Tapping in to what is “retro” is big business these days. We’ve seen plenty of HD remakes hitting both game store shelves and more frequently the digital store front. From Street Fighter II to God of War to Tony Hawk Pro Skater the rehashing of what was great is varied and plentiful. But there seem to be some titles that have been neglected so here are FIVE such neglected games that are in need of an HD remake.
5. ZERO WING (Genesis) 1989
Side scrolling shoot ’em up action and the greatest open cut scene in video game history, Zero Wing not only contains the most famous Engrish phrase ever: “All your base are belong to us.” but it was a solid and enjoyable game. For that reason it deserves a second shot at glory. Having no official North American console release (the European Genesis cart would play on American consoles) Zero Wing has been wronged, and an HD remake is one way to right that wrong, for great justice!
4. ACTRAISER (SNES) 1990
Part side scrolling action/platformer part world building strategy/sim ActRaiser for the SNES was an amazing game. You take on the role of an agent of some deity in the form of a living statue and an angel. Hack through the side scrolling levels as the statue and defend your growing civilization as the angel while using miracles and civil engineering to influence the growth of that civilization. In addition to being an innovative game mash-up ActRaiser was solid and fun to play and it has one of the best soundtracks not just of the 16-bit era but all-time.
3. POWER STONE (Dreamcast) 2006
It may not be the most “retro” of choices, and technically with the use of some third party hardware it was possible to force the Dreamcast to display in HD (with varied results), but Power Stone is too good to ignore . With multi tiered 3D arenas, original characters, and a pick up and play style Capcom’s Power Stone is an enduring favorite. It’s super fun to play and outside of the fighting Power Stone is very shallow, it doesn’t want to burden you with a bunch of “story”, lending its self perfectly to this new age of downloadable titles.
2. GRAND THEFT AUTO (PlayStation/PC) 1997
With Grand Theft Auto V looming large on the horizon now would be a perfect time to re-release the original top down murder simulator. Now, tomorrow, yesterday… whenever really. Grand Theft Auto original flavor was not only the godfather of a genre but an excellent diversion and hours of mindlessly violent fun. So good was this game that it inspired this sweet fan made trailer.
1. ZOMBIES ATE MY NEIGHBORS (SNES/Genesis) 1993
A Konami/Lucas Arts classic that should be played by all people… everywhere. Outstanding soundtrack, homage after homage to horror movies, soda can grenades, and a sense of humor about itself and its subject matter make for an awesome game. The list of good things about this game are endless. For those who’ve played Zombies Ate My Neighbors you know how great it is. If you haven’t, copies are available on eBay and it will be the best purchase you make all week.