Game preservation is important, as a lot of games from the past came out at a time when technology or public interest wasn’t in line with the vision the developers had when they were making these titles. If we are to look at all of the games from yesteryear, then I can assure you that there will be at least one person who will reminisce about how good the game was and why it needs a second chance. Going through all of those games and giving them all a second chance would be borderline impossible as the number is up in the thousands and reimagining them all would be a waste of time and resources. Besides, it’s always in everyone’s best interest to look forward towards the future and not dwell too much in the past. Despite that, some games do deserve a second chance, as they were so good when they came out that people are still playing them, and a visual upgrade or modernization of the mechanics won’t hurt. One way the gaming industry does this is by remastering or remaking said games, a trend that is becoming more common over the years. The term “remaster” means that the game is getting slight bumps to its quality to make it look at par with modern-day technology, whereas “remaking” means, as the name implies, taking what was there and remaking everything from the ground up. This is a fantastic way of preserving old games, as it lets not only original players live back in the good old days but also attracts new audiences. With that out of the way, let’s take a look at a handful of games that deserve a remaster or a remake and why they need one.
Grand Theft Auto 4
“Grand Theft Auto 4” came out in 2008, and despite being a great game, it is still the most underrated and underappreciated game in this series. The game marked the beginning of the “HD universe,” as the players call it, and gave us a new and modern look at Liberty City, which was dense and richly packed with details. The game told a satirical (as always) and yet relevant story with our character Niko Bellic, an immigrant arriving in America from Europe to live the American dream. Not a lot needs to be said about this game, as it is a Rockstar game and a “Grand Theft Auto” game at that, so you already know what you are signing up for. The reason I say this game needs a remaster, yes, a remaster and not a remake for this one, is because this is the only “GTA” game that you can’t play on modern consoles as “GTA 5” is available here, “GTA 6” is on the horizon, and “GTA Trilogy: The Definitive Edition” is also available to play. After the disastrous launch of “The Trilogy: The Definitive Edition,” rumor has it that Rockstar has shelved the remaster for this and other games from their portfolio, but I hope that’s not the case, and I hope that “GTA 4” gets a remaster so we can walk the streets of Liberty City once again, this time with updated visuals.
Red Dead Redemption
Another Rockstar game and this is a big one. “Red Dead Redemption” came out in 2010 and told us the story of John Marston in 1911. A Western tale at the tail end of the age of outlaws, “Red Dead Redemption” told a heartfelt and memorable story, all thanks to an interesting setting, amazing characters, believable performances, and solid gameplay. I’d like to play this game once again with improved graphics and relive the tale of John Marston, so a remaster would suffice for me. However, a remake will make more sense for this one because of the immaculate “Red Dead Redemption 2” and what it added to the world and lore. If this game gets a remake, then not only will we get mentions of Arthur Morgan throughout the story, but we’ll also get more from Dutch, Javier, Bill, and John himself, as these characters were fleshed out even more thanks to the prequel, which is the sequel to this game. If the same rumor is to be believed, then even this project has been shelved at Rockstar and will not see the light of day, but I hope it does, as the “Red Dead Redemption” games are some of the best experiences I have personally had in all my years of gaming.
Bully
In third place, we have yet another Rockstar game, and why shouldn’t we? They make some of the finest games in the industry. “Bully” deserves a remake and not just a plain old remaster (I’ll take that as well, truth be told). This game was way ahead of its time and gave us a teen version of “Grand Theft Auto.” You played as Jimmy Hopkins here, a student admitted to Bullworth Academy, and the game lets you explore the campus and the surrounding town at your own leisure. Despite the name, the game was about anti-bullying, with your character standing up for himself and other students who couldn’t and fighting the bullies. The best part of this game was how incredibly designed the town and the campus was and the number of activities you could take part in. You could attend classes, each of which was a minigame, or you could just bunk classes, run away from prefects, and just live your very own high school fantasy. “Bully” was solid, and it’s a shame Rockstar never revisited this franchise or gave us a sequel. It’s never too late, though, and it can all change with a remake (or even a remaster, please) for this game, so please, Rockstar, make it happen.
Simpsons Hit And Run
A game that is lost and forgotten over time, and yet people(like myself) won’t stop talking about it, and we want to play it once again. “Simpsons: Hit and Run” is like “GTA,” but with the Simpsons, and it was awesome! The game gave us an open world with tons to see and do, all of which looked as charming as you’d expect, and broke a bit from the conventions of the show to give us a somewhat edgy and unhinged Simpsons experience. There’s not a lot I can and will say about this one because this needs a remake, plain and simple, and if you wish to learn why then do yourself a favor and just watch a video about this one on YouTube, you’ll know exactly why once you see it in action. It’s weird that this game didn’t get a remake despite such high demand from passionate fans, but I have a feeling that this will soon come to pass, and we’ll finally play “Simpsons: Hit and Run” once again!
Assassin’s Creed
The game that started it all, the first “Assassin’s Creed” game, is the only game in the series that I haven’t played, and I’d very much like to. This is also the only “Assassin’s Creed” game that isn’t updated to be played on modern consoles, so it’s a great time to go back to the roots and make it happen, don’t you reckon, Ubisoft? The game gave us control of Altair in the holy land during the crusades, and while it was plagued with more issues than you can count, it was loved by almost everyone who played it as it was the start of something new and fresh. A remake for this one will be a good way to show new players where and how the series started, all the while rectifying the errors and mistakes that were present in the first place. I love “Assassin’s Creed” games and Ubisoft games in general (I said it), and I love 100%ing all of them, so an “Assassin’s Creed” remake will be another game that would proudly sit at 100% on my profile. Ubisoft has come out and said that there are no plans for this, but plans change, and here’s hoping that someday in the future, we get to play a remake of the game that started one of the most popular franchises in gaming.
Fallout: New Vegas
“Fallout New Vegas” is a fan favorite from the franchise and is the one game that everyone sings high praises of, so why haven’t we gotten a remaster yet is a very good question. The game takes this post-apocalyptic journey to Vegas, as the name suggests, and has a tone that is quite different from the traditional “Fallout” games, all the while maintaining the essence of the series. The game was developed by Obsidian Entertainment while it was a Bethesda property, and in the past, that could have been a very good reason why we never got the remaster we wanted, but all of that is a different story at present as both Obsidian and Bethesda are owned by Microsoft now. The crazy thing here is that the creators of “Fallout,” inXile Studios, are also owned by Microsoft now, so they are the parent company of all three studios that have ever worked on “Fallout.” This remastering or remake is bound to happen at some point, but when? We don’t know but keep your hopes up and your eyes peeled for this one, as it will see the light of day for sure.
Dino Crisis
When Capcom released the “Resident Evil” games back in the day, they had another franchise under their belt that played just like “Resident Evil” but added its own spin. Enter “Dino Crisis,” a survival horror game from the mind of Shinji Mikami himself that is simply “Resident Evil” but with dinosaurs. Yes, no zombies, but there are dinosaurs and zombie dinosaurs in some games (how cool does that sound!?). This franchise, despite its popularity, simply vanished one day, and people are vocal about their hopes of seeing it come back one day. Capcom has been busy remaking the “Resident Evil” games as they immaculately did with “Resident Evil 2,” “Resident Evil 3,” and the upcoming game “Resident Evil 4,” so can you guys do us a favor and squeeze in a “Dino Crisis” remake somewhere in the middle, please? The fans will lose their minds, and the game is bound to be a success, so please don’t make us wait any longer and give us an incredible remake of the “Dino Crisis” games like you did with “Resident Evil.”
Metal Gear Solid
Finally, we have the first “Metal Gear Solid,” and I don’t need to say much about it; just give it to us already, Konami. This is the series that skyrocketed Konami’s success outside the arcade machines and put Hideo Kojima on the map, a stealth espionage game with tons of twisted lore and story and incredible gameplay. The reason this may not happen despite rumors saying for years at this point that it’s definitely happening is Konami and Konami alone, and I don’t want to get into that drama; you probably already know what I am talking about. If it does happen, however, I hope to God it’s not a PlayStation exclusive, which it more than likely will be. Exclusives suck and ruin gaming for everyone, but I digress. Getting a remake for the first “Metal Gear Solid” will be a win for everyone, and I hope that this happens someday.
Final Thoughts
There are countless other games that deserve a remaster or a remake, but as I mentioned in the beginning, doing so for all of them is pointless, expensive, and not worth it, so these have been a handful of games we can think of that truly deserve a remaster or a remake. While I could and would happily add more names to this list as I personally, too, want to see a ton of old games make a comeback, if we can get remasters/remakes for even half of the aforementioned games, I’d be happy. What games would you like to see remade for the modern day, as I am sure everyone will have their own personal list on this matter? As always, I’ll see you at the next one!
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