Remakes can come in all shapes and sizes for video games. They can be remasters like with Mass Effect in 2021 which just polished up the graphics. They can reach as far back as the NES to bring over a game like Famicom Detective Club to the West for the first time via the Switch. That was a 1988 NES game in Japan to be clear before it got remade in 2021.

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They can even be considered re-imaginings or reboots of a franchise while still keeping the same name. Focusing on remakes specifically, what has been some of the biggest so far and how have they changed, if at all, besides some shiny new graphics.

10 DuckTales: Remastered

The box art featuring Scrooge from DuckTales: Remastered

The original DuckTales game launched in 1989 for the NES. It would get remade with this version hitting digital platforms like the PS3 in 2013. The Graphics were redone to make them look more like the cartoon of which it is based.

There was also more of a story along with voice work from the original cast added. The gameplay and levels, while tweaked a bit, were virtually the same though.

9 Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadow Of Valentia

Celica and Alm from Fire Emblem Echoes
Celica and Alm from Fire Emblem Echoes

This game launched originally in 1992 for the NES in Japan under the name of Fire Emblem Gaiden. This remake hit the 3DS in 2017.

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Besides the graphical overall, this game implemented a lot of changes that evolved up to this point with the series overtime such as the more casual nature of the difficulty, by choice that is. The story was given more depth and the added bonus of DLC added more levels.

8 Final Fantasy VII Remake

Yuffie and Sonon from Final Fantasy VII Remake

Final Fantasy VII releases first in 1997 as a PS1 exclusive. The long awaited remake was a PS4 exclusive but is now available on PS5, too. This was more like a re-imagining as there were many changes made.

The combat is now action based. New characters were added and story bits were dramatically changed even though it follows most events semi-faithfully in Midgar. The biggest change of all is that it is barely covers an eighth of the PS1 game.

7 Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain Of Memories

Castle Oblivion from Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain Of Memories

Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories was a 2004 launch for the Game Boy Advance. It was like a remake itself or more like a "demake" as it followed the same levels from the original game albeit with card based combat now.

The remake turned those pixels into polygons, but followed the same trail to the end. The biggest difference aside from the graphics was the added bits of story and voice work when it came to the PS2 in 2008 for North America.

6 Luigi’s Mansion

The box art featuring Luigi and ghosts from Luigi’s Mansion

Luigi’s Mansion was a launch game for the GameCube in 2001. It then got remade for the 3DS in 2018. The game is almost exactly the same in terms of the level design. The mechanics were tweaked to make it feel more modern on the 3DS though.

The biggest addition was the 3D option which was actually planned for the original when Nintendo was considering 3D support for the GameCube as a whole.

5 Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes

Snake and Liquid from Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes

Metal Gear Solid first hit the PS1 in 1998. The remake launched in 2004 for the GameCube. Besides the graphics, there were two major changes that made this remake controversial. First of all, it added more flashy cut-scenes to make it more of an action epic, some of which were memed heavily even at the time.

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The second change is that it implemented the first-person viewpoint when aiming a gun like in Metal Gear Solid 2. The original game was not designed to have players be able to see in this viewpoint which made some instances like boss fights very easy by comparison.

4 Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu! And Let's Go, Eevee!

A Pokemon battle from Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu

This 2018 remake is based off of Pokemon Yellow, on Game Boy, which was a 1999 release in North America. That itself was a remake or more like an enhanced port of the original games. As this contains Team Rocket’s anime counterparts of Jessie and James, that’s why it is believed to be Pokemon Yellow’s remake.

While the game follows the original’s almost beat by beat, there are two major changes aside from graphics. One, Pokemon don’t have to be battled to be caught. Two, Pokemon not found in the original’s could be seen in this Switch version.

3 Ratchet And Clank

Exploring the city from Ratchet And Clank 2016

Ratchet and Clank got the PS2 in 2002. It would eventually get a reboot/remake in 2016 for the PS4. It was made in an effort to tie it into the movie.

The game barely resembles the original as it is also like a re-imagining akin to Final Fantasy VII Remake. The core duo is still there along with tons of guns and some familiar planets, but by all accounts it also felt like a brand new game.

2 Resident Evil 2

 Leon at RPD in Resident Evil 2 Remake

Resident Evil 2 began on the PS1 in 1998 and would later get a remake in 2019 for most major platforms including the PS4. The best way describe the remake is bigger. The streets of Raccoon City, the police station, the sewers, and the Umbrella facility were larger in scope.

Gameplay also evolved, taking work from the latest entries in the series and no longer adhered to tank controls. Perhaps the biggest change was Mr. X being more present.

Talking to the witch in The Legend Of Zelda: Link's Awakening

The Legend Of Zelda: Link's Awakening was a 1993 Game Boy game. It did get a Game Boy Color enhanced version a few years later, but the most major remake was the Switch version in 2019. By and large it is the same exact game almost to a fault.

There was a new dungeon maker mechanic but it was not as complex as something like a Super Mario Maker. Besides a few gameplay tweaks here and there, it’s still the same adventure albeit with a much prettier coat of paint.

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