that came before them.
Resident Evil 7’s Chris Redfield
Chris Redfield’s Resident Evil 7 facial model was absolutely alarming following Resident Evil 6, and it would not have been surprising if some fans thought this change meant the franchise was rebooted. Chris has undergone a dramatic physical change in the past after suddenly becoming muscle-bound, but to have the character return to a skinny and nondescript appearance was unexpected.
This decision was only made more absurd when it was instantly retconned for Resident Evil Village, where Chris somehow magically returned to a beefier look that appropriately emulated how he would look following Resident Evil 6. More importantly, Chris’ face was once again identifiable as the character himself. Other Resident Evil characters have had facelifts for modern remakes too, but none as radical as Chris’ model.
Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered’s Peter Parker
Peter Parker’s Marvel’s Spider-Man facial model was beloved by many fans who believed he appropriately depicted the age of the character. That is not an easy balance to strike, especially when the character’s face also needs to express a great deal of emotion and be endearing without being too childlike.
The announcement that facial model John Bubniak would be swapped for facial model Ben Jordan came long after Marvel’s Spider-Man released and perturbed fans. The change was then made to the remastered edition of Marvel’s Spider-Man that launched alongside Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales on PS5, and many fans were unhappy with the decision.
The change was apparently decided upon in an effort to better match actor Yuri Lowenthal’s motion-capture to a facial model, though this excuse has never truly satisfied fans. If the change had happened earlier in development fans might have had more time for it to sink in, but instead players were already familiar with Bubniak’s face as the face of Peter, making it heartbreaking to see him whisked away from the role. Lately, fans have restored Bubniak’s Peter face thanks to mods on PC.
Silent Hill 2’s James Sunderland
Silent Hill 2’s James Sunderland is a clear example of how inevitable face changes are in remakes. However, James is an arguably easier face to iterate upon since it was low-poly and plain back in 2001. Because remakes are still trendy and lucrative for developers and publishers with beloved franchises, this is a common change fans will need to get used to. The only hope that fans have is that these changes reflect the modern interpretation well, but fans will always have the original game to celebrate regardless of how remakes turn out.
Dead Space launches January 27 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X.