The Biggest Video Game Remakes In Development
In the past decade or so, the world of video games has seen a huge surge in appreciation for what's already come and gone. It's nostalgia — a longing for what some might consider the "golden age" of gaming. That golden age is subjective, of course. One person's prime gaming era might be the 16-bit generation, while another person might point to the year 2007 and simply say, "BioShock. Mass Effect. Portal. Halo 3. Uncharted. Assassin's Creed. Call of Duty 4. Should I continue?"
This sweeping nostalgia means that video game remakes have become hot ticket items for developers and publishers who are looking to make a profit. There's very little risk — the games have come out already! They just need to remake them or remaster them and feed them to gamers who want to play their old favorites on newer, better hardware. And though some might argue that our rose-colored glasses are stifling the industry's creativity, there's something to be said for bringing old titles into the present, both for those who never got to enjoy them, and for the purposes of game preservation.
So feast your eyes on the list below, which contains all of the major remakes and remasters that have been officially announced. What's old is about to become new again, and let's be honest — you're probably going to play some of them.
Spyro: Reignited Trilogy brings a children's classic to a new generation
Way back in the days of the first PlayStation, the console had a few de-facto mascots that weren't necessarily owned by Sony but were very much associated with the PlayStation brand. Spyro, a purple fire-breathing dragon, was one of those characters. Spyro first hit the scene in 1998, kicking off a trilogy of games that helped make the PlayStation a must-have system. And now, twenty years later, Spyro fans are getting a chance to go back and replay the classics on current-generation consoles.
Spyro: Reignited Trilogy is set to release on September 21, 2018, and will include all three of Spyro's first adventures: Spyro the Dragon, Spyro: Ripto's Rage, and Spyro: Year of the Dragon. Even better, those who weren't fortunate enough to catch those games on the original PlayStation can experience them even if they don't own a Sony-branded console. Reignited Trilogy is not only showing up on the PlayStation 4, but is also releasing for the Xbox One with remastered graphics and all the trappings you'd expect in a modern day title.
It's like stepping into a time machine, if that time machine could make the past a whole lot prettier.
Fear Effect Reinvented brings the series back to its roots
The very first Fear Effect came into existence in an era where Resident Evil wore the horror gaming crown. It was 1999, and back then, pre-rendered backgrounds and tank controls were totally okay. They added to the heightened sense of anxiety you'd feel in a scary game, particularly the controls, as you'd struggle to move your character in the right direction while shooting whatever ungodly thing had just jumped out. And Fear Effect, to its credit, didn't just copy Resident Evil. It had a style of its own, and it was well-reviewed as a result.
Fans of that first entry into the series may have been disappointed by its more recent title, Fear Effect Sedna, but fortunately, a full remake of the original is in the cards. It's called Fear Effect Reinvented, and while details are scarce on what changes the new version will introduce, players can at the least expect updated visuals and controls that bring the game into the 21st century.
Resident Evil 2 will scare you all over again
Speaking of the Resident Evil series, it seems we've had a chance to play updated current-generation versions of almost every RE game that's ever been made. On top of the recently released RESIDENT EVIL 7, you can currently use an Xbox One or PlayStation 4 to play the first Resident Evil, Resident Evil 0, Resident Evil 4, Resident Evil 5, Resident Evil 6, and both Resident Evil Revelations games. That's quite a handful.
Conspicuously absent from that list, however, is arguably the biggest game in the series: Resident Evil 2.
But fear not: a full-on Resident Evil 2 remake is in development over at Capcom. This is way more than just a mere remaster: The new RE2 has been entirely re-imagined, from the level design to the enemy encounters to the third-person perspective. Cutscenes have been remade to modern standards, and the voice acting actually seems pretty good. Instead of a simple HD polish, this is looking like the Resident Evil 2 game that the original designers would have made, if they'd made it in 2018.
Final Fantasy VII Remake came from popular demand
The original PlayStation seems to be getting a whole lot of love these days, doesn't it? We've already covered the Spyro and Resident Evil 2 remakes that are either on the horizon or at least being worked on. But as big as those two franchises were for Sony's first console, none can hold a candle to the impact that Final Fantasy VII had when it released in 1997.
Final Fantasy VII is considered one of the best games ever made. It essentially owned the world in the time around its release, and every ensuing Final Fantasy title was held to the standard of VII. A new game in the series could be good, but was it Final Fantasy VII good? Imagine having to follow that act.
It should come as no surprise, then, that a remake of Final Fantasy VII is coming from Square Enix exclusively for the PlayStation 4. The game was shown first in a trailer at E3 2015, and though we haven't heard a lot from the team behind it since then, work on the game continues. The remake currently has no release date, but you're bound to hear about it when it's announced. Just look for the exploding internet.
System Shock will finally get a chance to shine
System Shock holds a very special place in the hearts of many gamers simply for the fact that it inspired BioShock. But the game was plenty revolutionary in its own right when it released in 1994. It was a first-person action game in a time when there weren't a whole lot of first-person anythings, and its chilling gameplay undoubtedly influenced plenty of titles beyond the BioShock series.
While we've gotten those "spiritual successors" in more recent years, we've not seen a System Shock game in quite some time. The last one came in 1999 with the release of System Shock 2 — a game designed and written by Ken Levine. Yes, the mind behind the aforementioned BioShock. Small world, isn't it?
Fortunately, fans of System Shock can look forward to seeing the first game all over again. A remake is being developed by a team called Nightdive Studios, which raised an impressive $1.35 million in a Kickstarter campaign to fund development of the title. Unfortunately, development of the System Shock remake had to reboot, and the new target release year is 2020.
Disgaea Refine brings a Japanese giant to the West
The name Disgaea isn't quite as well known as, say, a Final Fantasy or a Resident Evil. To be frank, it's not a series that caught on nearly as much in the West as it did its homeland of Japan. But for those who enjoy the franchise, the prospect of a remake for its origin title, Disgaea: Hour of Darkness, is way too good to pass up.
Today's your lucky day, Disgaea fans. A full-on reimagining of the first ever game in the series is currently being developed for both the PlayStation 4 and the Nintendo Switch. For those on the PlayStation 4, it's a way to play a title that would require a far more older piece of Sony tech: a PlayStation 2. For Nintendo Switch owners, it's a way for those who enjoyed the 2017 release of Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance to dive back deeper into the franchise.
There's currently no specific release date available for the Disgaea remake, but fans can look forward to playing it in Fall 2018.
Catherine: Full Body was weird enough for a second round
When it released in early 2011, Catherine caught on as one of the more eyebrow-raising games of the PlayStation 3/Xbox 360 generation. If you're unfamiliar, let's just say it involves a man named Vincent who faces two unique challenges: the terrifying supernatural nightmares he can't seem to shake, and his love for two different women who are named Katherine and ... Catherine. At least he can't say the wrong name, right?
The game takes on a really interesting gameplay structure, placing Vincent in daytime scenarios where he must make life-altering decisions, and in nighttime horrors where he must solve puzzles in order to escape. It's super weird, but those who've played it love it, and that's exactly why it's not a shock the game is getting a current-generation update for the PlayStation 4 and the PlayStation Vita.
Wait. The Vita? Yeah, we're not sure how that happened either.
Fans and new players alike can look forward to picking up Catherine: Full Body sometime in the future. No specific release date is available as of yet.
MediEvil is back from the dark ages
No, we didn't misspell "medieval." There's an intentional emphasis on the "evil" you'll find in MediEvil, an action adventure title that originally released on the PlayStation back in 1998. The game takes place in medieval times (naturally), and there's plenty in the plot and setting to have you thinking, "Was this Game of Thrones before Game of Thrones was popular?" Fantasy setting? Check. Undead army looking to capture the kingdom? Check. A guy ripping his arm off to use as a weapon? Well, that never happened in Game of Thrones. That might be where the similarities end.
Nevertheless, it'd be hard for you to play the title in its older form now, unless you happen to have a PlayStation lying around. But that soon won't be the case, as the Sony-developed classic is getting a remake to go along with all the other '90s PlayStation remakes we've been getting lately. And while there's no firm release date for the MediEvil remake just yet, fans can take solace in the fact that Sony's Shawn Layden seems to have taken a personal interest in the project, saying he considers the game "a really important title in my personal journey and career."