Have All the Best Games Been (Re)Made?

If you had told me that I’d spend 55 hours with Resident Evil 4 in 2023 - a game I’ve already completed many times before across multiple consoles - I would have waved you away with a laugh. Not because replaying RE4 is undesirable. It’s one of the best games. But who has time to look back anymore? Then, thanks to a generous trade deal at EB Games, I played it, and played it, and played. Four full runs, nearly all the trophies, and RE4 remake has become my comfort game for the past month.

I should have known. This followed in the wake of another recent brilliant remake in Metroid Prime Remastered. Yet where that perfect game only needed a fresh lick of textured paint and a frame rate boost to remain surprisingly fresh and relevant, RE4 remake went even deeper, opening up the controls for moving-and-shooting, and consolidating the entire middle section of the game - the lake area - into a mini open world akin to something from modern God of War.

Now, I’m hooked on remakes. Dead Space? Once it’s on special, I’m there. I’ll even settle for decent remasters. If they are going to tweak and update older games to feel new, and if enough time has passed for the original experience to fade to a dull glow in my memory, then I can see myself playing and loving good remakes for, well, ever.

With the sales of Metroid and RE4, and I’m guessing Dead Space too, looking healthy, I’m excited for what comes next, for what publishers might dig down and bring out from behind the couch. Yes, they’ll start with the certified bangers first, but I’m hopeful they’ll also take a few risks on the lesser hits, the games you remember being great, but which might feel limited or frustrating to play today.

Which games would you love to see get the full remake treatment?