There was once a time when remakes were looked down upon by the gaming community. Many fans and critics saw them as low-effort cash-grabs and had little interest in their favorite childhood games getting the remake treatment. Today however, new remakes tend to rank among the gaming industry's most highly anticipated titles and almost every gamer has their own wish list of games that they'd love to see get a fresh coat of paint.
The vastly improved perception of remakes can be attributed to quality games like Resident Evil 2 (2019) and Final Fantasy VII (2020), which have proved that remakes aren't only great nostalgic trips but can also be genuine Game of the Year contenders. Considering that the PlayStation 2 is the highest selling home console of all time, it should come as little surprise that many of the console's games have received the remake treatment.
10 SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated
SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated is a remake of SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom and can be played on Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Stadia, Android, and iOS.
The game was a surprising source of heated debates when it was released in June 2020, as many fans and critics had vastly different opinions about the game. Most fans loved it, exemplified by its 9.0 user score on Metacritic, which, believe it or not, is just 0.1 point away from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time's user score.
9 Odin Sphere Leifthrasir
Odin Sphere Leifthrasir is a remake of Odin Sphere and can be played on PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation Vita.
Like the original, Odin Sphere Leifthrasir is a side-scrolling action RPG that features a beat-em-up combat style reminiscent of classic arcade games. Odin Sphere was originally intended to be a sequel to the 1997 Japanese-exclusive Sega Saturn game Princess Crown but ended up being a spiritual successor instead.
8 Siren: Blood Curse
Siren: Blood Curse is a remake of Siren and can be played on PlayStation 3.
Siren: Blood Curse is considered a reimagining of the original Siren, as it makes significant changes to the game's story, design, and gameplay mechanics. The survival horror game was released in 2008 and, like the original, can be considered an influential entry in the genre for its emphasis on stealth. Stealth mechanics are commonly seen in horror games today as a way of increasing tension, with games like Alien: Isolation and Outlast being key examples.
7 Black Mesa
Black Mesa is a third-party remake of Half-Life and can be played on Windows and Linux.
Black Mesa was created by a team known as Crowbar Collective, originally as a free mod for Half-Life. However, the game would soon get a huge stamp of approval from Half-Life's development team Valve, who gave Crowbar Collective the green light to release the game commercially. The third-party remake was well-received by fans and critics, exemplified by its 84 critic score and 8.9 user score on Metacritic.
6 Destroy All Humans! (2020)
Destroy All Humans! is a remake of a 2005 game of the same name and can be played on Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Stadia, and Nintendo Switch.
The original Destroy All Humans! is one of many PlayStation 2 games that had a loyal fanbase begging for a remake. Unlike other highly requested PS2 remakes like GTA: San Andreas and The Simpsons: Hit & Run, Destroy All Humans! fans finally got their wish in 2020. The Destroy All Humans! remake doesn't try to reinvent the wheel, keeping its core gameplay very similar to the original.
5 Ratchet & Clank (2016)
Ratchet & Clank is a remake of a 2002 game of the same name and can be played on PlayStation 4.
Like the aforementioned Siren: Blood Curse, Ratchet & Clank (2016) is branded as a reimagining of the original Ratchet & Clank, as it makes numerous changes to the game's story and level design. As well as being a remake of the original game, Ratchet & Clank (2016) is also based on a film of the same name, which hit theatres the same month that the game was released.
4 Yakuza Kiwami
Yakuza Kiwami is a remake of 2005's Yakuza and can be played on PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows, and Xbox One.
The long-running Yakuza series is finally starting to get the mainstream attention that it deserves, largely thanks to the series' inclusion in Microsoft's value-for-money Game Pass service, which has introduced tons of new people to the weird and wonderful world of the Yakuza franchise.
Yakuza Kiwami, like the rest of the series, is essentially what would happen if Goodfellas and The Simpsons were put in a blender. The game's emotional and hard-hitting main story is centered around the dangerous life of a Yakuza but is supplemented by some of the most hilarious side quests in all of gaming.
3 Yakuza Kiwami 2
Yakuza Kiwami 2 is a remake of Yakuza 2 and can be played on PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows, and Xbox One.
Yakuza 2 was also given the remake treatment and can be played on the same consoles as Yakuza Kiwami, aside from PlayStation 3. The game continues the story of Yakuza Kiwami while also throwing in a new set of ridiculous side quests and simply yet addictive mini-games. Yakuza Kiwami 2 is one of the most critically acclaimed entries in the Yakuza series and received an impressive 88 Metascore on Xbox One.
2 Project Zero 2: Wii Edition
Project Zero 2: Wii Edition is a remake of Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly and can be played on Nintendo Wii.
The Nintendo Wii wasn't the most natural home for horror games, given the console's marketing that was geared towards casual gamers. Still, the console enjoyed its fair share of memorable, terrifying adventures, from Resident Evil 4 to Silent Hill: Shattered Memories. Project Zero 2: Wii Edition was another one of the console's horror highlights and was even described by Nintendo Gamer as "the best horror game on Wii, by some margin."
1 Shadow Of The Colossus (2018)
Shadow of the Colossus is a remake of a 2005 game of the same name and can be played on PlayStation 4.
When the original Shadow of the Colossus was first released, the game was quickly used as an example of video games being an art form, something that many skeptics were still on the fence about or refusing to agree with.
By 2018, gaming's place as a genuine art form had been solidified, so it only seemed right that Shadow of the Colossus would join the ever-growing trend of remakes. Shadow of the Colossus (2018) gives the classic game a wonderful new look while also fixing some of the original's fiddly control issues.