When it comes to video game remakes, fans always have a number in the back of their minds that they want to come out. It took over a decade of waiting from random teases, but the Final Fantasy 7 remake project finally began in 2020 with Final Fantasy 7 Remake, followed by Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, and there is one more in the way. Also, rumors about Final Fantasy 9 getting remade next are flying around.
Remakes Vs Remasters - What’s Better For Games Preservation?
Is one better for players and the industry than the other?
The point is, remasters and remakes, beyond Final Fantasy, are happening all of the time, and sometimes the choices made by publishers can be bizarre. For every Final Fantasy 7 Remake, there is something of odder quality. It doesn’t mean they’re bad, so much as they are confusing.
Until Dawn (2024)
Barely Noticeable
Until Dawn
- Released
- October 4, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Ballistic Moon
- Genre(s)
- Horror
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 5
Until Dawn was originally released as a PS4 exclusive in 2015 as a thrilling horror adventure game. With every playable character, players could make choices that would affect the story, even leading to their deaths.
While cheesy, horror fans enjoyed it so much that it was “remade” in 2024 for the PS5 and PC. It’s marginally better than the original, visually, making it seem more like a remaster than a remake. With backwards compatibility between the PS4 and PS5, it wasn’t needed, plus the remake was a bit buggier upon release.
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions
A Degrade In Art
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions
- Released
- October 6, 2017
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- AlphaDream
- Genre(s)
- RPG
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo 3DS
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga was the start of a brand new RPG series with Mario teaming up with Luigi on the GBA in 2003. The A and B buttons controlled each plumber separately in battle and while exploring the world, making good use of the GBA’s limited layout. Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions was released for the 3DS in 2017, and it changed the art style, tweaked the story, added some mechanics, and added a full secondary game mode.
The extra game mode is not good, and the graphics don’t look as pixel-perfect or as timeless as its GBA counterpart. The 3DS version itself is great, but it would have perhaps made more sense to wait and put it out on the Switch if anything, because going portable to portable is odd.
MediEvil (2019)
Remade Twice, Cared About Once
MediEvil (2019)
- Released
- October 25, 2019
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Other Ocean Interactive
- Genre(s)
- Hack and Slash, Action-Adventure
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 4
MediEvil was a weird little hack-and-slash PS1 game starring a reborn skeletal warrior that was released in 1998. It received a sequel, also on the PS1, and then it was remade not long after on the PSP in 2005, rebranded as MediEvil: Resurrection. Once more in 2019, the name went back to just MediEvil when it resurfaced on the PS4.
While none of these versions are bad, they’re just average action games that not many PlayStation fans think about. It’s just baffling to see it get remade twice when seemingly bigger PS1 games have never been touched up, including Syphon Filter, Twisted Metal, or any of the Jet Moto games.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles In Time Re-Shelled
An Arcade Port Would Have Been Preferred
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time Re-Shelled
- Released
- August 5, 2009
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- Everyone 10+ // Cartoon Violence
- Genre(s)
- Beat 'Em Up
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time was released in arcades in 1991, and anyone walking past an arcade in the mall during this era was guaranteed to hear “Cowabunga!” From both the machine and the kids playing it. Its 1992 SNES conversion is miraculously good for a port, and either version has great sprite work, music, and beat ‘em gameplay.
PS1 Games That Deserve The FF7 Remake Treatment
These PS1 games can easily be expanded with a from-the-ground-up remake to make them even more epic.
During the age of digital downloads and classic releases, it would have made sense for Ubisoft to just publish the arcade version on the PS3 and Xbox 360 in 2009. Instead, they remade it as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time Re-Shelled, and it’s not a good-looking remake, nor does it sound or play as good. Also, it was quickly delisted in 2011, so now it’s lost to time.
Adventures Of Mana
Honor Over Chances
Adventures of Mana
- Released
- February 4, 2016
WHERE TO PLAY
Final Fantasy Adventure was the first game in the Mana series, although Westerners thought it was a Final Fantasy spinoff for the Game Boy in 1991. It was a top-down adventure akin to a Zelda game but with leveling up. The game was remade for the GBA, making it clearer that it belonged in the Mana series.
It was called Sword of Mana, and it added a few things, like choosing between a male or female protagonist, who also joined as a partner periodically. Then, once more, it was remade in 2016 for mobile devices and the PS Vita as Adventures of Mana, which was a more faithful adaptation of the Game Boy original. Like MediEvil, it’s wild that the game got remade two times and in two different ways, but always as top-down games.
ActRaiser: Renaissance
God-Based Action
Actraiser Renaissance
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 73 /100 Critics Rec: 44%
- Released
- September 23, 2021
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Android, iOS
ActRaiser was a bizarre little SNES game that was released in 1991 in North America, published under the Enix banner before they merged and became bigger with Square. Players are essentially gods who could manage the lives of humans below. It was a life-sim akin to Civilization, but on a smaller scale, and when monsters threatened to attack society, players had to then go through 2D levels to fight them off.
It was a hodgepodge of genres, but those who got it on the SNES adored its many quirks, along with its sequel. That said, even the most hardcore fans never expected to see a remake of the first game, ActRaiser: Renaissance, which was released in 2021 for PC, mobile devices, PS4, and Switch. It’s more or less a 1:1 remake with better graphics, a cleaner user interface, and better controls for the action elements. Those who played it appreciated the update, but it didn’t light the world on fire and basically flew under the radar as a digital game.
Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth
The Forgotten Belmont
Castlevania: The Adventure Rebirth
- Released
- October 27, 2009
WHERE TO PLAY
Castlevania: The Adventure was released for the Game Boy in 1989, and this spinoff starred Christopher Belmont. Except for Kid Dracula, which is a cute and fun little platformer, the three other major Castlevania games on the Game Boy were infamous for being not great, as the animations were stuff. That’s why it made sense to remake it in 2009 as Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth, but it was unexpected.
Remakes That Played Things Too Safe But You Should Still Play
A remake doesn't have to fix what isn't broken. These video game remakes may not have added many new things, but they are valuable updates.
The colors and overall controls were much better, and the re-release was part of a WiiWare initiative from Konami to remake and update older titles, including Contra ReBirth and Gradius ReBirth as well. So, while no one asked for Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth, it actually was necessary to make a forgotten Castlevania title infinitely more playable.
Warcraft 3: Reforged
Not Like This!
Warcraft 3: Reforged
- Released
- January 28, 2020
- ESRB
- t
Warcraft 3: Reign of Chaos was released for PCs in 2002, and it is the last mainline RTS title in the Warcraft series, and probably the one fans wanted to see remade the most. This remake, Warcraft 3: Reforged, was released in 2020, and it was not what fans expected. The core goodness remained, with several in-depth story campaigns, multiplayer, and engaging RTS gameplay that can cause players to either whoop with triumph or cry with failure.
While advertised as a remake, it barely resembled a remaster, as the new models looked good, but they were placed in a saturated, low-resolution world. It also lacked features at launch, and the bugs did not help either. It has gotten better, but Warcraft 3: Reforged did not meet expectations at launch, to say the least.
XIII (2020)
A Cel-Shaded Classic Returns
XIII
- Released
- November 10, 2020
- ESRB
- m
- Developer(s)
- PlayMagic
XIII was released in 2002 for PCs, the PS2, and Xbox, and even though it wasn’t as good as Halo: Combat Evolved for a first-person console shooter, it had its charms. The amnesic protagonist, XIII, was voiced by David Duchovny, of The X-Files fame, the comic book-style panels and sound effects popped, and the cel-shaded art style made it different than most shooters on the market in the early 2000s.
It was the very definition of a cult classic, but not big enough to make fans believe it would return someday until 2020 rolled around with PlayMagic's reinterpretation, still just called XIII, which was launched on PCs, PS4, and Xbox One. There was not one thing that players or fans liked about it, as the animations were poor, the overall bugs made it unplayable at times, shooting didn’t feel tight, and the graphics lacked the colorful charm of the original. Ubisoft got another developer, Tower Five, to try and salvage the project, which was then updated in 2022, and while better, it’s still not a stellar remake.
Features That Need To Be In Every New Remaster
It’s great to get a chance to replay old games again, but only with a good set of new features.