The number ofvideo game remakes and remastersbeing released has increased dramatically in recent years. Though some would perhaps prefer developers to focus their attention on new titles rather than revitalizing older ones, it’s always nice to see classic games and franchises receiving the love and attention that they truly deserve.
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It’s not just big developers that are working on these kinds of projects though, with plenty of fans also dipping their toes into the creative water. Despite their lack of resources and, in many cases, lack of experience, some ofthe best fan remakes, mods, and remastersare every bit as impressive as the real deal and are definitely worth checking out for fans of the original titles.
10Skywind
Skyrimmay bethe most successful of the mainlineElder Scrollsgames, but there are some who still prefer the series' earlier entries. So much so, in fact, that a talented team of modders is currently developing a conversion mod that completely recreatesThe Elder Scrolls III: Morrowindwithin the engine ofSkyrim: Special Edition.
This isn’t the onlyElder Scrollsconversion mod being developed though, withSkyblivionpromising a similar experience using quests and content from the series' fourth installment,Oblivion. Both are incredibly impressive, as too is the dedication shown by all of the people currently working on the two projects.
9DoomRL
For those who have ever wondered whatDoomwould be like as a top-down roguelike rather than a first-person shooter,DoomRLshould be able to provide some answers. Its visuals may not be quite as impressive as some of the other great fan mods and remakes that are out there, but, like the game on which it’s based, it’s still an awful lot of fun.
The pair behind the project have since gone on to form their own development studio, ChaosForge, and recently released their first-ever game on Steam. It’s described as a spiritual successor toDoomRL, though offers a much more modern take onthe roguelike genrethan its spiritual predecessor.
8The Dark Mod
AlthoughThe Dark Modstarted life as a conversion mod forDoom 3, it’s actually inspired by the first twoThiefgames developed by Looking Glass Studios. The stealth elements found in those titles have been lovingly recreated, as too have the games' iconic visuals.
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These days, it’s available as a standalone title and features more than 150 fan-made missions. There are several multi-mission campaigns, a wide variety of weapons and tools, and a myriad of fantasy-themed elements that perfectly compliment the game’s wonderfulsteampunk-inspired world.
7Tomb Raider: The Dagger of Xian
Since the release of a playable demo in mid-2017, news regardingTomb Raider: The Dagger of Xianhas been a little scarce. The fan-made game, which was first announced in 2016, aims to recreate the entirety ofTomb Raider 2using the Unreal Engine and is one of the best-looking fan projects around.
Whether or not the developers will ever finish the project remains to be seen, but there remains plenty of interest from prospective players nonetheless. More than 15 thousand people are currently following the project on Facebook, where one of the developers recently shared some interesting work in progress footage ofLara riding a quadbike.
6Pokemon Uranium
There have been some incredibly ambitiousPokemonROM hacks and fan gamesover the years, but none more so thanPokemon Uranium. Developed using RPG Maker XP and Pokemon Essentials, the game takes place in a brand new region and features a Pokedex containing 200 Pokemon, many of which are original creations.
As the title might suggest, the game has a nuclear theme to it and this is reflected in some of the new additions to the Pokedex. Nuclear-type Pokemon like Nucleon (the game’s very own Eeveelution) are weak to every other type, however, making them incredibly challenging to use in a regular playthrough.
5Goldeneye: Source
Goldeneye 007is often credited as being the game that helped to popularise first-person shooters on home consoles and is considered by many to be one ofthe best multiplayer games of the nineties.Goldeneye: Sourceis a fan-made recreation of the game’s multiplayer mode which uses Valve’s popular Source engine.
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Though the visuals have been dramatically improved, the game still feels exactly likeRare’s N64 classicand features many of its iconic stages like Dam, Bunker, and Aztec. It also allows for online multiplayer, something that the original was unable to provide at the time.
4Grand Theft Auto Vice Cry: Remastered
For as fantastic as they were at the time, the first three 3DGrand Theft Autogamesreally haven’t aged all that well. Thankfully, for those hoping to experience the wonders ofVice Citywithout having to tolerate the game’s dated visuals and archaic controls, there is a valid alternative. Well, kind of.
Grand Theft Auto Vice CryrecreatesVice Cityusing theGTAVengine and looks absolutely stunning at times. Unfortunately, however, it’s one of many mods and fan projects that were recently shut down by publisher Take-Two followinga flurry of cease and desist letters, which has made getting hold of a copy incredibly difficult.
3Another Metroid 2 Remake
There are plenty of fantasticMetroidfan games available for download, including the likes ofHyper MetroidandProject Base, but the pick of the bunch is probablyAnother Metroid 2 Remake. Developed by Milton Guasti, the game is a remake ofMetroid II: Return of Samusin the style ofMetroid: Zero Mission.
Despite the popularity of theMetroid Primetrilogy, there are many who still preferSamus' earlier 2D outings. For those people,AM2Ris the perfect title to play to get in the mood forMetroid Dreadand a great example of what can be accomplished when somebody really puts their mind to something.
2DayZ
Few video games boast a better modding scene than Bohemia Interactive’sARMA 2. It’s spawned a ridiculous amount of mods over the years, several of which have gone on to become hugely successful standalone titles. The first of these wasDayZ, which was developed by a New Zealand-based modder and game designer called Dean Hall.
Inspired by Hall’s work, an Irish modder using the handle PlayerUnknown developed a battle royale mode forDayZ, which many consider to be the first-everbattle royale game. He was then hired by Sony to work on the ill-fatedH1Z1, before later going on to create his very own battle royale-centric title,PUBG.
1Black Mesa
Some companies don’t take too kindly to fans creating games based on their IPs. Valve clearly isn’t one of them though, as evidenced by the fact thatBlack Mesais currently being sold through Steam despite being a complete reimagining of the developer’s firstHalf-Lifegame.
It took the team behind the project around 15 years to complete, having been inspired to start work on it after seeingHalf-Life: Sourcein 2005. The game’s overwhelmingly positive reception on Steam would suggest that this was all time well spent, with more than 60,000 people going out of their way to recommend the game to others.
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