This week a new leak suggested that Horizon: Zero Dawn (which is just 5 years old) would be the next game to roll off Sony's remaster production line. We don't know whether it'll be a free next-gen spruce-up, a £70 re-release or somewhere in between, but that didn't stop the internet from bursting into its usual flames of fury as it so loves to do.

Anyway, enough has been said about that this week I think, and here at The Week in Games I try to keep complaining to a minimum - so I'm not going to talk about that. No, instead of telling you which games I think shouldn't be remade, I’m going to highlight a few classics that I think should.

And I'm going to start with my own personal most wanted...

ICO

Team ICO and Japan Studio's seminal action/puzzle/platformer is one of gaming's most important and influential titles. A game that was (is!) unlike anything else and one still regularly put forward as 'Exhibit A' in the games-as-art debate. Director Fumito Ueda's PS2 classic is a stunning, dreamlike experience that reportedly persuaded none other than Souls, Bloodborne and Elden Ring creator Hidetaka Miyazaki to pursue a career in game design.

A Bluepoint Studios remake akin to the stunning Shadow of the Colossus and Demon's Souls remakes - just leave the game as-is and slap on some next-gen visuals - would be lovely.

Power Stone & Power Stone 2

These Capcom classics are two of the greatest multiplayer brawlers the industry has seen, yet despite excellent reviews and their fan-favourite status remain locked away on arcade and Dreamcast (and PSP) hardware. Power Stone 1 & 2 are an absolute riot, with tight gameplay, wonderful characters, imaginative arenas and a host of weapons and projectiles adding to the chaos.

With online multiplayer and a nice resolution bump this is a series that feels perfectly suited to - and long overdue - a modern update.

Metal Gear Solid

Hideo Kojima’s PS1 stealth-action masterpiece has actually already been remade once in developer Silicon Knights’ lavish GameCube reimagining MGS: The Twin Snakes. But that was way back in 2004, and not all of the game's changes were well received. Also, its GameCube exclusivity meant that, quite simply, not enough people played it.

A modern-day Metal Gear remake has been heavily rumoured for a while now, but despite a lack of concrete evidence it’s probably safe to assume that one would be very warmly received indeed.

Jet Set Radio & Jet Set Radio Future

Released during one of Sega's most creative periods, Jet Set Radio is a relentlessly stylish Dreamcast graffiti-em-up that is still unlike anything else out there. Well, except for it's own sequel, which landed on Xbox two years later. Jet Set Radio Future's rather unfortunate awards of ‘Best Game No One Played on Xbox’ and ‘Most Unfairly Ignored Game’ by GameSpot and OXM should give an idea of just how underappreciated that one was.

Indeed, neither game set the world alight in terms of sales, but an impossibly cool aesthetic and peerless soundtracks ensure they remain effortlessly fresh to this day. Both games deserve another chance to wow a new generation of players.

Eternal Darkness

Hamstrung by poor sales of the GameCube, Silicon Knights' Eternal Darkness is a title begging for a remake. The first M-Rated title published by Nintendo, this psychological horror combined elements of both Resident Evil and Silent Hill and added ingenious elements entirely its own. Most notably the game's "Sanity Effects" which would increase in regularity with enemy encounters.

These effects ranged from creepy in-game moments where statues would watch you and walls would bleed, to stunningly naughty fourth-wall-breaking tricks such as your screen ‘turning off’, your entire inventory disappearing, fake game resets and even messages confirming that your saved data had been successfully erased.

Far too few people played this bold and brilliant game, but everybody should.

Banjo-Kazooie / Rayman 2 / Jak & Daxter

Ok I'm going to be a bit cheeky and include three games here. To me, the first Jak & Daxter, Banjo-Kazooie and Rayman 2 are the finest 3D platformers not bearing Mario’s name. And all three are long overdue an update. Sure, Jak & Daxter got a PS4 upscale and Banjo an Xbox port, but they (and Rayman) really deserve more.

With the help of indies the humble 3D platformer has been enjoying a bit of a mini-resurgence of late, and these are true genre classics released during some of the genre's most fruitful times. All three are worthy of a second spell in the spotlight.

Crazy Taxi

Anyone who's dabbled with emulation in their time will probably know how utterly phenomenal Dreamcast games can look upscaled to 4K and with proper widescreen hacks. An official Crazy Taxi update with that irresistible gameplay intact, the even-at-the-time-horrendous pop-in eliminated and online leader boards added is a very appealing thought indeed.

Just as long as we can get the original licenses and that Offspring soundtrack back too yeah? (yah-yah-yah-yah!)

Viewtiful Joe

Another game that suffered due to its timed GameCube exclusivity, Viewtiful Joe was a blisteringly cool side-scrolling beat-em-up with stunning comic book art direction and laser-focused gameplay.

Given the recent mini-revival of old-school side-scrollers, surely one of the best and most beautiful of them all would be well received on modern consoles, and hopefully find the wider audience it always deserved but the GameCube couldn't quite give it.

Enslaved: Odyssey to the West

Co-Written by Alex Garland and featuring performance capture from Gollum himself Andy Serkis, Enslaved was well reviewed but for some reason never really hit a chord with audiences. It's a special game though, and despite its availability on Xbox backwards compatibility a nice remaster or remake would be very welcome indeed.

And who knows, maybe its stunning nature-reclaiming-the-world post-apocalyptic environments would be better received this time around, following the success of similar worlds in the likes of The Last of Us and Horizon.

Pilotwings / Wave Race / 1080° Snowboarding

Ok so I'm going to be cheeky one last time and include three-in-one again for this one. Nintendo's peerless N64 trio of Pilotwings 64, Wave Race 64 and 1080° Snowboarding were all genuine technical marvels at the time, and all three feature gameplay that holds up today. Nintendo don't really make games like this anymore, so visual and frame rate updates and not a lot else would be enough to give a new lease of life to these brilliant and still unique extreme sports classics.

(As it happens, Wave Race released in its original form on the Switch Online service recently, Pilotwings is next week and 1080 will join them next year. Let's all get them downloaded and show Nintendo just how much we want these series' back, eh?)

And that's about it I think! Actually no, not quite…

...and a 60fps patch for Bloodborne too. Please?

-

I hope you enjoy the rest of the newsletter!

Take it easy everyone,

Jeff

NEWS

• The trailer for Illumination and Nintendo's Super Mario Movie has finally been released. And despite a couple of oddities, is actually pretty good.

• October’s first wave of PlayStation Plus games are now available for subscribers to claim.

• Microsoft has confirmed the next batch of titles heading to Xbox Game Pass.

• Electronic Arts has published the first gameplay trailer for its upcoming Dead Space remake.

• CD Projekt Red has announced a new Cyberpunk game, multiple new Witcher games, and a new IP.

• EA has finally revealed the Criterion-developed next instalment of Need for Speed in a snazzy new trailer.

• Valve's Steam Deck (and its dock) can now be purchased without a reservation.

• PlayStation games will have to wait ‘at least a year’ before getting a PC release.

• Retro Studios once pitched a Final Fantasy Tactics-like Zelda game to Nintendo.

• Former staff members at Criterion have revealed scrapped plans for a sequel to first-person shooter Black in a new interview.

• Sony’s investment in FromSoftware could lead to movies or TV shows, says studio head Hermen Hulst.

• Sony’s new loyalty program PlayStation Stars is now live in North and South America.

• Platinum Games has confirmed Jennifer Hale is the new voice of Bayonetta.

• Beyond Good & Evil 2 overtakes Guinness record holder Duke Nukem Forever as the game longest in development.

• You can now add official Splatoon widgets to your phone’s lock screen.

• Nintendo will be live-streaming two concerts from its Nintendo Live event in Japan this weekend.

• UK competition watchdog has set a March 2023 deadline for ruling on Xbox’s Activision deal.

• Bloober Team has announced that its 2021 psychological horror game, The Medium, is getting a TV adaptation.

• IO Interactive has delayed the release of Hitman 3’s Freelancer mode for a second time.

DEALS

• Sony's Planet of the Discounts Sale rolls on, with up to 45% off a host of games both big and small. The sale ends on the 12th October. There is also a Level Up Sale with up to 60% off DLC and add-ons which ends on the same day, and a Games Under £15 Sale.

• PlayStation's Deal of the Week sees 33% slashed off the price of Supermassive Games' The Quarry.

• Sony are still offering 7-day free trials for their new Extra and Premium PlayStation Plus tiers, if you're not already a subscriber.

• Microsoft are currently including a free digital copy of FIFA 23 with an Xbox Series S if you buy from them directly, alongside 20% off Xbox Wireless Controllers and £15 off Xbox Stereo Headsets.

• Xbox has an Action/Adventure Sale running, with up to 60% off a host of new and back-compat games, a Super Saver Sale, with up to 75% off a variety of titles, a Fallout Anniversary Sale, and a Warner Bros Sale, with up to 70% of WB-published games.

• There's no specific eShop sale running at the moment, but Nintendo still has over 1000 games on offer.

• Rising Hell and Slain: Back from Hell are currently free on the Epic Games Store.

• Steam has a number of current Special Offers including Middle Earth: Shadow of War for £5.24, Fallout 4 for £3.99 and The Ascent for £8.24, among others.

More!

• Switch Player Free Sample

The fine folks over at Switch Player Magazine are currently offering a free 20-page 'Lite Edition' of the latest issue. Download the free sample here.

• Elden Ring Art Print Collection

Cook & Becker have just launched 10 official Elden Ring art prints featuring bosses and locations from the game. You can check them out here.

NEW RELEASES:

THIS WEEK:

Dakar Desert Rally (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC) – October 4

Overwatch 2 (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC) – October 4

Deathverse: Let It Die (PC) – October 5

Nier: Automata (Switch) – October 6

No Man's Sky (Switch) – October 7

NEXT WEEK:

Asterigos: Curse of the Stars (PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, PC) – October 11

In Sound Mind (Switch) – October 11

No More Heroes 3 (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC) – October 11 – Read review

Lego Bricktales (PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC) – October 12

Fueled Up (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC) – October 13

The Eternal Cylinder (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S) – October 13

The Last Oricru (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC) – October 13

Triangle Strategy (PC) – October 13 – Read review

Dragon Ball: The Breakers (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC) – October 14

NHL 23 (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One) – October 14

Nickelodeon Kart Racers 3: Slime Speedway (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC) – October 14

PGA Tour 2K23 (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC) – October 14

Scorn (Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC) – October 14

GAME OF THE WEEK

A randomly selected game each week! Any and all games are eligible for selection regardless of age, platform, popularity, or otherwise.

This week, the honour goes to…

F-Zero (1990)

In 1990 there was nothing else quite like F-Zero. A blisteringly fast and ultra-responsive futuristic racer. Incredibly, despite its popularity, the 30 years since it's release has produced only two console sequels; F-Zero-X on the Nintendo 64 in 1998, and F-Zero GX on the GameCube way back in 2003.

Surely the series is due a comeback soon. Surely!?

RECOMMENDED READS

Stadia was doomed from the start by putting ownership prices on something that never felt like ownership

By Martin Robinson - Eurogamer

Stadia's business model doomed it from the start, yet it offered a small glimpse of an inevitable future.

Video games open us to the whole spectrum of human emotions

By Keith Stuart - The Guardian

Novelist Gabrielle Zevin on 'Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow'; her love letter to a lifelong passion, the problematic aspects of the industry and the transformative power of play.

An all-digital future is bad news for console gamers

By Sydney Butler - How-To Geek

Most consoles ship with a disc drive, and you can buy physical games, but digital games are becoming the norm. This could spell trouble for console gamer’s wallets, but there may be a few ways to avoid that future.

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CROWDFUNDING CAMPAIGNS

Fusion Retro Books 2023 Annuals

Fusion Retro Books - Campaign ends October 7th

— www.kickstarter.com

When 3 Annuals became 6 - time for a bumper Annual Xmas this year!

VM2: The Next-Gen VMU

Dreamware Enterprises - Campaign ends October 9th

— www.indiegogo.com

The Next-Gen VMU for the Dreamcast with Micro-SD storage, upgraded LCD, embedded Battery and Micro-USB port.

The Mysteries of Monkey Island

Third Editions - Campaign ends October 17th

— www.kickstarter.com

Behind the scenes, stories, jokes and analysis of the Monkey Island games, including many interviews.

RoadOut

Rastrolabs - Campaign ends October 19th

— www.kickstarter.com

A post-apocalyptic action adventure game. Explore dungeons, fight bandits, and join life-or-death races in the Dead Zone!

Dono's Tale

Super Item Studios - Campaign ends October 27th

— www.kickstarter.com

an Action-platformer that borrows ideas from the classic 16-bit and 32-bit games to bring a brand experience with a classic feel.

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