Tragically, the recent remasters of Grand Thet Auto III, Vice City, and San Andreas—collectively known as Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Editon—haven't been received very well by fans of the series. According to GameRant, the new collection of GTA titles is plagued with technical issues and comes across as an inferior experience when compared to the now decades-old originals.
That said, the practice of remaking and remastering well-regarded gaming titles isn't going away any time soon, and, while fans would never want a repeat of Rockstar's most recent fiasco, it shouldn't dissuade the resurrection of these ten duologies and trilogies.
Manhunt Series
The Grand Theft Auto series is known for courting controversy, but even the complete chaos of Rockstar's most well-known franchise can't compare to their early 2000s two-title series Manhunt.
A brutal and gratuitous stealth survival game, Manhunt puts players in the shoes of an inmate known as Cash who is forced to kill at the behest of an enigmatic director intending to put together a snuff film. The series infamy rivals that of San Andreas' hot coffee catastrophe, but, fifteen-odd years on, it's due for a facelift.
Far Cry Trilogy
Today, the Far Cry series is known for its fun yet undeniably formulaic style, and with six-core titles and a slew of spinoffs having released since 2004, Ubisoft's open-world franchise shows no signs of slowing down.
However, in the minds of many gamers, the series' first three main outings were its best. Groundbreaking in terms of scope and scale, they laid the groundwork for the thousands of sandbox titles to follow, and it would be great to see the plains of East Africa and the tropical Rook Islands brought up to date in a more modern engine.
F.E.A.R. Trilogy
In 2005, the survival horror genre was peaking in popularity, but, spurred on by releases like Call of Duty and Battlefield 2, military shooters were attaining widespread attention as well. F.E.A.R. combined these two genres and made something wholly unique out of elements borrowed from other games.
While the first two F.E.A.R. titles were well-received, the third game's focus on multiplayer was regarded as a step in the wrong direction, and it would be the final core installment in the series. With EA recently announcing a remaster of the original Dead Space game, it could be time for the F.EA.R. franchise to make a return too.
Max Payne Trilogy
A collection of innovative third-person shooters which put developers Remedy Entertainment on the map, Max Payne tells the tale of the titular ex-NYPD agent embarking on a ferocious quest to avenge his murdered family.
Primarily remembered for its bullet-time mechanic—an element likely borrowed from the turn-of-the-millennium movie trilogy The Matrix—Max Payne and its sequel set the stage for action-heavy experiences like Singularity and the F.E.A.R. trilogy. While the Rockstar-developed Max Payne 3 is fairly hit-or-miss among fans, the gritty environs of the first two games would look stellar if remastered.
BioShock Trilogy
Perhaps the most influential horror game to debut during the seventh console generation, BioShock was a gripping tale that made the abstract terrors of unchecked avarice tangible. The underwater city of Rapture is rife with citizens gone wild in an effort to genetically splice their way to the top, and its leaders are ideologues far more eager to exterminate than to negotiate.
While a remastered collection was already made available for the PS4 and Xbox One, it's scarcely an upgrade. BioShock is a lore-filled trilogy of first-person shooters, and it's deserving of a full-on remake as opposed to a port, which hardly qualifies as an enhancement.
The Suffering Series
Released in 2004, The Suffering was a third-person psychological horror shooter which rivaled titles like Silent Hill and Fatal Frame in terms of terror. Players step into the role of Torque, a death row inmate who must battle supernatural dangers in an attempt to escape an island prison.
Deeply disturbing and surprisingly difficult, there aren't many modern-day gaming experiences that could compare to The Suffering. A sequel was released just a year later and was subtitled Ties That Bind, and, though somewhat obscure, both of these gems deserve to be remastered.
Condemned Series
One of the best unsung survival horror titles of all time, Condemned: Criminal Origins launched in 2005 alongside Microsoft's Xbox 360 title and was a staggeringly immersive offering that made use of an innovative melee combat system. Placed in the role of a police officer who has been framed for murder, players must scour the underbelly of a seedy city to exonerate themselves and track down the real culprit.
Few games pull off melee combat as well as the first Condemned game, and, while the second game strayed a bit too far into surreal territory, they're both excellent games that deserve modern reimaginings.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Trilogy
Released in the mid-to-late 2000s, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl was an innovative FPS that beat Bethesda's Fallout 3 to the punch by more than a year. Featuring a dreary, irradiated atmosphere and unforgiving RPG mechanics, the first S.T.A.L.K.E.R. game set the stage for many open-world role-playing games to come.
Though subsequent releases in the series aren't remembered quite as fondly, the post-apocalyptic S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games are deserving of additional polish. Following a decade-long hiatus, the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series is set to return in 2022, and fans are doubtlessly wondering if remasters of the originals could be on the horizon should the upcoming title perform well financially.
Fallout Duology
Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas are among the most requested potential remasters of all time, and dedicated fans have worked tirelessly to port parts of these previous games into Fallout 4's engine. Unfortunately, with Bethesda's focus having been locked on the controversial Fallout 76 for the past few years, it seems like this isn't likely to happen any time soon.
However, though they play very differently, it would be interesting to see Bethesda modernize the first two releases in the Fallout franchise. Series stalwarts would likely scoff at the idea, but it would be a great opportunity for newer fans to connect with Fallout's late-90s roots.
The Elder Scrolls Trilogy
During 2018's E3 conference, Bethesda premiered a reveal trailer for the sixth installment in the Elder Scrolls series. Though thrilling at the time, there hasn't been much information since, and the future of the franchise remains enigmatic.
While it'll virtually never happen unless there's an unprecedented cultural shift at Bethesda, the first three installments in the Elder Scrolls series will never be remade or remastered. This is a shame, as they're some of the most seminal RPGs of all time. Morrowind, in particular, is incredibly well-remembered, and a new remaster would make for a fantastic break from the seemingly endless parade of Skyrim remasters and special editions.