written by Mohammad Fahmi
If a time traveler visited us now and tried to determine what year is this by asking what the most popular games of the year are, they might confuse 2020 with the late 90s. From the remake of Resident Evil 3, the long-awaited release of Final Fantasy VII, to the surprise announcement of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2, 2020 feels like the time when everything was nicer, the internet was kinder, and the first PlayStation was the muse for gamers.
Releasing old games to the latest consoles is not a new thing. Since the first PlayStation, we’ve witnessed the port of classic games such as Final Fantasy Anthology and Chrono Trigger, simplification of console games to touch control of the mobile platform, to the graphical improvement of the countless HD remasters in the market.
What set remakes apart from them is the care that was given to the modern classics. Developers don’t simply improve the resolution or details of the 3D models of the game, they redo most things from the ground up without changing the core of what made the game loved by many in the past.
Take Shadow of the Colossus, Spyro, or Crash series for example. All those remakes still have the charm of the classics, with a highly improved visual, gameplay and controls that follow the modern standard, and a good balance of the olds and the news to keep the nostalgia alive.
Seeing the success of the recent remakes, we listed ten games we’d love to see being remade with the touch of the latest technologies. Reimagining the modern classics if they run on the capabilities of PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X technologies.
Here are the ten games we think deserve a remake not a remaster on the next-gen consoles.
Dead Space
The first Dead Space came out in 2008, a few years at the beginning of the PS3/X360 era. In the span of twelve years, we have witnessed a great improvement in both audio, visual, and overall experience. Getting scared in outer space would definitely be better with what the future consoles have to offer.
Deus Ex: Human Revolution
We were introduced by Adam Jensen’s story in 2011. While Human Revolution can be considered as a pretty young game, this piece of cyberpunk history still got a lot of room to grow with the help of the next-gen tech. Not only from the graphical standpoint, with a proper remake of the game we can expect a livelier and bigger city to explore in between missions compared to the smaller and linear city design of the original game.
Metal Gear Solid
The first Metal Gear Solid was a milestone of technological, design, and narrative achievements in the history of video games. But the possibilities of the improvement we can achieve with the 22 years gap would be something unimaginable.
Besides, with Kojima not helming the story of Metal Gear universe anymore, revisiting the classic title might be a safer bet for Konami if they still want to play around with this precious IP.
Killzone 2
Guerrilla Games, the studio behind Horizon Zero Dawn and the Decima Engine that was used to develop Death Stranding released Killzone 2 in 2009. The game was one of the most critically acclaimed titles of the console, putting it on a pedestal on par with other PS3 exclusives. Seeing what Guerilla technology achieved on PS4, we can only imagine how amazing Killzone 2 would be on the new console.
Killzone 2 also has a popular multiplayer element that still has players up until the moment Guerilla decided to close the server in 2018, nine years after the game is out. Maybe with the remake, we can see another resurgence of Killzone multiplayer, or even better, a multiplayer battleground mode of a Killzone on PS5. Oh well, we all can dream.
Remember Me
Before Life is Strange, Dontnod Entertainment presented us with what can be considered as one of the most underrated cyberpunk adventures in history in the form of Remember Me.
The game was built using Unreal Engine 3 for the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC. Remaking this title using the recently announced Unreal Engine 5 for PS5 and Xbox Series X will not only improve the experience but also make the game more accessible to purchase considering that we don’t have that many options to enjoy it in the current gaming ecosystems.
Mass Effect 2
The second game to the epic tales of Commander Shepard might be the best out of the trilogy. This sequel introduced us to so many amazing new characters in the series, while also brought back fan favorites from the first game.
Remaking Mass Effect 2 won’t only allow us to enjoy the game with better visuals, with a remake we might be able to explore planets properly in the game, a feature that existed in the previous game but somehow missing in the second one. Besides, who would mind seeing Miranda Lawson that was played by Yvonne Strahovski in better graphics?
Halo: Reach
Halo: Reach is the prequel to the first game in Halo and the last Halo game Bungie made before Microsoft handed the development of the series to 343 Industries. Of course, we can’t expect Bungie to go back on remaking Reach when they are busily expanding the Destiny universe. But 343 Industries have been showing that they are capable of delivering high-quality Halo games. Having a remake of Halo: Reach released in next-gen Xbox is also perfect to keep the fans engaged with the series after playing Halo: Infinite that’s slated to come out this year.
Rainbow Six: Vegas
Rainbow Six: Siege might be one of the most successful Ubisoft games, and it also has been confirmed to be released on PS5. But considering that the game focuses on online multiplayer, a remake of Vegas, with PS5 and Xbox Series X graphics would be perfect to scratch the itch for a single player Rainbow Six experience that can’t be satisfied by Siege.
Half-Life 2
Now, now, before anyone started making jokes about Half-Life 3, let’s remember that Half-Life 2 was released in 2004. Several generations of new gamers have been born during the past 16 years, and shining new light on this legendary classic might require more effort than a simple 90% sales during Steam Summer Sale.
Black Mesa has proven to us that a total remake of the first Half-Life was necessary for the game to attract new fans and satisfy old fans alike. A remake of the second game, bundled with the two additional episodes, would surely have the same -if not even better- impact for the series’ livelihood. Half-Life 2 Remake would also be a great way to prepare ourselves for (yes, you can make that joke now) Half-Life 3.
Vanquish
Vanquish is an underrated fast-paced third-person shooter game by the king of the action genre, PlatinumGames. Directed by the legendary developer behind the Resident Evil series, Shinji Mikami, Vanquish might be another underrated title that deserves some newfound love with what the new technology holds.
Even though a remaster for the PS4 and Xbox One was just released this year, there are still a lot of rooms to expand from this game with what the PS5 and Xbox Series X are capable of doing.
That’s the list of games we’d love to see get the remake treatment properly. What about you? Do you have a favorite game you’d love to see being remade for PS5 or Xbox Series X? Let us know in the comments.