It wasn’t all that long ago that gamers were complaining about the glut of remasters and remakes flooding the market. These days? Well, things have changed, and with Activision being a frontrunner with some of the most successful remakes, it makes sense that the publisher would want to dip back into its back catalogue for inspiration.
Activision has confirmed that several of its past hits will be getting the remake treatment this year, but what games are they? I don’t know. All I know is that I want the following games to be remastered; otherwise, I’m starting a one-man protest that could potentially turn into a two-man protest, if I can get little Charlie involved…
Here are 7 classic games that Activision should remake next.
1. Tony Hawk’s Underground
Let’s start with the obvious, and let’s face it, one of the most likely series to get another remake. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2 was pure fire when it released and I stayed up well past my bedtime to play online – something I’ve not done since I was a teenager.
Vicarious Visions captured the lightning again with the remake, staying faithful to the original games. What’s to say they can’t do it again with Tony Hawk’s Underground? THUG was an instant hit when it released. It broke away from the standard Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater formula to give players more choice. You could create your own skater, customise them to your heart’s content, and then go on to skate amongst the best skaters in a fairly decent story. Yes, a Tony’s Hawk’s game with a story. It was once a thing, and it was glorious.
2. Call of Duty 2
Look, the modern games are great and all that, but Infinity Ward’s Call of Duty 2 still stands as one of my favourite Call of Duty games of all time. It had it all – fighting on several fronts against the evil Nazis. The gameplay was exciting and cranking up the difficulty turned it into a quasi-simulator, where one wrong peek around the wrong corner could spell disaster. I can’t speak for the online multiplayer, mind you, as I was just a wee nipper when the game released, but yeah, bring it all back. Everything. Oh, and the story expansions. What, you didn’t know that Call of Duty games used to get single-player story expansions? Times have changed…
3. X-Men Legends
I’ll be straight with you – I don’t even know if this is possible due to licenses and all that other legal stuff. But Activision has lots of lawyers who are paid handsomely, so if they can’t make it so that Activision can remake one of the greatest X-Men games ever, they don’t deserve their jobs. And yes, X-Men Legends is one of the greatest X-Men games ever, but the bar was quite low anyway. In fact, many players today won’t even know what I’m talking about. But the old guard, those who grew up collecting Pogs from crisp packets, they’ll know exactly what I’m barking on about.
4. Gun
Do you know what we all need after spending the last two years traipsing around Red Dead 2’s old west? More old west to mooch around, and Activision has just the thing in its stockpile with Gun.
The game was well-received back in its day, and it even got a PSP version that players could take on the go. Looking back, yeah, it doesn’t look like much, but surely a lick of paint – alright, throw a few buckets at it – and some modernisations could give Rockstar a reason to do something other than count all the shark card money they’re collecting. Besides, we need more cowboy games, and I don’t really care who makes them. It just so happens that Activision has one in the bag. Any publisher people watching this on their lunch break – Cowboy games sell, make more!!!
5. True Crime
Activision may have been ahead of the game when it came to putting cowboys in our hands, but Rockstar had them beat with open-world city-based games. It took Activision a long time to catch up, but when they did, they released True Crime: Streets of L.A, and honestly, it was miles better than anybody expected. Today? It’s pretty shite. I actually tried to play this one over the Christmas break and I couldn’t get my head around the controls. The meat may be rotten, but the bones are intact. True Crime actually got a sequel set in New York before cancelling a Hong Kong version that eventually became the massively overlooked Sleeping Dogs. Again, this one may have some licensing issues behind it, but again, if those ambulance chasers can’t do their jobs, they need to be sacked, because we need Nick Kang back, pronto.
6. Guitar Hero 3
Yes, once again, licensing blah blah blah means that this is an outside bet, but my god, if those bastards managed to pull it off, well, they’ll sell a few copies, won’t they? I’ve still got the corpse of Guitar Hero Live sitting behind my TV, but I’d happily throw more money at plastic crap if it meant playing this legendary game again. Heck, don’t even remaster it. Don’t even remake it. Just port the original and call it a day. I love this one because it was my introduction to the Guitar Hero series after my mate sam left his copy and a guitar at my house one night. I spent the entire night playing The Killers’ When You Were Young. I started my journey a complete novice and by sunrise, I was an expert. I’m at an age where being an expert in anything is going to be difficult, so give me this one, Activision. Please. Make an old man feel young again…
7. Vigilante 8
Do you know what Destruction AllStars has made me realise? I like my car combat to come with guns and zero stupid fucking dances. Enter, Vigilante 8, a game where all the cars come with guns and rockets, and there’s not a single dancing prick in sight. B-e-a-utiful.
This is truly a golden oldie and you’ll have to be pushing 30 to remember it, but if you do, you’ll know what I mean. The classic mayhem of throwing your 4×4 up and down those snowy slopes while avoiding rockets, bombs, and everything else truly felt like you were at the wheel in a Hollywood movie. Didn’t they make a game based around that? Better forgotten, but Vigilant 8 is a strong possibility, and if it doesn’t come out before 2022, I promise I will replicate every ridiculous Fortnite-wannabe dance from Destruction AllStars. You have my word.*
You do not have my word.*
