When you think of a classic video game, which titles come to mind? Depending on your age range, chances are you probably think of something like The Legend of Zelda, Super Mario Bros., or Tetris. Something retro with those vintage bit-graphic aesthetics, right? With the gaming world receiving remasters of ’90s classics like the Spyro Reignited Trilogy and Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, we’re wondering: why don’t we go back even further?
During the ’80s, some of the biggest names in gaming were born. Where are the upgrades and updates for the early adventures of classic characters like Mario, Link, or Donkey Kong? Here are ten such titles that desperately need a remake or remaster.
10 Adventure
Atari laid the foundation for many critical elements of the video game culture we all know today, but one of their most influential titles has to be Adventure. To say the game is simplistic in design is an understatement, but you can see how the title inspired several early RPGs and even some Zelda elements.
Today’s ambitious games like Skyrim and Breath of the Wild wouldn’t have been possible without humble early adventures like this one. When it comes to a potential remake or remaster, there’s definitely room for interpretation, and a lot of freedom and simplicity despite the action being confined to one castle.
9 Bubble Bobble
The world has had no shortage of platforming games with cutesy characters, but it doesn’t get much cuter than a pair of bubble-blowing baby dragons. Though Bub and Bob are featured players in Bust a Move/Puzzle Bobble, their platform premiere seems to be pushed aside. It’s definitely time for an upgrade.
With a lot of players finding love for hand-drawn graphics, characters like these two would be perfect for an animated or cell-shaded art style. It’s not an overly complex game, but that doesn’t mean it can’t benefit from some spit and polish on those sprites.
8 Final Fantasy
The original Final Fantasy was a last-ditch effort that ended up sparking a series that’s since consumed the world of gaming as we know it. With a remake of arguably the most famous and beloved entry in the series coming soon, fans of the original 8-bit classics can’t help but feel a bit left out.
Yes, we’ve gotten ports of the game on other systems, but we’d really like to see the game remade with updated graphics and animations. After all, the original Final Fantasy is so old that the remasters it’s already had on PSP and Game Boy Advance (not to mention other releases) feel super dated. This game helped shape the RPG and JRPG genres and desperately needs to be reintroduced for a new generation of players.
7 Contra
With games like Dark Souls, Cuphead, and other “git gud” titles being so popular nowadays, it’s high time to bring back the original white-knuckle gaming experience: Contra. This game used to eat quarters in the arcade and shatter NES controllers at home, and it’s time for an ’80s throwback.
The game is still pretty good on its own and wouldn’t need much to improve it, aside from maybe an easy mode for newbies. The original could definitely benefit from some updated sprites, as seen in Contra 4 for the DS. It’s classic run-and-gun action in its purest form, and an update of this gem would definitely find an audience.
6 Double Dragon
Though it did get a modern sequel with Double Dragon: Neon, this entry to the series was more of a love-letter to classic beat-em-ups than anything else. We want to see a return to form for the series. Double Dragon had one simple premise: save your girlfriend and beat up the bad guys. Perhaps a new coat of paint could breathe some new life into this relic from the ’80s?
The gameplay can still be simple, but perhaps a more modern setting would be appropriate? Or perhaps take a cue from Neon and remind us why we love these mindless button mashers. Either way, we’re game.
5 Battletoads
Now here’s a remake that fans have been begging for a long time to see. If you take the simplistic beat-em-up action of Double Dragon but mix it with the difficulty of Contra, you’d get Battletoads.
We know we’re cheating including a remake that is indeed coming this year, but this is one update that has been needed for the longest time. Rash, Pimple, and Zits are ready to kick butt and take names again for a new legion of fans. Let’s just hope that infuriating hoverbike level has been fixed.
4 Wizards and Warriors
Wizards and Warriors was a unique sort of hybrid game that we don’t see much of these days. One part hack-and-slash, one part 2-D platformer, all fantasy adventure, this game series definitely needs a revive potion to bring it into the 21st century.
Though we do have a soft spot for bit-graphics and chip-tunes, the palate for this title was surprisingly limited for something set in a magical fantasy world. With the players taking on the role of a knight on a quest to rescue a princess from an evil wizard, it should be no problem to give this game the modern fantasy makeover.
3 Castlevania 3
Though Symphony of the Night remains the epitome of modern Metroidvania titles, it wouldn’t exist without its NES predecessors, and this prequel to the original Castlevania takes the crown. The adventure of Trevor Belmont, Grant, Syfa, and Alucard and their quest to take out Dracula is a piece of gaming gold.
Out of all the original Castlevania titles, this one needs to be reintroduced to the mainstream in a big way. With the Netflix series taking cues from the third game, we can easily see the characters and designs transitioning to the game world. We’re waiting, Belmont.
2 Mega Man 2
There have been fifty Mega Man games since the Blue-Bomber made his debut on the NES. Even after fifty different games, it’s the second one in the series that sets the gold standard. Mega Man 2 is a Nintendo classic, mixing sharp platforming with run and gun action.
It wouldn’t take much to make a remastered version an instant hit; just sharpen the controls a bit and give it the Sonic Mania treatment with cleaner and defined sprite graphics. It would make it a throwback for adult audiences, and a great way to introduce younger gamers to the series and the character.
1 The Legend of Zelda
Not Ocarina of Time, not Link Between Worlds, and definitely not The Adventure of Link. Straight up, old-school, 1986’s The Legend of Zelda. Why does this one need a remake? Because the first Zelda was literally a game-changer.
Until Link took up the quest, adventure games were more text-based like Zork or various D&D titles. It gave gamers a taste of how open and immersive a game world could be. The game allowed players to search and explore a fantasy world with little more than a map. Though Breath of the Wild came close to recapturing the feel, we really need to see an HD original Zelda.
NEXT: 10 SNES Games Missing From Nintendo Switch Online (That Should Be There Already)
