10 Video Game Remakes & Remasters That Surpassed Expectations
6. Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy
During E3 2016, Shaun Layden casually crossed the stage backed by the familiar musical theme and shadow of one Crash Bandicoot, confirming everyone's pipe dream; Crash was back. The announcement was brief yet exciting, but little did everyone know how much of an effort it took to bring the former Sony mascot back into the mainstream.
For one, developers Vicarious Visions had to re-create every level from scratch based on the original geometry left behind by its creator, Naughty Dog. This wasn't a coat of paint but a completely new take on the trilogy, painstakingly mimicking the same look and feel of the originals so that it played exactly as fans remembered.
On top of that, they re-recorded every line of dialogue, added back in a previously cut level, allowed fans to play as Crash's sister Coco across more levels and even had the time to create a brand new level to Crash 3: Warped.
The results speak for themselves, with the trilogy selling in the millions and later ported to Xbox One and Nintendo Switch. The not so surprising success led publisher Activision to green light a remaster of Crash Team Racing and, if rumours are true, a whole new game.