So it is is written, so it shall be REMADE!

A common thing in the entertainment industry is to remake things. It's been a practice in the movie industry for a while now, and is just starting to become popular in the gaming market. With big remakes such as The Treasure of Monkey Island from LucasArts to an upcoming remake of the Castlevania franchise from Kojima Productions, remakes are exciting. What other games should be given this chance, though? There are plenty of immortalized and treasured gaming classics that gamers would love to have a next-gen copy of; but not everything can be remade. Some things just don't work in today's market. What does? Well, let me give 5 examples of games that definitely should get a remake/re-imagining somewhere along the line...

MARATHON
This just has the setup for a great next-generation game. Although a minority of people think Halo is a remake of Marathon (which is stupid. Really stupid.), a real remake would be awesome. Bungie originally made this first person shooter in 1994. It became an instant cult classic, and turned into a trilogy. It also put Bungie in the forefront for Mac development, a move which would lead them to a project called Halo. Marathon is oozing with science fiction mythos. It has a rich backstory with great scenarios and vistas. A developer could use all of these things and create one hell of a good next-gen FPS. Developers should stick with the lore, but make apply to a more modern setting. The idea of inter-galactic security guards is way better and less used that space marines, so developers should stay away from a military setting. Applying a similar look and feel like Halo would work well, but developers should differentiate it in some way. Either way, a Marathon remake would be awesome, and the potential for sequels is high.

STARFOX 64
I can't remember how many hours I spent on this game. It is truly a classic of the N64 era. It deserves a remake for the next-gen. Star Fox is a very appealing franchise. The characters are all unique and have their own personalities, which is saying something for a game where the characters never got out of their aircrafts. Being that Star Fox is a Nintendo property, I would hope that Nintendo may opt for something similar to Metriod: Other M. The best and most proper thing to do would be to team up with a high-end developer. A developer like Gearbox or Konami would fit Star Fox like a glove. Make the game like the original: stick to the plane. Past attempts at giving Star Fox TPS elements have failed. Star Fox is a great aircraft shooter, and should stay as such. Give it the best graphics possible, and redesign things here and there to give it a remade touch. Make the story an instant classic, something that could contend with Zelda or Metroid. Making the story a bit grittier would be great also. All these things put together could make a solid game.

GOLDENEYE 007
Before anyone says anything, the 2004 Gamecube game Goldeneye: Rogue Agent, was not a real remake. The only similarity between these two gamers was the name. That was it. Goldeneye was the first FPS to truly have multiplayer appeal. It wasn't the singleplayer that people wanted out of this game. The multiplayer was fun, and kept my friend and I occupied for many hours on end. A remake would be great and nostalgic. With a game like this however, developers should not opt to make a full retail remake. A game like this would be much better suited on PSN or XBL Arcade. Make the game similar in premise to Battlefield 1943. A multiplayer only game for Arcade priced smartly would sell buckets. Graphically update the game to look top notch. Keep every single weapon from the old game, because that is what gave it half of its appeal. Other than these things, nothing else needs to be done. Keep the same fun formula with updated graphics, and you have a great game. A remake of this game would be great for downloadable content too.

STAR WARS: ROGUE SQUADRON
Another great aricraft shooter that should be remade. Unlike Star Fox however, this has tons of potential to expand. Rogue Squadron was an arcade shooter down to the core. It was entertaining, and gave the great feeling of being in the Star Wars universe that so many games try to do and fail. Expanding upon this arcade principle, LucasArts (as I am sure no one else is going to do a Star Wars game!) should create a free-roam premise. Imagine having the same great arcade gameplay, but having the ability to fly in a gigantic map, working on a main objective while keeping in mind other secondary objectives. A map that would go from space to the surface of the planet in one transition would be amazing. Keep the formula, but make the scope and scale larger, much like the controlled free roam of Mass Effect. Have a little out-of-the-cockpit gameplay too, such as the ability to go back to the rogues' base and do things there. As with everything else, a graphical update would have to be done. Other than those things however, a remake of this great classic is due.

FINAL FANTASY VII
Who doesn't want this? Arguably the best RPG of all time, FFVII deserves a remake more than any other game. The game is still played avidly today. It was a giant of innovation when it first came out for the Playstation. A remake could do the same. Square Enix should definitely return to this game. Final Fantasy XIII shows the new technology that Square has been developing. The graphical capabilities are blurring the lines of cutscene and gameplay. The new combat system is garnering rave reviews. These things implemented in a FFVII remake would be the best thing ever. It would be so easy, too. The story, sidemissions, and characters are already done. No improvement, besides graphical, needs to be done in these areas. The story is so good that it still fits in today's gaming world. A FFVII remake would sell hotcakes. Voice acting for Cloud? Aerith's death in next-gen? Sephiroth turning into a scary-as-shit bat thing? What more can you ask for in a next-gen title? A FFVII could rejuvinate the Japanese RPG scene. More importantly, a FFVII remake could content with the best of western RPGs.

Are the chances of any of these games getting remade possible? Well, anything is possible. Developers always have 2-3 projects they are working on that you never hear about until a year into development. And then 2-3 more projects take their place. So some of these games may already be in development. As with games, though, somethings will just never see the light of day. The only thing that a gamer can do is sit and watch and play.

Did I miss any? Let me know.