Remakes That Are Worthy

: Rants & Raves : Kevin M. :


Remakes.  Those things that you see a large portion of on any shelf in your local video game store.  Remember just several years ago these barely existed?  Now you have them for every game from Sly Cooper to Metal Gear Solid and that is just in the last year.  So with the saturation of this market I think it is important that we differentiate between those that do it well and those that, well, should have just stayed magical in our memories alongside Saved By The Bell, Trapper Keepers and Double Dare.  So what better way to analyze the world of remakes then with a Best of List!  Enjoy.

Best Remakes 

#5
Chrono Trigger

Release - Super Nintendo
July 1995

Re-Released - Playstation
1999
(part of the Final Fantasy Chronicles bundle)

Nintendo DS
November 2008


Some consider this to be one of the best, if not the best, role playing games of all time.  The story, character development and choices made it a standout on the RPG crowded SNES system upon it's release.  Throw in the 15 different endings and their different story outcomes and you can see why it is so loved.  Now take this power packed game, stick it into a tiny DS cartridge and you have portable goodness complete with spiky red hair and an awesome soundtrack for it's time.

#4
Bubble Bobble
Release - Nintendo
November 1988


Re-Released - Wii
2007

Bubble Bobble is a game that has always been close to my heart.  It was my primary NES game outside of Zelda and it is the only reason my Wii has not been sold.  The remake took the bubble blowing, monster capturing mechanics and upped the bubble makers to four from the original two.  This game has everything, wizards, robots, morbidly obese dragons that blow bubbles and some good old fashioned difficulty that can be hard to find nowadays.  Still a game I keep around for my non-gamer friends who come over due to it's simplistic concept and a hundred levels and more.

#3
The Ico & Shadow of the Colossus Collection
Release - Playstation 2
September 2001(Ico)
October 2005(Shadow)


Re-Released - PlayStation 3
September 2011


I like to consider these two of the best games very few have played but many like to say they have.  A game with the artistic/cult following along the same lines as Psychonauts and Beyond Good and Evil this remake made good use of the still new 3D televisions(Shadow specifically).  While this game does look pretty the reason it is on this list is because so few sampled this on it's first release and to now get for a grand total of $40 you must buy this, if only to be thought cool around your fellow gamers.

#2
Resident Evil
Release - Playstation
October 1996


Re-Released - Gamecube
May 2002


Remember back before you had 3-5 RE games coming out every year?  This version of Resident Evil was a pure retelling, taking what many of us gamers cherish as one of the greatest games ever, or the beginning to the near perfect Resident Evil II but this remake did it right.  They kept the story, the game play, but upped the graphics to a level I personally didn't even think possible on the Gamecube.  Not to mention the introduction of "Crimsons", Resident Evil's version of "28 Days Later" style zombies.  It still suffers from a fixed camera but a great game for all to take in if you were a fan of what was once a great series.

#1
Legend of Zelda : Ocarina of Time

Release - Nintendo 64
November 1998


Re-Release - Nintendo 3DS
June 2011


Great memory from my youth: Waking up, biking over to the local Toys 'R Us, picking up my copy of this game, opening it right there and seeing it in all of it's golden splendor!!  While it may be sacrilegious for me to state that I do not feel this is one of the greatest games of all time or even the best Zelda game, Link to the Past has that honor, it is a well done game in every way.  The remake made good use of the 3D part of the system, but again they stuck with what made the game great.  Adventure, exploring, puzzles, that damned water palace and a sense of scale.  Getting a game this well done and polished is so rare and to have it with a handheld system makes it even more appealing which is the reason this takes my top spot in regards to games that have been remade.


Finally, just for fun, comes the remake "I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed" awards.  And the awards go to.....


Bionic Commando - NES 1988 to PSN/Live in 2008
Having a mechanical arm to swing from was so badass in 1988, by today's standards it just kind of sad when I can get around in so many other ways such as, fighter jets, web slinging, tanks and so on and so and so on.


Halo:Combat Evolved - Xbox 2001 to Xbox 360 in 2011
So you come out with a reissue for the "fans" that is true to the original but you go back and make the pistol useless which was not in the original?  I'm a huge fan of getting on a Warthog and making some people go splatter but this was unnecessary and unwanted by the masses when Halo 3 is doing just fine.


Perfect Dark - N64 2000 to  XBLA in 2010
Part of the cherished Rare 64 double attack of Golden Eye and Perfect Dark they are the exact definition of better in our memories.  While I bought this hoping to rekindle my youth, I was left wondering how this game was so amazing to me before, maybe it was because it required that awesome red expansion pack on the front of my N64.


Any remakes not on here that you think should be?  Or do you think a game was included that you think shouldn't be?  Leave a comment and let us know what you think!!