With video games evolving so quickly and pushing the boundaries with cutting-edge graphics, fresh storylines, and new ways to engage players, gamers are always hungry for the next big thing. While those games take a long time to develop, they’re dreaming of updates to some classic games and old favorites in the meantime.
Is there a game you would do anything to see rebooted or remastered? This article might inspire some ideas. Frontier recently did a study of the most wanted video game reboots that players are most eager to see and why. See if any of your top picks made the list.
Top-Requested Video Game Reboots and Remasters
According to this study’s survey of over 1,000 gamers, Call of Duty games are the top three most wanted reboots. No matter the platform, the No. 1 choice was Call of Duty 2, according to 34% of respondents. The No. 2 spot went to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 with votes from over a quarter of those surveyed (27%). In the third spot was Call of Duty: World at War, with 22% of gamers saying this would be the reboot they’d most love to play.
Other top picks among avid gamers included the following popular titles:
4. Bully
5. Earthbound
6. Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
7. Left 4 Dead 2
8. Fallout 3
The Best and Worst Reboots of All Time
The top two best reboots, according to Frontier’s survey, belonged to the Assassin’s Creed franchise. The number one most-voted reboot was Assassin’s Creed III Remastered. This version of the Ubisoft game was originally released in 2012, and this 2019 upgrade seems to have been a big hit among Frontier’s respondents. Assassin’s Creed Origins made it to the second spot. With the amazing reviews, it’s gotten, that’s no surprise.
The next three titles that gamers said had the best reboots belonged to the Mario franchise:
3. New Super Mario Bros.
4. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
5. New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe
Now, for the top picks for worst reboots of all time. Of these, the No. 1 choice was Alone in the Dark. Released in 2008, this is the fifth game in its series. The second worst reboot was Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy. Released in 2017, this one was a remaster of the original 1990s trilogy. Even though it was voted the second-worst video game reboot, it received many positive reviews online when it was first released. Bayonetta 2 Remastered, released in 2018, took third place among these all-time worst reboots.
Frontier’s study also found a few key factors among the least-favored video game reboots. The gamers they surveyed said they don’t like it when these aspects change too much from the original:
- Story
- Gameplay
- Characters
- Overall essence
Reboots/Remasters That Are Better Than the Original Game
Not only were Assassin’s Creed games the top picks for best reboots, these titles also accounted for the top games respondents said were better than the originals they were based on! It doesn’t get much better than that. Assassin’s Creed III Remastered and Assassin’s Creed Origins made it to the top two spots in this category.
Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy (2021) got voted into third place, even though it ranked all the way down at No. 11 among the best reboots ever. Maybe the previous Grand Theft Auto games had set a lower car for the reboot than the earlier Assassin’s Creed iterations did for its newest releases.
Are Reboots Even Worth It?
Have you ever been excited about a reboot, then felt duped when you finally took it home and played it? Well, you’re not alone. A whopping 63% of gamers agreed that reboots like these tend to be shallow cash grabs lacking any real value for the player.
On the other hand, have you ever bought a reboot out of pure curiosity, fully knowing it might be a huge disappointment, and then had your suspicions confirmed once you tried it out? Unfortunately, so have more than half of this study’s respondents. So, it’s no surprise that more than half said the video game industry lacks creativity.
The Future of Video Game Reboots and Remasters
Video games are sure to keep evolving and innovating increasingly rapidly. Gamers hold a deep appreciation for their favorite classic games, so creating reboots and remaster must be done carefully. They should keep the original game’s essence and nostalgia while enhancing it with better graphics and features — not with entirely new storylines and overall vibes. Future reboot creators should take after Assassin’s Creed, the franchise with the top-voted reboots that were also better than the original: They should remaster the old game with a full upgrade without messing with what made it great, to begin with.
