Summary
Remakes of classic video games are becoming more common as triple-A titles take more resources and time to develop than ever before. These reimagined adventures often feature updated graphics, controls, mechanics, and other quality-of-life enhancements to make the game feel modern for both new and returning players.
Most remakes are done so well that they erase any desire for someone to revisit the original title, but there are more than a few that feel like a step in the wrong direction andfail to surpass their predecessors. For various reasons, these remakes don’t meet the high standards set by the original versions of the games they are trying to replicate.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time was one of the best-selling arcade games of all time before it was eventually ported to the Super Nintendo, which only increased its popularity. The side-scrolling beat ‘em up featured satisfying combat, a diverse range of stages, and a soundtrack that’s almost as catchy as the original Ninja Turtles theme song.
Ubisoft launched Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time Re-Shelled in 2009, and while it sold pretty well, it left fans of the original heartbroken. The 3D models don’t look nearly as expressive as the original 2D sprites, and the combat doesn’t feel nearly as tight. The worst part about Re-Shelled is that it replaces the entire soundtrack with new compositions that don’t live up to the legacy of the original game.
Metal Gear Solid is one of the most influential video games ever made, from its cinematic story to its rich gameplay that lets you experiment with different tools and weapons to eliminate enemies and clear your objectives. It was one of the original PlayStation’s defining titles, so the decision to remake it exclusively for the Nintendo GameCube was the first of many red flags for Twin Snakes.
Though Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes might seem like a visually upgraded version of the original at first glance, it actually has a ton of new content, like cut scenes and gameplay mechanics, that somehow weigh the experience down instead of enriching it. If you want to play Metal Gear Solid, the vast majority of fans will advise you to play any other version than Twin Snakes for the best experience.
Some of the first multiplayer games that come to mind when you think of the N64 are Mario Kart 64, Super Smash Bros., and GoldenEye 007. The latter was ground-breaking when it came to first-person shooters on home consoles and was a major influence on the genre after its launch.
Despite GoldenEye’s massive reputation, it’s still surprising to people when they find out it was remade for the Wii in 2010. This version shares a name with the movie and the original game, but there are so many differences between them, like replacing Pierce Bronson’s portrayal of Bond with Daniel Craig’s, that the remake feels like a completely different experience.
Similar to Metal Gear Solid, Conker’s Bad Fur Day was exclusive to one platform before it was remade exclusively for another one. After creating numerous hits for the N64, including GoldenEye 007, developer Rare was acquired by Microsoft and immediately started working on a remake of the cult-classic Conker’s Bad Fur Day.
Conker: Live & Reloaded launched four years after the original game and truly felt like a downgrade from the N64 version for a few reasons. The remake removes some controversial scenes and censors out certain swear words, which was half of the appeal of the game in the first place. Live & Reloaded did have a decent multiplayer mode, but the best way to play through the game is through the original version.
The remakes of the original Resident Evil, Resident Evil 2, and Resident Evil 4 are hailed as some of thegreatest survival-horror games in the genre, but the Resident Evil 3 remake from 2020 is often left out of that conversation. Capcom has hit the nail on the head with almost every attempt to bring back its classic games, but some poor decisions and a rushed schedule led to a disappointing reimaging of the PlayStation title.
While the Resident Evil 2 remake was praised for expanding the universe while faithfully sticking to what made the original feel so special, the Resident Evil 3 remake decided to cut a significant amount of the story to create a tighter journey. It’s a shame that nearly every other Resident Evil remake has knocked it out of the park, and most fans would recommend revisiting the original instead.
Diddy Kong Racing was never as popular as Pokemon Stadium or GoldenEye 007, but its unique approach to the kart-racing genre cultivated a decent number of fans who have been starving for a sequel. A remake was developed for the Nintendo DS and launched a decade after the original game to muted applause after certain decisions were made that prevented Diddy Kong Racing DS from reaching its full potential.
Diddy Kong Racing was developed by Rare for the N64, but after the studio was acquired by Microsoft, Nintendo was unable to include fan-favorite characters Conker and Banjo in the remake due to licensing issues. The hit to the roster is one thing, but Diddy Kong Racing’s touch-screen controls don’t feel nearly as fun as playing a racing game with an analog stick.
The Pokemon series is infamous for releasing special versions and remakes of most of its games, either through expanded packages like Pokemon Yellow or Pokemon Crystal or redesigned from the ground up like FireRed and LeafGreen. Amajority of these titles are belovedfor modernizing nostalgic adventures with new and exciting mechanics, but the remakes of the fourth generation of games felt like they missed the mark.
While other Pokemon remakes rely on 3D models and environments to add more detail and atmosphere to the worlds you remember from your childhood, Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl resort to a completely different art style that’s just not that exciting. These two games feel like the most copy-and-paste remakes you could imagine, and they don’t match the quality of other titles like HeartGold and SoulSilver.
Many remakes justify their existence with the appeal of polishing up the graphics for a game that might look outdated or just hasn’t aged too well. Until Dawn launched as an exclusive for the PlayStation 4 in 2015 and genuinely still looks pretty good to this day. Whether it’s because of the deal with Sony for the original game or the live-action movie adaptation, it always felt strange that Until Dawn received a remake in 2024 instead of a simple remaster.
Developed for the PlayStation 5 and PC by a small team who worked on the original game, the Until Dawn remake uses Unreal Engine 5 to improve everything from the lighting to the character models and includes some extra content like new totems and endings. You might think it’s a jump scare when you see that this game costs $60, which is a lot for a remake of a title that really didn’t need one.
Remaking a beloved JRPG can be tricky as developers attempt to enrich the experience with new ideas while retaining the elements that made the game so special to begin with. Secret of Mana might not be as legendary as Final Fantasy 7 or the Pokemon series, but its 2018 remake was panned for failing to improve any aspect of its predecessor.
Though both the original and remake share similar flaws, there is a certain charm to the Super Nintendo version of Secret of Mana that almost makes up for them, while the remake has almost no reason to include them. The 3D models and voice acting are neat at first, but they don’t add anything significant to the remake that should compel you towards it over the original adventure.
Super Mario 64 is one of the most renowned and influential platformers ever made and helped showcase what video games were capable of with 3D graphics. It was one of two launch games for the N64, and almost two decades later, an ambitious remake would launch alongside the Nintendo DS, featuring more playable characters, challenges, and more.
Super Mario 64 DS truly feels like a deluxe version of the original game, and being able to play it anywhere you like with the DS was a major bonus, but it’s missing some of that magic that made the N64 version so infamous. It almost feels more like a spiritual sequel than a remake, and it doesn’t even come close to touching the legacy of its precursor.
