A common element you see in many remakes or remasters is a different face model for certain characters. This can be for legal reasons, the original actor gets involved in a scandal, or just an artistic decision.
A lot of those face swaps make sense, but at the same time, for those who grew up with the originals, it can be a bit jarring. Sometimes it's not even one character but a whole batch of them. It makes for an interesting contrast with the original, though, and people brand new to the title won't even realize the big change here.
8 Peter Parker: Marvel's Spider-Man
This first one is the most infamous because Spider-Man for the PS4 isn't only one of the best Spider-Man games but one of the system's best. It spawned a few sequels, but when the remastered version was launched on PS5, there was some discussion in regards to Peter's face change.
Instead of being John Bubniak's face, it's swapped with Ben Jordan. This change is understandable due to Peter's age here. John's face makes it seem Peter may be in his late 20s or early 30s, which isn't accurate because his age is 23. While he's more mature, he's not that mature. Having a younger appearance just fits better here and makes it connect smoother with the sequel, which will also have Ben's face.
7 Masayoshi Tanimura: Yakuza 4
Yakuza 4 was the first mainline entry that lets you play as other characters besides Kiryu. While Akiyama and Saejima became series staples, that isn't true for Tanimura. It's a shame because he's a cool character being a Japanese cop, has a unique playstyle, and even has the honor of facing the final boss. Unfortunately, the original actor faced a nasty drug use scandal, which, if you don't know, is a much bigger deal in Japan than in other places.
When the remaster was launched nine years later, Tanimura was recast with Toshiki Masuda. This definitely hurts for people who grew up with the classic PS3 version because the original actor fits the character very well. Thankfully, a mod for the PC version swaps the face back out for those who want to experience the game as they remember it.
6 So Many Characters In Like A Dragon: Ishin!
After nine years of being exclusive to Japan, Like a Dragon: Ishin! finally made its way to the rest of the world. This new version is sort of a hybrid remake/remaster, built from the ground up using Unreal Engine 4 but remaining incredibly faithful. There are several changes, though, one of them being face swaps for a large number of characters.
Ishin was originally launched in 2014 before Yakuza 0, and as such, uses faces from the PS3 trilogy of games, Yakuza 3 through 5. With this new version, they've updated the faces to be from newer instalments, like 0 and 7. It makes sense because most people are more familiar with the newer titles. With a nine-year gap, this change works more effectively than if they kept the original faces.
5 Kyohei Hamura: Judgment
Face swaps don't always happen in a remake or remaster, as this one was straight-up patched out. Judgment was one of the last Yakuza titles to be launched in Japan first before everywhere else, and this is where the change comes in. One of the leading bad guys in the title is Kyohei Hamura, a great villain.
However, just three months after the Japanese version was launched, Hamura's original actor got busted for drug use. Hamura was later patched and released everywhere else with a new model and new Japanese voice, with Miou Tanaka playing the part. This is a change hardly anyone noticed besides day-one Japanese players. The current version of Hamura is still an amazing villain, but like with Yakuza 4, there is a PC mod available to swap back out the original actor if you so desire.
4 Alan Wake: Alan Wake
Remedy's 2010 action-horror classic Alan Wake was exclusive to Xbox and PC for a long time. In 2021, Alan Wake received the remaster treatment, making it available on PlayStation and later Nintendo Switch. It's mostly the same experience, with some minor changes. One of them, though, is a bit distracting to people well familiar with the original.
Alan's face model is different here to better match his actor in the live-action parts, Ilkka Villi. On the surface, this may seem like a good switch, as his live-action model appears in many Remedy games and has become iconic to the character. However, the new face clashes with the other characters and environments that still feel like the early 2010s. It might work just fine for newcomers, but veterans will likely prefer the original.
3 The Entire Cast Of Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake
Snake's Revenge for the NES was technically the first Metal Gear sequel, but the real one with actual involvement from Hideo Kojima was 1990's Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake. It was essentially a 2D version of what ended up being Metal Gear Solid with a huge story for the time. Like MGS, there are character portraits during dialogue scenes.
In the original Japanese MSX2 version, the faces of the characters were based on popular Hollywood actors and actresses at the time. This may raise some eyebrows, which is perhaps why the later rereleases had the Yoji Shinkawa-style character portraits instead. A wise move from Konami, plus it matches better with the dialogue scenes from MGS.
2 Isaac Clarke: Dead Space
Face-swapped characters for remakes are almost a certainty, but most are well-received. One that had some division in its community was Dead Space's Isaac Clarke. The original Dead Space trilogy had the face of Isaac remain relatively consistent. He looked like a toughened engineer fitting for the dirty feeling aesthetic of the influential films that inspired the game like Alien.
The remake's face looks too clean and ordinary compared to the old-school aesthetic of the original. It does look more modern, but many prefer the old-school sci-fi horror movie feel of the classic. At least the nightmare-inducing environments and enemies still have that Alien and John Carpenter vibe.
1 James Sunderland: Silent Hill 2
James Sunderland is a fan-favorite protagonist from the Silent Hill series, mainly due to how good his story is throughout the acclaimed second instalment. He's mostly a normal guy, but you can tell that there's something off with him. Bloober Team's Silent Hill 2 remake not only does a face swap but does it for a legitimate reason.
The developers wanted to make James a little older, being in his 30s instead of 20s. Considering the story, the new age is much more realistic and relatable here. James's situation with his wife does naturally go together better when he is in this age. Silent Hill fans are often hard to please, but this is an all-around good change.