As a veteran gamer who’s seen the rise and fall of countless game franchises, I can’t help but feel a pang of nostalgia when I read about these forgotten classics. Each one of these games, especially Dino Crisis and Parasite Eve, holds a special place in my heart from my formative years in gaming.
An unfortunate reality of the video game industry is that a lot of games only ever get one release. If you miss out on a game when it first comes out, you often won’t get a second chance to play it. For that reason, we’ve seen a lot of remakes and remasters pop up in recent years, but there are lots of great games in desperate need of this treatment, including several in the horror genre. Shockingly enough, many of these games are owned by major publishers, making their lack of wider availability all the more puzzling. To give these companies a push in the right direction, ComicBook has assembled five horror games in desperate need of a second chance on modern platforms.
5. I’ve been itching to replay The House of the Dead: Overkill! This gem from the House of the Dead series really stands out among its remasters, and I believe it deserves special attention. Originally released on Wii in 2009, this rail shooter embraced the franchise’s campy acting and storylines with a grindhouse cinema-inspired flair. The new approach was spot-on for the series, with dialogue and gore that felt delightfully over-the-top. The game’s absurdity only added to its charm, making it one of the funniest and most enjoyable games in the series. Unfortunately, despite being later ported to PS3, Overkill is currently unavailable on modern platforms; Sega should definitely bring it back!
4. Resident Evil – Code: Veronica
3. “Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem” – A one-of-a-kind video game published by Nintendo, “Eternal Darkness” was initially released on the Nintendo GameCube in 2002. Despite not being a commercial success at the time, it has gained a dedicated fanbase over the years. This distinctive game took players through a historical journey where they had to prevent an otherworldly threat inspired by Lovecraftian lore from taking over the world. As the characters delved deeper into darkness and terrifying situations, a “Sanity Meter” would fill up, triggering “Sanity Effects” that interacted with the player in unusual ways. These Sanity Effects could make it seem like the TV volume was decreasing or that data on the memory card was being erased.
As a devoted fan, I can’t help but express my longing for a follow-up to the classic game that Nintendo created. Unfortunately, neither a sequel nor a re-release on another platform has ever graced our screens. However, with the vast user base of the Switch console, it seems like the ideal moment for this timeless game to make its comeback.
2. Dino Crisis – Back in 1999, Shinji Mikami, the director of Resident Evil, unveiled Dino Crisis on the original PlayStation. Essentially, it’s a blend of Resident Evil and Jurassic Park. With adversaries that were more aggressive and terrifying than those in the Resident Evil games, Dino Crisis seemed destined for multiple sequels. Regrettably, the series has been inactive since 2003. Fans have long pleaded for a remake similar to Resident Evil, and even polls worldwide listing which Capcom series needed a new installment ranked Dino Crisis at the top. Modern consoles could make the game’s creatures much more fearsome than they were initially, and envisioning a remake of the first game on PS5 or Xbox Series X is exhilarating. Whether this will become reality remains uncertain, but for those interested, the original game is now available on PlayStation Plus.
In the era of original PlayStations, Square’s games predominantly revolved around turn-based RPGs. However, 1998’s Parasite Eve stood out as an exception; it combined RPG elements with survival horror. The game follows police officer Aya Brea, one of the few survivors from a terrifying incident at an opera where the audience suddenly burst into flames. Aya embarks on an investigation in New York City during Christmas time. Given its themes and setting, Parasite Eve seems ripe for a remake on modern platforms. With Square Enix currently working on remakes of games like Dragon Quest III and Final Fantasy VII, it’s high time for Parasite Eve to receive the same treatment, making it the next classic game in line.
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2024-10-31 00:12