10 Best Gaming Remakes Of This Console Generation

As we stand on the cusp of the next generation of consoles, looking back over the past seven years has made one thing readily apparent: Developers have become very, very good at transmuting video games' past into modern day gold. While there has been the occasional disappointment (RE3Make) and the occasional dumpster fire (MediEvil), by and large the gaming industry has become extremely proficient at updating vintage games for the modern age.

While there's definitely a discussion to be had on whether the industry's increasing reliance on mining inspiration from its past is a good or bad thing, this article will be a celebration of the times this generation turned past masters into modern classics. From old mascots being granted a new lease of life to fading franchises being gloriously redeemed, the eighth console generation has been a treasure trove of nostalgia for older gamers. It's also allowed our younger counterparts to understand why these games are so revered by removing the inconveniences that come with age (terrible voice acting, excruciating load times and polygons so sharp they qualify as lethal weapons).

So before we dive back into the past once more with the upcoming Demon's Souls Remake, let's tip our hats one last time to the remakes that allowed us to party like it was 1999 all over again.

Majora's Mask's tale of Lynchian mask sellers, permanently grimacing moons and grotesque man-children seared itself into the minds of those who played it back in the year 2000. Fourteen years later, Nintendo decided to traumatise a whole new generation of gamers with the 3DS remake.

Majora's Mask's oppressively apocalyptic atmosphere and nightmarish world (no benevolent God would suffer Tingle to exist) have made it something of a cult classic among Zelda fans, and the 3DS remake is undoubtedly the best way to experience it. The graphics may look dated in the cruel light of 2020, but they're still leagues ahead of the muddy textures and jagged edges of the original release.

Crucially, the 3DS version includes a number of Quality of Life upgrades that make the game much more palatable for a modern audience. Save points are more numerous, and the Bombers' Notebook (sidequest journal) is far more useful in the remake.

Nintendo also remade another Zelda classic with Link's Awakening this generation, but given that game's infamous frame rate issues and lack of meaningful upgrades beyond the new game engine it's Majora's Mask that gets the nod from us.