Nothing is quite like experiencing a fantastic game for the first time, the only thing to come close to is experiencing that game in a new, remastered and upgraded version. Crisp graphics on top of your favourite story can make you breathe in a whole lot of nostalgia mixed with a bit of fresh air.
In 2022, we saw remasters and remakes of some of our favourite franchises, including Final Fantasy, The Last of Us, GTA, Spider-Man, Uncharted and more. These are the ones that ranked the highest across our reviewers in 2022.
Here are CGMs nominees for Best Remaster/Remake 2022:
Crisis Core Final Fantasy VII Reunion
Writer: Chris De Hoog
Console: Playstation 5
Score: 9
Price: $64.99
Twenty-five years ago, Final Fantasy VII was a watershed moment for the gaming industry, elevating standards across the medium and pushing the Sony PlayStation into “must-own” territory. Fifteen years ago, its prequel launched to much less fanfare, but still hit fans and newcomers alike directly in their heartstrings. Now its remaster, Crisis Core Final Fantasy VII Reunion, has arrived to both celebrate the original game’s anniversary and provide new context for the future of the Final Fantasy VII Remake project.
If the Remake left you wanting more, and you’re looking for something to hold you over until Final Fantasy VII Rebirth launches next winter, Crisis Core Final Fantasy VII Reunion is a must-play. I would go even further to say that if you’ve ever played Final Fantasy VII, and even if you’ve experienced the PSP original, it’s still essential. It’s not as deep as the Remake, nor as richly developed, but Square Enix has done an outstanding job of creating something that honours its source material while making a bridge to the next piece of the larger picture.
Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection
Writer: Clement Goh
Console: PC
Score: 9
Price: $64.96
Nathan Drake’s final adventure still goes out with a satisfying bang. As a port, players will be happy to enjoy the same emotional story in Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End. PC players launching it for the first time will also be thrown into a globe-trotting treasure hunt. As per our review, Uncharted 4 pulls out every cinematic trick in the book to immerse viewers. A heroic soundtrack blares out when players escape collapsing temples.
Legacy of Thieves surprised me even more by the many ways it can be played over PC. Both A Thief’s End and The Lost Legacy are also great portable games to have over a wide range of laptops. But Valve’s Steam Deck became my favourite way to play Uncharted. It’s a long way from Bend Studio’s crack at handhelds with Golden Abyss that launched alongside the PlayStation Vita in 2012.
Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered
Writer: Clement Goh
Console: PC
Score: 9
Price: $46.50
Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered for PC is an unexpected surprise. The latest release doesn’t exactly spin a new web. It’s still the same game new and veteran players can love. But gamers will be happy to hear that Insomniac’s jump to PC works with some well-thought-out optimizations and features. Nixxes Software—freshly acquired by PlayStation—also leaps in with their expertise. The result comes from nothing short of a journey that never feels old with newer hardware. Players can also get a piece of the Remastered cake and so much more over PC.
The PC version gets the definitive version of Marvel’s Spider-Man yet. Simply, it’s the PS5 version which packs high-fidelity visuals, frame rate boosts and ray tracing. Players also get every piece of content, from suits to the The City That Never Sleeps DLC. I’m especially jealous of players who get to unpack all of this for the first time. Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered elevates the PS5’s goodies, but extensive settings give players the smoothest experience possible.
Grand Theft Auto V
Writer: Khari Taylor
Console: Xbox Series X
Score: 9
Price: $49.99
Well, I’ve just come up for air after playing several days’ worth of Rockstar’s current gen console remaster of Grand Theft Auto V and GTA Online for Xbox Series X, and if the subheading didn’t already make it obvious, the many improvements and enhancements that have been brought to bear on this title will once again will have both veteran players and newcomers alike happily shelling out money to experience the world of Los Santos and Blaine County, whether it’s their very first time or a return visit.
As one should expect of a paid Grand Theft Auto V remaster in 2022, the above effects are backed up by several other welcome improvements, including impeccable cube-mapped reflections on cars that could easily pass for ray-traced ones, pinpoint 3D surround sound, gorgeous weather, particle, fire and explosion effects, longer draw distances, and captivating, neon-bathed night driving that will instil the reckless need for speed in the heart of just about any gamer, and that’s just scratching the surface of what I’ve experienced thus far.
God of War
Writer: Lane Martin
Console: PC
Score: 9
Price: $79.99
God of War made big waves when it first came out back in 2018. Spend a little time with it, and you’ll see its DNA in all sorts of other games. This wasn’t the beginning of the dadification of games, just an obvious hallmark of the trend. Now, in 2022, it finally comes to the PC, and it’s still as great as it was all those years ago.
The gameplay may take a bit to get used to, but it is endlessly fulfilling. Combat starts basic but after a level up or two, you’ll unlock new combos and abilities that can all be woven into gameplay with a little practice. The same can be said for Atreus. Kratos’s kid is far more than a babysitting job with his own equipment, skill trees, and an AI that seems to learn how best to work with you during a fracas.
Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection
Writer: David Walters
Console: Playstation 5
Score: 9.5
Price: $64.96
This is a remastering, and in short, it’s stunning. Uncharted 4 was a visual masterpiece when it came out on the PS4 in 2016, and this update for the PS5 looks even better. The character models look as real as I have seen from Naughty Dog, and there were no frame issues, or any other kinds of graphical glitches I could see. As for the landscapes, there were more than a few times I found myself stopping to look around to admire the scenery, especially in Madagascar, as there are a number of very high points to climb to, so you can see the amazing landscape they have created.
In terms of gameplay, it’s just as good as the original release. Nathan moves around with a level of ease you’d expect from a lifelong treasure hunter. He doesn’t really sprint like you’d see in other action-adventure types of games. He’s quite happy moving along at a jogging pace. This is absolutely fine for me, as I like to take in the landscape anyway. He climbs exceptionally well and can handle himself in a gunfight.
The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt Next-Gen Update
Writer: Philip Watson
Console: Xbox Series X|S
Score: 9.5
Price: $49.98
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is a masterful title that needs to be played by every gamer, the new coat of paint and notable mod inclusions for the Game of the Year edition is excellent dressing on a complete experience.
There are also numerous quality-of-life changes which keep players out of the menus for longer periods of time. Geralt can now equip and cast signs with an easy cast option in the gameplay settings. This admittedly takes a little time to get used to, but makes Geralt an unstoppable force when utilized. Map filter options to show specific activities around the world also gave me a huge sigh of relief when searching for power sources to buff Geralt before a boss fight. The mini map can be removed for maximum immersion, but this isn’t a feature I utilized at all, I NEED the mini map. These are all solid little improvements that improve the player experience.
NieR:Automata: The End of YoRHa Edition
Writer: Chris De Hoog
Console: Nintendo Switch
Score: 9.5
Price: $54.96
We’re inundated with remakes, remasters, and ports these days, but unlike the others, Nier:Automata’s Switch version doesn’t play like a port. At one point I forgot I was actually playing a five-year old PS4 game in handheld mode. That’s perhaps the highest praise it can be offered: that it doesn’t feel like something that was chopped and screwed to fit a smaller box, but something that was built from the ground up for that box, fitting all of its dimensions.
If you haven’t yet tried NieR:Automata, you should definitely consider this (or any other) edition. Everything in our 2017 review, where it received a perfect score, still holds true today. Director Yoko Taro delivered a sublime masterpiece of narrative, aesthetic, and gameplay, raising the bar for the entire medium in a way that I haven’t seen since Metal Gear Solid. It’s a bleak vision for humanity’s far future, but not in the base, edgy way that makes the whole experience a burden.
I guess it’s safe to say that these reboots did the original and current games so much justice, I cannot wait to see what reboots come knocking on our doors in 2023.
Winner: Best Remaster/Reboot 2022 The Last of Us Part I
Writer: David Walters
Console: Playstation 5
Score: 9.5
Price: $89.96
The Last of Us Part I is a remake from the ground up from Naughty Dog studios, and they have spared no expense in making it look and play incredibly. It took all of about 10 in-game minutes for me to be hooked. I remember sitting on my couch in 2013 thinking “man, that sucks…” when the big plot device happens; now when I saw that scene, it completely broke me. I was sucked in, and I couldn’t let go.
Improved and tighter controls round out The Last of Us Part I experience. One of the things I worried about before playing was that the controls would feel tank-y. Thankfully, this is not the case, as Joel gets around about as well as one would expect for a man of his age, in the apocalypse no less. Weapon-play is just as smooth. It isn’t unrealistic as there is plenty of weapon sway and other factors in there to make sure that you take your time when lining up a shot, because ammo is scarce in the apocalypse, rightly so I might add.
