The Top 5 HD Collections We Need

The video game industry loves reusing what it already has. Ever since the days of Atari, video game ports and remakes have graced every console, sometimes even with inferior products. But now as the end of the seventh generation of gaming draws closer, there’s become a new way for developers to resell the same ol’ games; HD Collections.

Did you know there's a Sly Cooper 2?

Now, a lot of people write off HD Collections as just a lazy attempt to make some quick cash and it some regards that’s true but I personally quite like the idea of HD Collections. I didn’t get to play very many games in the PS2 generation and I played none on the X-Box, so the idea of being able to go back and play games like Devil May Cry, Metal Gear Solid, Jak and Daxter, and Sly Cooper all on one convenient disc is pretty awesome. Not to mention, the graphics are prettier, most developers add trophies and some even release games for consoles they’ve never been on before. HD Collections are awesome. So, I’m looking at the five collections I’d love to see and what I’d like to see done with them. I’d do more than five but I was having a hard time thinking of even five that don’t have them yet so just five for now. 

 5. Mario Party 1-4

Hop or Pop in High Definition!

As I’ve mentioned in previous articles, I love Mario Party but only the first few games. The original Mario Party titles are some of the most fun you can have with a group of people just sitting on a couch. Everything from the boards to the items and of course, the mini-games are just so fun and so awesome. Too bad they haven’t been so stellar in recent years. Maybe we don’t need a new Mario Party but rather a collection of the older games but updated for the modern age. Give all the games a fresh coat of paint for the Wii-U, maybe throw in some online multiplayer and you could have the best party of all time. Granted, Mario Party 1 isn’t very good by today’s standards, what with the whole destroying your hands thing, but I’m sure they can fix it. Plus, it would be weird to have a collection of just 2-4 and not include the first one. Here’s lookin’ at you, Metal Gear Solid HD.

4. Super Mario 64/Super Mario Sunshine

Shine Get in glorious 1080p!

Super Mario 64 broke new ground in the gaming world when it was released over 15 years ago, so much so that I actually consider it to be the most important game in gaming history but that’s for a different day. For now, let’s talk about how awesome it would be to see these games in HD. Now, Super Mario 64 has been remade for the DS and it was pretty great, adding better graphics, new features and new stages but it wasn’t exactly the HD remake we could get. Instead, let’s take the graphics of Galaxy, up them for the Wii-U and maybe even throw in those nifty new features from the DS remake. That would be awesome. And as an added bonus, why not slapped Sunshine in there too. Super Mario Sunshine is already one of the best looking games for the Gamecube, with gorgeous scenery and cel-shaded-esque models, upping the graphics to HD makes me happy just thinking about it. Now, it would be great if we could get Galaxy and Galaxy 2 in HD as well but those games aren’t that old yet so I wouldn’t hold my breath. Hopefully Nintendo considers HD collections and doesn’t just release everything as overpriced Virtual Console games again. I mean, they sort of did it once before.

3. Kingdom Hearts 1/2/Birth By Sleep

Discover where the darkness came from in HD.

The Kingdom Hearts series is one of my all-time favorites despite being absolutely batshit insane. However, as we’re forced to wait longer and longer for an official third entry in the series, it would be nice to revisit the original titles in glorious HD. Kingdom Hearts 1 and 2 both still look pretty good but they’re PS2 games and I know they could look much better in HD. The addition of trophies could also add some longevity to the games. I’d also love to see Birth By Sleep get the HD remake treatment. If Peace Walker can go from the PSP to PS3, why not Birth By Sleep? All three games also got enhanced releases in Japan in the form of Final Mix versions, something the US has never gotten the chance to experience. Maybe a HD Collection could be the way to get that content to North American shores. Man, that would awesome. And hey, if they wanted to, they could throw in Re: Chain of Memories as a bonus. I wouldn’t complain.

2. Mega Man Legends/2/Misadventures of Tron Bonne

Trophy Unlocked: Kick the Can.

I’ve never played Mega Man Legends and I certainly haven’t played it’s sequel or it’s spin-off. All three games have gone on to become wildly popular in the Mega Man community and the two sequels go for a pretty hefty price on the second hand markets. I think it’s time we fixed that problem. With Capcom’s continued refusal to care about Mega Man and especially after cancelling Mega Man Legends 3, HD Remakes of the first three games could really win back a lot of people and give guys like me the chance to experience them for the first time. For PSX standards, the Legends games don’t even look that bad. Sure, the textures are gross and the models are blocky, but that was the standard back then and for what they are, I think they look pretty good. Better than Final Fantasy VII, even. The Misadventures of Tron Bonne is one of the most obscure entries in the whole Mega Man series, going for upwards of 80 dollars on the second hand market, so it’s safe to assume even the most elite of Mega Man Legends fans might not have played that one. So why not give everybody the chance by rereleasing Mega Man Volnutt’s adventures Kattelox Island.

1. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time/Majora’s Mask/Wind Waker

*Insert Homer Simpson drooling impression*

You knew this one was coming. What else could be number one? The Legend of Zelda deserves the HD upgrade. No series has been as critically acclaimed as Zelda and to rerelease some of the most popular games in HD for the Wii-U seems like a no brainer. The idea of sailing the Great Sea in HD has me salivating just thinking about it. They could also fix some of the bigger problems with the games like Majora’s Mask’s backwards save system and Ocarina of Time’s annoying Iron Boots debacle, a problem addressed in OoT3D. Speaking of OoT3D, if you really consider that an HD remake (Which granted, it does look nicer), you could replace OoT with Twilight Princess if you want but I think you’d sell more copies with a high-def version of one of the most popular games ever released. Seeing Link ride Epona through Hyrule Field in 1080p seems like a fanboy’s wet dream and Nintendo now has the opportunity to make it reality. Please Nintendo, get with the times. The virtual console is great for games like Super Mario Bros. and Donkey Kong arcade, but some of your more recent classics deserve so much more. Give us the HD remakes every other console is getting. If there can be a Splinter Cell HD collection, there can be a Legend of Zelda HD collection.

Now honestly, I couldn’t come up with much more for this list. The only other one I considered was Sonic Adventure 1 and 2, but I ultimately opted out to keep the list from being just six. Maybe I’ll go back and do a part 2 to this list when I come up with more. But for now, leave me your picks in the comments below.