Love 'em or hate 'em, remasters are everywhere these days.
Rare Replay just released, Gears of War Ultimate Edition and Dishonored Definitive Edition are out this month, as does Mega Man Legacy Collection, and Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection comes in October. And that's far from all of the remasters we've seen this year alone.
A lot of gamers get angry about games being remastered. There seems to be a common conception that remastering games takes valuable time that could be spent on new titles. This is rarely the case, however. The majority of the time, the task of remastering a game is outsourced to specialist port studios like Bluepoint Games, the studio currently working on the Uncharted Collection. So, the fear that remasters mean less new games is a completely irrational one.
With that out of the way, we can look to the future of remasters (there's irony in there, if you missed it). Sony Europe President Jim Ryan stated at Gamescom that more PS3 remasters are very likely, and that they would only prioritize "great games." It was never really in question whether or not we would see more remasters; the fact is that these games sell, well.
When the remasters are done right, i.e. Master Chief Collection & Rare Replay, they are great collections that deserve to be played again.
So what games deserve to be remastered? Well, many of the answers come down to personal preference. Most gamers don't care about a lot of the remasters - but if their favorite game were to be re-released, they would feel differently. So, with that in mind, the choices in this list are all games that were either overlooked/not experienced by enough people, or are simply classics that deserve a new lease of life.
Bioshock Trilogy
We're going to start with some real classics. Many gamers consider Bioshock to be the best game of the last generation. Bioshock 2 is a very underrated game that, while being very similar to the original and not having a shocking story, is still a fantastic game. And Bioshock Infinite is very divisive, but ultimately an amazing game that rivals the original.
The majority of gamers have probably played the original Bioshock, and this game is so iconic that I doubt many would complain about having it on their shelf (be it a physical or digital shelf). That being said, Irrational Games closed down and 2K hasn't mentioned the series since then, so time is running out for this one.
Likelihood: Low
South Park: The Stick of Truth
As hilariously awesome as this game is, it wouldn't have found a place on this list were it not getting a sequel. South Park: The Fractured But Whole is to release sometime next year and therefore Ubisoft may be interested in rekindling interest in the series by moving The Stick of Truth up a generation.
The thing is, The Stick of Truth looks just like the show, and as such wouldn't need any real remastering, so the game could just be a straight port without updated visuals or anything.
Likeliehood: High
Batman: Arkham Asylum & City
Rocksteady's first two Batman games were some of the best games on last-generation consoles. More than anything, I think just Arkham Asylum deserves to be revisited, but they are a package deal.
The bad news is, it seems the ship has sailed for this potential collection. If the first two Batman games were to be remastered, chances are they would have been by now. The Batman Arkham Collection was released last year, and you would think Rocksteady would have wanted any remasters to be out before Arkham Knight. However, IGN Italy did report that a collection was coming this year - it just seems more unlikely as time passes.
Likelihood: Low
Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch
Ni No Kuni was a PS3 JRPG that took a lot of well-loved elements from Pokemon and Studio Ghibli movies. If that, and the image above, isn't enough to make you want to play this then you have no soul!
In all seriousness, this was one of the best JRPG's on the PS3 and because of how it looked and played. It's one of the few JRPGs that also appeals to the more casual, western gamers. This game 100% deserves a second lease on life and a chance to reach a whole new audience. The good news is it sold really well on PS3, so a sequel seems likely! Also, there already have been rumors of a PS4 remaster.
Likelihood: Medium
Resistance Trilogy
Now here is a series that has been criminally overlooked. For a long time the Resistance games were dismissed or seen as a poor man's Halo, but that couldn't be further from the truth. The Resistance trilogy is three of the finest FPS games ever made.
Each game offered something different, while telling a compelling story that took the series in a brave direction. Fewer series' evolve as much as this one did, going from a WW2 shooter with Aliens, to a Metro-style experience. Not to mention how good the gameplay is, with Insomniac Games bringing its trademark variety of unique weapons. More people need to play this series.
Likelihood: Medium
Super Mario Galaxy 1 & 2
Without doubt ,the finest games on the Wii and two of the best of the generation, it's baffling that Super Mario Galaxy 1 & 2 haven't already made it to the Wii U.
Maybe even more surprising is the fact that there is no 3D Mario game on the Wii U in the vein of Galaxy, Sunshine, or 64. Maybe that game is being worked on now, and even almost done, but Nintendo could be holding it for the NX, which makes sense. But, it's odd that they never thought to remaster these two classics for a struggling console with a distinct lack of big Mario adventures!
Likelihood: Low
Mass Effect Trilogy
The Mass Effect games are so beloved by gamers that I doubt anyone would complain about seeing them make the leap to next gen. These are huge games and would be a challenge to remaster, but a trilogy collection already exists on the PS3 and 360.
EA has already stated no desire to remaster the trilogy for current-gen consoles, but we'll know in the next year if that remains true or not. Should a remaster be on the cards, it will likely come out before Mass Effect 4 next year. We hold out hope for this one yet!
Likelihood: Medium
Red Dead Redemption
Honestly, this is a game I don't think needs a remaster. The game still holds up on PS3 and 360 and I'd rather see a sequel anyway. Also, if any Rockstar game deserves a fresh coat of paint and a reemergence, it's Bully. And yet, Red Dead Redemption is the most requested backwards compatible game on Xbox One. Demand for this one is still very high.
Despite GTA V, which came out at a weird time, Rockstar isn't usually in the business of remastering games. They also don't crap out sequels without reason; I really do think a sequel to Red Dead is being worked on and is far more likely than a remaster. But that can't quell demand!
Likelihood: Low
Infamous 1 & 2
Now that Nathan Drake and Kratos have gotten some PS4 love, it's time for Cole McGrath to get some too. As popular as they are, the Infamous games are some of the best and most underrated of last generation. Following bike messenger-turned-lightning-rod Cole McGrath, Infamous is a great open world game with a phenomenal story. Infamous 2 takes the action to New Orleans-inspired, New Marais as Cole and Zeke train to fight a threat that is tearing down the East coast towards them.
The Infamous series is arguably the best superhero games ever made. Yes, I know, "but Batman!" - however, he doesn't have superpowers, whereas Sucker Punch figured out how to do superpowers in an open world and make it fun without overpowering the character. More than Resistance, Infamous is the series most fitting to be remastered. They fit the bill of Jim Ryans' "great games" that "make sense" to be remastered. Maybe we'll even get an Infamous 1, 2 and Second Son bundle.
Likelihood: High
Fallout 3 & New Vegas
And last but not least, we have the two Fallout games from Bethesda. Much like Red Dead Redemption, I'm not sure these games need to be remastered. They don't run or look particularly great, but they are fantastic and iconic nonetheless. A fresh lick of paint couldn't make them look up to the standards of Fallout 4, but it might get them close.
And yet, demand for these games is likely to be very high. Fallout 4 is sure to be the biggest game of 2015 and a remaster of the previous two games would probably sell like gangbusters as well. The two games, with all of their DLC and MOD support on PS4 and Xbox One would make these titles well-worth checking out again. However, a recent PC collection and zero mention of a console collection means this is unlikely.
Likelihood: Low
So there you have it, the 10 games that deserve to be remastered. Needless to say, there are lots that didn't get mentioned, like Dead Space, Gears 2 & 3, LA Noire, and so on.
Most of the games listed aren't too likely to make the jump to next-gen, but the PS3 classics like Infamous, Resistance and Ni No Kuni are more likely than others due to Jim Ryan's recent comments and PlayStation's dedication to do so with first-party games.
So, what games would you like to see remastered on PS4 or Xbox One?
Published: Aug 10, 2015 08:01 am