Top 10 Best PlayStation Remakes
#10: “The Last of Us: Part I” (2022)
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Admittedly, we can understand why folks were salty over this title. Seriously, no Factions mode? And you still want seventy bucks? To Naughty Dog's credit, the original "Last of Us" was improved upon here. Many of the mechanics, controls, and AI within "Part II" helped the predecessor shine here. Yes, we know the PS4 remaster was just as good and is still widely playable today. However, for those who [somehow] still haven't played it, "The Last of Us: Part I" was a good jumping off point…so long as you didn't grab the PC port.
#9: “MediEvil” (2019)
The original game was an instant classic on the PS1 with its unique artstyle, wondrous score, and colorful characters. But what could it have looked like with twenty years of improved technology? You get the 2019 remake developed for the PS4. Sir Daniel Fortesque retains his cartoony, jawless look, and the land of Gallowmere is now fully realized. Every level looks just how it looked in 1998 but with significantly better textures, controls, and visual effects. And if you would love to go back and play the original “MediEvil”, developer Other Ocean Emeryville tucked it away as an unlockable for beating the remake 100%.
#8: “Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix” (2013)
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For a time, the only way to play this collection was on the PlayStation 3, and it was kind of necessary if you wanted to get into the series as the first game hasn't aged too well in terms of controls. But due to most of the game's assets getting lost, director Tetsuya Nomura and his team had to rebuild the first "Kingdom Hearts" from the ground up. With it came some serious improvements that were desperately needed. All of the music was redone and took full advantage of the PS3's audio output. Combat and controls were made to handle similarly to "Kingdom Hearts II", making it more accessible to newcomers and more replayable. It may not be exactly like the original, but "1.5 Remix" was the hero we needed to preserve the first game.
#7: “Spyro Reignited Trilogy” (2018)
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The original PS1 games are still a treasure to play today. In terms of graphics, though, they could definitely benefit from modern hardware. Developed by Toys for Bob, "Spyro Reignited" managed to capture the magic and wonder of the first three games. The characters exuded personality and no longer looked like expressionless Muppets. Levels saw beautiful texture work and were only redesigned in small areas where it was absolutely necessary. And Steve Copeland's new rendition of his music from the original games was just as fantastic as it was decades ago. Our only complaint was that they couldn't seem to fix all that "trouble with the trolley" nonsense…
#6: “Pac-Man World Re-Pac” (2022)
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The most aggravating part of the original "Pac-Man World" was how it was designed to fight back against game rentals at the time. Just look at the Cave levels and Anubis Rex. "Re-Pac" managed to fix every problem with the original game! In addition to increasing Pac-Man's speed, every level got a major makeover in visuals and design. Every level felt way shorter and more concise with its placement of collectibles. Boss fights like Anubis Rex saw some major tweaks to make their fights more exciting and satisfying. And the checkpoint system? Way more reasonable than the original! We're seriously hoping that remakes for "World 2" and "World 3" are already underway.
#5: “Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy” (2017)
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Before we saw the return of Sir Fortesque and Spyro, Crash began the surge of PS1 remakes with the “N. Sane Trilogy”. For the first time in over a decade, the original “Crash Bandicoot” titles were finally being brought forward and given a fresh coat of paint. Vicarious Visions really knocked it out of the park with the character animation, level design, and lighting. On top of that, all of the current cast reprised their roles with the original writing left intact. Since then, the bandicoot has finally received a fourth game, a remake of “Crash Team Racing”, and…a MOBA. Here’s hoping his future will shine brighter with a shade of green.
#4: “Ratchet & Clank” (2016)
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While many would argue this 2016 reboot is “nothing like the original games,” well, it is. The family-friendly tone has been a part of the series since “Tools of Destruction”, and given how mean Ratchet is to Clank in the first game, this remake was sorely needed. Here, the Lombax and warbot have more humble beginnings, with Clank being much more intelligent and Ratchet acting less snarky. But the best part was how we were given a better backstory for both Qwark and Doctor Nefarious without the narrative losing complete control like in the original. Everything makes more sense here in terms of the lore, the story, and more importantly, the characters.
#3: “Demon’s Souls” (2020)
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The original “Demon’s Souls” was great for what it was…in 2009. But with the advancements in technology we’ve made since then, it is really, really tough to go back to. Long load times, awful framerate, janky controls… It isn’t pretty. Bluepoint Games, however, managed to rebuild the entire game, and it’s almost as if they simply ported the game forward. Yes, it looks almost exactly like the original “Demon’s Souls”, but now it’s packed with incredibly fast load times and a buttery smooth sixty frames per second. And it looks insanely beautiful! Just look at these dismal environments!
#2: “Shadow of the Colossus” (2018)
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Much like “Demon’s Souls”, the first iteration of “Shadow of the Colossus” was great on PlayStation 2 and on PlayStation 3. Thing is that those controls were rather cumbersome. Once again, Bluepoint Games swoops in to save the day. The PlayStation 4 version refined the controls and even presented a better control scheme that lined up with modern action games at the time. Taking advantage of the PS4’s visual fidelity was already what sold us. Fixing a major design problem? Well worth the asking price!
#1: “Final Fantasy VII Remake” (2020)
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For years, many of us were worried about this game. How do you possibly remake a game as beautiful as “Final Fantasy VII” without messing up one iota of its DNA? How do you even approach that and make it playable for both newbies and veterans? Well, you fix what was broken, retell the story in a more cohesive way, have your composers rearrange the music to create pieces more refined than the original. In other words, you graduate from a small orchestra to a grand symphony of stellar combat, brilliant storytelling, and do it all with a fun attitude and a smile on your face. Please, make sure you play “Final Fantasy VII Remake” before you go jumping into “Rebirth”. What’s the best PlayStation remake you’ve played? Did it make our list? Let us know down in the comments, and be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo for more great videos everyday!
