Top 5 Underrated Games That (Desperately) Need To Be Remastered

The Last of Us Part 1 has recently been remastered for Playstation 5 and PC, but not everyone is convinced the game needed it, with a recent article by Matthew Forde of T3 labeling it as “faithful yet unnecessary.”

We’re not sure how we feel about The Last of Us, but we know exactly which games deserve another chance in the spotlight.

1. Metal Gear Solid 

The Metal Gear saga officially began back in 1987 with a title on the Nintendo Entertainment System, but most remember starting their journey with Solid Snake back in 1998, with Metal Gear Solid on the PlayStation.

Players were tasked with infiltrating a remote island known as Shadow Moses to stop a special forces group gone rogue but quickly found that there was far more to the mission than meets the eye.

Attempt the game today, however, and you’ll probably find it a bit difficult to take many of the scenes too seriously, especially considering that Snake’s head is far too similar to something we’d make out of playdoh in a very dimly lit room.

A remake was released back in 2004 thanks to developer Silicon Knights for the GameCube, however, the title never hit any other platforms, so we think it’s high time we ask David Hayter to dust off his wetsuit and reprise his role as Solid Snake.

We would ask Snake what he thought of the idea himself, but he’s just not answering our Codec calls…

Snake?

SNAKE?!

2. The Timesplitters Series

Released alongside the PlayStation 2 as an exclusive for the console, TimesSplitters asked us to teleport to various points in history to beat horrific beasts known as TimeSplitters, which were trying to alter human history.

The series quickly grew to include a wide range of playable characters, humorous dialogue, and fast-paced single and multiplayer action.

Clearly, the TimeSplitters did manage to disrupt our timeline though as, despite our best efforts, the fourth game in the series was never released, with developer Free Radical Design dissolving after the disastrous release of Haze, as detailed here in an article by Matt Martin for Game Informer. However, this may not be the end of the series!

We’re pleased to say that game publisher Deep Silver announced that they are eager to bring the series back, with a tweet from the Deep Silver account back in May 2021 saying that they were reforming Free Radical Design with several of the original developers in tow.

Deep Silver on Twitter A new Deep Silver Studio is coming - Free Radical Design pic.twitter.com/N5qTTcZfsW— Deep Silver (@deepsilver) May 20, 2021 Deep Silver Twitter

We had a few time crystals knocking around the office, so we sent the intern into the future to find out more.

We lost contact almost immediately, but we’re staying positive and hoping for Jeff’s safe return any day now.

3. Max Payne

Arguably the inventor of bullet-time and slow-motion gunplay in video games, Max Payne’s legacy has been widely felt across the gaming industry.

Spawning three games, which included Max taking a trip to Brazil in Max Payne 3, the series hit a unique tone, with dark comedy, moody themes, and iconic shootouts, but ultimately vanished in 2012.

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It seems like we’re not the only ones who think the games are due the remaster treatment, with Remedy announcing the news that Rockstar Games have agreed to remake both Max Payne 1 and 2 as a single title.

Remedy is currently hiring, so if you’d like to help render Interactive Creative Director Sam Lake’s face for a new generation of gamers, you can find out more here.

4. Deus Ex

Released back in the year 2000 with a Game of the Year version available the following year, Deus Ex put us into control of Agent JC Denton, tracking a stolen shipment of vaccines that could save people from the Gray Death, a virus ripping through the population in 2052.

An RPG that allowed players to solve situations in a number of ways, Deus Ex pitted you against the Illuminati and more, asking questions about the nature of humanity, the class divide, and other moral and ethical conundrums.

The game was a critical hit, inspiring several titles in the same universe, such as Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Deus Ex: Mankind Divided in recent years.

Thinking about it, maybe Deus Ex hits a bit too close to home after the covid pandemic, but we think this iconic gem deserves a bit of a polish.

5. Resident Evil Outbreak File 1 & 2

It’s strange to think that although Resident Evil is such a household name in the world of survival horror, the mention of Resident Evil: Outbreak leaves many people scratching their heads.

Initially released back in 2003 with File #2 released the following year, Outbreak allowed players to choose from a cast of several different characters and scenarios, including a hospital, a subway, and even a zoo.

The games were also some of the first to encourage online play, allowing players to join up and play through the campaigns together, solving puzzles and slaying the undead as part of a team of three.

Heavy delays in Europe and a lack of internet connectivity were big issues for Outbreak, leading to the titles disappearing into obscurity.

Despite this, the games were well polished and scenarios were tense and unnerving with modern internet speeds, could it be possible to revive this relatively unknown entry to the series?

In Wesker’s words, maybe we could achieve “complete global saturation.”

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Featured image courtesy of Sony Interactive Entertainment.