Oftentimes, when a game gets remade the new version becomes the definitive way to experience that title. It makes sense; remakes almost always look better, often add more content and will usually make lots of quality-of-life improvements. The recent Dead Space remake is a prime example of this. That said though, there are games out there that are so good that they continue to shine right alongside the remake; some even manage to outshine them. So, even if one already has the newest version in their library, they should still make room for these classics.

Ratchet and Clank

In many ways, the 2016 remake of the original Ratchet & Clank very much is the best way to play Insomniac’s adventure shooter classic. It looks fantastic, adds new and interesting weapons, gives Ratchet and Clank an updated origin and is just a much more polished experience overall. There’s a lot about the original that it fails to overshadow, though.

The original PS2 Ratchet & Clank’s story plays out differently from the remake’s. The iconic duo still meet due to the evil actions of chairman Drek, but the pair’s adventure isn’t the same. Ratchet isn’t dreamer with aspirations of being a hero. He’s just a normal guy who gets thrown into adventure thanks to discovering Clank. He’s still a huge fan of quark, but not to the point where he’s itching to join the Q-Force (which also doesn’t exist in this universe). Other characters are similarly different; they’re still more or less who they are in the remake, but their details and motivations have been altered somewhat.

Gameplay-wise, the PS2 Ratchet & Clank is rougher than the remake (this was Insomniac’s first crack at the genre, after all). Its controls are less refined; its levels are less streamlined and its weapons are less showy. These aren’t necessarily negatives, though. To the contrary, they’re benefits. The original is tougher to play in some ways, but that same roughness allows one to get away with things they otherwise couldn’t. Also, some of the weapons, such as the Visibomb, are more experimental. Considering that it was cut from the remake, it’s unlikely that fans are going to get to play around with directly-guided missiles in the Ratchet-verse again.

It’s also a much more difficult game, pushing players to get much more creative with their arsenal than the remake does. Ratchet & Clank is a much cleaner game than its predecessor, but that’s exactly why it cannot completely replace the original. Both provide different gaming experiences, ensuring that the Lombax and robot duo’s very first adventure is still a must-play for new fans.

Super Mario 64

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It’s unlikely that anyone left out there who needs to be convinced of Super Mario 64’s quality. It’s been a massive hit for over 25 years now, and it still relevant to new and old gamers alike. Still, that didn’t prevent Nintendo for remaking it for the Nintendo DS back in 2004. Despite Super Mario 64 DS being a solid game in its own right, it still wound up being the one that was largely forgotten by the larger gaming populace.

Super Mario 64 expanded on the original in almost every way. It added more stars, different challenges, new levels, new powerups and even three new playable characters. There’s also an entirely new collection of minigames to play around with. It’s not as though these changes and additions were bad either.

Each character controlled differently, helping levels to stay fresh as players worked to collect the stars. The new stages and levels had the same effect upon the game as a whole. Seriously, looking at reviews from the time will make it clear that most players really enjoyed this expanded version of the game. Yet, it’s the original that still get most of the attention, and that’s due almost entirely to how Mario controls.

Despite everything Super Mario 64 DS added to the game, the DS’s gamepad forced it to take a step back when it came to controls. That wonderful sense of flow that follows Mario as he speeds through a stage just isn’t present in the remake, and it’s impossible to ignore. Nintendo absolutely nailed 3D platforming controls with the original Super Mario 64 so much so that their absence is immediately felt in any Mario game that lacks them. So yeah, both games are great, but there’s just no replacing Super Mario 64.

Final Fantasy VII

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Anyone who’s played the PS1 version of Final Fantasy VII (FFVII) will say that it and the 2020 remake are almost entirely different games. They share characters, locations and some lore, but are completely separate in just about every other way that matters. The visuals are a given considering the time gap between the two; gaming has grown leaps and bounds since 1997 after all. It’s everything surrounding those graphics that makes the difference, though.

Without going into spoilers, FFVII and Final Fantasy VII Remake (FFVIIR) are shaping up to have very different stories. They may very well both end up in the same place, but everything from characters’ motivations and histories to the sequence of events thus far appear to be different. That alone is reason enough to still play the original. Not because the story will end up being better, but because it’ll likely wind up being completely different.

As for gameplay, FFVII is a classic turn-based RPG experienced through Square’s original ATB (Active Time Battle) system that helped make the Final Fantasy series such a hit in the first place. It’s slow compared to the new version, but it allows for a level of strategy and tactics that the new version just can’t. This isn’t to say that FFVIIR’s hybrid (but still action-oriented) system is bad. The new system allows players to get up close and personal with enemies in ways that fans could only dream of back in the '90s. Rather, it’s just a very different style of play: tactical turn-based strategy vs. tactical real-time action.

Considering also its greater scope, more numerous and varied minigames, and its classic, well-aged, pre-rendered aesthetic, there might even be an argument to be made that the PS1 FFVII is still superior to its 8th/9th generation remake. That argument might wind up dying once Final Fantasy VII Rebirth comes out later this year, but the game that started it all will, in all likelihood, never be fully overshadowed by its prettier successor.


Even though remakes are usually meant to improve upon and replace the originals, they don’t always succeed. Usually they do, but there are those rare few games that just cannot be truly replaced. Be it for reasons like first-game jank, stark story/gameplay differences or even just the quality of the controls, some games will always be able to exist right along with their remakes as worthwhile experiences. In an industry that’s always sort of operated on a “newer is better” ethos, it’s actually rather nice to see, don’t you think?