6 Classic Video Games with Modern Remakes
Remake, remaster, reboot—we’re not going to quibble with terminology. These games were old and classic and now they’re new and still good.
The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening
Does this 1993 title still hold up? Yes. If we had an original Game Boy and a cheese pizza would we be having a sleepover and taking turns playing it right now? Also yes.
But here’s the thing: this remake is gorgeous and so meticulously detailed that we can’t be mad at this piece of our childhood updated for a modern generation. Plus, you can buy Amiibos that give you in-game effects, and that’s kind of neat.
The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition
If you played the original Monkey Island and want to scratch that nostalgic itch, go ahead and pick up this remake. And if you haven’t but you like the sense of humour in ’90s point-and-click games such as Grim Fandango and Sam & Max, then play this slick remake.
Spyro Reignited Trilogy
The Spyro games were an important part of the PS1 era. The remastered trilogy, released in 2018, is better. The graphics are better, the gameplay is now the same across all three games, the rerecorded dialogue and soundtrack is better, and it retains the jokes and imagination that made us love the originals.
Final Fantasy VII
Final Fantasy is a 30-year-old series at this point, but you may not realize that major characters such as Cloud Strife and Sephiroth weren’t introduced until Final Fantasy VII. A landmark in the series that broke our little hearts (if you played it, you know), we spent countless hours on this game.
The 2020 remake has a serious graphical overhaul. The characters look more realistic, their lip-syncing is localized, so you can play in different languages and still see something in sync, and the music is now adaptive. Playing FF7 a second time will never have the same impact as your first time, but this remake comes pretty close. Careful observers may even notice some changes to the story making this a hybrid between a sequel and a remake.
Black Mesa
Half-Life is one of the most influential games of all time. It put Valve on the map and gave us a story-driven shooter we were happy to play over and over. And you can still play the original on Steam—but the 1998 graphics make it a bit funny, especially when identical scientists keep dying hilariously.
Black Mesa keeps everything great about the game but makes it modern. Half-Life has never looked so great. And Black Mesa was made by fans of the original, who put it on Steam for free.
Sonic Mania
Okay, Sonic Mania is technically a new game, but it features eight “remixed” zones that are homages/upgrades to zones from the original Sega Genesis games. Next to the four original zones, it seems like this game is more remake than new, but that’s okay. It’s a real return to form for those of us who loved Sonic back in the ’90s.
