“Everything old is new again” is a mantra that’s kept gaming alive over the years. Need a game release to hit a certain window or quarter, or your development team feels like they could nail it properly on the second go around? Get to work on a remake. It’s a strategy that’s worked very well for studios like Capcom when they’ve dipped back in their OG PlayStation well, who arguably improved the classic Resident Evil 2 with its 2019 remake.
They also improved Resident Evil 3, but y’all aren’t ready to have that conversation yet.
Anyway, the Resident Evil games aren’t the only PS1 treasures in that library deserving of a remake. With hundreds of games, some of which are considered to be classics that hold up to this day, you’ve got the pick of the litter when it comes to choosing a potential remake. With that in mind, we’ve narrowed it down to a list of 10 PS1 games that desperately need a remake. Pick any of these games, and we’d be happy.
1. Dino Crisis
The most obvious choice, and the one that appears on every single list of this type, there’s a reason why people keep asking for a remake of Dino Crisis, and it’s because Capcom have knocked it out of the park consistently with their work on Resident Evil’s remakes. If they can work their magic again on a series that’s essentially just more Resident Evil but with dinosaurs instead of zombies, you’re looking at another millions-seller for the Japanese publisher.
It feels like all the pieces are in place for a Dino Crisis revival, as Capcom has achieved unparalleled levels of success re-doing their old library of horror games. Meanwhile, Exoprimal saw Capcom experimenting with dinosaur shooters, albeit with players controlling mechs in a 5v5 PvPvE multiplayer game, but still. If ever there was a time for Capcom to remake the original Dino Crisis, it’d be right now, and we’re definitely not the only ones who would be incredibly excited for it to happen.
2. Vagrant Story
Vagrant Story isn’t the most obscure RPG on the PS1, but it’s also not the most popular either, receiving less love than games like Chrono Cross and Final Fantasy VII. Occupying that Richard Kind “medium time” space, Vagrant Story is actually a perfect candidate for a remake. There’s enough fans around who are yearning for a chance to play the game without having to dig the emulators out, while allowing enough opportunity for the game to reach a whole new audience. If Live A Live can get a remake, so can Vagrant Story.
Playing as a Riskbreaker called Ashley, which we can all agree is a very strong name and no, I’m not biased at all, you’ve pursued a cult leader by the name of Sydney to the town of Leá Monde. Sydney has gone to ground, hiding out in the ruined city’s catacombs, so you’ll need to explore and defeat any enemies you find, crafting and upgrading weapons along the way. While it might be difficult to achieve given Vagrant Story’s real-time combat, an Octopath Traveler-esque visual upgrade could be a good remake path to explore.
3. Legacy Of Kain: Soul Reaver
Legend and mythology would have you believe that vampires are immortal, which is clearly a lot of baloney considering the Legacy of Kain is about as dead as it gets at this point. Despite still being considered one of the most beloved franchises ever created, it feels like we’re never getting a new Legacy of Kain game at this point, meaning the last game in the series is that somewhat stinky multiplayer release, Nosgoth. That can’t be the lasting legacy, the final epitaph for this weird, engaging gothic horror opera.
Clearly, a new game in the series is much needed, and while an original release would certainly be appreciated by the core fan base, it feels like a remake of the most successful game, Soul Reaver, would be the correct move. While still a fun and engaging action platformer, Soul Reaver’s repetitive gameplay and graphics could do with a huge overhaul, and if it helped drum up interest in a brand new game in this iconic series, even better.
4. Parasite Eve
Another one of Square’s unsung PS1 whippers, Parasite Eve saw a largely RPG-focused team trying to create a survival horror experience in the same vein of Resident Evil or Silent Hill. The end result was a game that looks precisely like it was cut from the same horror cloth, but the gameplay is more in line with the most ridiculous RPG systems you could think of. Taking control of an NYPD rookie by the name of Aya Brea, you find yourself in the center of what can only be described as “weird body horror” shenanigans. People are either spontaneously combusting, mutating or becoming one with a big orange slime blob.
The gameplay is certainly not to everyone’s taste, as you need to avoid attacks and wait for your bar to fill up before you can fire, but those who enjoy Parasite Eve’s implementation of the Active-Time-Bar in a horror shooter will find an experience unlike any other. If Square were to remake it though, they should just keep it as it is, albeit with a new coat of paint. That gameplay system is too weird to just turn into another third-person shooter like the Resident Evil 2 remake.
Looking at you, Alone In The Dark.
5. Twisted Metal
There’s never been a better time for a Twisted Metal revival, and yes, we’re just saying that based on the fact it’s become a fairly successful TV show. Strike while the iron is hot, right? Twisted Metal’s particular brand of car combat was a core part of the original PS1 and PS2 era of Sony games, but aside from a PS3 revival that failed to set the world on fire, the franchise was mostly dead in the water until the TV adaptation. Turns out all you need to reinvigorate a dead game franchise is Anthony Mackie, Stephanie Beatriz and Samoa Joe.
It’s mainly because of Samoa Joe.
As for how Sony would approach a remake of the Twisted Metal franchise, it’d probably be good to tie it into the world of the TV show. Bring the actors from the show in, get them to record some lines while retaining the simple and enjoyable gameplay of the original games, and so long as the game is priced appropriately (£20 tops, or a free-to-play release), it should be a decent laugh. If nothing else, it’d be a decent shake-up of Sony’s exclusives, and would probably be more successful than Destruction All-Stars too.
Not hard, like.
6. Final Fantasy VIII or IX
Look, we can’t decide on this one, so we’re going to leave it up to you. While Final Fantasy VII was obviously the breakout hit for the FF series on PS1, fans love the follow up games, VIII and IX just as much. As games, both Final Fantasy VIII and IX couldn’t be more different, with VIII adopting a more sci-fi world and story, with plenty of brooding characters and edge, while IX is a more endearing medieval fantasy that’s got a lot of heart. Remaking both games is certainly possible, but it’d require a different touch for each one.
Final Fantasy VIII would probably be an easier remake, considering that the game is filled with the same kind of twinks that Final Fantasy VII boasts. It’s just that Squall happens to be cooler because his sword also has a gun. Have it follow the same path as the FFVII remakes, but try not to stretch it out as much, and it’ll be good. FFVIII probably needed a remake more than VII, in truth.
As for Final Fantasy IX, its chibi-esque characters means we’ll probably get something akin to the Super Mario RPG remake: some new visuals, a couple of gameplay improvements and not much else. FFIX is still fantastic though, so you can’t complain. But you can get the weird monkey tail in 4K.
7. Xenogears
Yes, it’s another PS1 RPG, but to be fair to us, the RPG genre is probably the most successful and prolific genre for the PS1, behind maybe the platformer. People loved playing RPGs on their little gray console from Sony, and a lot of those RPGs are still worth checking out, such as Xenogears. A game from a creator ahead of their time, it would take Tetsuya Takahashi founding Monolith Soft for his work to truly become appreciated, but his last work at Square, Xenogears, is definitely worthy of a remaster.
An ambitious game, and one that very nearly crumbled under its own weight, Xenogears is perhaps most famous for the fact that the back-half of the story basically turns into a visual novel with occasional gameplay interludes. Critics still loved the story and gameplay at the time, or whatever they could actually follow of it at least, but that unfinished second part has become a huge gaming what if at this point.
How a remake for Xenogears could come about these days is unclear, given Square Enix owns Xenogears and Monolith Soft is a Nintendo studio, but if Square and Monolith managed to find a way to let Takahashi and the gang have a second go, this would be a perfect remake choice.
8. Ape Escape
If the general success of Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart for the PS5 should have proved anything to Sony, it’s that people love 3D action platformers. Ape Escape is a 3D action platformer, but even though Sony would love to consider the iconic mischievous ape as one of PlayStation’s iconic mascots, we haven’t had a proper Ape Escape game in years. That needs to change, stat, and a remake would go a long way in that regard.
A silly yet utterly wonderful experience, Ape Escape is exactly as it says on the tin: a bunch of apes have broken loose, so you need to go round them up. The original game in the series saw players traveling through time, leading to plenty of unique levels, and while it was remade for the PSP in 2005, a full upgrade with a more modern camera would be fantastic. Hell, even just a 4K reskin of all three mainline games, bundled together like WipeOut Omega Collection, would be wonderful.
Give me my monkeys, god damn it.
9. Driver
Are we advocating for a remake of a specific PS1 game because the tutorial level is too hard and we’d like to actually see the rest of the game one day? Maybe we are, and while that might lead to some snarky comments, you try playing the opening level to Driver and see how far you get. A remake for this iconic series, with perhaps a remake of Driver 2 thrown in for good measure, would certainly go down a treat.
As the name implies, you spend your time in Driver behind the wheel, with the majority of the game’s missions seeing you act as an undercover getaway driver, dodging criminals, police and everyone in between in a race to your objective. Or, we think that’s what the game’s about.
Again, that opening level is really hard. At the very least, there’s already precedent for a driving level in a remake being nerfed because it’s too hard, so let’s have Driver follow the Mafia example, please.
10. Syphon Filter
Though we tend to favour the “all guns blazing” method of playing video games, even we can admit that there’s not enough stealth action games on the market right now. Back in the day, you couldn’t move two inches in a video game shop without seeing a PlayStation stealth game, between Metal Gear Solid and Sly Cooper, but there was another series that hasn’t survived: Syphon Filter. Despite nigh universal acclaim and a PSP revival that is still well-loved, Syphon Filter hasn’t been seen in years. Perhaps a remake would be the perfect remedy.
Truthfully, with three games in the Syphon Filter series all available on PS1, Sony and Bend Studio would do well to release a fully upgraded collection of these classics. Sure, Syphon Filter 2 and 3 are both available on PlayStation Plus for the most expensive tier users, but an overhauled version of all three games, with modern gameplay and improved graphics, would be a great way to honour the legacy of a series that died before its time.
Will it ever happen? Probably not, but we’d still love to see it.
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