An anniversary edition can be a boon to gamers who missed out on a title's initial release. A later edition can address flaws or complaints with the original title and even add new content. For those who already own a previous version, these extras are enough to warrant an extra purchase.

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However, not every re-release is handled with such care. There are plenty of cynical and rushed cash grabs that either do the bare minimum or ruin what was once a great game. Some of the entries on this list are the definitive ways to play classic titles, while the others should be avoided at all costs.

10 Amazing: Perfect Dark Gets Released On Hardware That Does It Justice

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On the 10th anniversary of Joanna Dark's debut title, Microsoft, Rare, and 4J Studios released an HD remaster for Xbox Live Arcade. The original Perfect Dark pushed the limits of the Nintendo 64, but its ambition far exceeded the capabilities of the cartridge-based hardware. The HD version features a new character, weapon models with a higher polygon count, a widescreen aspect ratio, and even online multiplayer capabilities. The bump up to 60 FPS is also significant, as the original N64 version struggled to maintain a consistent 20 FPS. This is, without a doubt, the best way to play Perfect Dark.

9 Disappointing: Sonic Colors Ultimate Is full Of Bugs

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Sonic Colors is probably the most well-regarded 3D entry in the entire series, but it remained a Wii exclusive for a decade. With the blue blur's 30th anniversary coming up, it seemed like the right time to give this classic a fresh coat of paint and make it available for modern platforms. Unfortunately, Sega being Sega, the final product ended up being a glitch-filled port of a classic title. The Switch version's technical problems are especially egregious since Skyward Sword – another decade-old Wii game – saw a perfectly fine HD remaster for the same system. In addition, some of the artistic choices such as the remixed music were subject to criticism from fans.

8 Amazing: The Ico & Shadow of Colossus HD Collection Preserves These Works Of Art

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Released on the 10th anniversary of Ico, The Ico & Shadow of Colossus Collection was a fantastic way to play two titles that pushed the boundaries in gaming narrative. Bluepoint Games converted the game to HD while retaining the artistic vision of Fumito Ueda. Both games also have fully customizable controls for players who don't want to use the triangle button to jump. The collection includes the European version of Ico that had content lacking in the North American release. Shadow of Colossus probably benefits the most from this collection as it's finally on hardware that can do the game justice.

7 Disappointing: Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled Adds Micro-Transactions

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20 years after the release of Naughty Dog's last Crash Bandicoot title, Beenox recreated Crash Team Racing for a brand new generation of gamers. Everything was on point: the precise physics, the gorgeous updated visuals, and the addition of Nitro Kart's boost system. Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled had everything going for it.

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Unfortunately, Activision couldn't leave well enough alone and added micro-transactions to the game after all the rave reviews had been published. The great job Beenox did in updating the original game just makes the forced micro-transactions all the more heartbreaking.

6 Amazing: Monkey Island Special Editions Let Players Switch Between Old And New

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The Secret of Monkey Island and Monkey Island 2: Lechuck's Revenge are considered to be some of the best graphic adventure games of all time. The special editions released by LucasArts are great examples of how to do a remaster properly. The pixelated graphics have had a huge graphical overhaul with hand-painted characters and backgrounds. Both games have been given fully voiced dialogue from the cast of The Curse of Monkey Island, and the scores of the two games have been re-recorded with live instruments. Best of all, players can switch between the new and old versions with just a press of a button.

5 Disappointing: Sonic The Hedgehog Genesis Does What Nintendon't

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The blue blur doesn't seem to have any luck on his anniversaries. A version of the original Sonic the Hedgehog that players could take on the go seemed like the perfect way to celebrate the series' 15th birthday. Unfortunately, what fans got was a glitchy, broken, terrible-sounding facsimile of a classic game. Sonic the Hedgehog Genesis for the Game Boy Advance is an absolute visual and audio mess. The graphics are jittery and zoomed in so far that players can't see the hazards in front of them. Also, the iconic soundtrack is butchered with terrible midi renditions.

4 Amazing: Age Hasn't Slowed Down The Metal Gear Solid HD Collection

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Bluepoint Games once again knocked it out of the park with the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection. Supervised by series creator Hideo Kojima, the collection includes MGS2, MGS3, and Peace Walker in 720p and a widescreen aspect ratio.

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All the games look great and play just as well as they did before. Aside from the skating minigame from MGS2 and the Guy Savage dream sequence in MGS3, all three games are entirely intact. Unfortunately, near the 20th anniversary of MGS2 of all days, the collection was delisted from digital stores for containing historical archive footage.

3 Disappointing: The Silent Hill HD Collection Provides The Wrong Kind Of Scares

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Silent Hill 2 and 3 are widely regarded as some of the greatest horror games of all time, but the HD collection provokes the wrong kind of scares. Not only did Konami outsource the development of the game to a studio with no prior experience of the franchise, they also failed to give them the proper time, funds, or resources to port these games into modern systems. The final product is plagued with glitches and bizarre artistic liberties. The removal of the series' trademark fog not only diminishes the atmosphere of the original titles but exposes parts of the environment that were obviously never meant to be seen.

2 Amazing: The Legend Of Zelda Wind Waker HD Is Simply Gorgeous

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Of all The Legend of Zelda entries prior to Breath of the Wild, Wind Waker is the title that's held up the best visually. To commemorate Wind Waker's 10th anniversary, the game was given an HD remaster for the Wii U. Nintendo could have touched up the visuals on an already beautiful game and called it a day, but they went above and beyond the call of duty with this re-release. Players who hated changing the direction of the wind every time they sailed can now buy an upgradable sail that does it automatically, making the quest for the Triforce shards significantly less tedious.

1 Disappointing: Super Mario 3D All Stars Is Made Artificially Scarce

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Nintendo's mustachioed plumber is widely regarded as the face of gaming, and 2020 saw the 35th anniversary of Super Mario Bros for the NES. What grand plans did the big N have for the 35th anniversary of this icon? Turns out it was a bare bones HD collection of his most acclaimed 3D adventures that would be delisted from both digital and retail outlets within six months. Instead of provoking wistful memories of this hallowed franchise, this artificial scarcity led to countless jokes about how Nintendo was killing Mario. As far as an anniversary goes, Mario's 35th was an absolute embarrassment.

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