SEGA is one of the most enduring names in the gaming industry, having existed in one form or another as far back as the 1940s.
When the industry was in dire straits followingthe Crash of ‘83 and Atari’s downfall, SEGA was one of the brands that rose from the ashes to start putting the pieces back together with consoles like the Master System and Genesis.
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From once in a blue moon to five in one go.
Throughout its sizable tenure, SEGA has either created or contributed to the creation of numerous games and IPs.
Many of these games have been shelved for a long time, but if they were to get the full remake treatment, we could have something special on our hands.
10Nights Into Dreams
“In The Nights, Dream Delight…”
NiGHTS Into Dreams
Nights into Dreams was the unofficialheadliner for the SEGA Saturn, as the console lacked a definitive Sonic game.
It was a bit of an odd game with gameplay that you needed to read the manual to understand, but once you got it, it was a lot of fun.
Nights has only had two games, one on the Saturn and one on the Wii.
If we got a remake of the Saturn version with some fresh graphics and quality-of-life features, plus the Wii game’s greater emphasis on story, it might be just what that ol’ flying jester needs to get back on their feet.
9Cyber Troopers Virtual On
Everything’s Better With Giant Robots
Cyber Troopers Virtual On
The game industry could always use more quality giant robot games, especially with games like Gigabash showing there’s still a market for supersized multiplayer combat. Considering that, it might be a good time to revive SEGA’s robot-busting classic, Cyber Troopers Virtual On.
This arcade game was all about high-speed robot-on-robot combat, both with guns and melee weapons.
A remake could stick to one-on-one for the competitive scene, or crank things up to a large-scale multiplayer scenario. SEGA might just have the perfect candidate for a battle royale on its hands.
8Dynamite Headdy
Bright, Colorful, And Wacky
Dynamite Headdy
The success ofgames like Astro Bothas shown us that upbeat, quirky mascot platformers are back in vogue.
If colorful and quirky are the name of the game, Dynamite Headdy has both in spades. A Genesis classic developed by Treasure and published by SEGA; this game was one of the console’s big sleeper hits.
A Dynamite Headdy remake could be either a traditional 2D platformer or a 3D mascot platformer.
Either medium could work well with the game’s stage aesthetic and puppet characters, not to mention Headdy’s various power-ups.
7Space Harrier
Time For An Arcade Revival
Space Harrier was one of SEGA’s biggest arcade blockbusters.
One of the big draws was the special arcade cabinet that pitched and rolled as you maneuvered around. If SEGA wanted to maintain this quirk, it could remake it for arcades, though a score-based home console version would also be nice.
As for what a remake would need, it’s already a pretty wild game, so just get even wilder with it! Weirder enemies, bigger bosses, and so on.
If this ever became a reality, SEGA should consider getting Hideki Kamiya on board; he’salways putting Space Harrier references in his games, so he’d probably love the opportunity.
6Vectorman
Imagine The Graphical Potential
Vectorman was a stylish action platformer meant to really show what the SEGA Genesis was capable of compared to its competitors in the console wars.
It certainly accomplished that goal, but barring one sequel, Vectorman has never again seen the light of day.
If the point of a Vectorman game is to show off technical prowess, there’s plenty of showing off SEGA could do in the modern day with new and improved game engines.
Drop the ball-bot in a fancy 3D world, give him some new abilities and powers; the whole thing writes itself.
5Alien Soldier
Notoriously Difficult Super Spectacle
Another collaboration between Treasure and SEGA, Alien Soldier was a powerful showcase of gaming difficulty and skill designed only for the most hardcore of players.
Even by today’s standards, the original is still pretty punishing, but how far could a remake push things?
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By using the original’s gameplay as a baseline, SEGA could create some extremely action-packed, skill-focused gameplay, perfect for the get-good crowd.
It’d also be pretty awesome to see the game’s massive and bizarre bosses rendered in full 3D. Don’t even deny that you want to see the full splendor of Wolfgunblood and Garopa bearing down on you.
4Comix Zone
A Pow, A Zip & A Whack
Comix Zone
Comix Zonewas a very ambitious Genesis game, putting you in control of a comic book artist brawling his way through his own works.
You’d jump between comic panels while the antagonist drew new enemies and hazards onto the page.
A Comix Zone remake would be great with the full character-action treatment, really leaning into the comic format for both combat and exploration.
More than anything, though, it needs a difficulty adjustment; the original wasnotoriously toughand not shy about kicking you back to the title screen at the slightest mistake.
3Skies Of Arcadia
Reviving A Long-Dormant JRPG Classic
Skies of Arcadia
When it comes to JRPGs, SEGA mostly sticks to Phantasy Star, but on one occasion for the Dreamcast, it cooked up something new:Skies of Arcadia.
This cult-classic JRPG features a cast of stylish sky pirates soaring through the air to right wrongs and loot treasure.
Skies of Arcadia hasn’t gotten much attention beyond a GameCube port and some cameos, but a full remake on the scale of something like Metaphor: ReFantazio could be just the thing to put it back on the map.
Another Forgotten SEGA Mascot
In a similar vein to Dynamite Headdy, Ristar isanother of the SEGA Genesis’ secret masters, though this one was exclusively a SEGA production.
While there was a similar emphasis on speed to the Sonic games, Ristar’s big gimmick was his stretchy arms, which allowed him to launch himself like a shooting star.
Ideally, a remake would have a greater focus on speed and style, kind of like Penny’s Big Breakaway. However, we might want to keep this one in 2D, as all the launching and stretching might be hard to handle in 3D.
1Fantasy Zone
We Could Always Use More Opa-Opa
Fantasy Zone
Here’s a fun fact: before Sonic the Hedgehog and Alex Kidd, SEGA’s first official mascot was Opa-Opa, the little ship you control in Fantasy Zone.
Despite this, Opa-Opa doesn’t get much in the way of acknowledgment these days beyond a cameo in Sonic and SEGA All-Stars Racing. We say give the little guy his due with a proper remake.
Fantasy Zone has a pretty flexible gameplay loop, flying around and destroying enemies in a large area and occasionally upgrading your abilities, so a remake could easily be in either 2D or 3D.
That upgrading aspect, in particular, might make a remake a good candidate for the roguelite treatment.
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