Remakes and remasters are a great way to make an old game new again. Remasters typically explore the same game by updating textures, music, and fixing a few bugs along the way, while remakes take the experience fans loved from before and make it new again from the ground up. A few titles stretch these definitions,such as theFinal Fantasy 7 Remakeprojectsince it also reworks parts of the narrative, and even the line between remaster/remake is constantly being blurred by developers. Ultimately, it’s never a bad thing to have more games to play at the end of the day, even improved versions of beloved games.
2024, in particular, featured the return of many great games via remasters and remakes, and it’s worth looking back and recognizing just how many of them came back as good as new in an exciting way.In alphabetical order, here are 10 of the best remakes and remasters of 2024.
Ace Attorney Investigations Collection
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Following thelast twoAce Attorneycollection rereleases, theAce Attorney Investigations Collectionwas released back in September to the delight of diehard fans of the series. It not only brings back the first spin-off title staring prosecutor Miles Edgeworth, but also finally brings the sequel to global audiences after only being previously released in Japan. Each game is presented with newly drawn assets, with the option to switch back to sprites if the player desires to, and other bonus features such as an art gallery and a music collection. Fans who have been desiring to experience not just the firstInvestigationsgame but also the second now have the chance to do so with a remastered collection.
Dead Rising Deluxe Remasterupdates the gripping yet humorous adventure of Frank West with modern graphical fidelity, updated voice acting, andnew features to make experiencingDead Risingagain a true delight. It allows new players to experience the massive size and freedom of Willamette Mall with a new and refreshed control scheme, while giving veteran fans the chance to switch back to the original one if they want a more nostalgic yet shiny experience. Players have 72 hours to defend themselves from zombies, explore stores, save survivors, and kill psychopaths, and new fast-forward features make repeated playthroughs for specific objectives fun and less tedious. The newDeluxe Remastergives players far more options in this classic title while also making it welcoming for a new generation at the same time.
Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake
Developed by the same team behindTriangle Strategy,Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remakestarts the well-known Erdrick trilogyby honoring its roots and renewing the adventure for all sorts of players. This newer version takes what was once at least a 30-hour adventure and extends it with a new vocation to try out as well as some new story content, intriguing and keeping old players invested. Voice acting also helps bringDragon Quest 3to life, allowing many characters to feel more real than previous ports could and helping the cultures represented in the game to truly shine.
While turn-based RPGs are as strong as ever, theDragon Quest HD-2D Remakesays that the genre isn’t going anywhere while also heralding a new beginning for the franchise it’s from at the same time. It’s beautiful, it’s faithful, and it’s expansive, and there’s not much mostDragon Questfans would want other than that.Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake’s beauty and prevalence is only made even stronger withDragon Quest 1 & 2 HD-2D Remakebeing set to come out next yearand continue the story.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirthtakes the story of the Remake Project from the introduction of the overworldto The Forgotten Capital. This means that the game has a very heavy focus on Barret, Cait Sith, and Aerith, with Zack Fair making a surprise appearance to tell his side of the story. Even asRebirthmight not deliver on things being as unexpected asRemake’s ending made it seem,Rebirthdelivers on filling every part of the adventure with the same detail that had become expected of the series. So many moments are expanded upon and made greater - even as far as making what used to be one secret scene of Chocobo chicks grow into the crew letting Cloud Jr accompany them for a time.Final Fantasy 7 Rebirthis easily the adventure of a lifetime, both in terms of a general video game and what would be expected from aFinal Fantasy 7remake.
The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered
The Last of Us Part 2 Remasteredmakes the beloved Naughty Dog gameworth experiencing again while offering a much more immersive experiencethanks to the PS5’s DualSense features.TLOUPart 2 Remastereddares to give players a look behind the scenes with its “Lost Levels,” playable deleted “scenes” of levels with an intro and commentary from the developers throughout. Its “No Return” roguelike mode almost steals the show on its own, though. With so much to go through,The Last of Us Part 2 Remasteredgives fans their fill and makes sure that it stands out as the definitive way to experience such a well-loved story.
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1&2 Remastered
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1&2focuses on what made the original games special,tapping into fans' memories and nostalgia with solid but not overwhelming improvements. The art style isn’t changed, merely adapted to match current hardware, which has left fans enjoying the atmosphere in the same way they remembered from 25 years ago. Among the many remasters on this list,Soul Reaver 1&2may sit as one of the most nostalgic as a result. From the well-crafted environmental storytelling and the level design that highlights the former by using it at every turn,Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1&2 Remasteredalmost feels like a real time machine that goes back to a long-since-past era of gaming. That, in itself, is a masterful feat to pull off these days, making it shine among other releases this year.
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
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Despite all the odds and expectations, fans now have thePaper Mario: The Thousand-Year Doorrerelease of their wildest dreams. Thenewer release ofTTYDfor the Nintendo Switchshows just how far a faithful remake can go, with updated assets alone making this version the definitive title. It also adds entirely new sprites, cinematic lighting, gives English players an entirely new localization, and fixes longstanding errors. Everything a fan could have wished for can be found in this remake, and it sits as a prominent gem in a great year for gaming as a result.
Persona 3 Reload
Persona 3was a defining game for the franchise when it was first released, and now it returns to set the bar for what should be expected from aPersonaremake while taking the title as Atlus' new fastest-selling game. Even without theFESandPortablecontent,Persona 3 Reloadis a sizable experiencethat will take even the most seasoned fan quite a while to get through. It learns from the lessons the franchise has taken on board sinceP3’s first release, notably borrowing plenty fromPersona 5, which manages to shake up the gameplay just enough to make it feel like a whole new experience.
With how many players lamented how the originalP3had aged, with very little ways to access it as the years went on, getting a remake that upgrades it in terms of audio mixing, series aesthetic standards, and fresh gameplay to boot is the perfect package. It’s truly incredible how the original game can be preserved while also being updated to meet the current gaming climate, and it marksa great return forPersona 3. At the same time, it also serves as an example of how a remake can change a lot and still remain the same title by also giving a renewed experience all at once.
Silent Hill 2
Silent Hill 2may very well be the biggest entry on this list that truly defied expectations. When it was first announced, fans were rightly skeptical that such a title could get a successful remake. Now that Bloober Team’s take on the classic horror game has been released, it’s a breath of fresh air that not onlybringsSilent Hill 2to a new generation, but expands on its survival horror aspects in fun ways.
The remake gives players a bigger version of the town fans have known for years, allowing them to explore new buildings to make the location feel more real and immersive than before. The combat is expanded to give enemies specific patterns that must be mastered to survive, and other details such ashidden messages found in TVs all acrossSilent Hill 2elevate this game to new, haunting heights.Silent Hill 2being brought back in such a way was most definitely a surprise for 2024.
Sonic X Shadow Generations
13 years after its original release,Sonic Generationsreturns to fans remasteredwith new cutscene dialogue and Chao to find in a package deal titledSonic X Shadow Generations. It not only features the fan-favorite time-traveling adventure starring Sonic, but includes a similar experience both in length and feel that gives the Ultimate Lifeform his ownShadow Generationsgame. Both titles have enough weight to stand on their own as separate purchases, yet they’re bundled together to unify the shared journey that represents all of Sonic and Shadow’s experiences.
The jump from 30 FPS to 60 frames per second most certainly helpsSonic Generationsshine after so long without it, andShadow Generations' Chaos Control mechanic gives a twist to the formulaGenerationsis known for. The new cutscene dialogue in Sonic’s story tries its best to answerGenerations' criticism of its bare-bones narrative, butShadow Generationstakes the black hedgehog’s overarching story and ties it together with a fitting conclusion after almost 25 years.Sonic X Shadow Generationsis not only an exciting and unique remaster, but it manages to present two adventures that help make itone of the best platformers of 2024as well.
