We often like to imagine that some games are timeless. The original “Super Mario Bros”, for example, is timeless – regardless of whether you play it in 1985 or 2025, you’re going to have the exact same experience, and it’s still going to be a great game! It’ll look the same, it’ll play the same, it’s gonna be just as awesome as you remember! Most games, however, aren’t really like that… At all. Like, not even close. Most older games actually look pretty terrible by today’s standards (hell, some even looked terrible by the standards of the time they came out in), or they play pretty poorly, or they’re just not compatible with our modern systems. That’s where remakes come from! Remakes take the outdated games, slap a brand new coat of paint on them and then go “Here, enjoy it the way it’s meant to be played in the 21st century!” That doesn’t mean that there aren’t any bad remakes, or ones that were utterly unnecessary, but for the most part, remakes really help breathe new life into a game, and we’re here to celebrate that! Remember – in this list we’re only going to be talking about official remakes of games! That means no fanmade projects, and no HD collections or remasters! Just remakes! And with that said, this list is far from definitive, I’m just listing three of the most prominent examples in my mind. If you like this article, go and share it with your friends, and maybe I’ll write a sequel! So without further ado, let’s get right into it!
3. Mega Man: Powered Up
Hnnnghhh… I just melt every time I think of this remake. It’s perfection, pure and simple! When people think of “Mega Man”, they often go “Oh yeah, Mega Man 2 and 3 are great!” But nobody really talks about the first game in the series, because while it did a whole lot of things right, it was by no means perfect. That’s where “Powered Up” comes in! It’s a full 3D remake of the original “Mega Man”… If you play its classic mode. But if you choose to go with its “Powered Up” mode, it becomes so much more than that! It adds a story with voiced cutscenes, it adds multiple playable characters (including all the robot masters and Roll) which unlock multiple paths through a level, it adds a level creator and a challenge mode, ugh, it just warms my heart! Originally there were plans for Capcom to remake all early Mega Man games in this manner, but because of poor sales only the first one and “Mega Man X” got this treatment, which is an absolute shame if you ask me! Come on, Capcom! With the absolute disappointment that was “Mighty No. 9”, now is the PERFECT time for “Mega Man: Powered Up 2”, a remake of arguably the best classic Mega Man game of all time! DO IT! JUST DO IT!
2. Adventure of Mana
Those of you who know me also know that one of my favorite games of all time is “Final Fantasy Adventure” – a highly underrated Game Boy title which, despite the platform it released on, I still believe to be one of the best Final Fantasy games of all time. Yes, I said it. It’s got a fantastic score, a very fun battle system (think Zelda as an RPG) and actually the most dramatic and depressing storyline you’re ever going to find in a Game Boy game, as you take control of an escaped slave that needs to protect a girl whose destiny is to restore mana to the world. Oh, you don’t believe that it’s that great, huh? Well, a few years later Square actually released a sequel – a little, unknown game called “Secret of Mana”, one of the most famous, most beloved RPGs ever made. Yeah! Obviously, with “Secret of Mana” spawning a franchise, Square wanted to get some more money from its obscure predecessor, so they remade it into “Sword of Mana” for the GBA… And it sucked. A whole lot of unnecessary story was added which was not only boring, but completely undermined the plot of the original, the battle system was ruined, and I couldn’t tell you more about it because I didn’t play it past the first half hour. The thing about “Final Fantasy Adventure” is that it’s already pretty much a perfect game – you don’t need to change anything, all you need to do is update the graphics, put it on modern systems and boom, it’s done! And, much to my surprise, that is exactly what Square did earlier this year with “Adventure of Mana” for Android, iOS and PS Vita! The story remained the same, the dialogue remained the same, the battle system remained the same, the map remained the same… The only things that were upgraded were the graphics (which are now in beautiful 3D) and the music (which still has the same melodies, but is no longer chiptune). And it is FANTASTIC! I can’t really recommend this game enough, so just go and play it the next chance you get!
1. Ratchet & Clank
Come on, how could this not be No. 1? The original “Ratchet & Clank” on the PS2 was one of those nearly timeless games, especially when you play the HD version that released a few years ago. It’s great, and it still holds up just as well today as it did when it came out! But boy oh boy, did the remake improve it anyway! I didn’t even think it was possible to improve such a perfect game which spawned one of the most beloved franchises of the PS2 era, but how about that? “Ratchet & Clank” wisely kept the absolute best parts of the original while removing everything that was a little bit outdated and removing it with the best parts of the other games in the series, which just blows my mind on so many levels. Seriously, I wish more people could do remakes like that! While seeing some nice, pretty HD graphics every once in a while, people forget that the main purpose of a remake isn’t just to make a game pretty – it’s to make it appeal to the modern audience. And “Ratchet & Clank” managed to make an entirely new generation fall in love with that duo, which was no small feat!