The 00s were filled with iconic RPGs on platforms ranging from PC and handheld to console—even the ill-fortuned Dreamcast. With the explosive success ofOblivion Remastered,what other games deserve the same treatment?
It’s easy for an industry to obsess over quick-money remakes (like half of the current superhero flicks). But plenty of RPG gems from 2000–2009 deserve a gorgeous 20-year-anniversary remaster.
10 Forgotten 3D Platformers That Need A Remake
They may not have been big hits in their own time, but the remake treatment could do these 3D platformers some good.
The settings, stories, and characters ofany game on this list certainly merit a new versionfor modern audiences. Here are 10 forgotten 2000s RPGs that need the Oblivion Remastered treatment.
10Morrowind
Oblivion’s Big Brother
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
Alright, let’s throw the softball first—Bethesda remastered Oblivion, so why notMorrowind?With mushroom forests, insectile kwama-egg agriculture, and one of themost iconic video game villains,Morrowind is an absolute gem.
Its gameplay, though, is incredibly jank,and the visuals are rather … lacking by modern standards (especially NPC models).
Despite the game’s still-active modding community and ongoing fan remakes like Skywind, an official Morrowind remaster would make the game’s brilliant story and setting more accessible to modern gamers.
9Neverwinter Nights
Variety In The Forgotten Realms
Neverwinter Nights
Sharing the Forgotten Realms setting with the revived Baldur’s Gate series,Neverwinter Nightsis a D&D-inspired RPG which uses pauseable real-time gameplay popular with other CRPGs of the time, including the original Baldur’s Gate.
WithBaldur’s Gate 3shifting to turn-based tactics, a Neverwinter Nights remake could hit thatsweet spot of “familiar but different"for a whole swathe of gamers.
Set further north than the classic Sword Coast and Western Reaches of the Baldur’s Gate series, the game instead offers a frigid locale featured in R.A. Salvatore’s iconic Legend of Drizzt novels.
Neverwinter Nights did get an “enhanced” edition in 2018. However, it certainly wasn’t an overhaul like Oblivion Remastered, leaving plenty of room for a modernization of this D&D classic.
8Dragon Age: Origins
Incomparable Progenitor
Dragon Age
The Dragon Age series is still alive and kickingwith 2024’s The Veilguard. Even so, fans can’t help but compare the modern installments to BioWare’s 2009 classic first installment,Dragon Age: Origins.
So why not remake it? A dash of sanding and varnish on Origins’s still-robust gameplay and a graphical remaster would show off why this initial story about the Grey Wardens is so beloved.
Not merely a “spiritual successor” to BioWare’s IP-restricted Baldur’s Gate and Neverwinter Nights,Dragon Age: Origins kicked off a new serieseven as the classic CRPG formula faded from prominence.
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7Jade Empire
Avatar Meets RPG
Jade Empire
Shifting away from CRPGs,Jade Empireis an action RPG inspired by Chinese mythology and built around wuxia tropes of wandering heroes. With different schools of martial arts and magic themed around various elements, it’s a great fit for fellowAvatar: The Last Airbenderfans.
One of the original Xbox’s best RPGs, Jade Empire’s fluid combat and distinct concept—especially for the 00s!—make it well-positioned for a remastered comeback.
Similar to Oblivion Remastered, a rework of Jade Empire could easily polish up a few bumps while overhauling the graphics and engine to beautifythis 20-year-old game.
6Golden Sun
Relight A Series
Golden Sun
Golden Sunand its sequel, The Lost Age, areabsolute master-classes in JRPG design.The world of Weylard’s magic is engaging to use in battles, but is also well-woven into the game’s narrative, and even in the overworld puzzles.
With how many timesChrono Triggeror variousFinal Fantasygames have been remastered, it’s exciting to imagine how good a remaster of the first two Golden Sun games as one package could be.Final Fantasy VII Rebirthcontinued gorgeously reimagining a classic 90s JRPG.
Hopefully, this classic will one day get the same treatment. For now, at least, players can experiment them in the Nintendo Switch Online subscription service.
Steampunk And Story
Arcanum: of Steamworks and Magick Obscura
WHERE TO PLAY
This 2001 CRPG features some of the most in-depth writing and quest design I’ve encountered. Distinguishing itself from the fantasy flock with a gritty steampunk setting, the game’s open-ended plot allows for incredible sandbox play.
Arcanumis perhaps most notable in that you’re completely free to play a total pacifist or a psychopathic killing machine. There are no essential NPCs protected from murder-hobo playthroughs, and you can even resolve the main plot with diplomacy instead of swordplay.
With the depth of writing in Arcanum, it certainly deserves to have gameplay and graphics of equal quality.
The cult classicPlanescape: Tormentis a similar CRPG fully deserving of the Oblivion Remastered treatment. Since it was released in 1999, though, it narrowly dodges inclusion on this list.
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4Knights Of The Old Republic
The Remake Of The Jedi
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Our fourth game from BioWare on this list—seriously, that wasn’t on purpose—is not just one of their best.Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic(KOTOR) is simplyone of the best Star Wars games of all time.
KOTOR vividly brought the distant past of the Star Wars galaxy to fans with a plot at the height of the Old Republic featuring a war against the villainous Sith Order.
The game explores planets familiar from the films (like Tatooine) as well as those which, at the time, had only been mentioned in passing (like Dantooine or Kashyyk). Also, it has one ofthe most thrilling Act 3 plot twistsI’ve ever encountered.
Fortunately, it looks like KOTOR might already be getting the Oblivion Remastered treatment. A remake was announced in 2021, but appears to be in development hell as the game trades corporate hands. The end result is anyone’s guess, but here’s hoping the remake will come to light soon.
3Skies of Arcadia
Aerial Adventure
Skies of Arcadia
Originally published for Sega’sDreamcast,during the 00s,Skies of Arcadiasaw a slightly larger audience in aGameCubeport. Even so, it never caught that much attention.
Which is a shame, because the game did a great job mixing up the standard JRPG formula with overworld exploration. In some ways, Skies of Arcadia feels like an early version ofThe Legend of Zelda: The Wind Wakerdue to its focus on exploring and charting the world map.
Considering this game has been adrift since its lone GameCube port—and old-school copies are nasty expensive—Skies of Arcadia seems absolutely ripe for a loving remaster.
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2Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines
Nearly A Masterpiece
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines
Based on the Vampire: The Masquerade line of tabletop RPGs,Bloodlinesis atempting, frustrating blend of brilliant writing and vexing gameplay.The core gameplay concepts are well-designed. But honestly? The implementation is a bit … rough.
Which makes it perfect for polishing. Don’t touch the script at all, and just rebuild the game on a modern engine, allowing new gamers to explore vampire-infested L.A. for the first time.
The branching plots and schemes based on your vampire clan and how you engage with the NPCs are nearly perfect—no additional characters or quests required.
Iconic Cyberpunk Dystopia
The originalDeus Excertainly wasn’t the first, but I think it’s pretty clearlythe most influential cyberpunk videogame.The game’s blend of branching choices, various solutions to game challenges, and mixed RPG and FPS elements made it a stand-out success.
Playing as JC Denton, you’re an augmented agent for the fictional federal agency UNATCO (basically the CIA or FBI). The story reveals a web of conspiracy theories based on control of tech and information, resulting in a struggle to see if the “free world” will remain free.
Like other early-00s games on this list, Deus Ex’s writing has aged beautifully, but its graphics and gameplay leave something to be desired. Its sequels are a mix of mediocrity and acclaim. A remaster featuring the original’s labyrinthine plot in the gameplay style of Human Revolution or another of the sequels seems, to me, like a slam-dunk success in the Oblivion Remaster treatment.
