10. Final Fantasy IX
I’m honestly surprised that Square Enix hasn’t revealed plans to remake Final Fantasy IX. It’s not the most well-known Final Fantasy game, but it’s definitely a fan favorite. IX was arguably the last game in the series to fully nail story and combat (though I’d argue Final Fantasy X did this). The characters were so memorable, the story so well defined, and the return of the class system was welcome. Maybe we’ll get this if Final Fantasy XII HD is a success. We can only hope.
Games Included: Final Fantasy IX
Chance of It Happening: 75%
9. Crash Bandicoot Collection
Sony has already announced plans to bring back Crash Bandicoot in the form of an HD collection of the first three games, all originally made by Naughty Dog. This is great, but it would be even more amazing (and insane) if the released collection went all out and included all seven games from the main series. Sure, the latter four aren’t of the same quality as the first three, but I’d love to have the full collection. And if they wanted to throw Crash Team Racing in there, I wouldn’t be mad.
Games Included: Crash Bandicoot, Cortex Strikes Back, Warped, Wrath of Cortex, Twinsanity, Crash of the Titans, Mind Over Mutant, Crash Team Racing
Chance of It Happening: 5%
8. Dark Cloud Collection
The Dark Cloud games were some of the first JRPGs I played growing up, since we didn’t own a Nintendo. I loved the combat and the big world that I was able to explore, and the city building mechanics were fun, as well. They were certainly simple when compared to modern city building games like SimCity and Cities: Skylines, but this was really just a diversion from the epic dungeon crawling. I’d love to see the fun art style transition to new consoles, and I really think the gameplay would still hold up.
Games Included: Dark Cloud, Dark Cloud 2
Chance of It Happening: 45%
7. Spyro Collection
My ideal Spyro Collection would include the first three Playstation games: Spyro the Dragon, Ripto’s Rage, and Year of the Dragon. The games that followed were mostly middling in quality, but those first three games produced some of the most fun I had on my original Playstation. 3D platformers are few and far between nowadays, so I think an HD Collection could go a long way in revitalizing that genre. Unfortunately, with Spyro firmly in the hands of Activision and being used solely in the Skylanders series, I doubt this will happen any time soon.
Games Included: Spyro the Dragon, Ripto’s Rage, Year of the Dragon
Chance of It Happening: 10%
6. Elder Scrolls Collection
As if wanting a Fallout 3 remaster wasn’t aiming high enough, my real dream would be an HD collection of at least the three most recent Elder Scrolls games. I’ve never played the first two, so their inclusion would be cool, but it’s really Morrowind, Oblivion, and Skyrim that we’re talking about here. Sure, Skyrim is hitting modern consoles later this year with updated graphics and mod support and that’s great, but that just isn’t enough. I know it would probably be more work than it’s worth, but I’d love Morrowind and Oblivion to get the same treatment. Give us better graphics and mod support on consoles. Surely that’s not too much to ask?
Games Included: Morrowind, Oblivion, Skyrim
Chance of It Happening: 1%
5. Knights of the Old Republic Collection
The two Knights of the Old Republic games are probably all-around the two best Star Wars games ever made. They were huge in scope, told great stories not shackled by the movies, and had plenty of fun RPG and combat elements to keep things fresh throughout their long run times. I recently tried revisiting the first game on PC, and it’s just kind of hard to go back to. Everything is so polygonal. It would be nice for these games to have graphics similar to the current Old Republic MMO, and some small updates to make the combat feel more modern wouldn’t hurt, either.
Games Included: Knights of the Old Republic, Knights of the Old Republic 2
Chance of It Happening: 50%
4. Star Wars Battlefront Collection
I was immensely disappointed with EA DICE’s new Battlefront game. To me, it captured very little of what made the original games so special, and it was unarguably light on maps, modes, and customization. This Battlefront Collection would include both of the original games, and wouldn’t need a lot of work beyond a new coat of paint and some better texture pop in. The maps are still a great size and sell the sense of scale, the shooting is still fun (albeit simple), and the Conquest mode was a great fill-in for a proper story. Sure, an actual single player story mode would be amazing, but this list is about making it as easy as possible to get these great games on modern consoles.
Games Included: Star Wars Battlefront, Star Wars Battlefront 2
Chance of It Happening: 15%
3. Super Mario 64
Super Mario 64 is one of the best games ever made, and most young gamers nowadays will never know its joys. The platforming felt so fluid and easy, the worlds were absolutely huge and full of secrets, and there was a ton of visual and gameplay diversity. The camera could use a bit of work, but just imagine playing Super Mario 64 with Super Mario Galaxy’s graphics engine. The colors would just pop off of the screen. I’d love an excuse to jump back into this near perfect game.
Games Included: Super Mario 64
Chance of It Happening: 15%
2. Xenosaga Trilogy
This is the dark horse of this list. If you’ve been reading my Game of the Year lists from 2000-2009, you’ll have seen me write a few times about the Xenosaga series and how it doesn’t get enough credit. It never got as big as something like Final Fantasy, and that’s a shame. It had a really cool science fiction universe with Japanese horror elements, and the twists it made to the commonplace turn based combat made it feel fresh and new. My HD collection would include all three games, because why not? Everyone that’s played them has a different favorite, and I’ve love to rediscover mine.
Games Included: Xenosaga Episode I, Xenosaga Episode II, Xenosaga Episode III
Chance of It Happening: 45%
1. Final Fantasy XII
This is kind of a cheat because it’s already been announced, but it’s still my most wanted HD Remaster. Final Fantasy XII is one of the most underrated Final Fantasy games. Sure, Vaan is annoying as hell and the political story got a little convoluted and uninteresting, but supporting characters like Bathier, Fran, and Basch saved the story for me, and the combat was a perfect modernization of MMO combat. There was an immense amount of satisfaction in setting up a battle plan via the Gambit system and watching it be executed perfectly. I don’t want to have to wait until 2017 to play the remaster, but the changes they’re making sound great. There are going to be some combat tweaks and more character specialization in each class.
Games Included: Final Fantasy XII
Chance of It Happening: 100%
And there you have it, 30 HD remasters that I would actually enjoy! Some are definitely more realistic than others, so let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
