HD remakes are a hot topic amongst gamers. On one hand, you have those who think they cheapen the legacy of the original or believe them altogether unnecessary. On the other hand, you have your gamers that love them because they offer a chance to almost travel back in time, to go revisit a game you loved in your childhood and relive those memories.
Whether you love them or hate them, there’s no denying that remakes get people talking. When people talk of a recently released HD remake, they often discuss what title might be next to be remade. For instance, when DuckTales Remastered came out, Rey Jiminez, the game’s producer, talked about wanting to remake other old school Disney games in an interview with Polygon, citing Chip N’ Dale as the most logical follow-up.
So, what types of games would be well suited for an HD facelift? Everyone has their list of personal favorites, and here are five I think would be especially well suited.
Crash Bandicoot
One of the most beloved figures on the PlayStation has been absent from Sony consoles for far too long, and it’s time to change that. Crash Bandicoot had you traversing through three island worlds to defeat the nefarious Dr. Neo Cortex, all of which would look gorgeous in HD. The original background art had a very organic, jungly feel to it. In HD, that would absolutely pop to life, especially if they populated the world with animated art and animals.
Streets of Rage
I loved Streets of Rage. The art had a really cool feeling that always kind of reminded me of the movie Demolition Man. The many flashing neon signs and backdrops would look amazing detailed in high def. I imagine an HD version of this game would pop with color, which would lend a kind of 1980s version of the future vibe.
Giants: Citizen Kabuto
If you never played Citizen Kabuto, you missed out on one mind numbingly hilarious gem of a game. Unfortunately, while it had a solid storyline, premise, and art direction (especially in terms of character design) it was very rough around the edges. So, why not smooth out the issues and re-release the already gorgeous title in HD? It’s really something most gamers should play, especially those who are fans of bawdy British humor.
Jet Force Gemini
Like Giants, Jet Force Gemini was a title that had a great story, premise, and art direction, but had features that made it infuriating to play. One of the best things about Jet Force, in my opinion, was the world art. Looking back, it very much reminds me of Halo, and I imagine that if an HD version of this game were to be made, the world would look very similar. As mentioned above, lush landscapes like the ones present in Jet Force can look particularly gorgeous in HD, in my opinion, so this title would be well suited to a facelift.
Little Nemo: The Dream Master
Little Nemo was one of the funnest games on the NES. It was also one of the best looking, and really pushed the graphics of the little console to its limits. Two things that has always stood out to me about this title was how bright and vivid the colors were, and how much the art really made you feel like you were playing in a dream world. I think in HD, those feelings would intensify so much more.
Furthermore, I think that an HD remake of Little Nemo would be particularly well suited to the moving comic book art style. It would make it feel even more like a dream, but would be perfect to house the bright, vivid colors that made the original so memorable.
What games do you think would be well suited for an HD remake? Sound off in the comments section, or on Twitter @ArtistryInGames with your thoughts.