Just finished the Episode 1 remaster, and honestly, I didn't love the changes to Nicki. It feels like she lost a lot of her agency. The two biggest changes were Guy sort of pushing her into getting with Brent, and her not knowing about Guy’s wealth until after she visits.
In the original, those were her own decisions, they gave her depth, led to character development, and let her arc mirror Guy’s in a certain way. Depending on the player's choices, Guy could turn out selfish or thoughtful, and it was cool seeing how the choices of the two characters led them to their meeting point. Nicki went through hardship, but came out the other side knowing that she wouldn’t make the same mistakes again. Guy on the other hand, came into wealth, so he could afford to make mistakes without the same hardships. The player would end up choosing if their two paths were in contrast (if Guy was an asshole) or in parallel (if Guy was more thoughtful).
Now, Nicki not being responsible for what happened to her, removes some of the complexity. Not that she was responsible before, but there was some gray area, which I thought gave depth. Her arc doesn't mirror Guy's as much, and in the remaster, she feels less like a flawed, growing person and more like a static "can-do-no-wrong" type character. Less layered I guess is what I'm trying to say.
Not trying to hate, just my take. Curious what others think as more people play the update.