We’ve been getting a lot of remasters and remakes lately, to the point where it’s getting hard to differentiate the two. Typically, a remaster is when the game is functionally the same, but has updated graphics or audio, while a remake fully rebuilds the game from the ground up, using a modern engine, and often with new content or mechanics.
That said, some remasters use a new engine, while some remakes work exactly like the original game, so you’re forgiven if you’re able to’t tell the difference. Below, we’ll take a look at some recent remasters that changed the original so much that they may as well be called full remakes.
Maybe it’s Bethesda’s unwillingness to iterate their game design, but Oblivion Remastered may as well be a new title in the franchise. Visually, it’s stunning, and comparing it to the original Oblivion makes the two look like completely different games. Gameplay-wise, though, it’s functionally the same as it was in 2006.
For better or worse, Oblivion Remastered also brings a lot of the bugs from the original, as well as some of the more, shall we say, iconic voice acting. Still, the visual changes and quality of life updates alone make Oblivion Remastered feel like an entirely new game.
SaGa Frontier Remastered made a number of improvements to the original game, going far beyond the graphical updates you expect to see in more remasters. The remastered version of this hardcore, old-school JRPG added several quality-of-life updates, like the ability to speed up battles, an objective checklist, auto-equip, and more.
What stands out about this remaster, though, is the inclusion of an entirely new character. In SaGa Frontier, you choose one of seven different heroes to be your main character, then play through their unique storyline. The remaster adds the hero Fuse, which means an additional storyline to play through.
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Diablo 2 Resurrected brings one of the most beloved Diablo games to the modern era, with updated 4K graphics that can be toggled on or off at any time, letting you rapidly switch between the original’s look and the new version.
Among a host of other updates, like new items, quality of life improvements, and so on, the best part about Diablo 2 Resurrected is simply that it is now a modern game, which means access to seasonal refreshes through its ladder system. This means you’re able to keep playing the game and competing on the leaderboards, even 20 years after the original’s release.
Metroid Prime was the first 3D Metroid game, showing what this series would look like in first-person with a fully rendered world. The 2023 remaster of Metroid Prime went above and beyond your typical remaster, withupdated control optionsand new graphics.
However, this is where the game goes into remake territory, as it seems like a few areas were completely rebuilt from the ground up with entirely new models to accommodate the graphics update, which goes far beyond just updating the textures and calling it a day.
The Spyro Reignited Trilogy remasters the first three games in the Spyro series for the PlayStation with an extensive graphical overhaul, quality-of-life improvements, and unification of systems across the three games, making the experience overall more cohesive.
The graphical improvements in this remastered trilogy are simply stunning, to the point where these games look almost nothing like the originals, but feel almost exactly the same. The Reignited Trilogy also features dynamic music, where the current track will shift and change depending on what Spyro is doing.
Sonic X Shadow Generations not only remasters Sonic Generations with updated graphics and additional content, it also adds an entirely new game in Shadow Generations. This puts the entire package somewhere between remaster, remake, and new release, and it’s absolutely incredible.
Sonic Generations was already a best-of Sonic game, featuring levels and mechanics from various previous games, as well as the ability to play stages in either 2D or 3D. Sonic X Shadow Generations pushes the boundaries of what a remaster can be, with an entirely new game attached to an already great remaster.
Chrono Cross is one of the most ambitious JRPGs of the PS1 era, serving not only as a follow-up to Chrono Trigger, one of the best JRPGs ever made, but also as a project with unmatched scope. The Radical Dreamers Edition remaster perfectly updates the game with updated 3D models, new artwork, and refined music.
This remaster also added several new features to the game to bring it past your typical remaster, as well as the inclusion of Radical Dreamers, a visual novel that was never released outside of Japan until this version of the game. Radical Dreamers attempts to tie Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross together, and was the original concept for Chrono Cross.
