If you haven’t noticed, Zatu has a brand new website design. It’s only taken ten years! A bit like the best video games, even great things sometimes need a fresh coat of paint and a functionality spruce to turn a classic into a modern-day hit. To celebrate Zatu’s tenth birthday and the new site, we’re counting down some brilliant video game remasters you need to add to your library.
Pokémon HeartGold & SoulSilver by Lauren Skinner
As a Johto fangirl, any remakes of the original Gold, Silver, and Crystal games were going to be a hard sell. Thankfully, Pokémon HeartGold & SoulSilver (HGSS) are a true love letter to the games that both celebrate and expand upon your journey through the region.
HGSS feels exactly like the originals in tone and pacing. The calm, reflective Johto atmosphere is present, with remixed soundtracks that further emphasise the sense of exploration and quiet mystery these games brought.
Perhaps most importantly, the superior Crystal content was included – unlike many other Pokémon remakes, which pretended the third version of each generation never existed. We still have Eusine and his quest to find Suicune, two full regions, and Buena’s Password Show, which is a particular favourite of mine. We have more complete storylines, like the expanded role of the Kimono Girls, as well as additional content, like the Cianwood City Safari Zone.
And don’t even get me started on how every Pokémon can walk behind you in the overworld. Every single one has a cute, pixelated sprite, and they react to environments, moods, and events. It strengthened emotional attachment in a way no prior game had, and it’s clear the love and care that went into the design and implementation of every individual’mon.
HGSS preserved what made Gen 2 special whilst building on it and modernising intelligently. If every Pokémon remake could understand the assignment like these, I’d be a very happy Camper Trainer.
Silent Hill 2 by Sophie Jones
Silent Hill 2 could be one of the best horror games of all time. In fact, I think every horror game that followed has some element of Silent Hill 2 in its DNA. The story builds slowly, growing more unsettling as the psychological horror begins to take hold. The level design and the monsters aren’t just there to scare you, they feed directly into the plot and push everything forward. Almost every detail has some alternate meaning, and that depth is exactly what makes it so special. Released in 2001 on the PS2, there were plenty of players
who never had the chance to experience it first hand. Fast forward to 2024 and Bloober Team have done a fantastic job of bringing this classic into the modern age.
They haven’t skimped on anything. Considering how precious the game is to the community, I was worried about it being butchered, but I was glad to be wrong. The sound design is flawless, the updated graphics only elevate the atmosphere, and the tweaked story arcs make for a more coherent experience. I especially love the multiple puzzle difficulty settings, as the puzzles were always my favourite and now I can really crank them up.
Playing it again with smoother mechanics and visuals that actually show all that detail was amazing and sharing it with new players was even better. Silent Hill 2 is everything you want from a remaster, a classic brought back to life without losing a thing.
Resident Evil 4 by Jay Davies
When it comes to games that needed a glow up, Resident Evil 4 wouldn’t have immediately sprung to mind. The original was a masterpiece for its time. Capcom squeezed every last drop of power out of the vastly underappreciated GameCube, where RE4 made its 2005 debut as a console exclusive, surprising plenty of players who didn’t associate Nintendo with games of Resi’s ilk.
What followed was a slightly improved PS2 version the same year, a PC release in 2007, and then a whole raft of ports and HD remasters across various platforms, even mobile phones. After the success of the Resident Evil 2 remake, and the slightly less successful Nemesis one, Capcom finally gave us the RE4 Remake in 2023.
As I said, Resident Evil 4 didn’t NEED to be remade. It was already fantastic with very few real issues, especially compared with some other entries in the series, RE5 and RE6, I’m looking at you. It would have been easy to just make things prettier and release it as-is, but they didn’t. They overhauled the graphics, updated the controls, improved the AI, removed most of the dreaded QTEs, and added a load of new content, mostly for the better.
Whole areas have been expanded, especially the lake, and new shooting ranges let Leon test weapons and upgrades. Trinkets can be added to the attaché case for permanent buffs, and even the trusty knife has been reworked to be more useful but breakable.
Yes, there are microtransactions, but they feel like shortcuts rather than necessities. You could play the original and this remake back-to-back and get completely different experiences, and that, to me, is the mark of a great remake.
Dead Space by Sophie Jones
I promise I don’t just play horrors, but what can I say, some of the best remasters of the last five years really have been horror games. For those who don’t know, Dead Space first released in 2008, so it’s been a good fifteen years since the original graced our screens. Arriving on PS3 back then, I was excited to see how the PS5 would reinterpret this moody, atmospheric classic. The story follows Isaac as he heads to the Ishimura after it suddenly goes dark. As the crew’s engineer, there isn’t much Isaac can’t fix, but this mission is personal, his girlfriend is the medical officer on board.
When they arrive, things are definitely not right. Chaos quickly ensues and Isaac is forced to turn his tools into weapons as Necromorphs have taken over the ship. The original was terrifying, thanks to claustrophobic corridors, intense sound design, and that ever present darkness. The remaster somehow pushes it even further. The enhanced audio feels like it surrounds you, making the scares more oppressive, and Isaac is now fully voice acted, which breathes real life into the plot instead of feeling like a string of fetch quests. New scenes help the story flow better too, and I especially liked what they did with the ending.
Improved mechanics make the gameplay sharper, but it’s the care given to the story that really stands out. This is how you do a remaster, by respecting the whole experience, not just touching up a few textures.
Fallout 4 by Jay Davies
So, this one TECHNICALLY isn’t a remaster or remake, but Bethesda do love a good re-release.
Until recently they seemed obsessed with Skyrim, with 2021’s Anniversary Edition feeling like the 2,789th official release over its ten-year lifespan. I jest, although I genuinely can’t find a definitive number of ports and re-releases, so it might not be far off.
The Fallout side of things had ’76 to get into shape, but with the MMO finally starting to impress and a lot of hype generated by the excellent Amazon TV show, attention turned to Fallout 4’s approaching tenth anniversary.
Fallout 4 Anniversary Edition is a bundled re-release that includes all six DLC packs, the Creations system, and Verified Creator Program content, allowing a huge range of modifications to be downloaded and applied. Although it’s not a full remake, this edition bundles years of content and quality-of-life updates that make it feel like a refreshed classic worth revisiting.
Personally, I enjoyed getting back into the wasteland after almost nine years. Some of the Creations are great, though more variety would be welcome, but for me the bundled DLC was the real highlight, as I bought the Pip-Boy Edition at launch and never played beyond the base game.
The Anniversary Edition received a mixed reaction due to rumours of a full remaster that came from leaked court documents. Expectations were set high, which led to disappointment, although to be fair Bethesda didn’t promise anything they didn’t deliver.
Fans would probably forgive this perceived misstep if those rumours turned out to be about Fallout 3 or New Vegas instead. With the TV show heavily referencing New Vegas, a proper remaster has to be on the way… doesn’t it?
Spyro Reignited Trilogy by Lauren Skinner
Growing up with a game often means you fall prey to nostalgia, preferring the older, more janky versions over anything new and improved. The Spyro Reignited Trilogy did such a good job with its remakes that I hardly miss the PS1 originals at all – playing the new games feels exactly like playing the classics, just with fresher graphics.
Spyro controls almost identically to the originals. That proves how strong those games were to begin with, as hardly any quality-of-life updates were needed, and it helps both new and returning players pick things up with ease. Whether Spyro is charging, gliding, or using flame attacks, the momentum and physics feel just right.
The graphics are obviously much better, but Spyro, Hunter, Moneybags, and Sparx are still instantly recognisable as the same lovable, or loathable, characters. Spyro’s animations are more expressive without being overdone, and I love that the developers didn’t chase realism for the sake of it. The levels have been carefully refreshed too, more detailed yet still clearly the places I remember.
The music is just as important. The soundtracks are fully remastered, with the option to switch between the original PS1 tracks and the new versions at any time, a choice that earned plenty of goodwill from fans.
These remakes feel like Spyro as it would have been in the 2000s if the technology had been ready, honouring the originals while welcoming players old and new to soar back in with enthusiasm.
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered by Sophie Jones
This game first came out in 2006, and for most people their introduction to the Elder Scrolls universe was Skyrim, but for me it was Oblivion, and I played it endlessly. I had it on PS3 and PC and tried every race, though my favourite had to be the Nord for the sheer strength. You begin as a prisoner who is unexpectedly released when the King needs safe passage through your cell. On the way he is assassinated, and suddenly you’re pulled into a quest to find the true heir to the throne before the realm collapses into chaos. Oblivion Gates start appearing across the land, powerful Daedra pour through, and to make it even more epic, the heir is voiced by none other than Sean Bean.
If you never played it, or loved it back in the day, this remaster is well worth picking up. It brings Tamriel to life with sharper graphics and far fewer glitches, well, fewer than you normally expect from a Bethesda game, a studio famous for calling any bug a feature. I genuinely can’t believe how beautiful it looks now. I always thought the original was stunning, but this overhaul really shows how far things have come and makes the world far more accessible to new players.
Beyond the visuals, there are welcome improvements to the levelling system, a cleaner UI, and, finally, a sprint button. Not every flaw has vanished, enemies still scale in frustrating ways and the Oblivion Gates remain a bit repetitive, but those quirks were always part of the charm. It isn’t the most flawless remaster on this list, yet nostalgia alone makes it a must play.
There are so many remasters out there that I haven’t even touched on all the Last of Us versions, mainly because there are too many to count. I’m sure in a few years we’ll be back talking about even more. But for now, if you loved these games when they first released, their remasters don’t disappoint, with updated controls, sharper visuals, and smoother gameplay. If you want to check out the remasters we covered before, head over to our blog for Top 5 Video Game Remakes and Remasters.
Here’s to the new website and to another ten years of Zatu.
About the author:
* Sophie is a gamer, blogger, podcaster, and book lover with a passion for solo narrative video games. When she's not immersed in games or writing, she's probably out hiking. Her favourite board games feature worker placement, nature themes, and smart tableau-building mechanics.
