Before jumping into the list, it’s important to understand my perspective on HD Remasters. I used to come from the point of view that they were by and large a waste of time and resources. I’d rather have developers focusing their energy and money on creating something new. While there’s still truth to that opinion, I’ve mostly come around to HD Remasters. You aren’t forced to buy them, and in plenty of cases they serve as a great excuse to relive favorite games from years ago, or to experience them for the first time on a new console. The addition of trophies and achievements certainly doesn’t hurt, either.
It’s also important to note that this list is for HD Remasters, not HD Remakes or Re-Imaginings. While things like the new Ratchet and Clank or the upcoming Final Fantasy VII remake are great, this list is just for games that need a little graphical update and some minor gameplay improvements.
With that being said, this list is open to any game that hasn’t hit the PS4/Xbox One generation, though special weight has been given to games from the PS2 era or older. You’ll also notice a lack of many 2D games on this list, as an HD Remaster of an 8 or 16 bit game wouldn’t do much, in my opinion. As soon as I opened it up to every Mario game, this list would become impossible to narrow down to 30 games. 30 games is already a lot, but I just couldn’t narrow it down any further. In cases where it makes sense, I’ve allowed collections or trilogies, otherwise there would be too many games from the same series on the list.
I’ve also included what I consider to be the percent chance of any of these coming to fruition, just for funsies. Obviously, I’d love to see them all happen. I’m sure you’ll disagree with parts of my list, or have a few different ideas of your own, so let me know in the comments below! Enjoy!
30. Assassin’s Creed: Ezio Trilogy
This one already exists on PS3/Xbox 360, but I’d love to see it ported over to the current consoles and built on the Assassin’s Creed Syndicate engine. I don’t hold out much hope that they’d make any significant gameplay changes, but I’d like to see them expand on ideas like building an assassin’s guild in Brotherhood or the tower defense mode in Revelations. More than anything though, just cut the eavesdrop missions entirely.
Games Included: Assassin’s Creed 2, Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood, Assassin’s Creed Revelations
Chance of It Happening: 50%
29. Red Dead Redemption
There’s currently a rumor that this one might happen, but as of yet it’s been unconfirmed. There’s very little doubt that Rockstar will be announcing a sequel to Red Dead Redemption soon, so it might make sense for them to port the previous game over. Redemption is widely considered to be one of the best games from last generation, and I’m sure there are still plenty of people that haven’t played it. This might be something to include as a digital download with the purchase of Red Dead 3.
Games Included: Red Dead Redemption
Chance of It Happening: 90%
28. Dead Space Trilogy
The original Dead Space is one of my favorite games of all time, and while neither sequel hit the same high note, it only makes sense to have all three games included in one collection since they really tell one complete story. It would be a significant change, but it might be cool for them to add co-op to Dead Space 1 and 2. It completely changed the horror aspect of the third game, but it might be fun to play through the entire series with someone. More than anything, I’d love to see the amazing art direction of the first game in a newer graphics engine.
Games Included: Dead Space, Dead Space 2, Dead Space 3
Chance of It Happening: 45%
27. Dynasty Warriors 5
I’ve always been a sucker for the Dynasty Warriors games, particularly 4 and 5. After 5, they took the series in some weird directions and expanded things into the Samurai Warriors games, and they didn’t quite do it for me. Sure, the combat is pretty shallow, but the biggest issue with the Dynasty Warriors games was always the character pop-in. But on new consoles, that could be a thing of the past. Just imagine fighting hundreds of dudes at once, all with no frame rate stutter. Count me in.
Games Included: Dynasty Warriors 5
Chance of It Happening: 5%
26. Fallout 3
Considered by many to be the best Fallout game, Fallout 3 is a perfect candidate for the remaster treatment. It’s definitely a longshot since Bethesda prefers to look forwards rather than back, but with the impending release of Skyrim HD, there’s always a chance. This would especially please detractors of Fallout 4. I actually loved that game, but I’d agree that the story and world in Fallout 3 seemed more fully realized. My only demand would be the same mod treatment Fallout 4 and Skyrim have gotten on consoles. But please, make them day and date on PS4.
Games Included: Fallout 3
Chance of It Happening: 25%
25. Sonic Trilogy
If I’m being honest, I’m not sure that there’s ever actually been a good Sonic game, and that most of the fanfare for the original three games is done through nostalgia. However, I definitely wouldn’t argue that the games weren’t fun. Sega has already announced a sort of re-make of the original games, including some levels and inspirations from the original games, but details are still forthcoming. I can only hope they’re keeping the same physics and gameplay from the original games and only updating the graphics. Anything else would be a detriment to our rose-tinted memories.
Games Included: Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Sonic and Knuckles
Chance of It Happening: 100%
24. System Shock Collection
Bioshock is the game that really put Ken Levine and Irrational Games on the map, but their first game was actually System Shock 2, the sequel to a critically acclaimed game put out by Looking Glass Studios before Levine joined the team. Both games served as clear inspiration for Bioshock. There’s currently a remake being made via Kickstarter, but I’d still like to see the actual games be updated. The original games would be amazing to play on modern consoles with updated graphics, and they were some of the first games to utilize non-traditional storytelling through first person exploration and audio diaries. They were ambient, slightly scary games.
Games Included: System Shock, System Shock 2
Chance of It Happening: 10%
23. Viewtiful Joe Collection
Viewtiful Joe is still one of the most stylistic games I’ve ever played, and its sequel did a great job of improving gameplay while remaining true to what made the original so special. This remaster would retain the side-scrolling platforming and frenetic action, but would be rendered in 3D similar to the (admittedly abysmal) Mighty No. 9. As far as work goes into a game like this, it would be a complete graphical overhaul, but really nothing would need to be done with the stellar controls and mechanics.
Games Included: Viewtiful Joe, Viewtiful Joe 2
Chance of It Happening: 20%
22. Final Fantasy VIII
With plenty of Final Fantasy games already being remade and remastered, it doesn’t leave many left over. Final Fantasy VIII is widely considered one of the weaker games in the series, but that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t deserve the HD treatment. Improved graphics would help tell the story more convincingly, and it would only take some minor tweaks to the mechanics to greatly improve upon the game. There’s no fixing some of the bad story beats without a major overhaul, but the junction system and turn based combat are still top notch.
Games Included: Final Fantasy VIII
Chance of It Happening: 60%
21. Twisted Metal Collection
There have been plenty of good Twisted Metal games over the years, but for the purpose of this list, we’ll keep it simple and only include the original Twisted Metal and Twisted Metal 2. Those two are still probably my favorites in the series, and would obviously see the most benefit from the HD treatment. Use a modern graphics system, update the soundtrack, and give us more cutscenes in between matches and this thing would be amazing.
Games Included: Twisted Metal, Twisted Metal 2
Chance of It Happening: 20%
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