Skyrim Special Edition (or simply known as, Skyrim Remastered) was released this past Friday, on October 28th. When the remaster was first announced during Bethesda's E3 2016 press conference, fans of the game were extremely pleased. But not because of improved graphics, but because of mod support that would come to the console versions of the game. This allowed console players to experience the joys of mods, just like PC users could -- since the release of the original version of the game back in 2011. Not to mention the stability improvements that came with the 64bit upgrade.
Now that Skyrim Remastered is out, let's take a look at some of the other RPGs that deserve a graphical remake for modern consoles and handheld devices.
10. Yu-Gi-Oh! The Sacred Cards
This RPG strategy card game came out in 2003 for the Game Boy Advance, and was published and developed by Konami.
Remember how in middle school you had friends who were obsessed with Yu-Gi-Oh cards? Or maybe you yourself also joined in on the craze, and got involved trading cards, as well as having duels with fellow fans of the anime? Well, this game was part of that craze.
Yu-Gi-Oh! The Sacred Cards focuses on you, the player, and your dueling adventures during the Battle City Tournament. Of course, there were bad guys along the way whose butts needed to be kicked in order to save the day.
One interesting aspect of the game was that this was the first game that allowed you to use the Egyptian God cards. Remember those?
On a completely bizarre side note, the game did not follow its own rules! In other words, each card had a weakness, that when exposed to that weakness, would be destroyed instantly! For example, if you had a Pyro (fire) type monster on your side of the field, and your opponent had a Forest (wood) type monster on their side of the field, your card would instantly destroy their card, even if their card was stronger than yours! Huh?! Since when was that allowed?
If this game was remastered for the 3DS, or any handheld/mobile device for that matter with 3D graphics, and more important, fair rules, then that would make many fans of the franchise happy.
9. Blade Dancer: Lineage of Light
Blade Dancer: Lineage of Light was a PSP exclusive title developed by Hit Maker and published by Nippon Ichi Software, and released in 2006.
The game is a turn-based RPG (very similar to Persona and older Final Fantasy titles) that is basically about a guy named Lance (pictured above) who must save the world from evil (what else is new...).
This title was unique in a sense because it had an unusual combat and crafting system. For combat, a turn would not begin unless a monster was first attacked. As far as crafting, you could combine items and create new weapons, but they would break after a certain amount of uses.
Blade Dancer: Lineage of Light was met with mixed reviews because of the boring and typical story line, but the challenging combat system was received well.
Though a remastered version will most likely never happen, the animations of special attacks, environments, and certain enemies would definitely become more visually appealing, as well as more beautiful in general.
8. Mega Man Battle Network Series
Developed and Published by Capcom, the first Mega Man Battle Network was released in 2001 for the Game Boy Advance.
Mega Man Battle Network is a real-time tactical RPG spin-off series, based off the original Mega Man series. Instead of robots, the Battle Network series focused on technology and computer networks.
Plots were different, but still the same for each one: a cyber-terrorist organization tries to destroy the world, or rule the world, or take over technology altogether, only to be stopped by Mega Man, and his operator, Lan.
Other titles included: Battle Network 2 (2001), Battle Network 3: White and Blue (2002), Battle Network 4: Red Sun and Blue Moon (2003), Battle Network 5: Team Colonel and Team Protoman (2004), and Battle Network 6: Cybeast Gregar and Cybeast Falzar (2005).
A remake of the whole series, released on one cartridge would be a dream come true for any fan of the series. 3D graphics instead of 2D would probably be the main attraction, as well as enhanced and sharper battle animations and graphics.
7. Fallout 3
Published by Bethesda Softworks, and developed by Bethesda Game Studios, Fallout 3 was released in 2008 for the PS3, PC, and Xbox 360.
Picture Skyrim, but with guns. Or better yet, Fallout 4, but in a different location and no Preston Garvey telling you about settlements. The plot is quite simple too: dad goes missing, and you have to go find dad while exploring the wasteland Washington D.C.
A remastered version of this open-world RPG game would make any fan happy, as well as bring new players in. But besides better graphics, mod support would be provided as well for Fallout 3. Bethesda did it for Skyrim Remastered and Fallout 4 on console, so why not Fallout 3... that is if it ever gets a remake...
6. Dark Souls
Dark Souls was released in 2011 for PS3 and Xbox 360, and in 2012 for PC. The game was developed by FromSoftware and published by Namco Bandai Games.
The game that started it all in the Souls series -- Dark Souls. This was the game that drew players in, turning them into fans, and making them play other titles like Dark Souls 2, Dark Souls 3, Demon Souls, and Bloodborne.
Brutal combat, punishable deaths, mysterious items, unique boss designs is what made this game memorable. As far as the plot goes, well, that one aspect is tricky to grasp. The actual story is never directly told to us. Instead, the lore is revealed through item descriptions, NPC dialogue, and world design. Plus, it ties in with Dark Souls 2 and Dark Souls 3.
If remastered on the Bloodborne and/or Dark Souls 3 graphics engine, just imagine the visuals, particularly of areas that appeal to you the most. And not just the areas, but monster designs as well!
5. Monster Hunter
The Monster Hunter series spans across many platforms like PSP, Wii, 3DS, etc. However, the original Monster Hunter was first released for the PS2 in 2004. It was developed and published by Capcom.
Hunting monsters larger than life with many different weapons sounds incredibly appealing to almost anyone. This RPG allows players to customize their hunter and embark on quests to slay beasts across all areas like volcanoes, forests, tundras, etc. More than that, players can harvest materials from those monsters and craft weapons and armor out of them.
Remaking Monster Hunter with better graphics, and elements from Generations like Styles and Arts would prove to be quite interesting.
4. Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
This title was developed by Square and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo SNES in 1996.
Super Mario RPG is a very unique Super Mario game because it has a combat system very similar to older Final Fantasy titles (turn based). The plot is different from other Super Mario games. Bowser isn't actually the main enemy (can you believe it?)! Instead, it's a giant talking sword that shattered the Star Road, and overtook Bowser's castle. Mario has to unite with other characters in the game to restore the missing stars and defeat the giant sword.
The game was released 20 years ago, so you can imagine that the graphics aren't the best when compared to today's graphics. Nevertheless, such unique Super Mario title deserves a remastered version not because of world design, but because of fun and wacky combat animations, as well as a Final Fantasy easter egg...
3. The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind
Morrowind was developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks for original Xbox and PC in 2002.
Believed by many fans to be the greatest/best Elder Scrolls game ever made (yes, even better than Skyrim to some), Morrowind is an open-world RPG game set in Morrowind, particularly the island of Vvardenfell.
The game follows similar mechanics like Skyrim and Oblivion in regards to quests, side-quests, exploration, etc.
However, when Skyrim was announced as a remake, many wished for Morrowind to be released instead. But why does Morrowind deserve a remake more than Skyrim? A fellow writer has published a lengthy article in which he explains (and goes into great detail) as to why Morrowind over Skyrim.
2. Pokemon Emerald
Developed by Game Freak, and published by The Pokemon Company, Pokemon Emerald was released for the Game Boy Advance in 2005.
Pokemon Emerald is seen as a combination of Pokemon Ruby and Pokemon Sapphire (after all, it is possible to catch both, Kyogre and Groudon in Pokemon Emerald). However, after the player defeats the Pokemon League, the game does not finish. After finishing the game, players get access to the Battle Frontier, a location where powerful trainers can battle one another (each "gym" in the area has a certain stipulation).
Pokemon Ruby and Pokemon Sapphire were remastered for the 3DS as Pokemon Omega Ruby and Pokemon Alpha Sapphire respectively. So, what happened to Pokemon Emerald? Why didn't it get a remaster? Seeing as it is a combination of both games, it only makes sense as it belongs to the same "family" and the same generation.
1. Pokemon Red/Blue/Yellow
The three amigos. The holy trinity of all Pokemon games that we know today. These three were the first Pokemon games to be released (Red and Blue in 1998 and Yellow in 1999), and were the main reason why people hopped on the Pokemon bandwagon from the start.
The plot will be familiar to any player of the modern titles: journey across land, capture Pokemon, get all 8 badges, beat the Pokemon League, and defeat the bad guys (which is Team Rocket of course).
But what made these RPGs so unique was because they were the first of their kind. The gameplay was different, the mechanics were new at that time, and the idea of capturing Pokemon (and having one follow you...Pikachu in Yellow) was appreciated for its time.
Now imagine reliving your childhood memories but with 3D graphics, battle mechanics, and an interface like in Pokemon Sun and Moon, then of course WiFi. Yep, that's epic.
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This is just a small list of some of the RPG titles that deserve a graphical remaster like Skyrim. What games do you think need to be added to the list? I know that there are many more great classics that deserve to be up here. Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Published: Oct 31, 2016 02:59 pm