Western RPGs often have unrealized potential. It’s not to say that these titles are bad or inferior to their Japanese RPG counterparts. Rather, western RPGs constitute some of the best role-playing games ever created. One common theme with many of the greats, however, is that they were unfinished, overly ambitious, or have aged poorly. Part of the reason for this lies with the golden age of RPGs during the 90s and early 2000's, meaning that many beloved western RPGs are over a decade old now.
Unpatched glitches, as well as outdated graphics and gameplay design, can make these games a pain to play now. Mods are a way to mitigate these issues, but even mods can't measure up to a full-on remake. A total remake represents a chance to right many wrongs. Whether it's fixing glitches, controls, or adding cut content, many western RPGs are in desperate need a of nostalgic retread.
8 Daggerfall (1996)
Daggerfall is a game that many Elder Scrolls fans have never even played. Part of this is because Skyrim brought tons of new players in who hadn't played previous games, but additionally, Daggerfall is so old it cannot be easily run on modern hardware. The second Elder Scrolls title is infamously ambitious for its time, but a remake would allow Bethesda to realize some of that previously squandered potential.
On top of this, its engine is ancient, and the world design is alien to modern gamers. Its randomly generated dungeons, time sensitive/random quests, and gargantuan world can make the game especially unforgiving. This isn’t even getting into the combat and magic systems which are, to say the least, different than Skyrim's. A full remake could take advantage of modern world design, and rely less on random generation for dungeons and side quests.
7 Morrowind (2002)
While still perhaps the best Elder Scrolls game, Morrowind is not without a certain amount of dated jankyness. Specifically, some consider its combat to be rather terrible, though the system has its fans. Mechanically, it relies too heavily on dice rolls as if it were a turn-based game, when in fact it is a 3D first-person real-time experience. A remake would be able to change this and make the combat more palatable for modern audiences.
In addition, Morrowind has a wonderful art direction that is certainly limited by the technology of its time. The island of Vvardenfell is a wonderfully alien world that truly captures the player's imagination with unique atmosphere, flora, terrain, and creatures never before seen in the series. A remake would allow fans to experience this world in high definition with better models, lighting, NPCs, etc.
6 Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines (2004)
Developed by Troika Games in 2004, this beloved sequel has admittedly aged rather badly. Granted, it was infamous for its troubled development and unfinished launch even back in the day. However, it has nonetheless received copious amounts of praise for what it gets right — namely its characters, lore, and RPG elements.
A full remake of the game would be an opportunity to iron out many of its shortcomings as a result of troubled development. The combat and leveling system could be improved, and of course the game world would be enhanced with modern technology. Troika Games was also infamous for releasing their games unfinished, and Bloodlines is no exception. It has an absurd amount of cut content that a true recreation could add back into the game.
5 Deus Ex (2000)
The original Deus Ex getting a remake would be a real treat if only for the updated visuals and gameplay. In its day, it was seen as revolutionary, and received widespread acclaim for its world design, characters, and freedom of choice. The original, however, is now over 20 years old and it can be daunting for new players who are interested in the series and wish to start at the beginning.
A remake is a chance to bring in new players, while many longtime fans would be overjoyed at a proper remake of the game as well. It’s also an excuse to bring back the original multiplayer component which went offline when Gamespy shut down its servers — something hardcore fans lament to this day.
4 Fable II (2008)
Though some consider it an imperfect sequel to the first game, Fable II offers quite a few benefits over its predecessor. It's no wonder then that fans have been clamoring for a remake ever since the first game received one. Fable II's world is already more impressive than the first game's in just the questing alone, but it also offers expanded features when it comes to actually living in Albion.
Fable II was also bit buggy and janky upon its release in 2008. Additionally, it was an Xbox exclusive, which prevented any fan made patches from being made like they have for certain PC RPGs. Modern technology could not only be used to fix the jankiness, but revisiting the game would also give the developers a chance to port the game to other systems such as the PC.
3 Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic 2 (2004)
Releasing only a year after the first game, KOTOR 2 is widely praised even though it is a technical and developmental mess. It isn’t a bad game so much as an unfinished one, a notion that many fans of Obsidian Entertainment are familiar with. The developers were given only 13 months to finish the game, which by modern standards is simply absurd.
This led to whole swaths of content being cut, including the planned ending for the game (though much of this would later be restored by fan mods over the years). The game has many of the same dated quirks as the first KOTOR game does, which could be corrected by a proper remake. The real benefit of a remake for KOTOR 2, though, would be the reintegration of cut content in an official capacity. Seeing the world and characters recreated is also a massive plus, considering how the game features some of the best of both in all of Star Wars.
2 Fallout 3 (2008)
Fallout 3 can be a frustrating game for modern fans of the series, mostly because the game doesn’t work on modern operating systems and hardware. Bethesda has also been oddly silent on this issue, choosing instead to rerelease Skyrim more times than gamers can count.
But what would a Bethesda remake of Fallout 3 look like? For one, the game would be updated for a modern OS, which means players on PC will be able to play the game normally. For another, revisiting the Capital Wasteland with modern graphics would certainly be a sight to behold. Fallout 3 truly excels at creating a dead and desolate world in which humanity barely survives on a day-to-day basis. It would certainly be an experience to visit that world in a modern remake.
1 Fallout New Vegas (2010)
As one of the most beloved RPGs of the modern era, New Vegas represents for many the pinnacle of not only the Fallout series, but of open world role playing games in general. Even with its crunched development cycle (18 months) by Obsidian Entertainment, the game was able to tell a fantastic story with a rich world that captivates many to this day over 10 years later.
Unfortunately, it released with plenty of bugs back in the day, though quite a few of the nasty ones have been squashed by now. Still, it's tough not to get excited at the idea of seeing the Mojave Wasteland in its true glory with modern graphics. Additionally, New Vegas is infamous for having long list of cut content or abandoned ideas. Fans have done what they can over the years, but only a true remake by Obsidian could really take advantage and re-examine some of it.