Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – Definitive Edition is out now, and while it has its fair share of issues and isn’t the best remaster out there, it certainly scratches an itch. It brings three genre-defining games to new platforms and to a new audience. That got us thinking, and so here is our wish list of great open-world games from over the years that we’d love to see getting remastered (or even remade).
Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag (2013)
Ubisoft hasn’t shied away from remastering older Assassin’s Creed games, so there’s a strong likelihood that Black Flag could as well. And it really should because it is unanimously hailed as one of the best in the series for its fantastic game world, pirate theme, great characters and for introducing naval combat, which would go on to become a franchise staple.
Red Dead Redemption (2010)
We loved Red Dead Redemption 2, but the fact that its predecessor skipped the PC is a tragedy. Red Dead Redemption holds up quite well even today, and with a few graphical upgrades and gameplay refinements, it could well hold its own with most modern action-adventure games. And let’s face it: Rockstar owes it to its PC fan base.
Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition (2010)
With the three games before it already getting remastered, and with Rockstar’s recent crackdown on GTA IV mods, it’s only a matter of time before this becomes a reality. This is a game that divides opinion among GTA fans, but what is undeniable is the quality of the game’s Episodes from Liberty City expansions. They’re both fantastic and, depending on whom you ask, even better than the base game. Just take your time with it, Rockstar, and give us a solid remaster this time.
Sleeping Dogs (2012)
Sleeping Dogs is an undeniable classic and while fans have had to give up hope of ever seeing a sequel, we’d love to revisit Hong Kong and step into the shoes of Wei Shen one more time. The game has aged well and even today plays and looks great, but it would be fantastic to get an upgrade all the same, possibly with a few gameplay tweaks. And hi-res pork buns.
Mercenaries 2: World in Flames (2008)
Mercenaries 2 is one of those games that didn’t stand out as especially great when you played it solo, but was an absolute masterpiece in co-op. Along with the equally underrated The Saboteur – which also we’d like a remaster of, by the way – this was one of Pandemic Studios’ final games before it was shuttered by EA, and we’d love nothing more than to jump back into this explosive action-adventure with some buddies.
Midnight Club 3: Dub Edition (2005)
If street racing, over-the-top body kits, whacky paint jobs and chrome and LED accents were your thing, there was Need for Speed Underground, and then there was Midnight Club. At the height of the success of Fast and the Furious and the popularity of tuner culture, Rockstar launched Midnight Club 3: Dub Edition, and no racing game came close to the variety and depth of customization offered by this game. And the racing action wasn’t bad either. Rockstar went on to release Midnight Club Los Angeles in 2008, but we’d really love to see an remaster – or even remake – of Midnight Club 3 that would also finally bring the series to PC.
The Simpsons: Hit & Run (2003)
To this day, The Simpsons: Hit and Run remains one of the best examples of film or television adaptations to video games, while still bringing plenty of new ideas to the table. Springfield was your playground, complete with all the famous locations and characters. And in signature Simpsons’ fashion, the game also packed in tons of satire that pulled from other popular games like GTA. While not entirely open world, the game had open-ended maps and you got to control each of the Simpsons (except for Maggie, obviously) as well as Apu across various levels. It’s a game that would be a blast to play even today – thanks to the timelessness of The Simpsons – with a new lick of paint and updated controls.
True Crime: Streets of LA (2004)
True Crime: Streets of LA was often unfairly labelled as a GTA San Andreas clone, when in fact it launched before Rockstar’s classic and did many things differently. The game was hailed for its meticulous recreation of Los Angeles as well as its story line, but was plagued by some technical and graphical issues. Nothing a solid remaster won’t sort out.
The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction (2005)
There was a time before Rocksteady’s Batman Arkham games when superhero games were mostly terrible. Ultimate Destruction bucked that trend with an open-world Hulk game that was everything you wanted it to be. The game conveyed the Hulk’s superhuman strength and destructive abilities in a way that subsequent games, including the recent Marvel’s Avengers, have failed to do. So until someone makes a game worthy of The Hulk, we’d love to revisit this classic.
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