In late June 2023, Nintendo hosted one of its ever-popular Nintendo Direct events, where the company typically releases information about up-and-coming news from the Japanese developer and publisher. These events often include trailer premieres, announcements, events, and within this particular context- announcements for beloved games from yesteryear being remade from the ground up.
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This, of course, is referencing the one and onlySuper Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. As one of the most venerated (and underrated) Nintendo titles from the last few decades, this has led many to imagineother “deep cuts” from Nintendo’s ambitious backlogthat could undergo similar restructuring, including some not just confined to Nintendo.
10Enter The Matrix (Nintendo GameCube)
WhenThe Matrix Reloadedpremiered in the early 2000s, the gameEnter the Matrixjoined the fray to rather strong sales. In the game, players can choose between Niobe (Morpheus' lost lady love) or her soft-spoken first mate Ghost. While neither playable character is drastically different, each character has a specialty skill set.
When the title was first released, the gameplay was rather iconic; it housed top-of-the-line graphics, a decent story, and of course bullet time. Not to mention that the DOS-inspired menu and cheat code platform withinEnter the Matrixmade players feel even further down that rabbit hole which Morpheus never shuts up about it. However, it would definitely be in need of a facelift and restructured story to better suit this day and age.
9The Simpsons: Hit And Run (Nintendo GameCube)
In this age of remakes, countless fans have been asking for one guilty pleasure in particular. Speaking specifically, the more “family-friendly” fun take onGTA 5/Saints Row 3/Insert 3rd person car-based AAA game,The Simpsons: Hit and Run. It is still considered by many to be subjectivelythe “best” Simpsons game in existence. The missions were well written, featured almost the entire original cast, and the plots felt very in line with what a fan would expect from Evergreen Terrace’s finest.
While there have been fan-made remakes over the years, an actual remake ofHit and Runhas yet to happen. Not to mention that an online component would really be amazing, considering how popular the online mode inGTA5is. Plus, let’s be completely honest, who doesn’t want to live in a fictional town like Springfield with Bart, Lisa, Homer, and company when life gets too serious?
8Banjo-Kazooie (Nintendo 64)
British Video game developer Rare is probably most famous for Nintendo 64 shootersPerfect DarkandGoldeneye (007).But back in 1997, they took a bit of a creative chance with this platformer featuring a bear and his avian pal inBanjo-Kazooieto match the success ofSuper Mario 64andCrash Bandicootwhich both had been released the year prior. It is still considered one of the best that the N64 has to offer to the point where fans clamoring for a sequel in some way shape or form.
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Considering how outdated the graphics are on this one, a remake feels like a surefire success (like that of the N. Sane Trilogy within the context ofCrash Bandicoot). After all, the only way to playBanjo-Kazooieoutside the original offering on Nintendo 64 is the version on Switch Online, and time has not been kind to a lot of the former platform’s more polygon models; beloved or not.
7Def Jam: Fight For NY (Nintendo Gamecube)
EA’sDef Jam: Fight For NYhouses a rather ridiculous plot for a fighting game. Following in the footsteps ofDef Jam: Vendetta, players are caught in a NYC turf war between Crow (played by Snoop Dogg) and D-Mob (played byGod of War’s Christopher Judge). The remaining voice cast is equally strong, featuring much of Def Jam Record’s real-life roster at the time.
When considering how much gamers love their gratuitous violence, a remake ofFight For NYfeels like a solid idea. If EA swapped out a few older irrelevant rappers with some newer blood,such as Kendrick Lamar, Drake, Cardi B, Post Malone, and A$AP Rocky.
6WWF: No Mercy (Nintendo 64)
Speaking of wrestling games,WWF: No Mercystill to this day stands above the rest. Whether it was its large wrestling roster, the 90’s arcade feeling being brought to the Nintendo 64, or even a very personal multi-layered camera system; this was a bona fide hit. Suffice it to say that still to this day,it holds up.
But like many of the entries on this list from N64, this game particularly suffered clunky asymmetrical graphics that could use a gratuitous upheaval. If they were to remake this correctly, it stands to reason that $65/pop would be a steal to have that “authentic”WWF/WWEfeeling from your upholstery of choice.
5Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days (Nintendo DS)
If one were to askKingdom Heartsfans what their favorite arc/game is, it is very often that of Roxas, Xion, and Axel as found inKingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days.The issue here is that because it was released solely on Nintendo DS, most fans never got a chance to play. Furthermore, many experienced this title solely as HD cutscenes in the all-in-one collections.
But, the bigger reason is thatKingdom Hearts: 358/2 Dayswould likely need to be reworked as the story is clunky and feels repetitive. After all, it is considered to berather long for a non-major KH title.
4Turok: Dinosaur Hunter (Nintendo 64)
The reimagining of classic AAA franchises isn’t anything new in the games industry. Take for instance, Santa Monica Studios' handling of theGod of Warfranchise. It housed a refocus on story and character development earning it universal acclaim. EnterTurok the Dinosaur Hunter.
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Upon release, this title was hailed at the time for its clean graphics and gratuitous gore - so a more current story/approach could make this a well-deserved remake. Utilizing a third-person approach as well as maybe adding in a crafting component (like those found inHorizon Zero DawnorTomb Raiderreboots) may causeTurokto be revitalized.
3Superman 64 (Nintendo 64)
Throughout video gaming history there have been seldom fewSupermangames. Part of that is likely becauseSuperman 64isstill considered to beamong the worst Superhero games of all time. For years fans have been asking for an open-world game featuring the Man of Steel in the same vein as the iconicArkhamseries ofBatmangames from developer Rocksteady, so this feels like the perfect opportunity.
Similar to Insomniac Games releasing a properSpider-Mantitle in 2018 (eclipsing that of the 2000Spider-Mangame released on both Nintendo 64 and PlayStation platforms). Beyond that, if a prospective morality system was utilized similar toInfamous: Second SonorMass Effect,then a remake ofSuperman 64could be exactly what extraterrestrial orphan(s) from Kansas ordered.
2The Legend Of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Nintendo Gamecube)
In the year 2000, fans anxiously awaited the follow-up to the double whammy that wasthe Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Timeandthe Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Maskrespectively. Especially when considering that the next few games felt juvenile in their aesthetic,the Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princesswas a welcome change.
At the time of publication, it is still vastly underrated due to its limited availability. While fans have been begging for a remake ofOcarina of Timefor even longer, a remake ofTwilight Princesswith perhaps BOTW’s look alongside updated mechanics would be spectacular.
1Star Fox 64 (Nintendo 64)
Just asSuper Mario 64defined the landscape for Mario in 3D, so didStar Fox 64define the scope of Fox McCloud’s intergalactic adventures. The usage of multiple planets felt unique, and the availability ofvarious branches of storytellingmade for some great replay value. Not to mention that the multiplayer mode was amazing.
While technically there was a remake forStar Fox 64in 2011, it wasn’t considered a proper port given that the multiplayer had no online component. After all, we are long overdue for a properStar Foxtitle in years, so this seems like an easy decision.
