In the last couple of years, we’ve seen more remakes and remasters, allowing us toexperience older games through the lens of modern hardware.
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The technological limitations of past eras prevented many works from fully exploiting their potential. Thus, developers are refocusing on their past projects to truly realize their creative vision, letting us enjoy how those classics would’ve been if released today.
However, not all games require this treatment. Masterpieces are masterpieces despite the passage of time, somany still feel as good as they did when they were originally released.
To put it in other words, some titles don’t have to improve their graphics, mechanics, or engines, and if you don’t believe me, I’m sure theseten classic games that will never need a remakewill make you think otherwise.
10God of War
The Origin of a Phenomenon
God of War (2005)
Especially after the Norse saga, many players have argued thatGod of Warneeds a remake, but I couldn’t disagree more, given it’s a hack-and-slash icon in every sense.
Having played it at launch and recently,Kratos' original adventure has aged phenomenally well, feeling as visceral and addictive as it did in its prime.
If you remember the puzzles, progression system, wide array of weapons and spells, and terrific bosses, you’ll realize they’re up to today’s standards, mainly because this game helped to set them in the first place.
It’s not the best in the series, and the Quick Time Events and level design may feel odd, so I understand that it’s the one most often thought to need a remake, but that’s unnecessary.God of Warremains an excellent game, and its legacy is best left untouched.
The Most Immersive World
As part of thebest first-person RPGsof all time,Deus Exis one of those classics that has captivated me during various periods of my life with each playthrough.
Its graphics are certainly what you’d expect from a game from 2000, butits worldbuilding and atmosphere are so perfectly crafted that I couldn’t care less if the characters look like cardboard cutouts.
It helps that I’m a massive fan of immersive sims, and few experiences can matchDeus Ex’s depth within the genre, both in gameplay and narrative.
Realizing the freedom of action you have and the impact of your choices while facing an intriguing story of conspiracies and deep political tones is just supreme—more relevant than ever in our modern timesof growing inequality and systemic oppression.
I won’t say a remake wouldn’t benefit the series because it would be a pleasure to play with modern technology, but it’s light years away from needing one.
8Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Setting the Standard
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
I may be starting to feel a little tired of seeing so many Metroidvanias, butCastlevania: Symphony of the Nightwill always be an exception. Not only because it’s a pillar of the interactive medium, but also becauseit could easily pass for a modern game with older aesthetics.
Although it’s a bit of hyperbole, playingSymphony of the Nightrecently felt like discovering the main source of inspiration for many of my favorite games.Hollow KnightandBlasphemous 2make much more sense now that I’ve met one of their parents, who hasn’t aged at all.
Its visual and audio beauty remains completely untouched, butits core design is what feels timeless. Many current games emulate Konami’s original work, so its formula regarding RPG elements, spatial layout, platforming, and even HUD aspects feels quite modern.
I even feel bad for playingCastlevania: Symphony of the Nightso late, as I couldn’t avoid holding it to today’s standards. Yet,I still felt amazed by it,which speaks volumes about its grandeur.
7Chrono Trigger
The Neatest JRPG
Chrono Trigger
Although the very concept of turn-based RPGs derives from the technical limitations of past generations,Chrono Triggeris the most vivid example of how excellent the genre remains.
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Like withCastlevania: Symphony of the Night, I ended up playing it as a consequence of loving one of its offspring (Sea of Stars, to be specific), and there are a great deal of aspects you can name to justify that itdoesn’t need to be modified one bit.
Whether due to its wonderful story and characters,eye-catching gameplaywith unique features, or its design completely ahead of its time, it left me in awe that I was playing a game born three decades ago.
Every pixel of the title makes up one of the greatest masterpieces in the industry. Therefore, I would even go so far as to sayChrono Triggerstands among today’s greats, especially now during the partial renaissance the genre has been experiencing.
6SoulCalibur
The Pinnacle of the Fighting Genre
Soulcalibur
Having grown up with many games in the genre, I’ve spent years playing fighting games, but I still believeSoulCaliburis its pinnacle.
While there are titles with more characters, stages, stories, and modes,Namco’s original remains the most complete and ahead-of-its-time expression of the entire category.
The number of playable combinations, empowered by the title’s artistic and animated spectacle,provides years of pure and complex entertainment, just as it has been for me since I first experienced it on my Dreamcast.
I greatly enjoy the franchise’s modern iterations, as I have with many other fighting game icons, but whatSoulCaliburachieved and marked is enough for me to believeno current technology can replicate its feats.
The Perfect Puzzler
There are certain video games that, as soon as you play them, you know they’ll never get old, and those were the feelings the firstPortalleft me with.
Even if you could create truly hyperrealistic graphics, assemble even more convoluted portal mechanics, or be creative enough to form a thousand-level campaign,none of these elements would improve upon the original game’s proposal.
From its length to its challenges, fromGLaDOS’s dialogue to its physics, this is a perfectly designed work that no additions or subtractions will do anything to improve what it already offers flawlessly.
There aren’t as many cases asPortal, but a remake wouldn’t change Chell’s first adventure at all; rather,I think it would risk ruining it because of how unique it is.
4Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
GivenMetal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty’s timeless analysis of contemporary society and how accurate it turned out to be, the mere idea of remaking it would be an insult to its image.
Being one ofHideo Kojima’s best games, the title starring Raiden is a work whose criticism becomes more and more accurate as time goes on,making it one of the most enduring classics in history in terms of narrative.
Considering it represents a significant advance in combat and level design compared to its predecessor, the gameplay feeling has always been extremely positive, even within the anti-war limits Kojima imposes on the mechanics.
Seeing the characters in high definition and bosses with more compelling fights would be a plus, but these elements completely pale in comparison tothe wonderful experience of playing the originalMetal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Libertyand witnessing its oracle-like qualities.
I just played it a few years ago, and I’ve even gotten it tattooed on me as soon as I finished it, despite its age. If that doesn’t reflect how hard it can hit a veteran player, I don’t know what could.
3Super Mario Bros.
The Face of Video Games
Super Mario Bros.
Being the first game I ever played,Super Mario Bros.is one of those video game icons thatI can’t imagine being any different from what it has always been.
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Given it’s been on the market for so long, and is alsoa permanently relevant figure in the platforming genre, I can’t conceive the need for its precise gameplay, unforgettable aesthetic, and wonderful soundtrack to be transformed.
It’s undeniably an excellent game by the standards of its period, so it indeed could be updated to take advantage of all the expertiseNintendohas accumulated over time, butit doesn’t need to.
Instead,Super Mario Bros.is an integral part of video game history. All it requires is to be maintained and preserved, so all future generations can enjoy it, especially consideringit remains as devilishly entertaining as ever.
2Half-Life 2
A Revolutionary Work
Half-Life 2
It’s one thing for a game to surprise you when you play it at launch, but it’s quite another for it to do so even after playing it 20 years later—precisely what I experienced withHalf-Life 2.
Valve’s masterpieceleft me completely amazed that something like this existed so many years ago, given how revolutionary it is. No matter what element of the game I think about, I can’t help but feel that it’s light years ahead of its time.
The creativity of its challenges, the precision of its gunplay, the level design, the spontaneity of its narrative and gameplay, the use of physics… It’s simply insane how inventive, functional, and groundbreaking it is.
Of all the games out there, aHalf-Life 2remake would be one of the most unnecessary. Beyond improvements to the graphics,I can’t think of a way current technology can do anything that the title didn’t already do, which says everything about its transcendence.
A Timeless Icon
Tetris (1984)
For most video games, I recognize there’s always room, however small, for improvement, whether technical, graphical, or gameplay-wise.
However, inTetris' particular case,I genuinely believe it’s impossible to offer anything more perfect, because its excellence lies in the extreme complexity that emanates from its simplicity.
Although many attempts have been made, with various iterations, visual changes, gameplay additions, and more,there’s no way to recapture the experience of the originalTetris, as it’s a once-in-a-million experience.
All the game’s subsequent versions have been valuable, but actually remaking this product is something that can’t be achieved because it never lacked anything.
If it had differentmusic, added other shapes, increased its size, or undergone any type of change, it wouldn’t be as complete as it is.Tetrisis unbeatable, soa proper remake would be the greatest nonsense we could ever witness.
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