Written by Jonathan Lee. July 25, 2017. 11:30 PM. Tweet to: @Writerscube
The Nostalgia Age
It’s been out for a while now. Square Enix has been busy, and Final Fantasy 12 was re-released in glorious HD on Playstation 4’s everywhere! And so far it’s been getting a pretty warm, sometimes super enthusiastic, reception from fans.
We all know that Square Enix has been cashing in on the nostalgic desires of its fans: Final Fantasy X (PS3, PC, PS4–can I be the first to call that it’ll be re-released on the one-day-to-come PS5 in 4K?), Kingdom Hearts (I’m not even going to count all the decimals in their titles), and let’s not forget the more recent Tomb Raider (2013) that was given a “definitive” transfer to the PS4 after it’s PS3 success. It’s clear that fans like to have their favorites brought to the more modern platform. They don’t want to leave them behind! I don’t either!
And that Final Fantasy 7 remake? I think we’re all excited for that.
But there’s more than just Final Fantasy-related titles. Whether or not they have Disney characters bouncing around the place in them, out there on the shelves of your local game store, probably sits one of these gems that you’ve been missing out on. (Until now! No need to thank me.)
Let’s take a look, shall we? Hopefully you’ll remember some of these.
These Diamonds Are (Should Be) Forever
Parasite Eve
The first gem that comes to mind is Parasite Eve. The monster design was disturbing for its time, probably the best part of the game, really. The gameplay was like a marriage between Resident Evil and SquareSoft’s Active Time Battle system. And the story wasn’t half-bad. What made it stand out was just how different it was. You weren’t fighting zombies. You weren’t fighting big-headed aliens from polygonal spaceships. It was like what if Japan got its hands on John Carpenter’s The Thing, and mashed it with a fever dream. Imagine how these creatures would look in HD? How about 4K? Square Enix, get to it!
At the moment, it’s only purchasable through the Playstation Store for the PS3. If you haven’t tried this game, I highly recommend it!
The Bouncer
The Bouncer! Can’t you hear it? That dude at the start that always says the title. This beat’em up action game had some impressive co-op, and a story with multiple endings that didn’t disappoint. The characters weren’t anything special but they at least were unique enough to not forget them. It was a departure from Squaresoft’s standard line up of JRPGs. And I thought it was a brave move. It took what games like Fighting Force had and took it the extra mile. It’s unfortunate that a remake is unlikely for this one, however. Despite it having a devoted following, it doesn’t seem to have convinced SquareEnix to look back on the title.
Unfortunately, this game isn’t available on the Playstation Store. You’ll have to find a PS2 and an old copy of this game to try it. (So get to that local game store and find it before someone else who reads this does!)
Einhander
Geez, where do I begin? This bullet-hell-esque side-scrolling shooter was a blast with your usual power-ups, ship models, and awesome bosses. Gameplay-wise it didn’t stray too far from formula. It’s aesthetic appeal was undeniable. And goodness gracious, someone made up something like gun pods to finally explain the on-the-go weapon pick ups that your ships do in any shooter.
With better game development tools and much more powerful machines out now, I think this game could be brought back and given new life! The bullet hell shooter genre has been on a resurgence for the past handful of years. Thanks to platforms such as Steam, developers big and small have been able to churn out some great titles to rekindle the interest. If you ask me, it’s the perfect time for Einhander to come back!
Chrono Trigger
Speaking of gems of the past, how about some of that time-traveling Chrono Trigger? I’m going to take a slight detour here. This title should be preserved as is. It’s not exactly a small game. It may be harder to remake this in HD (a total remake). Hear me out. With Final Fantasy 7, the developers already have some 3D references to work with. Chrono Trigger doesn’t have any. The ground-up design work would need a lot of time. Sadly, it may get lost in Duke-Nukem-Forever-Development-Hell. I’m sorry, my fellow JRPG fans–I wouldn’t risk this one. Some titles might be best enjoyed as we remember them.
What Else Should Be Remade?
Did you like this list? What other games by SquareSoft/SquareEnix do you think should be given a chance at being remade in shiny HD? Do you think Chrono Trigger should be given a chance? How should SquareEnix pull it off? On the subject of SquareEnix–who’s excited for Kingdom Hearts 3? Let us know in the comments below!