John Esposito
The games that founded this industry have been left in the dust, and as the timeless saying goes, the video game industry giveth and the video game industry taketh away. Today, we’re shouting to the heavens for these industry-defining games to make a return. These are the top 10 franchises that need a remake or remaster.
Star Fox 64
Franchises That Need a Remaster or Remake
Star Fox 64 was a monumental title for the Nintendo 64. The introduction of the “Rumble Pak” to create vibration feedback while playing, branching gameplay paths with two different endings. The list goes on as to how influential Star Fox 64 was and how it set up Star Fox for a bright future. That was 25 years ago, and since then, Nintendo hasn’t really done anything with Fox McCloud. Honestly, you could say Ubisoft has done more for our piloting fox with 2018’s Starlink: Battle for Atlas including him in a notable capacity. The franchise has been on hold for quite some time due to a series of missteps, and Twinfinite has plenty of articles detailing the pain of not being able to experience a good Star Fox title. Now’s the perfect time to do a barrel roll Nintendo.
Sony’s Greatest Hits
Franchises That Need a Remaster or Remake
Let’s just be honest for a second and talk about how Sony is sitting on a treasure trove of classic titles that they don’t seem like they want to bring back. Whether it’s Insomniac Games’ Resistance series, Naughty Dog’s Jak & Daxter, Sucker Punch’s Sly Cooper and Infamous series. Sony is sitting on a pile of certified bangers. For any and all PlayStation gamers, you know the value these titles hold. There was a day when these games were what defined Sony and the PlayStation platform. Jak & Daxter was an incredible 3D platform blend, Sly Cooper was insanely good at delivering the heist vibe, and the Resistance games gave us some really good alien versus human content blended with the Insomniac formula. You also can’t omit the legacy the Infamous games created as a superhero facing a morality scale. To be fair, a lot of these studios wanted to work on other titles. Naughty Dog probably didn’t want to work on Jak & Daxter forever, especially after the success of The Last of Us, despite talking about a potential Jak 4. Insomniac Games most likely didn’t want to commit to Resistance in light of Ratchet & Clank and the explosive success of the Marvel Spider-Man games. Sucker Punch wanted to explore new frontiers with Ghost of Tsushima instead of continuing the story of the Infamous series. There are plenty of studios with fresh ideas for these titles that deserve a chance Sony. Heck, even HD ports for these titles will serve. Please just make them accessible for gamers beyond the realm of PlayStation Plus.
Rockstar’s Classics
Franchises That Need a Remaster or Remake
Much like Sony, Rockstar is sitting on two major titles that they have put on the back burner: the first Red Dead Redemption and Grand Theft Auto 4. Rockstar’s case is a little bit more difficult to tread through. Nine years of Grand Theft Auto 5 has proved to be a significant money maker for Rockstar. With Grand Theft Auto 6 on the horizon in the next couple of years, Rockstar’s attention is most certainly focused on the next entry. It most certainly will be some time before we get to experience GTA 6, so why can’t GTA 4 be the filler in the meantime? On the other hand, Red Dead Redemption would’ve been nice to have leading up to the launch of the sequel. After completing a playthrough of the sequel, you almost have to go back and replay RDR 1 to see the story from a different point of view. The word on the street is that there were plans to remake these titles, but the release and reception of the Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition spoiled those plans. If that’s true, it’s sad to see as both of these titles are Rockstar at its absolute peak.
Dragon Age: Origins
Franchises That Actually Need a Remaster or Remake
It feels pretty rare for a new game to succeed on its first attempt without the need for a sequel to push it over the edge. The first Assassin’s Creed was good and Assassin’s Creed 2 was spectacular. The first Halo was game-changing and Halo 2 was world-defining. It just feels rare, but somehow, BioWare managed to hit the nail on the head. Dragon Age: Origins is widely considered one of the best games in the Dragon Age universe for a multitude of reasons. It felt like a healthy blend of old and newer RPG tropes, which was a breath of fresh air for the genre at the time, and it gave players the feeling of being powerful yet powerless at the same time. That’s a fine line that games struggle with, yet BioWare managed to make it happen with Origins. Dragon Age 4 is in the works and the next Mass Effect game is also being worked on. However, while we wait, it would be nice to revisit the Big Bang that started the Dragon Age universe.
The Saboteur
Franchises That Need a Remaster or Remake
How many of you remember Pandemic Studios’ masterpiece of a title before the studio unfortunately shut down? The Saboteur is one of those games that really needs a re-release of some sort. Set in Paris, the game puts you in the shoes of a race car driver tasked with freeing Paris from the Nazi occupation during World War 2. In a blend of Grand Theft Auto 4 and Assassin’s Creed gameplay elements, you travel around a sprawling open-world map and sabotage German operations while heavily outgunned and heavily outnumbered. It was essentially Sniper Elite without the emphasis on sniping. The game shone brightly when you explored the open-world as it would adopt a black and white filter in areas occupied by German forces. As you completed missions and liberated the different sections, they would burst to life with color and vibrance. It was a unique take on the open-world formula that served as a tribute to Pandemic’s earlier works such as the Mercenaries games. A sequel was in the works but was ultimately canceled when Pandemic shut down. It’s been 13 years, but a complete remake of this title would be incredible. EA, the ball is in your court.
Metal Gear Solid Series
Franchises That Need a Remaster or Remake
Now listen, let’s pretend that the experiment that was Metal Gear Survive doesn’t exist. Arguably some of the most influential games in gaming history, Metal Gear Solid has been sitting in the dark for quite some time. Konami seemingly doesn’t know what to do with the franchise post-Hideo Kojima leaving, and fans of the popular stealth titles are also sitting in the dark. To be fair, part of the disappearance of the series as of late isn’t Konami’s fault. Late last year, two of the higher-rated games in the series, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, were delisted because of their use of licensed footage during cutscenes. During a recent announcement, Konami announced that the dispute was resolved and that the titles would be returning to the storefront sometime in the future. Rather than returning them, it would be nice to see Konami breathe new life into those titles. One can only imagine Konami will just return the missing titles to the storefronts they were available on versus making them available on every digital storefront. A remastered port featuring all of the numbered entries up to Metal Gear Solid 4 would be an incredible present to celebrate the 35-year anniversary of Metal Gear.
Prince of Persia Trilogy
Franchises That Need a Remaster or Remake
The Prince of Persia games have been lost in the Sands of Time for a while now as Assassin’s Creed has taken all of Ubisoft’s attention. As far as this discussion goes, we’re solely referring to Prince of Persia: Sands of Time, Prince of Persia: Warrior Within, and Prince of Persia: Two Thrones. Those games dominated the market from 2002-2005 and gave us some of the best games a gamer could ask for, with Warrior Within feeling like the high point of the series. Technically, Ubisoft did go on to reboot the series in 2008, but then they left the series out to dry after the DLC released for it. There’s also the upcoming Prince of Persia: Sands of Time remake set to release, but it’s stuck in a vicious cycle of “somebody take it and finish it please” with no release date pinned at all. Much like the other entries on this list, the trilogy has been stuck on older generation consoles with no easy access to them, and a simple remaster of them doesn’t feel like a lot to ask for. In light of the Sands of Time hot potato situation, a good way to fill the void would be a compilation of the Prince’s greatest adventures.
Resident Evil Code: Veronica
Franchises That Need a Remaster or Remake
Capcom has been going about its business remaking Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3 to much success. With the upcoming Resident Evil 4 Remake set to blow our minds away next March, the next logical step for a remake should be one that’s been highly demanded for quite some time. Originally released back on the Dreamcast, Resident Evil Code: Veronica follows the story of Claire and Chris Redfield after the events of Resident Evil 2 and received critical acclaim when it launched back in February 2000. As time went on, Code: Veronica was ported to the PS2 and eventually the PS3 as well as the Xbox 360 with the positive reception slowly fading with each port. The ported versions were near identical to the original version of the game that released back in 2000 and, minus a few cutscene updates, they didn’t change much of the mechanics and boss fights that drew ire when the game launched back in 2000. Capcom’s RE Engine, used for all of the remakes and newer games, is a spectacle. Capcom has also showed that they aren’t afraid to make big changes to the titles they have remade. Rather than moving forward with the remakes, here’s hoping the developer takes a step back and creates a proper version of Code: Veronica that fixes all of the issues the original had. If Capcom’s feeling generous, the fans who are working on their own remake could probably use some help right now. While you’re at it, Capcom, give us a Devil May Cry 3 remake, please.
Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening
Franchises That Need a Remaster or Remake
Much like the previous entry, Devil May Cry 3 has been showered with critical acclaim. The game was hard for some players, but the story and the action was a return to form after the experiment that was Devil May Cry 2 with DMC 2 almost ending the series due its reception. DMC 3 corrected the ship’s course. The music was bumping, the action was intense, and young Dante was the coolest dude ever introduced in a video game. This game had a huge impact on the franchise moving forwards as the formula from this title would go on to inspire the following entries. Capcom is usually a bit slower when it comes to new entries in this series, and for what it’s worth, that’s a good thing. Every new entry has done incredible to push the envelope forward. It’s time to bring back where it started for us fans and give it the whole treatment. A full remake powered by the RE Engine would do wonders for the gaming world.
Mega Man Legends
Franchises That Need a Remaster or Remake
Being the first game in a series to drastically change the core formula is scary because a core change doesn’t always work out. That is the uphill battle Mega Man Legends faced, and to its credit, it worked out pretty well. When you look back at Mega Man Legends, the huge change was the shift from 2D to 3D. Technically you could say Mega Man: Battle & Chase made the switch to 3D first, but it was a racing game versus Legends being an action-adventure game. This title did a lot of interesting things as far as shaking up the core gameplay intruding lock-on targeting, a dive roll mechanic, climbing features, and much more. While it didn’t resonate with some players at the time, it was a nice change of pace after years of 2D platforming. Alongside the previously mentioned changes, Legends had great voice acting, the story was a high point for moving outside of the realm of basic “good vs. evil” with the introduction of memorable villains and player attitude during NPC conversations impacted prices in the shop. This title felt like a fresh take on the previously 2D experiences Mega Man was known for. Mega Man has been on ice for quite some time, so now’s the perfect time for a blast from the past with Mega Man Legends. If given the time and love, a remastered version of this would fix a lot of the issues with this title, especially with the game’s control scheme wonky, and it’d give us some great music.
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