PlayStation: Best Remakes & Remasters

With a legacy spanning more than 30 years, and a smorgasbord of intellectual properties under its hat, Sony’s PlayStation brand has often tapped into its bursting back catalog to provide players with contemporary ways to play their older experiences. Considering the alterations and improvements made between hardware generations, many of a series’ original titles can be lost to history or fundamentally altered if a remaster or remake is either hindered or bolstered by improving technology.

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8 PS3 Games That Deserve A Modern Remake

It’s high time these PlayStation 3 games entered the limelight again with full-blown modern remakes. Here’s which titles deserve it the most.

From genre-spanning collection anthologies to from-the-ground-up remakes of classic titles, PlayStation‘s steady beat of releases has been continually bolstered by repeated returns to some of the industry’s most revered franchises.

8

PS3’s Classic HD Collections

Bringing Some PlayStation 2 Greats Into HD For The First Time

• Examples of HD Collections: Ico & Shadow of the Colossus, The Sly Collection, Ratchet & Clank Collection, Killzone Trilogy, Jak & Daxter Collection

With the industry-wide drive towards high-definition gaming in the jump from the sixth to seventh console generations, the newly-minted PlayStation 3 saw Sony bring many of its PlayStation 2-era franchises into the HD era. While many contemporary PlayStation players will have access to most of the formerly remastered titles in the ‘Collection’ line, through PlayStation Plus’ Classic Catalogue offerings, many of these properties have not been touched by Sony since.

Despite the clear representation of the PlayStation 2’s focus on third-person action-platformers – through options such as the Jak & Daxter Collection, Ratchet & Clank Collection, and The Sly Collection – many of Sony’s more niche offerings were remastered in HD. From the once-ailing classic God of War series to Team Ico’s pre-The Last Guardian eponymous titles, Sony’s PlayStation 3-bound HD collections were a phenomenal way for the publisher to breathe new life into its then-last-generation IPs.

7

Ratchet & Clank (2016)

A Movie Tie-In With Ramifications Across The Property

Platformer

Third-Person Shooter

Systems

OpenCritic

Top Critic Rating:
86/100


Critics Recommend:
92%

Released

April 12, 2016

ESRB

Everyone 10+ // Animated Blood, Fantasy Violence

OpenCritic Rating

Mighty

Despite the 2016 reboot of Ratchet & Clank existing at a muddling crossroads between the 2002 PlayStation 2 original title and the Kevin Munroe-directed motion picture produced in parallel with its development, the PlayStation 4 title was revered as the fun of the original game was faithfully brought back with gorgeous visuals.

While the motion picture was not as critically lauded as the tie-in title, Ratchet & Clank‘s 2016 reboot brought with it mechanical and narrative tweaks that seemingly revitalized the fanbase. As such, along with introducing a new generation of PlayStation players to one of Sony’s most celebrated platforming properties, Ratchet & Clank (2016) set the stage for its much-loved PlayStation 5 launch-window sequel, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart.

6

LocoRoco & LocoRoco 2 Remastered

The Core Two Entries Of The PlayStation Portable Series Are Brought To Console

LocoRoco

Platformer

Puzzle

Adventure

Strategy

Systems

Released

June 23, 2006

ESRB

e

Despite multiple entries on Sony’s much-loved entry into the handheld gaming space, the PlayStation Portable, Tsutomu Kouno’s puzzle-platforming franchise LocoRoco has arguably been somewhat left behind on aging tech by Sony. However, with the inclusion of a themed stage in Team Asobi’s 2024 action-platformer Astro Bot and PlayStation 4 remasters of the two core titles, the series is arguably more accessible now than ever.

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10 PS2 Movie Tie-In Games That Deserve A Remaster

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Brought to the PlayStation 4 family of systems in 4K with seemingly all the original PSP release’s features intact, LocoRoco Remastered and LocoRoco 2 Remastered brought one of Sony’s unique yet arguably forgotten franchises from the brink of obscurity. As such, along with the revered quality of the original titles and the updated visuals of the 2017 re-releases, these remasters are particularly notable for their contribution to the preservation efforts of the video game industry as a whole.

5

MediEvil (2019)

A Keen-Eyed Middle Ground Between Remastered Visuals & Remade Assets

Hack and Slash

Action-Adventure

Systems

Released

October 25, 2019

ESRB

T For Teen // Blood and Gore, Violence

Developer(s)

Other Ocean Interactive

Although MediEvil‘s 2019 was first touted as purely a remaster of the 1998 PlayStation action-platformer for PlayStation 4, the game’s position as a remake resulted in one of the PS1’s best games being used as more of a framework than a palate for the game’s development.

In creating new areas and obstacles, along with revitalizing the arguably clunky controls of the original for contemporary players, Other Ocean Interactive’s 2019 remake straddles the line between faithfulness to the master copy and reinterpretation of its landscapes. With many of the original MediEvil‘s talent returning to provide new compositions and voice lines, the unique tone of the original is retained despite the from-the-ground-up reworking of the game as a whole.

4

Gravity Rush Remastered

A Remaster That Brought The IP To Consoles & Spurred On A Sequel

Systems

Released

June 12, 2012

ESRB

T For Teen due to Fantasy Violence, Mild Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol

Although its name has now become synonymous with its remake efforts of Shadow of the Colossus and Demon’s Souls, Bluepoint Games’ 2015 remaster of Gravity Rush not only compiled its various DLC with high-fidelity visuals but brought the then-PlayStation Vita-exclusive to the PlayStation 4.

Although Japan Studios’ 2012 original boasted a complex world, ripe to be explored and its eponymous take on combat and traversal, the ailing sales of Sony’s second handheld system seemingly endeared the powers that be to bring the acclaimed action-adventure title to Sony’s then-current home console. Beyond its clear gameplay and visual benefits, Gravity Rush Remastered not only struck a win for the preservation efforts of the video game industry but brought the unique property to a greater audience – which no doubt influenced the development and release of its 2017 home console sequel Gravity Rush 2.

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8 Games That Need Another Remake

Remakes are all the rage today, but that doesn’t mean they’re all worthwhile. These games have already been remade once and could use another pass.

3

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth

The Second Part Of Square Enix’s Acclaimed Final Fantasy 7 Remake Trilogy

Systems

Released

February 29, 2024

ESRB

T For Teen Due To Blood, Language, Mild Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco, Violence

Although the Square-developed PlayStation title Final Fantasy 7 was itself a self-contained entry in the acclaimed JRPG series, its professed trilogy of remakes exist as individual experiences as part of a whole. While 2020’s Final Fantasy 7 Remake began this seemingly near-decade-long development cycle and centered on the party’s experiences in the cyberpunk landscape of Midgar, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth not only tightened up the mechanics and presentation from its predecessor but recreated some of the best moments from the original 1997 title.

Following Cloud and the rest of the party as they traverse the semi-open world of Gaia, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth expands on the narrative and mechanical successes of the 2020 Remake while still hitting some of the original title’s most emotional beats and high-octane combat encounters.

2

Shadow Of The Colossus (2018)

Bluepoint Studios’ Second Run At Japan Studios’ Revered PS2-Era IP

Systems

Released

February 6, 2018

ESRB

T For Teen due to Blood, Violence

As far as many players’ enjoyment of the Shadow of the Colossus property goes, Texas-based Bluepoint contributions to the IP may well be their only experience with the PlayStation 2-heralding puzzle-adventure title.

While Japan Studio’s 2005 original has remained the basis for all Bluepoint Games’ interpretations of the game, their work on 2011’s high-definition Ico & Shadow of the Colossus Collection and – more pressingly – 2018’s Shadow of the Colossus remake has been consistently commended. Developed from the ground up for the PlayStation 4, and utilizing the 4K capabilities of Sony’s eighth-generation hardware, Shadow of the Colossus (2018) not only reinterprets the original but introduces multiple new modes and collectibles on top of the revamped and revered experience.

1

Demon’s Souls (2020)

A PlayStation 5 Launch Title That Continues The Soulsborne Legacy

Systems

Released

November 12, 2020

ESRB

M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Violence

Although the Souls-like genre has arguably become oversaturated with new experiences in recent years, the 2020 remake of the series’ inaugural entry not only bolstered the PlayStation 5 launch but provided an entryway for new players of the genre. Beyond that, Bluepoint Games’ 2020 remake of FromSoftware’s 2009 original Demon’s Souls not only expanded the game’s systems but tightened the mechanism and visuals to showcase the PlayStation 5’s capabilities.

While the aesthetic and tone of the original FromSoftware title were funneled into the 2020 remake, the creation of new assets, level designs, and music resulted in Bluepoint Games’ Demon’s Souls creating a solid identity for itself outside of the bounds of its industry-acclaimed inspiration.

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8 Great PS Vita Exclusive Games That Need Remasters

From shooters to RPGs, these PS Vita games should live on, and it’s high time they received their well-deserved remasters.