Top 5 Remasters I Want to See Next-Gen

Remasters have become staple releases during the current generation of consoles. There are some who say it’s time to forget the past and focus on new games. I, however, am on-board with remastered games, providing the upgrade is substantial enough to warrant a new release. Given the impressive performance leap of the upcoming PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, I want to list my top five candidates to receive the remaster treatment.

Mass Effect Trilogy

"It's So Much Easier To See The World In Black And White. Grey? I Don't Know What To Do With Grey..."

Mass Effect: Andromeda left a bad taste in the mouths of many, myself included. After mostly triumphant success with the original trilogy, Andromeda felt like a huge step backwards for the beloved series. The foundations of success laid by the trilogy are encapsulated by the aforementioned quote. The emotional turmoil, the relationships, the difficult decisions, these are the reasons why the original trilogy was so compelling.

Mass Effect stands as one of the greatest RPGs of all time. After the failures of Andromeda, the series is currently dormant. That’s why a remaster could not come at a better time. Spruce the original trilogy up with some pretty new graphics and so forth, and it’s surely a recipe for success. Further, a well-done remastered trilogy could bring some much-needed goodwill back to the Mass Effect series. Given the popularity of the series, a remastered trilogy has tremendous potential to sell well - which could help fund a new mainline instalment.

Resident Evil 4

“Guess that's a local’s way of breaking the ice. Anyway, you know what this is all about. My assignment is to search for the President's missing daughter."

The main protagonist in Resident Evil 4 is Leon S. Kennedy, one of the few survivors of the Raccoon City incident, who was recruited and trained by the US Government to become a special agent after they learned of his actions in Raccoon City. Now an agent for a special security agency, Leon is sent to Spain on a mission to rescue Ashley Graham, the President's daughter, who has been kidnapped by a mysterious cult organisation.

Over the last few years, Capcom have shown a lot of love to the Resident Evil franchise. Recent successes with Resident Evil 7, Resident Evil 2 remake, and Resident Evil 3 remake all show that the series is hitting new heights. With that in mind, it seems only natural the next step for Capcom would be Resident Evil 4. Nonetheless, Resident Evil: Village looks eerily similar to Resident Evil 4 so that might put a spanner in the works of a Resident Evil 4 remaster.

Disregarding that, Resident Evil 4 is arguably the best Resident Evil game in the long-running series. It is, after all, Capcom’s highest rated game of all-time based on critic scores. It’s been re-released on various platforms over the years but a fully-fledged remaster/remake on the next-generation consoles would be the definitive re-release yet.

Alan Wake

“Stephen King once wrote, “Nightmares exist outside of logic, and there’s little fun to be had in explanations; they’re antithetical to the poetry of fear.” In a horror story, the victim keeps asking why - but there can be no explanation, and there shouldn’t be one. The unanswered mystery is what stays with us the longest, and it’s what we’ll remember in the end.”

Alan Wake originally released on the Xbox 360 and PC back in 2010. Arguably Remedy’s best original character, the titular hero Alan Wake is a best-selling writer pushed to the brink of sanity. Upon release, Alan Wake looked destined to fade into obscurity. Critical success, however, as well as a loyal fan following has rendered Alan Wake somewhat of a cult classic.

Alan Wake is told in the style of a TV series and is packed full of mystery tropes. When his wife disappears on their vacation to the small town of Bright Falls, his search turns up pages from a thriller he doesn’t even remember writing. Alan Wake embodies the trademark Remedy storytelling and pulse-pounding action sequences. As Alan Wake, you must dive deeper and deeper into the mystery of your wife’s disappearance. You must master the fight with a light combat mechanic to stay one step ahead of the darkness spreading across Bright Falls.

Alan Wake is currently playable on Xbox One thanks to backwards compatibility. That being said, it’s never seen the light of day on PlayStation 4 consoles. Considering that Remedy owns the Alan Wake IP and are now developing multi-platform games, it seems like the best opportunity yet to remaster Alan Wake for the new consoles.

Dead Space Trilogy

“Only the Dead Survive. A massive deep-space mining ship goes dark after unearthing a strange artifact on a distant planet. Engineer Isaac Clarke embarks on the repair mission, only to uncover a nightmarish bloodbath — the ship's crew horribly slaughtered and infected by alien scourge."

Even though a horror pattern may be emerging due to the previous two games on this list, I couldn’t make this list without Dead Space being on it. In fact, in a lot of ways, Dead Space reminds me of Resident Evil 4. That being said, the three instalments in the trilogy do a remarkable job at setting themselves apart. In Dead Space, you are an engineer. You're not a warrior. You're not a soldier. You are, however, the last line of defense between the remaining living crew and deadly reanimated corpses.

Fans have been clamouring for a remaster of this series from EA for years. (We have to see at least one of Mass Effect remastered or Dead Space remastered from them...right?) I recently played through the series on Xbox One thanks to backwards compatibility, but I wouldn’t hesitate for a second to replay the series yet again if it received the full remastered treatment on the upcoming next-generation consoles.

The Simpsons: Hit & Run

“Ah, videogames, what a waste of money. Now to go online and bid one thousand dollars for a set of Itchy and Scratchy corn-cob holders. Terrific, terrific expense.”

Alright, given the horror theme that emerged with the last few games on this list, I’ve decided to go in the complete opposite direction; The Simpsons: Hit & Run. Over the years, we’ve seen a fair few Simpsons games but none have compared to Hit & Run. It’s a game where The Simpsons meets Grand Theft Auto. There’s a storyline, sure, but the fun is really had when you roam around and do… basically, whatever you want. The world is a faithful re-creation of Springfield and the level of interactivity is only more impressive when you consider the game originally released in 2003.

Whilst this one may seem like more of a pipe dream, there is hope. The Simpsons: Hit & Run producer Vlad Ceraldi gave an interview to LadBible, in which he hinted that a remake or remaster isn’t outside the realm of possibility: "I could see Hit & Run on multiple different types of (modern) platforms, as a remake or remaster,” Ceraldi explained. “When you make something, sometimes you know you've made something special. This was one of the ones that we knew we hit the mark.”

What games would you like to see remastered on the next-generation of consoles? Let us know in the comments below.