10 old-school games that deserve an HD makeover

While every video game nowadays touts high-end graphics with more polygons than geometry class, this wasn't always the case. These are games that, while visually impressive for their time, we'd like to see get an up-to-date, high-definition facelift for our current viewing (and playing) pleasure. Comix Zone (Sega Genesis) Comix Zone's graphics were designed by comic book artists. Naturally, it had to have gameplay within comic panels -- replete with bright colors, talk bubbles, Comic Sans font and onomatopoetic words followed by exclamation points (e.g. POW!!). The side-scrolling brawler was one of the last great Sega games released for the 16-bit Genesis; if the comic book classic was revamped, it'd probably show up the crop of bad superhero games out now. Earthworm Jim (Sega Genesis) The story: An ordinary earthworm named Jim fights evil by acquiring the "ultra-high-tech-indestructible-super-space-cyber-suit" built by Professor Monkey-For-A-Head. Chock-full of wacky characters with hyphenated names, the game was universally praised for its humor and cow-launching gameplay. However, we'd love to see a graphical upgrade of arch villain Evil Queen Pulsating, Bloated, Festering, Sweaty, Pus-filled, Malformed, Slug-for-a-Butt. (Who wouldn't?) Einhänder (PSone) The graphics for this side-scrolling space shooter were a combination of 2D and 3D elements. The camera remained mainly in the 2D perspective, but the backgrounds and ships were rendered in 3D. Plus, during boss fights and cut scenes, the camera would shift around your spacecraft at different angles -- just to look cool. Maybe if Square-Enix would quit with all the Final Fantasy spin-offs, they'd have time to remake this title. GoldenEye 007 (N64) There have been plenty of James Bond games, but none have ever matched the quality that GoldenEye 007 had at the time. Hell, some gamers would even say this game is still better than any Bond title to-date. While GoldenEye's single-player missions and multiplayer deathmatch mode still holds up, its once top-notch graphics could use a major update -- even if it's just so we could tell apart Bond girl Natalya from a murderous Russki. Kirby's Adventure (NES) The platformer starring the pink puffball was released late in the NES life cycle, and it was apparent that the game took full advantage of the 8-bit system before it went to the big console graveyard in the sky. Simply compare it to other NES fare, and you'll notice more intricate backgrounds and more character sprites than its predecessors. Though the title got a GBA remake back in 2002, we think the Kirbster deserves an extreme makeover back on the (relatively) big screen. Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver (PSone) The sequel to Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain, Soul Reaver has players taking on the role of a revenge-seeking vampire-wraith named Raziel. The game was praised for its dark, gothic story and atmosphere, which made for stunning (and creepy) visual effects. It was considered to have some of the best graphics ever seen on the PlayStation. If updated for today, it would give games like God of War a run for their money. Shenmue (Dreamcast) The ambitious adventure-RPG followed young Ryo Hazukias on his epic journey to avenge his father's death. While that sounds like typical Japanese RPG fodder, the visuals were not. Shenmue's gameplay divided critics, but none could argue that the game's open-world visuals and unprecedented interactivity make it a notable benchmark in gaming history. Until Shenmue is remade or gets a new game, we will continue having bar brawls and questioning random townsfolk on our own time. [Note: The picture above is from Shenmue 2.] Star Fox 64 (N64) In the classic scrolling space-shooter, players take on the role of Fox McCloud and his ship, the Arwing. The game's seamless animations and lighting effects were some of the best seen on the N64. Though more Star Fox games came out on subsequent Nintendo consoles, none matched the overall quality of this title; re-releasing this with updated visuals would make fans of the Fox very happy, since there are sadly no sequels planned anytime soon. Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars (SNES) Taking the clearn, colorful and cheery graphics of Mario games and rendering them in 3D was a hit for the Italian plumber's first console role-playing game. It won heaps of awards for "Best Graphics," and was lauded for having the greatest visuals for any RPG on the SNES at the time. If Super Mario RPG got a modern-day visual renovation, we'd imagine it would be like if you were actually taking mushrooms in the Mushroom Kingdom. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (SNES) An instant classic upon release, the game looks as it if had been hand-drawn with crayons. It could have come out looking like it was designed by a five year old, the results were a unique and memorable style that sticks with gamers to this day. While we wouldn't want to change that too much (so settle down, guys), updating the game from crayons to say, hi-def colored pencils, wouldn't hurt it one bit.

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