5 Games That Need Remakes

I am not the biggest fan of remake culture, the idea that everything, eventually, needs to be remade, either to modernize it for a contemporary audience or simply because interest in the IP is lapsing. We’re seeing remakes and transformative remasters in the world of TV with the likes of the HBO Harry Potter show being released just over 20 years after the films originally came out, as well as, naturally, in the realm of video games. Just recently, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion was overhauled rather drastically despite it having been released less than two decades prior. We’re also seeing countless requests for umpteen other games, movies, and TV shows to be remade, and it can all feel a little redundant.

Not everything needs to be remade, as a lot of older media still holds up today, especially within TV and film. However, as much as I am, for the most part, against it, there are a few video games that genuinely need a remake. Whether it is because the original is inaccessible to a modern audience, both literally or mechanically, or simply because it would greatly benefit from the advancements of modern technology, these games, as great as they were when they were released, could do with a slight glow-up.

5. The Simpsons: Hit & Run

The Simpsons: Hit & Run is a fairly legendary game, and for good reason. Not only were its open-world shenanigans and arcadey driving unbelievably fun, but it was also perhaps the best distillation of the show’s absurdity and humor outside of the original animation. It is largely heralded as one of the greatest games from its era, and many still want to see it in some form released on modern consoles. Unfortunately, it remains locked to the PS2, GameCube, and original Xbox, as bafflingly, it is somehow still one of the many games that should be made backwards compatible on Xbox Series X/S.

A plethora of fans have attempted to remake The Simpsons: Hit & Run to varying degrees of success, much of which has been documented through YouTube. These projects are all remarkably impressive and illustrative not just of the demand for a remake, but also of the potential one holds. Not only would a remake be able to expand upon the world and concepts present in the original game, thus adding more locations from the show, including those introduced post its initial release date, but it would also cater to new characters, vehicles, and missions. The Simpsons has evolved rather tremendously since Hit & Run first launched, so it makes sense to add in all the new jokes, characters, and quirks of the show over two decades later.

4. Metal Gear Solid

Technically, Metal Gear Solid has already been remade. In 2004, roughly six years after the game’s original release, developer Silicon Knights was tasked with remaking it for the Nintendo GameCube. It took the visual style of the second game and added in some additional gameplay features, changed a few lines here and there, and tweaked some of the voice acting. By today’s standards, Metal Gear Solid: Twin Snakes would likely be classed as a remaster, especially going by the high bar The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion set. I would wager, then, that it means Metal Gear Solid still hasn’t been truly remade.

MGS is a phenomenal game, but it is hard not to look at the incredible Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater and not hope for something similar for the first game in the series. Metal Gear Solid is teeming with potential, but that was expanded on in later entries and never fully realized the first time around. There is undeniably room to grow, for Konami to bring to the original experience what its successors made so popular. Fortunately, as Konami is taking remake requests from fans, it seems like there’s a distinct possibility this may end up happening.

3. Xenogears

Xenogears was the precursor to the incredibly popular Xenoblade Chronicles series and the lesser-known, yet still beloved, Xenosaga. It is a philosophically charged, action-packed, intensely emotional JRPG filled with epic mech battles and some of the best cutscenes you’ll ever see. Sadly, Square Enix is wasting Xenogears, as it has done practically nothing with it since it originally launched in 1998. While fans have picked up the slack with modded ROMs of the game, we’re yet to get a proper remaster on current-gen systems, or see the ever-demanded yet perpetually elusive remake.

As great as Xenogears was at launch, it really does need a remake. It has a handful of mechanical flaws that, while fans have ironed out with the Perfect Works mod, hurt the original version. Xenogears was also, rather famously, never quite finished. While it is a complete product, the lack of experience of the developers and lofty ambitions meant that the project was scaled back somewhat, resulting in a dialogue-heavy finale that more or less just recounts what happened. A true remake would allow the original creators to fulfill their vision and deliver the true, intended Xenogears experience. Here’s hoping Square Enix finally relinquishes it or decides to do something with the IP.

2. Chrono Trigger

Much like Xenogears, Chrono Trigger has remained little more than a singular entry, despite the sheer amount of love and support it receives. While it is playable on mobile devices and PC, you can’t access it on current-gen consoles, rather inexplicably. It is high time Square Enix did something with the IP, ideally a remake. Of course, Chrono Trigger fans, which includes me, would say that it is a pretty perfect experience. It features a lot of the modern conveniences that some JRPGs are only just getting around to implementing, and its story is near-perfect.

However, like a lot of the games from its era, it is old and suffers from the restrictions of the time. Chrono Trigger deserves the full-remake treatment, something that can bring to life its incredible story and extremely memorable cast of characters in a way we’d never thought possible. This is also a JRPG that, while immensely popular with those who played it when it initially came out, and those obsessed with the genre as a whole, a lot of people likely don’t know much about. A remake, in this specific instance, would actually be beneficial to bringing much-deserved attention to this legitimately phenomenal game.

1. The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time

Of all the games on this list, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time feels the most likely to actually get a remake. Indeed, an Ocarina of Time remake may be in the works, for all we know, as rampant rumors and speculation have been claiming one is on the way for years. It isn’t hard to see why people would be so hopeful, or indeed why Nintendo would want to remake it in the first place. Nintendo is, after all, the Disney of the gaming world, not just because of its family-friendly branding, but because of its penchant for remaking beloved games and charging obscene amounts for them.

Ocarina of Time does really deserve a remake, though. Again, there’s nothing bad about the original, and, indeed, it is pretty flawless. However, Zelda’s design philosophy has changed so much since then, and it would be interesting to see how Ocarina of Time would look were it made today. Ultimately, at least within the world of video games, that is the point of a remake. It is to see how a modern-day developer would make a beloved classic, to update it using everything the industry has learned and created since it originally came out, and to change it enough to feel new and exciting, just like it did all those years ago. People want that for Ocarina of Time, I want that for Ocarina of Time, and I would be surprised if we don’t see it soon.

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