There is a lot that can be said about the importance of videogame preservation as the medium exists in an ever-evolving space with substantial hardware changes occurring more and more frequently. This progression does come at the expense of support for older systems, and the software designed for them, meaning that some older games just aren’t playable anymore. This coupled with the complex dynamics of IP rights and licensing means we have a bunch of older games that, without dedicated communities keeping them playable on modern platforms, may just become great memories that can’t be revisited.
Thankfully developers who have the means to do so have been taking older titles and remaking legacy titles to align with current trends and ideas, or remastering games to allow them to be played on modern systems. Take for example the recent Resident Evil remakes which have modernised mechanics while keeping the core identity of the game, or developers like Nightdive Studios who are bringing older videogames to newer platforms.
So, with that in mind I have a couple of older games that I would love to see again, and while thankfully some are still accessible through fan support – these as officially released remasters or remakes would be amazing.
The first series that always jumps to the top of this list would be the No One Lives Forever titles, The Operative and A Spy in H.A.R.M.'s Way, two incredible first-person shooters with a focus on stealth. Set in the 1960s these stylistic spy stories follow Cate Archer, an agent of U.N.I.T.Y. which is aimed at keeping world peace, and her objective of stopping the criminal organization H.A.R.M. There was also a spin-off action title called Contract J.A.C.K. which, if all three got a made into a modernised collection, would be incredible.
Then there’s Outlaws, a LucasArts developed first-person shooter set in the Wild West. Players take on the role of James Anderson, a retired U.S. Marshal, as he attempts to rescue his daughter Sarah from a band of outlaws that had murdered his wife and burnt down his home. While the game did get modern support via a GOG.com release, I would love to see a remake of this game make its way to modern systems – keeping the visual style and atmosphere of the game.
A remastered experience that I would also love to see would be Heart of Darkness, the 1998 platformer that was released on PlayStation and PC. The game is about a young boy named Andy who travels to a world called Darkland to rescue his beloved dog Whisky. Andy must overcome several obstacles in this alien environment, all while battling living shadow creatures and dark. It would be really awesome to just re-experience this game, but higher resolution graphics for HD televisions would make it that much better.
There are many more titles I would want to see modernised and will probably put together another post about them too, so keep an eye out for another ramble about videogames I love.
