Technology has finally reached a point where the greatest old school video games can be properly updated for the modern era.
Many of our favorite games from the '90s and early 2000s feature amazing stories, concepts, and gameplay, albeit with graphics that no longer shine. Updating, remastering, or in the case of Final Fantasy VII: Remake, entirely remaking from the ground up, can bring a beloved game right back into the pop culture limelight. But just because a game doesn't boast the massive fanfare surrounding powerhouse titles like Final Fantasy VII and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, that doesn't mean it's not worthy of an update, too. In fact, underrated titles might benefit even more from a 2020 polish.
The Legend of Dragoon
Released for the original Playstation in 1999, The Legend of Dragoon was a massively cool JRPG wherein all of your characters had the power to transform into dragons. The story was clearly influenced by Final Fantasy VII, featuring permanent character deaths and a silver-haired antagonist; but then again, so were half the other games that came out after FF7. Most importantly–and again, this bears repeating–all of your characters can transform into dragons.
Unfortunately for The Legend of Dragoon, Final Fantasy VIII released right around the same time and completely overshadowed it in the public eye. Of course, FF8 is a great game in its own right and absolutely deserves a remake too, but let's be honest: That's definitely going to happen. The Legend of Dragoon, on the other hand, was a sleeper hit, and a remake holds the potential to give it the mainstream success that it always deserved.
Perfect Dark
Every N64 fan worth their kinda broken, see-through purple controller has fond memories of growing up playing the single greatest first-person shooter ever made—GoldenEye 007.
Except, here's the thing: Perfect Dark was better. In fact, Perfect Dark was literally made by the same develops as an upgraded, spiritual successor to GoldenEye 007. Perfect Dark had better multiplayer options, smarter AI, and a badass female protagonist. Better yet, the game was rated "M" for Mature (instead of GoldenEye 007's paltry "T" for little babies), so enemies would sometimes shout obscenities after you disarmed them and then shot them in the d*ck while they cowered with their hands over their hands. Lame-o GoldenEye didn't even let you disarm people in the first place.
There's also an alien named Elvis who you can force to wear an American flag tank top, and if that's not something that deserves to be brought into the modern era, then this world is no longer worth salvaging.
Parasite Eve
Parasite Eve's very existence was an anomaly. It's a horror game based on an acclaimed Japanese novel, and developed by RPG powerhouse SquareSoft (best known for the Final Fantasy franchise) as their first M-rated venture. As such, the gameplay is a bizarre mix of RPG, action-adventure, and survival horror. And it's f*cking great.
While Parasite Eve is unfortunately short, the gameplay features far more depth than its contemporaries, namely the original Resident Evil which ultimately boils down to a point-and-click with very slow third-person shooter elements. Parasite Eve also featured a much spookier monster than zombies, in the form of an ancient creature named Eve who could telepathically make other living organisms combust. Parasite Eve's creativity and complexity felt far ahead of its time in 1998, and a modern remake absolutely has the potential to take the horror genre by storm.
PaRappa the Rapper
PaRappa the Rapper is, quite possibly, the most bizarre game ever created. You play an anthropomorphic, beanie-wearing dog named PaRappa who wants to win the affection of a girl named Sunny Funny whose head is a flower. In order to do this, you must rap. Why? Who cares. You're PaRappa the Rapper.
Rapping takes the form of rhythm games, so hitting the right buttons makes PaRappa rap, and hitting the wrong buttons makes PaRappa...not rap well. Although, to be fair, PaRappa is the most G-rated rapper in history, dropping verses about baking a cake and stuff, so messing up isn't exactly going to cost him any clout.
Amazingly, PaRappa the Rapper actually did receive a PS4 Remaster in 2017, but this is really a game that requires a full-on remake. PaRappa the Rapper is charming and wholesome during a time when the world needs a whole lot more charm and wholesomeness. It's weird enough to inspire endless memes. And, quite honestly, the original only features 6 raps, so, you know, we need some more.