There’s no denying that remakes are hugely popular at the moment. They can entice new fans while cashing in on the nostalgia factor for older fans, so it’s a win-win all around! I can’t say that I’m immune to getting excited about a remake; I was super excited that the final part of the Final Fantasy VII remake will be coming out on my birthday next year and I’ve loved seeing the updated artwork as a fan of the original!
While I really want to see new games being made and new stories being told, I can’t deny that I’d love to see a few games remade in order to experience the story again or to make them more accessible to a newer audience. Here’s a few games I’d love to see get the remake treatment!
Persona 1 and 2
As a Persona fan of nearly 10 years, of course I had to fill out their most recent fan survey to let my voice be heard. As they’ve remade Persona 3 and a remake of Persona 4 is on the way, it didn’t surprise me to see that they were gauging interest for a remake of some of their much earlier titles, including the first games in the Persona franchise. I personally would love to see this!
I primarily play games through real hardware, not using an emulator, and my laptop is more made for writing than it is for gaming so I’ve not had a chance to experience Revelations: Persona or Persona 2 for myself. I’m literally one of those stereotypical Persona fans who got into it when 5 came out and I’ve only played 3, 4 and 5. I want that to change! We could also get experiences with these games that have never been seen before in the west; Revelations: Persona was heavily edited to the point where characters’ names were changed and Japan isn’t really mentioned in its localisation, and the original PS1 version of Persona 2 has never been seen in the west. I’d be especially interested to see if ATLUS would give the games the glossy 3D treatment that 3 and 4 got, or if they’d keep the charm of the original 2D art and remaster it in a similar way to the Dragon Quest 2D-HD remakes.
Dragon Quest IV
If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you may be surprised that I picked IV for this list rather than Dragon Quest IX, my favourite in the franchise that hasn’t even been re-released since its original launch on the DS in 2009. I have a whole separate article on that, but I wanted to discuss another game in the franchise that I’d love to see remade!
We recently got a HD remaster of Torneko’s Mystery Dungeon, a classic spin off featuring the Dragon Quest IV character which popularised the Mystery Dungeon genre. There’d be no Pokemon Mystery Dungeon without Torneko! Seeing the news of Torneko’s Mystery Dungeon being remastered for Switch made me excited for more Dragon Quest spin off remakes, but also made me think that maybe it was time that Dragon Quest IV got the 2D-HD treatment! The story telling of IV is unique in that you play each chapter as a different protagonist and you either venture alone or with a small party before everyone convenes at the end to defeat Psaro, who is famously compared to Sephiroth but came seven years before him. IV has my favourite cast out of any Dragon Quest game because of this layout; you get really attached to each party member as you see the world through their eyes and explore a huge range of different locations! I think this game would be amazing as a 2D-HD remake, similar to 1, 2 and 3.
The Simpsons: Hit and Run
Even though I’m not good at this game, The Simpsons: Hit and Run is definitely a classic from my childhood that I spent many hours either playing or watching my brother play. I know I’m not the only one who wants to see this game remade for modern consoles!
There are rumours circulating after the most recent D23 expo that a remake could be on the way, as Simpsons creator Matt Groening commented that Hit and Run will be “coming back in some form”. Whether that’s a full blown remake or a port of the original PS2 version for modern consoles is yet to be seen though, and if we are getting a remake, I hope it’s just as challenging and not watered down for a modern audience. The original was a proper challenge for me as a child and also as an adult, and that’s what makes it so fun! Nothing beats overcoming a difficult time trial after so many attempts. Without that, I don’t think the game would be anywhere near as enjoyable. I’d love to see the 3D cutscenes and iconic locations from the original brought into the modern age and for the game to run smoothly; some races in later stages had insane lag on the PS2 version we had!
It looks like remakes are here to stay for a long while yet, so I hope developers take a look at what fans are interested in and consider these games for their future projects! I’m intrigued to see what’s coming next; if these games are remade, I’ll be at the front of the queue.
Leave a comment