5 upcoming video game remakes of old school classics

Video game remakes are the bread and butter of the industry, as is the case for most forms of entertainment media. If a product is too old, slapping a new coat of paint on it can make a good sell, if done right, of course.

That is not to say that remakes are a bad thing. If enough attention to detail is put into them, and there is actual dedication by the developers, remakes can be great. The key is to balance a new experience for the player while making sure there is still enough nostalgia in it.

Over the last couple of years, there have been many remakes of fan favorite video games from the past, and many more have also been announced. Here, we take a look at five upcoming video game that take on the responsibility to remake some beloved old school classics.

Note: This article reflects the writer's opinions

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5 video game remakes of old school games coming in the future

1) System Shock

The original System Shock was a first-person action adventure video game, released for various PC platforms in 1994. Set inside an orbiting Space Station in the year 2072 in a cyberpunk future, the game and its sequel serves as an inspiration for other video games like Deus Ex and Bioshock.

A remake was said to be in the works by Night Dive studios in 2016, as part of a Kickstarter campaign, which gained quite the momentum and proved to be hugely popular. The studio has since gone on to say that the remake is “largely complete” with a late 2022 release date.

The remake uses Unreal Engine to build the world of the original game from the ground up, and involvement of many people who worked on Fallout New Vegas, Bioshock and Mass Effect. Based on all promotional material, this looks to be quite the experience. Fans should get ready to face off against SHODAN once more.

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2) Prince of Persia: Sands of Time

In development since 2020 in Ubisoft India, this is a remake for a video game much beloved by many gamers who got into video games in the early 2000s. Despite a few developmental hitches, the remake is now being completed by Ubisoft Montreal, the same studio that made the original game.

The original Prince of Persia: Sands of Time sees the start of a new story with the protagonist, known only as the Prince, embroiled in a plot by the game’s antagonist, the Vizier. The game launches a trilogy of adventures, which hopefully the remake might also accomplish.

While combat is simple and involves two buttons and directional input for the prince to perform various moves with his sword, one key aspect of the video game was the ability to rewind time, which made it so fun to play. This is possibly one of the many things players will be looking forward to when the remake finally releases.

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3) Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

In 2021, Aspyr announced that they were working on a full remake of the original Knights of the Old Republic video game. This was an RPG set in the Star Wars universe, which was originally developed by BioWare and released on July 15 2003 for a host of platforms, excluding the playstation.

One of the original hits from BioWare, the original game is now known as one of the best Star Wars games of all time, telling an interesting plot with complicated characters and a great narrative. The game also allows players to travel to multiple different worlds and meet various characters.

With Aspys headlining the project, along with the help of Saber Interactive, this remake seems to be in good hands. While not much is yet known about this game, if the narrative remains faithful to the original outing and the graphics are retooled for the modern era, fans will have little to complain about.

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4) Gothic

The classic action adventure role-playing video game, Gothic, is being remade by THQ Nordic. While no release date is set as of yet, the developers have released a free playable teaser for fans, which can be downloaded via Steam.

The story of the original game is reportedly being left untouched, which saw the player start off as a prisoner who receives a letter requesting them to go and find the Order of the Magicians of fire. From then on, the story unfolds, taking the player to various locations and making new friends and enemies.

The open world environment of the game was quite impressive for its time, being released in 2001. Hunting was an optional activity which netted players with meat, which could then be consumed, sold or cooked. Players could also take part in non-essential tasks such as playing a musical instrument or stirring a soup pot.

If the remake can keep all this still a part of the gameplay, it would truly be a great RPG experience.

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5) Dead Space

The original Dead Space was developed by EA Redwood Shores and released in 2008, with the overarching concept being Resident Evil, but in space. Needless to say, they went above and beyond the said concept with the finished product. This game was such an authentic horror experience that picking it up today is still a choice to be considered twice.

The remake was announced on July 1, 2021, by Motive Studios. The plot will seemingly remain the same, with protagonist Issac Clarke arriving at the USG Ishimura mining vessel in space to investigate why it has gone radio silent. The reason was that parasitic aliens had taken over the entire crew, turning them into horrible mutants, known as necromorphs.

Basic combat also remains the same, as seen in some promotional videos. The iconic plasma cutter makes a return, which is able to slice off the limbs of the necromorphs with a few hits. The graphics and sound design are highly improved, as well as the physics.

Necromorph models now have layers that will react to the weapons used on them to display realistic gore. Thus, fans of the original game have much to look forward to.