Despite some mixed feelings, I tend to get excited for big video game remakes, especially ones that aim to reimagine classic experiences for modern audiences. But within every hype cycle for one of these remakes lies a kernel of sadness at a missed opportunity.
When Nintendo unveiled Star Fox (2026), a from-the-ground-up recreation and reimagining of 1997’s Star Fox 64 made exclusively for Switch 2, I rushed to pre-order a physical copy, even if I felt some of the character models were weird. When Ubisoft announced Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced, a remake of the best Assassin’s Creed game ever made, I quickly requested a review copy, and I can’t wait to sail across the Caribbean once again, this time with sharper graphics and smoother combat.
On a fundamental level, I see no issue with Nintendo and Ubisoft going back to these wells. The original versions of both titles are readily available on modern hardware, so it’s not like either one risks total replacement. Additionally, they both appear reasonably priced, something players can’t always expect in the midst of the current events. Star Fox 64 and Black Flag are two incredible games, and soon fans and new players alike will have newer ways to play them.
Ultimately, though, that’s part of the problem I have with these remakes: The originals are already great. They were great back in the day, and they’re still (mostly) great now. Sure, each one has its rough edges, but they’re far from unplayable, even by modern standards. Star Fox 64’s controls still work about as well as you could possibly expect from an on-rails shooter from the ’90s. Black Flag doesn’t have all the fancy bells and whistles that come with more recent AC titles, but its world is still breathtaking, its story still riveting, and its ship combat still a blast.
What about the games that weren’t considered great during their time, or simply just needed a little more time in the oven? Do they not deserve similar treatments? Do gamers seriously need more ways to play the same classics over and over again?
Look at the Rougher Diamonds
Interestingly enough, Star Fox and Assassin’s Creed are both franchises with multiple titles that could probably use a second chance. Star Fox Assault for the GameCube was a somewhat ambitious effort that added on-foot missions to the franchise for the first time, though janky controls and a repetitive mission structure marred the overall experience. Star Fox 2, a completed but unreleased Super Nintendo title that the Big N didn’t officially make available until 2017 with the SNES Classic Edition, added real-time strategy elements and deeper combat mechanics to the mix, but was held back by the limitations of its console.
Meanwhile, Assassin’s Creed Rogue — a game released a year after Black Flag that recycled many of its assets — tells one of the more fascinating stories in the entire series, yet contains mountains of technical issues and bugs with little in the way of gameplay innovation or intrigue. Hell, even the original Assassin’s Creed could use a shake-up, as it pioneered tons of fascinating stealth mechanics and open-world systems but couldn’t quite shake off its reputation for being repetitive and boring at times.
The one essential thing Star Fox Assault, Star Fox 2, AC Rogue, and the first AC all have in common? They fundamentally had good ideas but — for a number of reasons — failed to fully execute on their respective visions. Still, there’s a good game inside each of these examples, one that could really flourish and resonate with audiences if given the remake treatment that so many great titles receive every single year. Why should they be exempt?
It’s Not Unprecedented
Consider what Square Enix is doing with its approach to remaking Dragon Quest games. Sure, JRPG fans often laud Dragon Quest III: The Seeds of Salvation as one of the best games in the series, so a remake of that one was sure to be a success, but the same can’t be said for polarizing entries like Dragon Quest II: Luminaries of the Legendary Line and Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past.
The HD-2D remake of DQII added so much to the story (as well as some truly incredible post-game content), making it now arguably my favorite entry in the whole franchise. Dragon Quest VII Reimagined, meanwhile, took what was one of the most tedious games in the series and improved its pacing and battle system to be smooth as butter (though maybe a little too smooth at times). In both cases, the folks at Square Enix determined that both of these titles — which, in fairness, had been remade/remastered before — had truly special elements within them that were worth reshaping into something more people could enjoy.
Look, I get it. Remakes of games people already love present less of a financial risk than remakes of less beloved titles. Still, I’d like to see more big companies take such risks. The true classics will usually remain classics for generations, but new players deserve a shot at a better Star Fox Assault or Assassin’s Creed Rogue just as much as Star Fox 64 or Black Flag.
Closing Thoughts
All this has me thinking about the rumored Switch 2 remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (which, to be clear, has not been officially announced). Ocarina of Time is my favorite game of all time, arguably the greatest video game ever made, and something I personally return to every few years. If it gets another remake — let’s not forget the excellent 3DS version — I will 100% buy it and play it day one, likely with aplomb. That said, I don’t need another version of Ocarina of Time, since I still enjoy playing the original N64 version to this day.
You know what would really excite me, though? A reimagining of The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures, a bizarre multiplayer GameCube game that required players to each connect their own Game Boy Advance in order to get the full experience. What if Nintendo decided Four Swords Adventures could work with four Switch consoles with online play, or figure out a way to play offline with CPUs? It’s the only mainline Zelda game I’ve never played, so I’d be ecstatic about the chance to finally play an enhanced version of it. I’d feel the same way about full remakes of the mostly ignored DS Zelda games, or even Zelda II: The Adventure of Link. I know I’ll love Ocarina of Time again, but I’d jump at the opportunity to try a new take on one of the franchise’s less-liked entries.
The new Star Fox will probably resonate strongly with me, as will Black Flag Resynced. That alone probably justifies both games’ existence. But it’s also more than worth it to investigate the island of misfit toys and see if any of them can shine when given another shot at the limelight. At least that way it wouldn’t feel like we’re just playing the same games over and over again.
Sam has been playing video games since his earliest years and has been writing about them since 2016. He’s a big fan of Nintendo games and complaining about The Last of Us Part II. You either agree wholeheartedly with his opinions or despise them. There is no in between.
A lifelong New Yorker, Sam views gaming as far more than a silly little pastime, and hopes through critical analysis and in-depth reviews to better understand the medium's artistic merit.
Twitter: @sam_martinelli.
