The 1990s was an incredible decade for gaming. It was the era that home console and even handheld gaming truly took hold, with the Game Boy gaining popularity, Sony releasing the PlayStation, and the Nintendo 64 being a titan of the time. The early part of the decade saw the Super Nintendo and SEGA Genesis reign, priming gamers for what was to come. New genres came to the fore, and you could get demo discs in magazines – ah, PlayStation Magazine!
Now, in an age of remasters and remakes, 90s kids are hoping that more of the great games that they grew up with get the remaster treatment or, in some cases, just get a working port to new consoles. Here are a bunch of remastered 90s games that should be produced, as well as how doing so can prove incredibly successful for developers.
In this article, you will read:
- Why remastered 90s games are feasible
- Top remastered 90s games titles
Evidence that remasters and remakes are popular
Video games have changed a great deal over the last 30 or 40 years, and while there are many excellent new releases, like the Norse-driven God of War duology, people naturally feel more and more nostalgic about old games.
As revealed in the stats stacked up by Tech Jury, 34-years-old is the average age of gamers today. This would lend the average gamer to being born at the very end of the 80s, growing up with the great titles of the 90s. As such, it’s wise for developers to target the popular games of that decade, especially as it’s cheaper to remaster, remake, or port than to develop a new concept and design.
Remastered 90s games have certainly proven fruitful in the past. Drawing from the VGChartz list of the top-selling games of the decade worldwide, several standout as having enjoyed successful re-releases, including:
- Crash Bandicoot: First three games were remastered into the N. Sane Trilogy in 2017. The Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy sold over ten million copies.
- Spyro the Dragon: First three games were remastered into the Reignited Trilogy in 2018. Spyro the Dragon Reignited Trilogy sold over 2.1 million copies.
- Crash Team Racing: Remastered as Nitro-Fueled in 2019. Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled sold over 500,000 copies in its first month.
- Pokémon Red & Green: Remastered FireRed and LeafGreen of 2009 sold over one million copies in Japan in under one week. Let’s Go Pikachu & Eevee remakes were the fastest-selling Nintendo Switch games ever and eclipsed 14 million in sales.
- Super Mario Bros. 3: Released to the Game Boy Advance in 2003 and sold over 3.6 million copies worldwide.
- Super Mario 64: Nintendo DS enhanced remake in 2004 sold 11 million copies, and as a part of the 3D All Stars of 2020, it sold over nine million copies worldwide.
- Final Fantasy VII: Remake to be split into a trilogy, with the first (FFVII Remake) selling 3.5 million in its first three days in 2020.
- Pokémon Gold & Silver: HeartGold and SoulSilver, released in 2010, flew past ten million in sales.
- Resident Evil: 2014 remaster sold 3.7 million units. Resident Evil creators enjoyed the best-selling day-one launch on PSN ever at the time.
- Resident Evil 2: 2019 Resident Evil 2 Remake has seen over 11 million copies sold.
- Star Fox 64: Remastered 64 HD on Nintendo 3DS in 2011 sold over 1 million units.
Not in any particular order, this is the list of the remastered 90s games that should be added to those above. It’s a bit shorter than it would have been a couple of years ago, with Rome Total War getting a remaster and one for Knights of the Old Republic being announced, but it does feature some that dip out into 00s releases as well.
Some of these games have already received a remaster, but on previous console generations. Others have been brought to modern consoles, but in their original forms.
1. Star Fox 64
Sure, it came to the Nintendo 3DS and has even popped up on the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack, but Fox McLoud is more than deserving of a run on modern consoles. Importantly, any remake needs to retain the game’s split-screen mode. Too few multiplayer games have this feature now – due to the popularity of online multiplayer modes – and multiplayer on Star Fox 64 was one of its best aspects, especially if you got the amped-up Landmaster.
2. Croc: Legend of the Gobbos
In the age of Crash and Spyro, there was one other anthropomorphised hero that won over 90s kids in droves: Croc. Having grown up among the strange Gobbos, when they all get captured and taken away, Croc doesn’t have a choice but to battle the evil beings and rescue all of the furry little fellas. There was a lot to the 3D platformer, from tail-whipping enemies to trying to stay on floating sheets of ice, and it all made for a very enjoyable and often challenging experience. Bringing back Croc and Croc 2 would be a real treat if done similarly to the N. Sane Trilogy with those harder edges.
3. Tekken 3
Tekken 3 is the game that truly cemented the series as a titan in the fighting genre. It brought in the likes of Hwoarang, Jin Kazama, Eddy Gordo, and the still M.I.A. little dinosaur Gon – who you could unlock in Tekken Ball. Not only was the main arcade mode excellent, with the mighty Ogre waiting for you at the end, but it also came with survival, team battle, and time attack modes. Tekken isn’t known for getting remakes, but at least on Change.org, the remake request has 68 signatures – so that’s something…
4. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Another Nintendo classic that’s got an Expansion Pass port but is fully deserving of the remake treatment, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time must be near the top of the list of remasters for millions of gamers. It was groundbreaking in its day, and if given a lick of paint and a few minor refinements to suit modern controllers, Ocarina of Time would certainly hold up today. The 3DS remake was fine at the time, but Ocarina of Time would be so enjoyable to play on a TV. For now, Zelda fans can enjoy games like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and to be released in May 2023, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
5. Digimon World
Pokémon was all the rage in the 90s, but when Digimon World released, it stood out as a much more open, difficult, and player-driven experience where your choices and training methods truly matter. The core mechanic of training a Digimon to get it strong enough for you to venture further, convince others to join and enhance the city, and then your Digimon dying to come back with more potential based on your training is excellent. It was a tricky game, not overly helpful, and the bathroom mechanic should have been cut, but overall, it’s an expansive title that deserves more credit than the series gets. Luckily, at Digimon Con 2022, producer Kazumasu Habu stated that he’s considering a remaster, remake, or port of Digimon World. For now, gamers in love with the Digi-world can buy and play Digimon World Next Order on Nintendo Switch.
6. The Simpsons: Hit & Run
The Simpsons had many great games in the late-90s and 00s, but for its exciting missions, absurd recklessness, and openness, The Simpsons: Hit & Run is the most deserving of being brought to modern devices. It very clearly drew from Grand Theft Auto and played like it, but without so much murder. With a whole bunch of collectables, cars, characters, and maps to explore, it was hours of fun, but due to licensing, it seems unlikely that Hit & Run would ever be remastered.
7. Tony Hawk’s Underground
Easily the best of the many classic Tony Hawk games, Tony Hawk’s Underground certainly deserves a remake after Pro Skater 1+2 was released. However, developer Vicarious Visions was gobbled up by Blizzard, and then Activision Blizzard accepted an offer to be acquired by Microsoft. As a result, the Pro Skater 3+4 – let alone Underground – ports aren’t in the works. What made Underground so special was its accessibility, customisation options, open world, and near-limitless hours of fun to be had in creating your own tricks.
8. The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth
It’s been far too long since we last had a great game from J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth, and one of the best was The Battle for Middle-earth. A real-time strategy game, you could play through the epic set pieces of Peter Jackson’s film trilogy – including the legendary battle of Pelennor Fields – on the side of good or evil. Its sequel further built on the award-winning original and is also fully deserving of a remaster. The new owners of the Middle-earth gaming rights, Embracer Group, have said that there are five games in the works to be released in 2023-24, per Eurogamer. Hopefully, one of them will revive this superb series.
9. Pokémon Ruby & Sapphire
Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire delivered remakes of these superb Pokémon mainline games in 2014 to the Nintendo 3DS, but the developers can enhance the setting, as was done with Pokémon Legends: Arceus–a new open-world Poke-game. The story of Ruby and Sapphire is even more relevant today than it was in the early Aughts, and the Pokédex represents one of the best collections of new additions ever seen in the series. Exploring the ancient world of the Hoenn Region to meet the legendary Groudon, Kyogre, and Rayquaza would be a real treat. Otherwise, Poke-fanatics should definitely look into the latest installment: Pokémon Scarlet & Violet.
10. Star Wars: Battlefront
In 2015, if EA DICE had simply remastered Star Wars: Battlefront – created by Pandemic Studios in 2004 – they would have been lauded by 90s kids. The real Battlefront and Battlefront II games were near perfection, with the second adding all-important stats and ranks to make every battle matter. Both are still available on Xbox and PC – Kit Fisto, Asajj Ventress, and some original maps were added to the sequel on Xbox in 2019 – but they do deserve a remaster. Aspyr has been doing a great job of porting old Star Wars games, like Episode I Racer and Republic Commando, but it seems unlikely that EA would let them remaster the real Battlefront games. For now, Star Wars fans can look forward to new releases like Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Deluxe which is coming out in May 2023.
Getting to the end of these picks, it’s clear that there are a great many remastered 90s games that 90s kids would love to see brought back. You could also throw in Donkey Kong Country, Super Mario RPG: Legend of Seven Stars, and The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past for good measure.
Were you an avid gamer in the 90s and 00s? If so, which of your favorite classic games would you like to see brought to modern consoles with a lick of paint? Comment below.