The concept of porting and remastering video games to new consoles is far from new. In 2009, however, Sony would kick off a new trend in the video game industry by releasing the God of War Collection, a high-definition remaster of the first two God of War games. Initially designed to serve as an entry point for new fans prior to the release of God of War III, what followed was a massive influx of remastered games and collections that continues to persist over a decade later.
Most video game remasters bring little new to the table beyond the updated visuals. Sometimes that's all a game, or a collection of games, need as their prior flaws were minimal. On the flip side, there are remasters that go above and beyond by adding new content and addressing player complaints. Whichever direction a developer goes, players can almost always be assured that they're getting the definitive version of an old favorite.
10 The Last Of Us Didn't Need Many Additions With This Remaster
The Last of Us Remastered is the perfect example of a safe remaster. A year prior, The Last of Us provided the PlayStation 3 with a perfect swansong by reeling in more Game of the Year awards than any other game prior. That distinction was later lost to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt in 2015, before the release of The Last of Us Part II reclaimed the title for the series. There wasn't much Naughty Dog needed to do for TLOUR.
TLOUR includes the typical bells and whistles of standard remasters, including improved visuals and audio, improved framerate, and DualShock 4 functionality. TLOUR also includes the "Left Behind" DLC starring Ellie and her friend Riley, a photo mode, and the ability to play the game with commentary from Director Neil Druckmann and voice actors Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson.
9 The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD Makes This Classic Smooth Sailing
At times, when a game receives a remaster, it can be tough to notice the visual improvements right away. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD is not one of those games. The once-controversial cel-shaded graphics absolutely pop in high definition. It's easy to put down the controller and marvel at just how beautiful WWHD is.
If WWHD was just a visual remaster, most The Legend of Zelda fans would be satisfied. However, Nintendo took things a step further by fixing two of the original Wind Waker's biggest issues by introducing the Swift Sail for faster sailing and a more streamlined Triforce quest.
8 NieR Replicant Ver.1.22474487139... Allows The Original NieR To Get A Chance In The Spotlight
The original NieR flew under the radar when it was released in 2010. Despite underwhelming reviews and sales, this Drakengard spinoff would form a passionate niche following. NieR would receive a sequel in NieR: Automata in 2017 that was both a critical and commercial success, which lead to the aptly titled NieR remaster in NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139...
Ver.1.22474487139..., based on the PS3 version of NieR, contains an overhauled combat system and new story content that bridges ver.1.22474487139... to its sequel, Automata. The remaster also contains previously cut story content and rerecorded voice work.
7 Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection Adds A Lot Of Replayability
The Uncharted series made a name for itself for its stunning visuals and the ability to invoke that summer blockbuster feeling when it kicked off in 2007 with Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. Uncharted grew to become one of Sony's flagship series, and one of the most critically acclaimed series ever produced.
When Nathan Drake's tale was set to conclude in 2016 with Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, Naughty Dog enlisted the help of Bluepoint Games to remaster the original Uncharted trilogy for PlayStation 4. Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection features a photo mode, a new "Brutal" difficulty setting, and a speed run mode. Drake's Fortune would receive a significant graphical boost as well as tuning the combat to put it more in line with its sequels.
6 Mass Effect Legendary Edition Gives Players A Proper Refresher Course
Much like The Nathan Drake Collection, the Mass Effect Legendary Edition is bundled with three iconic titles together in a definitive package. Now, players only need to boot up one application to experience the full story of Commander Shepard and their crew.
Legendary Edition contains a single character creator that applies to all three Mass Effect titles. The original ME, similar to Drake's Fortune, received a revamp with visual and gameplay improvements that make transitioning from the first ME to its sequels go much more smoothly. The original ME also saw a decrease in its infamous, and often meme'd, loading times.
5 Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age Won Many Final Fantasy Fans Over
Final Fantasy XII is an often overlooked Final Fantasy title. While FFXII has its fans and detractors, it's neither passionately loved nor hated within the FF fanbase as a whole. While FFXII gets praised for its content and voice acting, it also receives criticism for its story and MMO-like gameplay.
Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age gave FFXII the opportunity to win over FF fans. The Zodiac Age carries over content that was previously in the Japan-exclusive FFXII: International Zodiac Job System such as a job system and the challenging Trial Mode. TZA also features a re-orchestrated soundtrack and a high-speed feature to improve FFXII's pacing.
4 Kingdom Hearts: The Story So Far Is The Best Way To Catch Up On Kingdom Hearts
The Kingdom Hearts series is no stranger to releasing remasters, having seen three different remaster compilations covering different phases of Kindom Hearts' initial Xehanort saga. These remasters were bundled into a single compilation titled KH: The Story So Far, and later bundled with KHIII in KH: All-In-One Package.
What each of these remastered collections brings is content, such as secret boss fights that were previously exclusive to the "Final Mix" versions of the original Kingdom Hearts, KHII, and KH: Birth By Sleep. Similar to FFXII, these versions were not originally released outside of Japan making them must-buys for Kingdom Hearts fans.
3 Persona 4 Golden Feels Like An Entirely New Game
Similar to TLOU, the classic JRPG Persona 4 was released at the tail end of a generation. In fact, the PS3 was over a year old when P4 was released for the PlayStation 2 (a conflict that Persona 5 would later avoid). As most players had already moved on to the latest consoles, P4 was stuck on old hardware. That is until an enhanced version was released in P4 Golden for the PlayStation Vita. P4G would later escape Vita exclusivity in 2020 by releasing for PC in 2020.
P4G adds a long list of new content including two new Social Links, a new dungeon, an expanded story with a new epilogue, new animated cutscenes, more opportunities to explore, and more difficulty settings. The PC version provides enhancements such as the ability to run P4G at 4K resolution and 60fps.
2 The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Special Edition Improves A Classic In Almost Every Way
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim has seen numerous ports across different consoles. Skyrim rereleases were the subject of numerous memes to the point where Bethesda Studios jokingly released Skyrim: Very Special Edition for Amazon Echo devices. Skyrim would see a true remaster in the form of Skyrim - Special Edition (later able to be upgraded to the Anniversary Edition).
The Special Edition features graphical improvements and significant bug fixes. PlayStation fans in particular can now experience a functional version of Skyrim after the much-maligned PS3 version. The Special Edition also includes access to mods across all versions, even consoles, which alone makes Special Edition one of the deepest remasters.
1 Halo: The Master Chief Collection Is One Of The Best Bang-For-One's-Buck Purchases
Few video game series have made as much of an impact on their respective genre as the Halo series did by not only giving the genre a firm home on consoles but also by becoming a trailblazer for console online multiplayer.
In 2014, Microsoft would bundle the Halo saga in one streamlined package in Halo: The Master Chief Collection. MCC includes remakes and remasters of all the first-person Halo titles up to Halo 4, every multiplayer map up until that point, and the Nightfall live-action series. While the MCC initially got off to a rough start, particularly for technical issues and its multiplayer, MCC has since rebounded to become far and way one of the best bang-for-one's-buck purchases in gaming.