Horror Games That Need The Resident Evil 2 Remake Treatment

The gaming community is constantly looking for the next big thing. 3D games brought about a need for a more expansive world, while the recent rise in the popularity of VR is now testing the boundaries of the horror experience. But while there are always new and exciting advances in gaming, there's also something to be said for nostalgia. Many people grew up playing video games and have fond memories of games from the past. And while it's fun to remember games we played as kids, it's easy to forget just how clunky and counter-intuitive many of these games were.

Going back to replay a game that you haven't played in years can often show you just how badly it's aged. Whether that's due to a premise that was only relevant at the time of release, or game mechanics that would render a game unplayable by today's standards, there's no question some of our old favorites could use a facelift. With the release of the remade Resident Evil 2, we can't help but admire the kinks that have been ironed out of the original game. Looking to this for inspiration, here are some horror games from our past that we'd love to see given the Resident Evil 2 remake treatment.

One of the most recognizable horror games is the Silent Hill franchise. While there have been games in the series that are almost too perfect to be improved, there is something to be said for updating the first title. The clunky nature of Silent Hill, commonplace when it was released in 1999, now makes the game almost unplayable.

While Silent Hill is an amazing game for its era, it could benefit from a facelift. One of the biggest complaints from those who have played it recently is that the controls are not only counter-intuitive, but constantly changing based on what camera angle you're seeing. Add to that a story that could have been much more complex than it was, and you've got a game that could be vastly improved with only a few tweaks. If Silent Hill was to receive a remake, developers would have no problem taking something dated and crafting it into a masterpiece.

When Monolith Productions' survival horror game F.E.A.R. was released in 2005, it quickly set itself apart as a smart horror game that pulled from the Japanese  horror movie genre to create truly unsettling scenes. Centering on the story of a special operations unit called F.E.A.R. or First Encounter Assault Recon, which has been sent in to contain a paranormal anomaly, F.E.A.R. utilizes a dark atmosphere and jump scares to its advantage. Though the graphics are good for a game released in 2005, they could still use updating to creating a gaming experience that is something akin to Resident Evil 7 in being almost too real.

Though the storyline of F.E.A.R. wouldn't need to be changed much to bring it up to modern standards, fleshing out some of the backstories would only add to the high-stakes feel of the game. Allowing for custom control configurations and tweaking the reflex time mechanic to be more visually appealing could bring F.E.A.R. up to speed. The fact that this game already provides a solid base for a great experience makes this one a no-brainer.

1995 point-and-click survival horror game Clock Tower is a classic in the horror genre in its own right. The pixelated graphics and slow-burn storyline have done little to deter people from still enjoying this game. However, there are still many ways this classic could be remade to make it more appealing to a wider audience. The tension in the game is already palpable, the soundtrack isn't overbearing, and the overall silence present through most of the story make it that much more terrifying when something does happen. But a reimagining of this game with updated graphics and a free-roaming camera could create a new kind of tense horror.

With the things Clock Tower got right combined with the improvements a remake could provide, this game could reach a new audience who may not have had the patience or interest in a game that is quite dated. By utilizing silence and the iconic and still-terrifying-to-this-day Scissorman who chases you relentlessly throughout the mansion, Clock Tower would only need minor rehabilitation to bring it up to the standards modern gamers expect from their horror. The possibilities provided by current graphics could give this game the added atmosphere it needs to accompany the slow-burn tension that made it a classic in the first place.

It's endearing when developers poke fun at the genre they've dedicated their work to. Maniac Mansion pulls no punches when it comes to self-awareness. This game, released in 1987 by LucasArts, knows exactly what it is and embraces that wholeheartedly. Rather than trying to overcome the horror stereotype of taking itself too seriously, Maniac Mansion takes the genre's tropes to the next level to show just how ridiculous they are.

Maniac Mansion is often cited as the game that launched the point-and-click genre and was quite ahead of its time with a choice system that determined what kind of ending players received. The dialogue and characters were hilarious, and it's no wonder this game developed a huge following. While Mansion wouldn't need much revision for its dialogue, story, or characters, being able to play Maniac Mansion with modern graphics and over-the-shoulder control would make this classic one of the most unique and unexpectedly entertaining horror games to date.

Utilizing multiple playable characters and branching storylines over decades may seem like a daunting task for a game, but somehow, Eternal Darkness is able to pull it off. In the 2002 release, players have the opportunity to play as 12 different characters, each one belonging to a different time period and possessing different talents. This unique approach to the horror genre was innovative for the time, and so well executed that it sets the game apart as a fresh new take on the genre. Eternal Darkness was utilizing sanity effects long before it was a horror staple. Eternal Darkness feels like a game made much later than it actually was.

Of course, with poor graphics and clunky mechanics, Eternal Darkness has started to show its age. In the era of realistic characters and settings, a pixelated game doesn't hold its own anymore. If Eternal Darkness were able to receive an update, its already-interesting storyline would only get better and more playable. Combat and spells would only need minor adjustments to smooth out kinks as these elements were both done quite well in the original game.

The premise of being an amnesia patient in an institution is a trope that's been beaten to death. But when done correctly, this can actually be quite effective in creating a tone of ominous isolation and loneliness. The melancholy feel of Dreamforge's 1998 release, Sanitarium, is the perfect example of the trope done correctly. Sanitarium was able to change it up by dragging players back and forth from reality to insanity and back again. This kept them on their toes and engaged in the storyline.

Just as with any older game, however, there are certain aspects of Sanitarium that didn't age well and date the game in an unflattering way. The puzzles found in Sanitarium could use a facelift. Though the puzzles aren't overly easy or overly difficult, they could easily be reworked without the limitations of older mechanics, thus providing players with a more intuitive yet challenging experience. Building smarter puzzles would only be doing Sanitarium a favor.