Discussion It's fun to dream: Choose one game to be remade, or reimagined

[Tailzo]

As the thread title says, I can only choose one game. That means I can't say Shenmue I & II. I also can't say Kurohyō: Ryū ga Gotoku Shinshō and the sequel either. I also can't say Sonic 3 & Knuckles, although I see those two as one game. I could say Skies of Arkadia, but I still feel the Dreamcast original, or Gamecube port, is great to play.

So my suggestion is

Phantasy Star for the Sega Master System. Now I the screen above is from the excellent Nintendo 3DS port. And I also know about the ps2 "remaster". But I'd want something huge, something incredible that could kickstart a new wave of single player, story driven Phantasy Star games. Huge 3D words, planets to explore, but with Rieko Kodama at the helm. Give her a huge budget, and the team of her dreams, and let me see her dream game re-imagined.

So dare to dream, and tell me about it

 

[Irene]

Parasite Eve and Xenogears are two games very near and dear to me, hopelessly stuck on an old system and tangled up in rights issues.

I do have a hard time how "remake and reimagining" would look like in those two cases though. They're very dependent on their old school charm, imo. I think a remaster-ish approach rather than a remake, would make for the best possible experience in these cases.

 

[ShadowFox08]

F-Zero GX. Full remake.

I don't even care if they keep the story mode cut scenes, but make it 1080p/720p on OG switch. Make it look like Fast RMX and have an online mode and maybe expand on customization. Also make the AX characters easier to unlock.

 

[Tailzo]

Parasite Eve and Xenogears are two games very near and dear to me, hopelessly stuck on an old system and tangled up in rights issues.

I do have a hard time how "remake and reimagining" would look like in those two cases though. They're very dependent on their old school charm, imo. I think a remaster-ish approach rather than a remake, would make for the best possible experience in these cases.

What if it meant that the original creators of xenogears didn’t have to cut any content or rush the release. I’d love that

 

[Irene]

What if it meant that the original creators of xenogears didn’t have to cut any content or rush the release. I’d love that

I dunno, I'm one of the weird folks who loves the second disk for what it is.

 

[chocolate_supra]

You said you can't say Shenmue I & II, so I'll pick the other one.

Shenmue III.

This is gonna sound crazy, but I wanted this game:

to be more like this game:

And I don't just mean the graphics. The fighting system in Shenmue III losing its Virtua Fighter feel was.. not the decision I woulda made. The stamina system was imo a mistake (especially the way it was tied to food, and therefore currency, which means in order to actually move around and explore you had to do spend time doing minigames to make tokens which required you to then track down a shop where you could exchange the tokens for trinkets which you could then sell for money with which you could buy food, so you could actually traverse), and other departures like the training/leveling system made it feel.. somehow less like Shenmue. And what's really strange for me is reading stuff about how III was too lodged in the past, too dedicated to being an old-style Shenmue game and needed to instead modernize, and Suzuki-san even saying that if given the chance to make Shenmue IV he'll pay more attention to the modern gaming trends and try to make it stand up to today's standards, when my whole problem with the game is that it's actually trying too hard to be modern and different? And that it shoulda been more retro? Or something? Seriously, if they had made it with Dreamcast-level assets and ditched the UE "Sega-hire-this-man" youtube video look I think it would have been more charming, would've been easier for "modern" gamers and outlets to forgive the somewhat dated retro gameplay, in addition to possibly saving them the time and work spent building photoreal assets.

I've heard it said that maybe they legally couldn't because making a game with Dreamcast assets and a resemblance to the Virtua Fighter fighting system could have technically infringed on Sega's IP. I don't know if that would have been the case, or if that's why the game seemed to go in such a different direction, but hey. We're supposed to be dreaming, right? My dream is a Shenmue III Demake. Shenmue III Dreamcast edition.

and then shenmue iv

 

[Twilight]

Tokyo Mirage Sessions, but now a game with proper Shin Megami Tensei characters and demons, and proper Fire Emblem characters, in a strategy game most likely, with the tone and themes that the better FE and SMT games would touch upon, probably would have to change the name as well, but it is a very big reimagining.

Big dreams.

 

[Yavga]

Rocket: Robot on Wheels

A game for the N64 which has been overlooked by many. Take Banjo-Kazooie, Super Mario 64 and Glover, throw them in the blender and you have Rocket: Robot on wheels. It's a real platformer from that era, including all kinds of collectables and whatnot. The game (like Glover) is kinda gimmick focussed but it works out really well and is another unique take on the platformer genre. You should definitely play it!

I think it deserves a remake so more people could get to know it in this time.

 

[Twinsen]

Fur Fighters

 

[Mr Doggo]

Federation Force. Change everything. To the mediocre narrative, to the mediocre gameplay, even the uninspired name. Legit feels like this shit was made to be a failure, how did they think a game named federation force would sell?? I still want a proper nlg metroid game tho.

 

[Deleted member 101]

 

[zumaddy]

FE8/Sacred Stones is my fave of the older Fire Emblems and I'd love it to get the Echoes coat of paint. Bring Hidari as the artist back for bonus points

 

[Tailzo]

You said you can't say Shenmue I & II, so I'll pick the other one.

Shenmue III.

My dream is a Shenmue III Demake. Shenmue III Dreamcast edition.

and then shenmue iv

I like your dream. I love your dream. All these years I was thinking that I wouldn't care if they released Shenmue III with Dreamcast graphics. But as you say, maybe I would've prefered to get it in Dreamcast assets / remains. Although I did enjoy it as it was too.

 

[MisterSpo]

Supporting the Phantasy Star and Xenogears picks, and adding my own JRPG to the list:

Skies of Arcadia: Legends

I'd settle for a HD face-lift on Switch, but a total remake with new assets and models which are more stylised and in keeping with the game's concept art would be grand. Think Valkyria Chronicles style visuals, but with a fuller, bolder colour palatte. Speed up and spruce up the combat a bit, especially the ship to ship combat, include all the extra Legends content from the GC version, and have an orchestrated and instrumental soundtrack.

 

[Gay Bowser]

EXCITE TRUCK

(also wave race)

 

[MarcelRguez]

Persona 3

As it stands, the idealized version of the game already exists, but it's fragmented across different revisions and extraneous media. The PS2 releases (original and FES) feature 3D presentation, but you can't control party members directly. The PSP port axes the 3D environments (dungeons excluded) in favor of a snappy VN-like presentation, cuts the epilogue from FES, and adds an alternative route with a female playable character, new songs, confidant conversations and romance options. Combat in that version is more similar to P4's; chief among the changes being how you can direct control party members now.

Outside of the mainline games, there's also how these characters have been rewritten and reinterpreted through the years in other titles (PQ, P4A) and media (the anime movies, mainly), some of which I consider an improvement compared to their original portrayals. I would hope a remake would take a look at what worked and what didn't in terms of writing, and try to 'remix' all this material into something more fleshed out and modern-feeling.

And it should go without saying, but take the more objectionable parts of the game out. The FeMC route was pretty decent in that regard, I don't remember raising an eyebrow at anything other than the skimpy outfits.

More than anything, I'd also be very interested to see how people that are completely new to the game feel about its atmosphere and themes. I feel like P3 is the only game in the series that really takes advantage of the calendar system on a thematic level, specifically during the last act of the game. That feeling of going through the motions while on the verge of total collapse has the potential to hit much closer to home now than in 2006, I feel.

 

[xghost777]

If it had unlimited time/budget/the right people, I want a console RPG remake of Magia Record, my favorite dead in the west gacha mobile game. The main focus of it would be bringing the characters, story, and world into 3D while also adding enough elements to make it feel like it was always a console game from the start. For the world, I mainly want important parts of the city explorable in 3D, including Mikazuki Villa, the school, the neighborhood, downtown, the park etc, so detailed zones are fine. The dungeons would feature fantastic, surreal visuals, and twisty paths but are still straightforward enough to navigate. In addition to character focused side quests, there would be plenty of fun activities like arcade games, karaoke, a combat arena (Mirrors!), and the JRPG staple, fishing! It definitely should include the town builder the characters play in the game on their phones as a cool touch. Characters in your party should be able to join you for at least some of these activities to give you something to share outside of the story and combat. This remake would have Trails-like turn based combat that keeps the five person teams and Connect abilities from the mobile game. There should be roughly 30-40 playable characters available to recruit (no gacha here) since you need to have room for fan favorites beyond the essential characters even if only the main characters appear in cutscenes. Maybe bring back Nanoha and Fate as fun crossover characters too!

The story would cover all of Arc 1 including the Another Story campaign with the original Madoka cast and certain character and event stories, including the Arc 1 epilogue events, as well as have game specific content. Again it should feel both expansive and cohesive so it feels like it was a console RPG from the start. Everything is fully voice acted since they can reuse as much dialog from the mobile game as they want. Nothing is directly included from the anime except the theme songs which maybe appear in key fights or at a rhythm game in the arcade. That said, the anime basement of Hotel Fendt Hope can be a fun what if bonus dungeon and Kuroe can be a bonus what if party member. Ideally it does well enough for Arc 2 (and beyond??) to get similar games.

I think this Magia Record remake could get made since I don’t think the design would be outrageous. Like imagine Tokyo Xanadu as a bigger, more detailed/ambitious Switch game. It’d have a touch of Yakuza and more interactive elements like being able to interact with furniture at home or in the world. I think it’d be roughly 40-60 hours for the main story and probably 100 hours long for completionists. I think Falcom, Gust, or Atlus could make this game with some help, but I want it to be graphically impressive and stylish and have features that they individually don’t all quite make. So yeah assemble some dream team with the right people who are enthusiastic about it and give them enough time and money to go all out and do every element of the game justice. I want it to be cool enough that most JRPG and anime fans are interested in it when they see it. That’s where it definitely becomes a dream game.

 

[Mbolibombo]

Always wanted LBA 1-2 to be remade, but since a new game has been announced I will take that.

My next pick would probably be something like Chrono Trigger in HD2D

 

[megashock5]

We got the WipEout Omega Collection a few years ago, but that made me want an Alpha Collection with remasters of WipEout, WipEout XL and Wip3out.

 

[John Omaha]

Panzer Dragoon Saga.

 

[big lantern ghost]

I often think that Freedom Fighters from IO Interactive would be an interesting game to remake. It had so much going on! Tackling objectives in different orders was a big one. Objectives from one mission could affect another (for example, taking out an area's helipad means the enemy can't call in air support for surrounding missions). Eventually you have a dozen NPCs tagging along with you, issuing them commands and setting them up to provide cover fire or to help pincer some enemies. I could see blowing that out to the scale and fidelity of today being very lively and exciting! Obviously the political climate of today would complicate the campy depiction of a Russian invasion. The gameplay is really something special though.

Parasite Eve and Xenogears are two games very near and dear to me, hopelessly stuck on an old system and tangled up in rights issues.

I do have a hard time how "remake and reimagining" would look like in those two cases though. They're very dependent on their old school charm, imo. I think a remaster-ish approach rather than a remake, would make for the best possible experience in these cases.

What good answers. I would love if Square remade any of their prerendered games today, but in the same style as the originals. Gorgeous, pre-drawn 4K backgrounds!

 

[Rika]

Parasite Eve and Xenogears should get the remake treatment for sure. I'd be ok with remasters, but think them being remade would be best.

 

[Clix]

Zelda 2: Adventure of Link

Give it to Wayforward or DotEmu for a beautiful 16 or 32 bit style makeover with awesome sprites and QoL features and add puzzles to the palaces. The combat was ahead of its time, so would love to even more be added to it.

Or, a 3D re-imagining of the game as done by FromSoftware. Demons Souls and Dark Souls already felt like a hybrid between Zelda 2 and Castlevania. So why not.

 

[ermitron2]

Dynasty Warriors 3 with the modern engine, BUT keeping the goofy dub

 

[Sturmgeist]

Zelda 2: Adventure of Link

Give it to Wayforward or DotEmu for a beautiful 16 or 32 bit style makeover with awesome sprites and QoL features and add puzzles to the palaces. The combat was ahead of its time, so would love to even more be added to it.

Or, a 3D re-imagining of the game as done by FromSoftware. Demons Souls and Dark Souls already felt like a hybrid between Zelda 2 and Castlevania. So why not.

Came here to say this. You have good taste, friend!

 

[RochHoch]

A Switch remake in Origami King's engine. Cut down on some of the backtracking in some areas, add an alternate path to get to and from the steeple in Chapter 4. Maybe add some post-game content.

I'm so sad this will never happen

 

[Scrawnton]

Majora’s Mask to be reimagined as a sequel to BotW.

 

[Vito]

Resident Evil 5 remake. That's my most wanted dream game at the moment.

 

[big lantern ghost]

Resident Evil 5 remake. That's my most wanted dream game at the moment.

YES. We need that RE5 extreme makeover right away:

 

[Beanstar40]

An hd-2d remake of mario rpg, and a remake of all 3 mother games, using an isometric tilt shift art style where everyone looks claymated

 

[Tailzo]

I often think that Freedom Fighters from IO Interactive would be an interesting game to remake. It had so much going on! Tackling objectives in different orders was a big one. Objectives from one mission could affect another (for example, taking out an area's helipad means the enemy can't call in air support for surrounding missions). Eventually you have a dozen NPCs tagging along with you, issuing them commands and setting them up to provide cover fire or to help pincer some enemies. I could see blowing that out to the scale and fidelity of today being very lively and exciting! Obviously the political climate of today would complicate the campy depiction of a Russian invasion. The gameplay is really something special though.


What good answers. I would love if Square remade any of their prerendered games today, but in the same style as the originals. Gorgeous, pre-drawn 4K backgrounds!

Prerendered 4K visuals sounds awesome. And hand crafted, please. Just think about Squaresoft in their 32-bit glory days, just with unlimited time, money and modern tools…

 

[Timppis]

I can dream of several.

First of all remakes of entire Quest for Glory series.

Actually I'll just keep it at that this time, because it is the greatest gaming series of all time.

 

[Supreme Overlord]

Zelda 2: Adventure of Link

Give it to Wayforward or DotEmu for a beautiful 16 or 32 bit style makeover with awesome sprites and QoL features and add puzzles to the palaces. The combat was ahead of its time, so would love to even more be added to it.

Or, a 3D re-imagining of the game as done by FromSoftware. Demons Souls and Dark Souls already felt like a hybrid between Zelda 2 and Castlevania. So why not.

Honestly, I could see some QoL updates, maybe some toggleable art change.
And a followup iterating upon the Adventure of Link concepts. Actually, a 2D followup and a 3D followup, in line with what you've mentioned.
It would be interesting to see what could happen with this:

For instance, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link has seen mention. It's regarded as a divergence from series' form, but, as I noted, can be fit into even that classic designation. I've personally always been interested in what might happen were there to be further installments iterating off that one.

If it had unlimited time/budget/the right people, I want a console RPG remake of Magia Record, my favorite dead in the west gacha mobile game. The main focus of it would be bringing the characters, story, and world into 3D while also adding enough elements to make it feel like it was always a console game from the start.

I don't have experience with this particular game, but your described dream for it is respectable. I highly appreciate the stated removal of gatcha elements.

Tokyo Mirage Sessions, but now a game with proper Shin Megami Tensei characters and demons, and proper Fire Emblem characters, in a strategy game most likely, with the tone and themes that the better FE and SMT games would touch upon, probably would have to change the name as well, but it is a very big reimagining.

Big dreams.

One of those nigh unheard of entirely new game things. I'm not sure about the whole being Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE thing, but I like the general concept.
It hews much more closely to what I'd expected that collaboration would be. I'd be cool with a collaboration akin to this. Doesn't even need the characters from the different series, necessarily.

A Switch remake in Origami King's engine. Cut down on some of the backtracking in some areas, add an alternate path to get to and from the steeple in Chapter 4. Maybe add some post-game content.

I'm so sad this will never happen

And lo! upon the scroll's unrolling, the hellmouth did open and release an outpouring of discord upon the world, and wars did rage across time unending. Never again would there be peace upon the face of the earth.

It's an interesting one, because there are actual improvements that could be made, but one would have to tread very carefully, and even then there will be large portions of the fanbase in an uproar -- regardless what actually is altered.

The real question: based on its current art or following on the new (spoiler:both answers are correct, and both are wrong)?

An hd-2d remake of mario rpg, and a remake of all 3 mother games, using an isometric tilt shift art style where everyone looks claymated

I really prefer not to lose the pixel art, but if I had to select a whole new style for a remade Mother trilogy, I suspect claymation would be the choice.

I see HD-2D Legend of the Seven Stars remake suggested often enough these days. That doesn't make much sense to me. What do you mean by HD-2D here?
A prior comment on this:

I'm not convinced it properly fits with what the original game was. The original specifically went for a 3D aesthetic in an era where 2D might be expected; I could see a pitch for an HD-2D followup specifically as an inverse of the original's situation, but to do the same for the original would be a major alteration (can you say 3Doriginal/HD-2Dfollowup double pack?).

 

[Vito]

YES. We need that RE5 extreme makeover right away:

Wesker on RE engine is something I really want to see.

 

[Deleted member 2181]

The Wind Waker. Ignore the fact it was already remade.
I feel like the sea+islands concept is a really good way of creating a seamless open world in which there's also clear delineation between "transitionary land" and "exploratory land".
The original was famously rushed and had a ton of cut content, but even before that, the ideas they come up with in the planning stage were insanely ambitious. Like a dual-world mechanic of Hyrule below and the sea above.
In hindsight, many of the islands were clearly intended to be BOTW-like shrine challenges, and it seems to me they didn't really have time to fully realise this idea either.
And imo, the original has the weakest set of 3D dungeons.

 

[Sumio Mondo]

Remake Vagrant Story and include all the cut content that Matsuno talked about he had to take out (almost 50% of the game apparently). The original is one of my all time favourite games, so yeah, would be nice.

 

[Leo]

Pokémon G/S/C reimagined as an open world game like S/V (yeah, it hasn't come out but I'm confident it will deliver). Spaning Johto and Kanto, with Kanto being more like half the game instead of a post game.

Yeah, I think that would be a dream game for me.

 

[ngpdrew]

Sonic Heroes was a pretty cool idea. It's a shame that it is a broken mess with overly long and repetitive levels. Someone should do something about that.

 

[Rareware]

I simply cannot decide between Ocarina of Time and Banjo-Kazooie. I just can’t.

 

[chocolate_supra]

Sonic Heroes was a pretty cool idea. It's a shame that it is a broken mess with overly long and repetitive levels. Someone should do something about that.

I've been watching a lot of Sonic retrospectives and I remember actually enjoying Heroes, despite looking back on it as wonky. One of the things that bugged me was the partner AI when playing as Sonic, like why were Tails and Knuckles running separately and often even outrunning Sonic in the speed portions? If they locked that down and had it to where when Sonic goes fast he grabs onto them and pulls them along (like in the opening CGI sequence) instead of leaving my brain to wonder why Knuckles is just as fast a runner as Sonic, that'd go a long way to helping my immersion. Plus yeah, the bugs. Interesting levels, though! I think it could be good if it were reimagined or remastered or remakestered or.. re-somethinged.

 

[mazi]

okamiden. i think it would be great to have the game available on more platforms, and hopefully that leads to more people giving it a shot. while obviously it's not as good as the original, i think it deserves another chance.

 

[chocolate_supra]

okamiden. i think it would be great to have the game available on more platforms, and hopefully that leads to more people giving it a shot. while obviously it's not as good as the original, i think it deserves another chance.

I actually forgot that existed, which really lends itself to your point.

 

[ngpdrew]

I've been watching a lot of Sonic retrospectives and I remember actually enjoying Heroes, despite looking back on it as wonky. One of the things that bugged me was the partner AI when playing as Sonic, like why were Tails and Knuckles running separately and often even outrunning Sonic in the speed portions? If they locked that down and had it to where when Sonic goes fast he grabs onto them and pulls them along (like in the opening CGI sequence) instead of leaving my brain to wonder why Knuckles is just as fast a runner as Sonic, that'd go a long way to helping my immersion. Plus yeah, the bugs. Interesting levels, though! I think it could be good if it were reimagined or remastered or remakestered or.. re-somethinged.

The unfortunate thing about calling a character the fastest thing around is that any time it is disproven it sticks out like a sore thumb. My friends and I still laugh about Robotnik outrunning Sonic in the Genesis games.

 

[chocolate_supra]

The unfortunate thing about calling a character the fastest thing around is that any time it is disproven it sticks out like a sore thumb. My friends and I still laugh about Robotnik outrunning Sonic in the Genesis games.

Ooooh man, I used to build up a monster spin-dash while waiting for the door to open at the Death Egg, so that once I took off chasing Robotnik I could get him running as fast as possible. It was so much fun.

 

[Xaltmas]

 

[Sheldon]

Pizza Syndicate!*

Although you may, but more likely don't at all, know it under a different name.

It's a game I remember, alongside Football Manager, as my introduction to strategy sims. Which must be a case of faulty memory, because I also played Sid Meier's Colonization and Colonization come out five years earlier. Come to think of it, my first strategy game was probably North & South on a friend's Amiga. Yeah, try remaking that one! Anyway, Pizza Syndicate - or Fast Food Tycoon - was a not very remarkable but colorful pizza restaurant simulator. You do all the expected stuff - buying ingredients, placing furniture, calling in mob hits on rival pizza restaurant owners - but as the title's standout feature it has you create your own pizzas by carefully deciding on toppings and laying them out by hand. And the customers will, of course, judge you on your stance regarding pineapple.

It's really due a remake, given the fast food industry has only gotten more degenerate since its release.

As a special challenge, I'd like to replace the stereotypical italian gentleman on the cover above with Mario. Let's be honest, he's already more than 90% there. That's right, I'm calling on Nintendo to make Sim Pizza! featuring Mario and Dr. Wright!

(*because I can't decide between one of the actual answers: Wave Race 64, WCW/nWo Revenge, Pro Evolution Soccer Play Maker, and Blood Bowl but in the hands of a competent developer.)

 

[neil]

Sorry to be boring but Ocarina of Time

 

[shoptroll]

Boktai! I was just thinking this morning how nice it'd be to have that series come back now that it's spring and sunny here in the Northern Hemisphere. Put it on Switch with a solar sensor that clips onto the Switch and is powered/connected via the USB-C port.