Top 10 Games that need a HD Remaster

Sometimes games need to be remade. Sometimes they need to be remade multiple times. But, other times they just need a little tweaking. This is typically a facelift in the graphics department, with the majority of the game going untouched.

These types of upgrades (typically dubbed HD Remasters) have become popular during the last generation of gaming, and with titles like The Last of Us Remastered and upgraded ports of Grand Theft Auto V taking center stage, it looks as though the HS Remaster trend is going to continue for the foreseeable future.

If that's the case, why not make a wishlist of games that deserve a facelift of their own? Some of these are standalone games, and some of these are multiple titles from a series lumped together, but here's ten HD Remasters that I'd love to see.

10. Jade Empire

Bioware is a company that made itself popular first by Baldur's Gate and their take on the Star Wars universe, and then on its epic Mass Effect and Dragon Age titles. Because of that, it can be somewhat hard to remember some of the studio's other works. It's a bit of a shame too, as some of their lesser known output, Jade Empire in particular, explore settings and scenarios not as often seen in gaming as the fantasy and sci-fi molds their bigger hits tend to stem from.

Jade Empire takes its inspiration from Ancient China, which is a setting not often seen from video games beyond China itself. This change of setting allows for some interesting design decisions that allow for wonderful, interesting locales. Other than that, the game is wrought in typical BioWare fashion. There are plenty of quests and side quests to embark on, more than enough people to talk to flesh out the world, and multiple endings that depends on a good/evil metric that changes depending on the choices you make throughout the game.

Actually, the game isn't too bad to look at, even nowadays; the game was originally released in 2005, but overall the game has aged alright. Still, an HD Remaster would really make the Oriental styled world of Jade Empire come alive, and offer BioWare fans a little something to stem the wait of Mass Effect 4.

9. Thief (The Dark Project, The Metal Age, Deadly Shadows)

When the reboot/sequel to Thief released a bit earlier this year, fans of the series were excited to lurk through the shadows, looting valuables while avoiding confrontation. However, the game failed to impress the Thief fanbase and mainstream critics alike, receiving middling reviews and a fair bit of scorn.

So, if fans aren't happy with the new title, why not give them what they want, with some updated graphics? The earlier Thief titles are well-praised for what they do differently than the norm; mainly, it's focus on stealth rather than confrontation. Garrett is not a strong man, and having to fight guards and trained fighters will typically lead to his death. Therefore, players have to rely on the shadows to remain hidden and get to the goal, in hopes of never being spotted.

The only problem with the previous Thief games is that they don't look all that great graphically, anymore. Like it or not graphics can be a very big deal to gamers, and Thief's subpar graphical nature is bound to scare more than a few people away. If anything the new Thief entry had some good looking graphics… wouldn't it be nice to have the mechanically more sound titles with assets similar to the 2014 game?