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With the Spyro Reignited Trilogy looking as epic as ever, it got me thinking. What other classic video games trilogies are there out there that would make for great remasters? The PlayStation brand has had so many that it would be fantastic if companies would invest in bringing them back. I am not talking about just porting them to PS4 with 4K resolutions and higher frame rates but actually remastering them from the ground up as we have seen Crash Bandicoot and the upcoming Spyro game has done. Here are some awesome PlayStation classic trilogies and collections that need to be re-released as exactly the same game but for the modern age.
Jak and Daxter
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Before Naughty Dog was the award-winning studio responsible for Uncharted and The Last of Us they made Jak and Daxter. In a way, it was their answer to Insomniac Games' Ratchet and Clank and starred two unlikely heroes. The series was a third person action adventure with some heavy story elements as you took the role of Jak and Daxter as they explored the world to uncover the secrets of the Precursors. The original trilogy released on PS2 with it being remastered for PS3 and re-released again for PS4. The thing is, the PS4 release was simply the PS2 ports of the games so they look dated as ever. If there was ever a trilogy to bring back from the ground up for PS4 it would be Jak and Daxter. The series has everything you need to be a successful modern-day port.
Silent Hill
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While the Silent Hill games have spanned over a few generations, it was the first three that shook the industry when they released. Silent Hill 4: The Room is not considered a Silent Hill game in my opinion and if you read up on the development you would see that it was actually a last minute decision to re-brand the game as a Silent Hill title. The first three games would make for a fantastic re-release as the industry goes wild for horror games these days. Resident Evil 7 proved that there is always space for a good scare game and who better to own the spot than the original horror itself. I would love to explore that deserted school on modern tech.
Ratchet and Clank
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Yes, I know. Ratchet and Clank were recently remade but it was just one of the three awesome games in the series that needs your attention. We waited forever for the first game's remaster and while it was great, it was just the beginning of the Dr Naferious saga. There are two more that I would love to see come to life. If anything Ratchet and Clank's golden years were on PS2 when they appeared in the first trilogy and then Ratchet and Clank: Gladiator. We need these back in our lives.
Dino Crisis
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The original PlayStation was the home for horror games. Resident Evil, Silent Hill and much more made their debut on the platform. But it was Dino Crisis that really challenged the norm by creating a horror game about Dinosaurs. The series proved that you don't need to have zombies to make a scary game as Dino Crisis was a heart-pumping experience. The first two games released on PlayStation with the mediocre third game on PS2. I would be happy with Capcom releasing just the first two games again.
Gex
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In the age of platformers, Gex was a great trilogy. Sure it was very repetitive with you revisiting the same level a few times over but it ranked up there with the likes of Crash Bandicoot and Spyro The Dragon. The series followed the story of a gecko named Gex who sets off on an adventure to stop the evil Emperor Rez from taking over the Media Dimension. This meant that you travelled to all sorts of pop-culture worlds inspired by American TV. It was something very different from the other platformers on the market. It would be great to revisit the game and reminisce about all the references from the 90s.
Croc
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Yet another platformer that released in the 90s and no they are not shoes. I remember playing the hell out of the Croc series. The first game titled “Croc: The Legend of the Gobbos” was set to challenge the likes of the Super Mario series and while it was not on the same level, both the first game and the sequel managed to deliver their own unique take on the genre. King Rufus, hungry with power locks up all the Gobbos in the kingdom and it is Croc's job to save them all. He adventured through various lands to collect them. Each location testing your wit and skills at platforming.
Tomba
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Tomba, or as I know it, Tombi was one of my all-time favourite RPGs. The series mixed platforming with an RPG system that saw Tombi set off on a quest to stop evil pigs from taking over the lands. Throughout the game, Tombi would have to fight his way through enemies like pigs, dragons and other deadly creatures as he tried to hunt down each pig and capture them in a pig bag. While this sounds very out there it was actually one of the finest games of the generation. The first game especially had a unique cartoon art style that set it apart from other games. The second game was more modern but it still brought a great experience to the table. Tombi would make for a fantastic remake as we are in dire need of good side-scrolling RPG platformers.
Resident Evil
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Capcom is not scared to make sure every single one of their games is playable on every single platform under the sun but a simple port is not enough these days. Sure, the first three Resident Evil games were great but they are dated and in dire need of a makeover. This is where our hopes lie that one-day Capcom will stop porting and they will remake the first three Resident Evil games for current hardware. In the end, they are the only three that matter.
Metal Gear Solid
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While I am not a big Metal Gear Solid fan I do appreciate how fantastic the first few games were. They were also vital to the PlayStation's success back in the day and they would make a great remake. The Fox engine is a gorgeous technical marvel so if Konami could stop making spin-offs that no one wants and maybe pay attention to their past endeavours then we could have a great trilogy on our hands. They will probably re-release the Metal Gear Solid HD collection before the end of this generation but in my opinion, that is simply not enough by today's standards.
Tomb Raider
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Shadow of the Tomb Raider may be releasing this year but we must never forget where Lara came from. The first few Tomb Raider games were where it was at in the 90s and if you did not lock Alfred in the freezer then you were not a real gamer. While I would love to say Eidos should remake the first three games, the series actually had a few games that were fantastic. We had the first three games then The Last Revelation and Chronicles. That makes five awesome Tomb Raider games in total. I would even settle for a simple port of these games as without the clunky movement what would the series be?
Street Skater
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It seems that no one can get skateboarding games right these days so why not go back to the time where they were the best experiences on the market. Street Skater was one of EA's best games back in the day as it merged an arcade-like skateboarding experience with a casual trick system, a great art style and not to forget the soundtrack….that damn soundtrack. While the second game did not go down as well as the first, both of them would find a home in the modern age where skateboarding games are missing in action.
Ape Escape
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Back when the original PlayStation was released, it came without an analogue controller. Sony then released the future of gaming pads with the first ever DualShock and to mark the release, a DualShock-exclusive game came along with it. Ape Escape saw players travel through time to catch apes by using the analogue controllers for movement and actions. It was not a gimmick like many games released alongside hardware these days. It actually had a great story, platforming mechanics and combat. The game then got a sequel and the third release on PS2 that expanded further on the story. Sony then screwed the series over with a PlayStation Move-exclusive game which we will pretend never happened. Come on Sony, release all three games again for us and leave out the gimmicky Move title.
Crash Bandicoot
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Before you bash me in the comments, I know that Crash was recently re-released but guys I think we are forgetting the best of the best games. What about Crash Team Racing (CTR), Crash Bash, Twinsanity, and Nitro Kart? These were also awesome Crash Bandicoot games that everyone loved. They also marked the last great releases in the series before Radical Entertainment completely ravished the name with their Crash of the Titans and Mind over Mutant releases. The series still has some potential in it that I believe everyone should play once. Crash Team Racing was the best couch co-op of the 90s bar none.
Tenchu
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In a world where stealth games are limited to the Assassin's Creed series, Tenchu would fit into the fray quite nicely. The original game still goes down as one of the best PlayStation games ever made and it set the bar for stealth games to come. Set in feudal Japan, the game followed a pair of ninjas, Rikimaru and Ayame, as they served the heroic Lord Ghoda. The two ninjas set out to stop an evil sorcerer named Lord Mei-Oh from using Onikage to wreak havoc on the lands. The game was an awesome stealth action adventure that was something new and fresh in the industry. It, along the sequel, would make for a fantastic remake in the modern age.
Twisted Metal
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The PlayStation days were full of destruction when it came to cars and the Twisted Metal series was and still is one of the best. While the first two games were okay, Sony really hit the nail on the head when Twisted Metal 3 debuted. The game's combat, soundtrack and multiplayer were the finest in the series and it stood out among other racing games on the market. The levels took you across a post-apocalyptic world set in the near future, the past and even some strange places like Santa's workshop. Who cared where you went anyway as long as you could blow your friends up with rockets. While Sony did release a modern Twisted Metal game back on the PS3, it would be the first few that would make any gamer's day.
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