Roundtable: Game Remakes We Want To See

With the growing amount of video game remakes these days, whether it’s Final Fantasy VII or Resident Evil 3, there are games that have not been remade that greatly deserve the treatment. So, without further adieu here are the games we want to see remade.

Allan Muir – Site Admin/Co-EiC
Fallout: A Post Nuclear Role Playing Game

If you have listened to the Players Club podcast you will know I am a die-hard Fallout fan. I got into the series with Bethesda’s first game in the franchise: Fallout 3. I loved everything about the game from it’s heartbreaking story all the way to the four pieces of downloadable content Operation Anchorage, The Pitt, Broken Steel, and Mothership Zeta. It was a few months after Fallout 3’s release that I fell down a lore hole of the Fallout bible. This lead me to buy the first game on PC to try it out and see if it was better than Bethesda’s game.

The ensuing madness I went through trying to play Fallout 1 was “interesting” to say the least. The problem with Fallout 1 is simply that while it has aged greatly, the technology it runs on has not. This is horrible because the game has a fantastic story which I did a Video Game Story Time on (you can find it here). There is a mod that is currently in limbo dedicated to remaking the first Fallout game. While the future of said mod looks dim there is still content to experience.

With the series turning 25 in a couple of years, it would be fantastic to see a remake of Fallout 1. It would, in my eyes show the series the respect it deserves from Bethesda and pay tribute to Tim Cain and Black Isle Studios. The former, who conceived of Fallout and the latter, who developed Fallout 2.

Emmett Watkins Jr- PlayStation Stan

The Resistance Trilogy

Upon the release of the PlayStation 4, we were promised a 4th entry of the Uncharted series would eventually be released for the new console. In the lead up to that game, we got The Nathan Drake Collection, a remastering of the first 3 mainline Uncharted games complete with a higher framerate, higher resolution, new trophies, and access to the Uncharted 4 multiplayer beta that would come in the future.

Bluepoint Games is responsible for this package, and it was one of the first titles that really put them on the map in the eyes of the mainstream despite spending the last generation doing solid remasters of classic PlayStation titles as well. But after their smash hit remake of Shadow of the Colossus, the internet has been buzzing on what they could be working on next. Some are hoping for a Demons Souls remake, some are hoping for a Syphon Filter remake, and while both of those sound great, I am personally pulling for a remake of the Resistance Trilogy.

I think these games are a perfect candidate for a remake as it strikes a perfect balance between needing a complete overhaul and having most of the work done already.  I say this because Resistance 3, the fan-favorite of the PlayStation 3 series, is already a great game as is. Nothing about the core gameplay would need any changes, and it could honestly get the Nathan Drake Collection treatment by giving it better textures, a higher resolution, and a better framerate. But once we wrap that one up, the question of what to do with the first two games comes into focus.

The Resistance trilogy had a hard time finding it’s identity, and it took them until Resistance 3 to finally settle on a style of gameplay for the series. Resistance: Fall of Man had the classic weapon wheel Insomniac is known for, but it had an emphasis on shooting from the hip much like prior generation shooters, like Halo, and was brutally difficult thanks to low player health and high numbers of enemies. Resistance 2 was a bit more balanced as far as difficulty, but it tried to chase the Call of Duty market by trading the weapon wheel for a 2 weapon carry limit and incorporating regenerating health. Despite this, Resistance 2 still failed to have gunplay as smooth as CoD, but that’s where Bluepoint could step in.

They could take the gameplay from Resistance 3 and adapt it to work in the prior two games. Tightening up the floaty aiming, designing around the ability to aim down your sights, and standardizing non-regenerating health and the weapon wheel would help make the series much more cohesive. Yes, each game has a slightly different arsenal of weapons, and those can be kept to each game, but making sure that guns that persistent in every game, like the Bullseye, play similarly in every game would make the series feel much more consistent. Take The Nathan Drake Collection, for example. For as much as those games differ visually and narratively, they all play almost identically, with subtle changes to gun recoil in Uncharted 3 being the only exception. While Naughty Dog did that work with the original games, Bluepoint could do that work on behalf of Insomniac and bring the series inline with it’s most beloved entry, while also adding obvious improvements like a higher resolution, framerate, improved textures, and trophies for the first game.

But outside of those suggestions, I think that reintroducing the series to the massive player base of PS4, and soon, PS5, would further acquaint them with the versatility of Insomniac Games. Sure, many know them for Ratchet and Clank and even more love them for Spider-Man, but I’m sure they don’t want to be pigeon-holed into working on just those two franchises, much like Naughty Dog won’t want to work on Uncharted and The Last of Us forever. This would show the masses who have forgotten, or just never knew, that Insomniac is capable of more than whimsical, child-friendly universes and can tell engrossing, grounded narratives for adult audiences.

Plus, if Bluepoint really wants to fill a hole left by the current line up of PlayStation exclusives, they could remaster the groundbreaking multiplayer modes found in Resistance 2. In the PS4 generation, there really hasn’t been a big multiplayer exclusive, as games like Killzone Shadow Fall, Drawn to Death, and Guns Up! all fell to the wayside of public perception. While Resistance 1 and 3 had respectable multiplayer offerings, Resistance 2 is largely defined by its groundbreaking 60 player multiplayer and 8 player cooperative modes. Bringing that to the current, or next, generation could prove to be a massive success, and would also give Bluepoint more experience running an online game, which could prove useful for the studio’s future.

Sure, this feels like a pretty massive longshot, especially since Insomniac hasn’t shown much interest in the Resistance series in the last few years, and especially not since they struck gold with Spider-Man. But I think it would be a great thing to kick off the next generation: a look back at how the potential of older franchises can finally be realized with new technologies. 

Josh Miller – The Family Man

The Legend of Dragoon

For years, there has been a rumor about Bluepoint Games resurrecting The Legend of Dragoon into a potential remake. Each year, I am disappointed when confirmation doesn’t appear. So here I am again to discuss how badly I would love to see The Legend of Dragoon return. Given a fresh coat of paint and updates to mechanics, this game could impress those beyond its hardcore fan-base.

During its development, the team ran into many problems that would be solved by today’s standards. Like many JRPG’s from that generation and on, the desire to have CGI cutscenes was important. However, because of the graphical limitations, there was concern between the disparity of real-time gameplay and the cutscenes. Other development leaps such as the use of smoke and lighting have come long ways since then, and would help that game really hit what it was going for at the time. Of course, the overall graphical improvements would be a godsend for this game as it would be a much better look from the polygonal design of the original. Considering some of the locations in this game, a remake of The Legend of Dragoon would be gorgeous.

The type of remake could be a big opportunity to make drastic changes regarding the gameplay. I for one love the idea of additions as it keeps the player engaged during combat. However, they were incredibly difficult to pull off in later stages and combat has been revolutionized since then. Straying away from turn-based combat isn’t the same negative it once was for JRPG’s, but it’s possible to still have it as an option to select. This would also impact the dragoon system and make it inherently more fun to play especially if you could fly around the battlefield. Whatever choices could be made here, it’s possible to modernize the combat while still maintaining what helped make The Legend of Dragoon stand out from other JRPG titles.

I am currently playing through the Final Fantasy VII Remake. Seeing how they have adapted that 1997 video game to work in 2020 is remarkable and I can envision how other titles such as The Legend of Dragoon could work in a similar way. It’s not impossible. There are ways to expand on what groundwork was already laid. My desire for The Legend of Dragoon remake was always unfounded with no certainty it could be done well. After seeing Final Fantasy VII Remake in action though…it’s not so unfounded. It can be done and it can be done well. It’s just a matter if Sony would be willing to allow it to happen or not.

Graydon Webb – The Contrarian American

Call of Duty: Black Ops

I had to consult my “Favorite Games of All Time” list for this roundtable. having to pick just one game to relive in all its splendor – complete with updated graphics and gameplay mechanics – is a lot harder than it seems. My mind instantly went to Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions, a game I absolutely adore and would love to have an excuse to return to. But after thinking on it, I couldn’t imagine trying to remake something as special as that.

So I came upon a new thought: give my favorite Call of Duty game, Black Ops, a revamp. No, what about a complete overhaul? I’m talking Modern Warfare 2019, not Modern Warfare Remastered. Completely reboot the franchise and breathe new life into its characters. Sure, we all remember quotes and moments from the original, like escaping Vorkuta and “the numbers, Mason!” But wouldn’t you like to see a fresh new take on it?

Bring back the amazing zombies maps from Black Ops, and cover it in the terrifying horror graphics of modern day. Bring Frank Woods and Reznov into a new era of facial imaging and nonstop action. I want to feel like I’m really living the Cold War. Thinking back on Black Ops, all I remember is a story way before its time, that absolutely blew my 13-year-old mind. So what do you say, Treyarch? Care to bring back that twisted, unsettling, heart-stopping thrill ride we all look back on fondly?

Oh, perhaps you do. Bring it on, then. I’ll see you in November.