Dead Space and Resident Evil 4 have been two of the most talked about games of 2023 so far. It’s odd because they are remakes of games that came out over a decade ago. Did they surpass their review scores from back then?
Well, that’s the big question, right? Unfortunately, not many remakes do score better than the original games even if they are technically better in almost every way. Numbers are a funny thing, so let’s take a look at these fine examples to paint an odd little picture. Is the review system a little flawed on Metacritic or are these remakes quantifiably worse games?
8 Cave Story
This was originally released as a free PC game in Japan. It eventually made it to the Wii and Cave Story got an 89 on Metacritic. There have been several ports to consoles after this including a digital download on 3DS. The original version is not the only one to make it to the portable system though because it was also remade on the 3DS.
Cave Story 3D is the same game, but with a few tweaks here and there along with full 3D models as opposed to pixelated sprites. It’s also a good game, but less so with an 82 on Metacritic.
7 Crash Bandicoot: Warped
Crash Bandicoot: Warped is the only mainline game that appeared on the PS1 reviewed on Metacritic with a score of 91. There are other games from the PS1 era like Crash Team Racing and Crash Bash, but they aren’t important right now. Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy was a remake collection that packaged the first three games together into one neat little experience.
The highest-scored version was on PS4 with an 80. How would the other two games compare to that score? It’s hard to say, but once again nostalgia for the original platform wins out here.
6 Final Fantasy 7
Final Fantasy 7 was a massive hit and the aggregate reviews of 92 proves that. It turned non-RPG players into fanatics for the genre and for Final Fantasy as a brand. The remake is something completely different, and it makes a little sense that it scored lower.
It’s not a 1:1 conversion and is instead more like one part of a planned trilogy of games. The PS4 version got an 87 while the PS5 port did slightly better with an 89. Yuffie really stepped up what was already a great experience in Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade.
5 GoldenEye 007
GoldenEye 007 redefined multiplayer on the N64. It was also a big leap forward for licensed-based games on movies which usually turned out poorly. It is the best-reviewed game in the James Bond series of games to date. So, it came as no surprise when a remake was announced, but there were some odd choices made along the way.
Daniel Craig replaces Pierce Brosnan as Bond in the remake on Wii since he was the current character in the movies. Is that why the remake got an 81 instead of a 96 on Metacritic?
4 Luigi’s Mansion
Some may not know this but at one point Nintendo thought about incorporating 3D into the GameCube’s design. Luigi’s Mansion was one of the games they planned to use it with but the idea was scrapped early in the development cycle of this Mario spinoff. The game would eventually get 3D support via the 3DS remake.
There’s not much of a difference between the two review scores as the original got a 78 while the remake on 3DS got a 74. Apparently, the 3D wasn’t enough to make it better in the eyes of reviewers.
3 Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga was the third RPG offshoot the Mario series received. This time, Mario was constantly aided by his brother as the other sole party member. Battles were still turn-based with random commands, making it one of the more active RPGs at the time. It got the well-deserved score of 90 on the Game Boy Advance.
Years later, it got a 3DS remake via Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser’s Minions. The main game was a 1:1 recreation of the original, but there was an extra mode that was sort of like an RTS featuring Bowser commanding his horde of soldiers. The remake received an 81 on Metacritic.
2 Metal Gear Solid
The PS1 pushed the industry forward in many ways and Metal Gear Solid was one of the games that helped. The stealth gameplay had never been done to that extent before. The storytelling was epic with plenty of dialogue to spare with its unique characters. It is one of the best-reviewed games on the system with a 94.
The GameCube got an exclusive remake, Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes, and that got a respectable 85. It has never been re-released off of that system. It’s a shame too because, in many ways, it’s almost a completely new experience.
1 Resident Evil 4
Resident Evil 4 is the hottest remake on the tip of everyone’s tongues right now. It was the highest-reviewed game in the series with the GameCube original getting a 96. Surely a remake with new bells and whistles did better, right? Well, while 93 on PS5 isn’t bad for the Resident Evil 4 remake, it is not a 96.
No matter the score, Capcom is still probably stoked by the numbers because this thing is selling like hotcakes. Fans can surely expect more remakes in the series to appear after.