5 games that NEED to be remastered
Video games have emerged as a hot ticket item in recent years with the pandemic forcing many of us indoors and away from friends and family. Gaming has become a great way for people of all ages to pass the time and maintain a social life — back in 2019, the gaming industry was valued at $150 billion. This is forecast to grow to $250 billion between 2020–2025. G2A.com data shows an explosion of 200% in the gaming sector by the over 60s, with 42% of that demographic confessing to having played 20+ hours a week since the pandemic began. Work-from-home initiatives coupled with government school shut-downs are undoubtedly the cause of this gaming craze as people can spend their commute time gaming, and maybe are sneakily playing while on zoom calls!
Remastering old media is no new trend, movies and music have been doing it for decades now. Think how many times a vinyl has been upgraded to a CD, and then MP3 and now potentially an NFT! Gaming companies however, have just begun to dip their toes into this very lucrative business strategy. It usually involves upgrading the quality of the original material visually in terms of a new coat of paint, and sometimes upgrading other audio media such as soundtracks. Games like Metro: Exodus did this by upgrading the lighting with RTX Ray Tracing technology, and surround sound. Remasters can be a great way to revamp a classic with modern day software as well as bringing the story to the next generation of gamers. Despite this, remastering can be seen by some fans as a casual cash-grab if minimal effort seems to have been put in, as oftentimes remasters end up being sold for current market price, especially nostalgic games that are ported to newer consoles.
Remakes on the other hand, are a new way to revitalise classics by tweaking the original game and altering outdated game mechanics. A more polished reimagination was adopted for games such as Crash Bandicoot, GTA: The Trilogy, and the Spyro Reignited Trilogy — with a graphical overhaul that gave uncanny resemblance to their retro counterparts. Recently, we’ve seen a bigger push from developers to reinvent and change large aspects of a game without straying too far from the source material. This can be seen in games such as Resident Evil 2: Remake and Pokémon: Lets Go Pikachu, a remake of the original Red, Yellow and Green (released back in 1996). The game sought to re-engage the nostalgia of the original story while improving gaming mechanics such as over-world Pokémon, new throwing gestures, and catch combos for shiny hunting.
Nevertheless, it’s not all flashy graphics and improved game mechanics. Sometimes remakes can go very bad and turn the fanbase sour; none come to mind more than GTA: The Trilogy. The release of these so-called “remakes” came under fire due to the lack of care taken to port over the classic PS1 and PS2 games. From nausea-inducing rain animations to spelling errors and out-of-place looking character models — not to mention the countless number of bugs and glitches. A day after release, the PC version was removed from the Rockstar Game Launcher without notice, leaving many fans scratching their heads. Eventually, Rockstar did come out with an apology:
“The updated versions of these classic games did not launch in a state that meets our own standards of quality, or the standards our fans have come to expect”.
It’s hard to feel sorry for a publisher that made over $6 billion on GTA V alone, fans were rightfully questioning Rockstar’s intentions with GTA: The Trilogy. During this PR nightmare, things might not have been as bad if not for the frustrations around Rockstar’s next sequel ‘GTA: VI’ not being released, and the removal of the originals from various online stores to facilitate the remastered editions. Despite this, it sold better than expected with the trilogy accounting for 10 million sales for Rockstar.
Now for the time everyone has been waiting for… including me. Here are the top 5 games that I think should — nay, NEED — to be remastered for the betterment of all our gaming lives.
1. Assassins Creed (2007) — Remaster with a pinch of remake.
Many things can be said about this stunning and inspirational piece of art, but I will try to keep it short. Assassin’s creed came out in 2007 and was one of the first games to be platformed on the PS3. Its incredible graphics and stellar story took you, a superior assassin named Altaïr Ibn-La’Ahad, in search of a holy artifact named The Apple of Eden, fighting the menacing Templars in ancient Jerusalem to complete your mission. With recent AC titles opting for a more RPG style, it would be refreshing to see a more conservative approach from the franchise with more emphasis on hiding, stealth and gaining information through covert operations, the stuff that pulled us in at first!
The original aced this by having you:
· Gain intelligence through eavesdropping.
· Pick-pocket letters to identify possible locations for the target.
· Emphasise primary targets, approaching missions à la Hitman.
· Attack preachers to stop the spread of propaganda.
AC has evolved from its early days in good and bad ways. From a single player linear game focused on story to an open world RPG, a remastering with better graphics and Ray Tracing on PC would be the perfect way to remodel the classic game. It would also benefit from various improvements such as more varied weapons choices, customisation, and side missions. I have a lot more to say about Assassin’s Creed improvements I want to see, so stay tuned for another full-length article on this subject!
2. GTA IV (2008) — Straight remaster.
Now, I know I went hard on Rockstar for their lacklustre release of GTA: The Trilogy, but GTA IV was a masterpiece on the PS3. It had an interesting and stoic protagonist in Niko Bellic, who went from fighting in the “old country’s war” to living the high life in Liberty City; fans really empathised with the characters struggles. I can still remember trying — and failing — to fake my age to buy it. Luckily, my mother’s friend bought it for me instead, and I was so ecstatic I rushed home after school to play it. The game boasts some of the best graphics and realistic rag-doll physics of any games of its time. The gripping story with multiple endings and diverse soundtrack makes it an excellent candidate for a remaster, provided they don’t drop the ball as with the aforementioned trilogy.
3. Star Wars: Battlefront 2 (2005) — Remake with Galactic Conquest.
Star Wars: Battlefront 2 was one of the best games to come out of the legendary movie empire created by George Lucas. In a nutshell, SW:BF2 is a way for fans to embody the skins of their favourite characters and role-play what it feels like to battle for the galaxy. With an oversaturation in the market of first-person shooters, online players were desperate for a change. Pandemic Studios’ answer to this? “Galactic Conquest”. Galactic Conquest is turn-based campaign where you command a fleet of ships with the objective to capture different planets for the Empire or Rebels. In acquiring planets, you receive credits that can be spent on units and bonuses to aid you in battle. Unfortunately for us, EA and DICE have already remade SW:BF2 without Galactic Conquest and instead replaced it with loot crates and a story mode that left fans wanting more. Fans took to reddit to voice their frustration with the game citing play-to-win concerns, bad loot drops and claiming that it would take 40 hours of gameplay to unlock fan favourite characters such as Darth Vader. Since Battlefront 2 is taken, let me suggest Battlefront 3 get rid of loot crates once and for all, and incorporate the much-loved Galactic Conquest again.
4. Brütal Legend (2009) — Straight remaster.
Brütal Legend is one of those hidden gems of a game, one in which you can see a lot of passion has been put. It follows the story of Eddie Riggs (played by the great Jack Black) that unfortunately dies in an accident and is resurrected by the game’s antagonist Omagöden, the Eternal Fire Beast. Eddie is sent to a land resembling Middle-Earth but with a Heavy metal twist. This game perfectly captured the awesomeness of heavy metal with an action-adventure feel. With the use of your electric guitar as a weapon, a customisable ride used to mow down bad guys, and don’t even get me started on the soundtrack, you feel like an invincible badass. The cherry on top was all the legendary cameos from Ozzy Osborne, Lita Ford, Rob Halford, and the late, great Lemmy Kilmister. The creativity of this rockin’ masterpiece is a must have for any heavy metal fan, and I would absolutely love to see it brought to the newer consoles for many more hours of enjoyment.
5. The Godfather II (2009) — Remaster with a butt-load of remake.
The Godfather II may not be the greatest in gameplay, but never has there been a game that encapsulates the authenticity of being a mafia boss more with fun game mechanics to keep the player engaged. The story follows the Corleone family after a meeting in Havana is interrupted by the Cuban revolution. In the wake of the escape from Cuba, Aldo (A member of the family) is killed, and Dominic (the protagonist) assumes his place. You are then tasked with restoring the family’s reputation. As a reputable member of the family, you need to recruit new members while being mindful of the different skillsets your family requires such as engineering, pyrotechnics and lockpicking — members can also be upgraded. Your recruits are not just for show, they can help take over various rackets such as bars and weapon depots, as well as money laundering and aiding in destroying rival families. The core game mechanics are what make the game so fun, and it would greatly benefit from a graphical overhaul such as 4K, RTX Ray-Tracing, and improvements to the controls in gun play and driving. I believe side-missions would be a worthwhile addition, too.
Conclusion
In conclusion, all the games on this list deserve a remake or remaster. They are fan favourites, pioneers of their time and deserve to be enjoyed in a new light by the new generation of gamers whilst giving us veterans a nice slice of nostalgia pie. However, if they are not handled with the utmost care it can leave everyone with a bitter taste in their mouth. I have faith that Rockstar will respect and remaster old GTA games well… As for EA, I have less and less confidence in their intentions as a multi-billion-dollar company with a fixation only on profit margins, so I can only pray for a more passionate development company to pick things up. That’s all from me for now but stay tuned for a further list of games that NEED to be remastered and I may or may not have 2… or 3 more lists coming.