Top 10 Video Game Remasters You NEED to Play
#10 “Grand Theft Auto V” (2014-15)
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Rockstar’s latest entry into their increasingly popular series saw its release at the end of the last gen consoles’ life cycle -making everyone wonder if they’d ever get to see it on PC and current gen. Thankfully, they didn’t have to wait long, as it was released a year later on PS4 and Xbox One and a few months later on PC. These new releases saw a massive increase in visuals -with higher textures, better reflections, lighting, and shadows, we got to see San Andreas in a whole new light… literally. Apart from a brand new first person mode there wasn’t too many new features, but PC players managed to find a means.
#9: “Banjo Kazooie” (2008)
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With Rare bought by Microsoft, we thought it would be the end of our favorite bear and bird combo. Then, out of seemingly nowhere, we received a remastered edition of the game that started it all on XBLA. While the N64 polygonal graphics remained the same, we finally got to see the dynamic duo in glorious HD with smoothed out framerate. Graphics aside, the game received some minor gameplay tweaks -saving those notes we collected in each world, and fixing the original Stop ’n’ Swop feature. Finally, getting those items would actually lead to something!
#8: “Gears of War: Ultimate Edition” (2015)
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This entry, like the series, is in a bit of a grey area. The gameplay remains the same as its original -bloody and gory as all hell, with enough testosterone to keep the adrenaline pumping. However, the visuals were technically “remade” as they were reconstructed from the ground up. It’s everything largely the same, while utilizing a later version of the third Unreal engine to capitalize on better textures, lighting, effects and more. Regardless of where you stand on the issue, we can all agree that standing atop a visually enhanced mountain of Locust corpses has never felt nor looked better.
#7: “Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster” (2013-16)
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No JRPG series has reached the same level of fame the Final Fantasy series has -but with entries taking up to a decade to be released, it certainly takes a while to see a new number. We’ve seen many remakes and remasters pop up throughout the years, but we have to give it to the combo deal of X/X-2. With X beloved by fans, it seemed fitting to give it that HD treatment, and while X-2 wasn’t as well recieved, they just couldn’t leave it out. Infamous HD laughing aside, we also received the international content, with additional scenes, bosses, and more -making this feel like the complete edition and not just another HD remaster.
#6: “Resident Evil HD Remaster” (2015)
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A remaster of a remake, that sounds almost as ridiculous as a Jill Sandwich! Over two decades later and this remaster helps to prove how relevant Resident Evil still is. Using the Gamecube remake, this remaster finally brings the first game into HD, with higher resolution, unlocked framerate, and textures brought up to their higher and surprisingly original format. While the original was a put-off to some -thanks to its tank controls, the remaster went a step further and finally brought in modern analog controls. Plus, let’s face it, we’ll always be happy to step back into that iconic manor.
#5: “Ico & Shadow of the Colossus Collection” (2011)
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Ico and Shadow of the Colossus are -even to this day- considered to be masterpieces, and with every video game “masterpiece,” it’s bound to be remastered. For a remastered combo, the collection offered little other than a graphical upgrade, and a framerate fix, but just being able to play these legendary games once again was a treat. One notable visual change was the increase to the depth of field; and knowing Team Ico’s grandiose landscapes, it was a much appreciated improvement. It looks like we won’t have to wait long to get another visual upgrade…
#4: “Mario Kart 8 Deluxe” (2017)
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An odd entry by Nintendo, especially given Mario Kart 8 had only released a few years prior. Possibly due to the lack of sales for the WiiU and the hype for the Switch, the kart racer raced into a remastered release for the new console portable hybrid. Sporting true HD quality, the kart racer looked even better. Rather than just re-releasing it though, Nintendo also included all the DLC from the Wii U version - new racers, tracks, items, and a return to the series’ classic battle mode. If you didn’t get to experience this game of the Wii U, then this is a must own for your Switch collection.
#3: “Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection” (2015)
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What’s better than one of Nathan Drake’s adventures? How about three of his greatest adventures wrapped into one package? Celebrating the success of smart-mouth adventurer, Naughty Dog remastered the first three games for PS4, featuring better visuals with higher resolution, lighting, and finally brought the series into the 60 frames-per-second club. With Naughty Dog developing all future titles on the PS4, it seemed appropriate to release the prior iterations to catch everyone up to speed, while providing a top quality experience for both newcomers and veterans alike.
#2: “Metal Gear Solid HD Collection” (2011)
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Hideo Kojima took the world by storm with his Metal Gear Solid series -branching deep narrative stories and action-stealth gameplay seamlessly. So rather than just remastering one, why not five?! Featuring three games from the solid collection in HD -two, three, and Peace Walker- an added bonus of the original two Metal Gears was snuck into MGS3. It may be a shame that we weren’t able to relive Snake’s story through the first game, but letting us play through five of his other games seems to be a pretty damn good trade-off.
#1: “The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD” (2013)
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The Wind Waker stunned Zelda fans everywhere - taking a huge leap of faith by introducing a brand new art-style, a lighter atmosphere, and an extremely large world to explore. So it feels appropriate that it should get a remaster. Not only bringing the resolution up to 1080p, we also received a new lighting engine, which drastically improved the visuals over the original. While Ocarina of Time 3DS was an awesome return, Wind Waker HD greatly improved on the original by increasing the speed of sailing and fixing the ever dreaded Triforce Quest.
