Awesome Games and
Their Awesome Present Day Remakes
What a time to be a gamer! The gaming world today is practically a treasure trove of awesome games, so awesome that you’ll end up saying goodbye to your friends and social life. Games so good that you’ll need to wear an adult diaper and stock up on energy drinks for marathon playing sessions.
Don’t believe it? There’s the Witcher 3. Uncharted 4. Dark Souls 3. X Com 2. Tom Clancy’s The Division. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
But do you remember the games that you grew up with? You know, the ones that got you hooked to a controller or keyboard in the first place? You remember the glory days when picking a Pokemon was more important than getting a date. When blowing a demon up with a BFG was way more satisfying than removing a piece of meat that was stuck in your teeth for hours. These games will always hold a special place in your heart.
Luckily for you, it’s also the golden age for game remakes. Classic games are getting overhauled, from graphics to audio to reflect the advancements in today’s tech. Not only do you get a game that looks better, but you get one that actually plays better.
Check out some of the awesome game remakes that you can get your hands on today.
8. Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary
The first Halo game is a masterpiece in the FPS genre and was highly praised for its incredible multiplayer gameplay way back in 2001. It was one of the games that helped put the original Xbox console on the gaming map, not to mention selling over 5 million copies.
Released in 2011, the anniversary edition features a complete HD remake of Combat Evolved’s campaign. It also utilizes the Xbox’s Kinect voice command features. You can scream “reload” or “grenade” to lob an explosive instead of tapping buttons on your controller. As an added bonus, you can also finish the campaign co-op style via Xbox Live or split-screen. Time to revisit the Master Chief saga again and use those energy swords! Oh, and teabag only when necessary.
7. The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition
Point-and-click adventure games were all the rage in the 1990s, and the Monkey Island series was one of the most memorable titles you could dive into. The original 1990 game tells the swashbuckling adventure of lovable goofball Guybrush Threepwood on his hilarious journey to become a pirate.
The Secret of Monkey Island is a faithful recreation of the original, only made TONS better. Not only does it have better graphics and gameplay, but the 2009 special edition also has sound effects and voice acting that wasn’t present in the original game.
6. Resident Evil HD Remaster
Resident Evil HD Remaster is a PS4 remake of the original 1996 Resident Evil which started the trend for survival horror games. It follows the exact same plot and gameplay of the original game, but added very high definition graphics as well as fluidity in controls. It’s hard to remake a game with the quality of Resident Evil because if anything was added it would’ve destroyed the game’s story–which is best left untouched. Players can now revisit Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine–the original characters of the franchise–as they try to rid the town of a zombie infestation. Even though you might already know what happens, it will still surely scare you out of your seat thanks to magnificent sound design and graphics. It’s like re-experiencing something you love for the first time–it just so happens that love is for killing zombies.
5. Tomb Raider: Anniversary
Tomb Raider was one of the first 3D adventure games to make a mark in the gaming world. It combined puzzle solving skills and third person shooter to start a long line of games to follow. Many games would eventually follow its style such as Uncharted and Last of Us, just to name a few. Tomb Raider was first released in 1997 on the Playstation, Sega Saturn and PC. Tomb Raider: Anniversary was released 10 years after on 2007 on the PSP, PS2, PC and Wii and follows the exact same plot of the original Tomb Raider game. The only big difference from the original game are the polished graphics which makes the game a little more enjoyable–keeping in mind that it’s the Godfather of all games in the Puzzle/Shooter genre. Although it didn’t sell too many copies, it’s still great to revisit this gem and play it with better graphics!
4. Goldeneye 007: Reloaded
If you’ve never played Goldeneye on the Nintendo 64 then you missed out on one of the best games to ever come out of ANY console. Goldeneye 007: Reloaded is a direct remake of the original game and follows the James Bond film, Goldeneye. The only difference is that the developers used the likeliness of Daniel Craig–the current James Bond–instead of using Pierce Brosnan who actually starred in the film.
Goldeneye 007: Reloaded was unveiled by Activision during the 2011 San Diego Comic-Con International as a PS3 and Xbox 360 remake of the Wii version that was released a year prior. The game featured high definition graphics due to it running on a new game engine. It follows the exact same plot as the movie and original game. A new single player mode was introduced called the Mi6 Ops while two new multiplayer modes called Escalation and Bomb Defuse were also introduced. It’s a great homage to the original game with a few tweaks to make it more enjoyable without ruining its original charm. Great job, Activision!
3. Metal Gear: Twin Snakes
Metal Gear Twin Snakes is a remake of the original Metal Gear Solid. It was a released six years after the original MGS as a Game Cube exclusive and enjoyed reception worldwide. The game features an improvement of graphics–mimicking the graphics of the second installment of MGS, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. It also introduces new cut scenes that are written and directed by Ryuhei Kitamura.
An added feature to the game was the option to choose between third person and first person mode–a very big deal during the time. Playing this polished version of the original will surely put you in a nostalgic mood that you won’t be able to shake off for days.
2. Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire
The original Pokemon Blue, Red, and Yellow were phenomenal hits on the Nintendo Gameboy. Kids would spend days–no, weeks–on end trying to capture all 150 Pokemons; an activity that they definitely remember up to this day. With 2D graphics, it was still a very challenging game with lots of strategy required–which is what made it such a great game to begin with. It didn’t need fancy graphics or stellar cut scenes. It was pure in the essence of gaming.
There were many remakes to follow, then came Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire–which are remakes of Pokemon Ruby and Pokemon Sapphire respectively–and an entire generation collectively lost their sh*t. Here came a game that followed the structure of the original game but added polygonal 3D functions. The developers retained the essence of the game but introduced way better graphics–cartoony and fluid–that perfectly suited the Pokemon game franchise. Now on the Nintendo 3Ds console, people can enjoy the revamped game.
1. Doom
Doom is considered one of the pioneers in the first-person shooter genre. Doom is also one of the bloodiest games ever created and it’s just awesome that the people in ID Software decided to give this baby a next generation remake. Now available on PS4, Xbox One, and PC, Doom follows the same style of gameplay as the first two installments.
Games like Doom need to be fast paced and full of rage because that’s where its appeal lies. A great addition to the game is its multiplayer mode, which offers several gameplay options such as four-player death match, team arena, freeze tag, warpath and domination. These are welcome additions to the game since the new era of gaming makes multiplayer shooters just so fun to mess with.
Doom begins with an unnamed marine emerging from his imprisonment in a sarcophagus. He finds himself in the middle of an invasion from hell that takes place in the UAC Mars Facility. What happens next is pure madness, and if you have yet to experience it for yourself then it’s time to take the plunge!
Know any other game remakes we should get our hands on? For nostalgia’s sake, sound off in the comments below!
