By the time you read this it’s probably confirmed, but as I write this there’s a strong rumor (with plenty of evidence) that a remaster of the beloved The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is set for an April 2025 release.
Leaked screenshots show a game completely rebuilt in a new game engine, while (presumably) preserving the core game itself, similar to the Demon’s Souls remake. With all the excitement around the Oblivion remaster, and my list of games that should never, ever be remade, I thought it would be fun to look at games I think absolutely should be (allegedly, but come on) remade in the same fashion as Oblivion.
10
Deus Ex
Deus Ex is simply one of the best games ever made, but even when it was new, the game didn’t have the best visuals. Today we have options like Deus Ex: Revision which puts a nice new lick of paint on the old girl, but there’s only so much you can do with the underlying engine and technology.
We’ve also learned so much from modern immersive sims, that the actual gameplay and mechanics could be refined quite a bit without hurting the core of what makes Deus Ex great. At this point, I don’t think we’ll ever see the completion of the intended trilogy for the Square Enix Deus Ex games, so I wish we could get a modern imagining of the game that started it all. Imagine the graphics and mechanics of Cyberpunk 2077 combined with the near-perfection of Deus Ex’s design and story.
Well, I asked the latest version of the ChatGPT image generator to re-imagine what the game would look like in a modern game engine, and this is pretty close to what I had in mind. I think I’m going to try that with every game on the list.
9
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines
To say that Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines is a rough diamond is a major understatement. The game can’t even be completed without at least a basic fan patch, and if you play it today you absolutely need the Bloodlines Unofficial Patch. That said, this is one of the greatest RPGs ever made, and anyone who likes this genre at all should play this game.
The sequel has been in development hell for years. It was going to launch around the same time as Cyberpunk 2077! So I’m not holding my breath for that game, or that it will actually be any good, but a competent developer could take the original game and rebuild it with modern tools and quality control. It may be a cult classic, but it had the potential to be a true mainstream smash hit, and VTMB deserved a second chance more than most games.
OK, technically Metal Gear Solid did get a remake in the form of The Twin Snakes which brought the original game up to the standard of Metal Gear Solids two and three. However, despite good reviews, no one thinks of Twin Snakes as the the better version of the game. Yet, with the upcoming release of Metal Gear Delta a modern engine remake of Snake Eater, I think the old PS1 classic could do with similar treatment.
The mouthless low-poly aesthetic of the original game will always be charming, but I think most fans would love to see the game brought up to modern standards, and even expanded mechanically to have some of the later gameplay innovations in the series.
7
Morrowind
If Oblivion deserves a complete overhaul, then The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind really deserves one. For many people Morrowind is the first major mainstream hit in the Elder Scrolls franchise, and it pushed the boundaries for open-world RPGs wide open when it released for the original Xbox. However, without being fully voiced, and with some poorly-aged controls and combat mechanics, it’s a hard game to enjoy these days. Even with mods out the wazoo.
I fully understand that giving Morrowind the Oblivion Remastered treatment would actually take much more time and effort than the later title, but I hope that if the Oblivion remaster does extremely well, we’ll see number three in the series get some love next.
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6
Black & White
Unlike most of the games on this list, Black & White isn’t available to buy and play anymore, which is a shame because this flawed gem from the mind of the infamous Peter Molyneux is one of my favorite games, and way ahead of its time.
This is a literal “god game” where you are actually a god and you have to shepherd your people through trials and tribulations. Their faith is what gives you power, and there are other deities with their own agendas, so you can’t just do whatever you like. I feel like these days we rarely see games with this much depth and creativity. It mainly just open-world collect-a-thons and military FPS games, but there’s the potential for an incredible modern game that could leverage modern AI and our zillion-core CPUs in ways that just weren’t possible just a few years ago.
5
Arx Fatalis
Like Deus Ex, Arx Fatalis is a genre-defining example of the immersive sim genre, and it’s still great to play today, especially if you use the Arx Libertatis source port. The game has unlimited gameplay depth, and the narrative complexity still puts modern games to shame. Unfortunately, it’s let down by the technology of its time, and while I’m sure many people will continue to love the specific retro aesthetic of the game, it could do with a modern makeover.
Incidentally, this is an early effort by Arkane Studios, who also made such masterpieces as Dishonored and Prey. So if you liked those games at all, Arx Fatalix should be high on your list.
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4
Hexen 2
Heretic, Hexen, and Hexen II are all brilliant games, but thanks to its crude early 3D graphics, it’s the last game in the trilogy that has aged the worst. While I still enjoy playing the earlier games with their sprites and 2.D graphics engines, Hexen II can be a little hard to stomach sometimes. Which is why I think it’s probably the prime candidate for a complete overhaul.
Although the three games are somewhat narratively connected, you don’t need to play them in order or even play all of them, so there’s no inherent issue with remaking Hexen II first, but maybe that’s just my own wishful thinking.
3
Clive Barker’s Undying
Clive Barker’s Undying is another game that was too far ahead of its time, especially when it comes to the technology that was available. Based on a story by one of the best horror writers of our time, a Lovecraftian first-person shooter that’s truly scary, very surprising, and in dire need of a modern lick of paint.
While I fully acknowledge that these primitive character models have a janky horror vibe as they are, I really would like to see this game get the same treatment we’ve seen in the Resident Evil remakes. You can still buy and play the game with relative ease today, so give it a go and I’m sure you’ll also see the potential.
2
Dark Messiah of Might and Magic
Hey look, yet another game by Arkane Studios on this list! Dark Messiah of Might & Magic really didn’t get its due back in the day, and I think plenty of action RPGs that came later were inspired by the use of physics and the idea of giving the player a real body, instead of just being an eye-level floating camera is now commonplace as well.
The story isn’t half bad either, and if I’m being honest the game still looks pretty OK today, being based on the same engine as Half Life 2 (and VTMB incidentally), so why remake or remaster it? Well, first of all the game is rather buggy and it’s janky to play. I could get over it to enjoy the experience as a whole, but with new visuals and much more polished gameplay, it could finally be the game it was meant to be.
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1
Spec Ops: The Line
While many people simply saw it as another brown third-person military shooter, Spec Ops: The Line turned out to be so much more. It’s a gut-wrenching game about the realities of war and gray moral decisions and consequences catching up to you.
While the game looked pretty good for an Xbox 360 title, a modern version would bring it up to the cinematic movie standards the game was begging for, and it certainly could use some sharpening in the actual gameplay department, which is probably the weakest part of the game overall.
Look, I don’t want major studios spending all their time remaking games from yesteryear, but there are some games that are perfect for outfits like, for example, Nightdive Studios or Bluepoint games to tackle.
Their whole reason for existing is to take a game from the past and bring it into the present, preserving what made it great while sanding over the rough edges. Not every game needs that second chance, but I think these games definitely do.
