Taking an adjacent direction from two previous articles where I pitched concepts for vintage game collections, I’d now like to expand on something I briefly alluded to in the second piece I wrote: namely, the idea of remaking (or, to a lesser extent, remastering) older titles that could probably use some sprucing up. Here are my personal selections of video games, ranging from merely needing a remaster for re-release to ones desperately needing a complete remake.

10. Astal: Recrystallized Legend

Leaning squarely into a simple and clean remaster rather than an outright remake, I’d primarily just like to see the beautiful and painterly Saturn game Astal re-released for a wider audience to play and enjoy on modern platforms – albeit with some new touches. The most I’d recommend is bumping up the game’s visual assets for higher clarity and sharpness (and, if possible, implementing a widescreen presentation), with additional but minor graphical flourishes inserted here and there.

9. Batman: Arkham Origins -Definitive Edition-

As one of the seemingly few people who actually liked Batman: Arkham Origins back in 2013 despite its narrative and (even worse) technical issues, I wouldn’t mind seeing this title given another chance via a painstakingly improved remaster for current-gen consoles. Aside from various graphical and gameplay improvements, I’d also like to see applicable references changed to say that Origins takes place eight years earlier instead of five (as retconned in Arkham Knight), as well as have all DLC material – and the HD console version of Arkham Origins: Blackgate – included out-of-box.

8. Castlevania: The Lecarde Chronicles 1 & 2

Here, I propose taking two fan-made Castlevania video games (albeit, well-made ones allegedly complimented by Konami themselves), refurbishing them from the ground up with better visual and audio assets, re-recording some of their more…”awkward” bits of dialogue, and – most importantly – releasing them together as an official product. While this one would most likely never happen for multiple reasons, the seemingly renewed interest in the Castlevania series (including a brand-new remake of Haunted Castle in last year’s Dominus Collection) kindles the smallest flame of hope.

7. Little Nemo: The Dream Re-Master

One of my all-time favorite video games for the NES is the hidden gem Little Nemo: The Dream Master released back in 1990, and I’d love for new and old audiences alike to get the chance to experience/reexperience it for themselves – to this, I’d recommend an extremely faithful but aesthetically upgraded 2D “redo” in the same vein as DuckTales: Remastered. However, unlike that particular remaster, I’d still include the original NES game as a very well-deserved archival bonus.

6. Vectorman & Vectorman 2: Recycled!

More or less doing something similar to the entry above, I’d take the cult classics Vectorman and Vectorman 2 for the Sega Genesis but upgrade their (already pretty good-looking) visuals into a 2.5D format seen in other enhanced remasters like Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles. Both would be supplemented by rearranged soundtracks that can be switched to the unaltered music, and – as with my idea for Little Nemo: The Dream Re-Master – the two original games would be added as bonuses.

5. Metal Gear Alternate: Ghost Babel -Declassified-

Here, I’d take the one-off Metal Gear Solid entry released for the Game Boy Color and completely remake it as a smaller-scale 3D title in the style of Portable Ops and Peace Walker – including fully voice-acted dialogue and other elements that weren’t possible on its original platform. While the game would very obviously be upgraded in its visual and audio presentation, I’d actually maintain its non-canon position as an “alternate” sequel for Metal Gear 2 (so as not to cause any narrative hiccups).

4. Resident Evil: Survivor / Dead Aim -RE:visited-

This “double feature” of two older (and now considered non-canon) entries of the Resident Evil series – Resident Evil: Survivor and Dead Aim – would see both completely remade to visually and mechanically align them with more recent titles utilizing Capcom’s RE Engine. Obviously, both video games will feature massive graphical overhauls – with Survivor now operating in a hybrid first- and third-person format like Dead Aim, and both also receiving various plot adjustments to canonize their events (and help them fit in better) within the larger Resident Evil narrative moving forward.

3. Silent Hill: Downpour -Darkened Skies- 

In another article, I previously touched on how Downpour was a then-ambitious attempt at producing a quasi-open-world entry that was dragged down by notable story and gameplay issues. Here, I propose a complete overhaul in the style of SH2‘s 2024 remake. Major changes would entail redesigns of all humanoid monsters to look even less human, the addition of at least three or so enemies (including the scrapped “Monocle Man” boss fight), the expansion of the town with new locations and side quests, and more logically consistent character backstories and endings.

2. Mega Man: Maverick Hunter X Stories

Taking Keji Inafune‘s supposed desire to use Maverick Hunter X as a way to remake – and address plot issues with – each of the X games (such as the release of three games past X5 despite it being the intended finale), I suggest going to X6-8 and retooling them into a trilogy of stories set between X4 and X5. X6 and X7 would see the most visual changes (2D and 3D changed to 2.5D like in X8), with the former receiving heavy rewrites: i.e., the Earth is now devastated due to warfare between humans and Reploids after X4, and Zero is just MIA at the game’s start instead of presumed “dead” after X5.

1. Sonic the Hedgehog 4 -Dreams Come True-

Putting aside the abject disaster of Sonic the Hedgehog ’06, the two-part release of Sonic the Hedgehog 4 is generally seen as one of the other sorest points in the overarching Sonic franchise – if possible, I’d try to rectify this disappointment through an extensive remake. First and foremost, I’d completely redo the graphics and in-game physics to match Sonic Mania (including going back to the Genesis-era character designs); from there, I’d reformat both games into a single, continuous adventure and – no offense to the games’ music team – have all music tracks reworked from scratch.