In our current video game climate, remakes and high definition remasters are as common as new IPs. But in the early 2000s, they were few and far spread. Back then, if a game did get a remake it was a pretty big deal and usually had a clear reason as to why it was brought back. There was no "release a game and then give it an HD remake two years from now" for a quick cash grab.
Because of the time and attention to detail that remakes received in the 2000s, we got some of the best across gaming history. Whether it was the extreme value collection we got in the Metroid Prime Trilogy or the re-haul we saw in Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix. Here are the ten best from that decade.
Updated October 27, 2021 by Michael Abayomi: We've updated this list to include two additional entries. One of them is a remake to one of the most beloved Hideo Kojima titles from the PS1 era while the other dates back to the NES.
12 Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes
When Metal Gear Solid was originally released on the PlayStation in 1998, it had taken the gaming world by storm with its highly cinematic presentation and engrossing story. And that presentation would receive a significant boost just six years later in the form of the GameCube exclusive, Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes.
Remade from the ground up to take advantage of the capabilities of the new console, the game had introduced several enhancements first seen in Metal Gear Solid 2 on the PS2, like the ability to shoot in first-person amongst other things.
11 Metroid: Zero Mission
Metroid: Zero Mission was a remake of the original Metroid on the NES from 1986. Released on the Game Boy Advance in 2004, it basically retold the same story from that game, but with updated graphics and several gameplay enhancements.
This was at a time when the Metroid franchise had already made the transition to 3D in 2002's Metroid Prime, with a sequel to that game set to release a few months later. So for many fans of the series, it would mark their first exposure to a 2D Metroid game, along with Metroid Fusion, which was also released.
10 Resident Evil (GameCube)
Gamers weren't ready for a game like Resident Evil in 1996 -- it was poop your pants kind of scary. Sure many of its greatest scares came from the lack of good controls mixed in with tight environments, making you freak as a zombie or dog made its way towards you. That said it was the best of its kind back in the '90s -- and it doesn't hold up one bit.
The original looks hideous compared to the ugliest of games today and those controls are unbearable. Good luck trying to get a young horror game fan to appreciate RE1's greatness. So, you do what anyone would do and give them the GameCube remake which is superior in every way.
9 Final Fantasy III
Up until 2006, Japan was the only country where you could play Final Fantasy III. And to make things even funnier, Japanese fans praised it as one of the best in the franchise. So Square Enix decided they wanted to print cash and partnered with Matrix Software to make a FF III remake for the DS.
It may not look it, but this game pushed the DS to the limit giving the game a unique cartoony style that has been adapted in other titles. It was one of the first big remakes any portable system had received and likely opened the door for all the future remakes on the 3DS.
8 Animal Crossing
Fun fact of the day: the first Animal Crossing on the GameCube is technically a remake of an N64 game released in 2001 called Dōbutsu no Mori (Animal Forest). The game soared in popularity in Japan so Nintendo reworked the game a bit and released it as Animal Crossing in North America the next year.
There really isn't much you can say about the game that hasn't been said -- but if you haven't played this version it's certainly worth dusting off an old Wii or GameCube for. There are many elements in it that didn't make it to other AC games and it's just as addicting as any of the other titles.
7 Pokémon FireRed & LeafGreen
Yes, the original Red and Blue took the world by storm, but it really felt like these games solidified Pokémon as one of the most popular handheld games ever.
It was also the first time that Pokémon developer's GameFreak went back in the franchise to take the series forward. This likely inspired their actions done with Omega Ruby and Alpha Saphire. In terms of remake FireRed and LeafGreen improved upon the original in every which way. You know a remake is good when there really isn't any point in returning to the original except for historical reference.
6 Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix
Street Fighter II has been remade so many times that it could be its very own franchise outside of the main series. In total there are six different versions of Street Fighter II, some that have advanced the game in other ways and others that seemingly do nothing except re-purpose the original game.
Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix is one of the few good remakes in the bunch, despite the polarizing reception from fans. Capcom got UDON Entertainment to update the graphics and they gave it this crisp cel shade that looks very pretty.
5 Conker: Live & Reloaded
Conker: Live & Reloaded is probably the best game that Rare ever developed for Xbox. The game was an incredibly solid package with the single-player being a remake of the cult-classic N64 platformer Conker's Bad Fur Day. And Rare attached a new multiplayer mode that featured up to 8-on-8 deathmatch combat.
The updated single-player alone makes this a formidable deal as Conker's Bad Fur Day is one of the best platforms ever. But the added multiplayer made this a deal you just couldn't pass up. Hopefully, we see Conker return to Microsoft's lineup again as it just isn't the same without him.
4 Metroid Prime Trilogy
The Metroid Prime series was one of the biggest surprises in gaming. Up until that point, Metroid games were some of the best 2D dungeon crawlers of all time -- so it didn't seem like Nintendo had any intensive to change up the formula too much. Then came the GameCube, where the Metroid formula was flipped on its head creating some of the best FPS adventure games of all time.
Pixelated graphics were a thing of the past with an all-new 3D look that still holds the test of time. In case you never got around to the series, The Metroid Prime Trilogy is the best way to play the games today.
3 Bully: Scholarship Edition
Bully was one of the greatest left turns in gaming ever. Rockstar had a bit of an eclectic library with Grand Theft Auto, Manhunt, and Midnight Club all under their belt, but it wasn't until Bully that they became a company capable of going anywhere.
Sure the game was a lot like GTA for kids as you played as James "Jimmy" Hopkins, the school's new delinquent who can't get away from trouble. But you can tell Rockstar had a blast developing the game, whether it came to the Bully's endless list of mini-games or the dialogue which is some of the best across all of their games.
2 God Of War Collection
If you ever want to crash in for a weekend and play the entire franchise from start to finish there's no better game to do it with than God of War. It's one of the few gaming series that get's progressively better -- delivering ridiculously over-the-top boss battles, gory satisfying combat, and a story that will leave you on the edge of your seat.
Moments where you scale the bodies of colossal titans, or slowly torture a god after you defeat them, are some of the most shocking and incredibly enjoyable in any game ever. Words can't do these games enough justice; just play them and find out for yourself.
1 Counter-Strike: Source
Counter-Strike: Source may just be a graphics update to one of the greatest multiplayer first-person shooters of all time, but it's without a doubt one of the most significant games on Steam. The original CS was remade in Valve's Source engine where they updated the game's most popular maps along with all-new physics to improve upon the original formula.
For a long time -- and even in some respects still -- people recommend buying this game as one of the first things you do when you create a Steam account. It's a game that'll remain forever timeless and thankfully lacks the micro-transactions and lottery skin system in CS:GO.