Later this week, Metroid: Zero Mission turns 20. This GBA reimagining transforms the original, iconic 8-bit Metroid — a game that can be hard to return to these days — into a stunning retelling of Samus’ first adventure with a graphical overhaul, various Super Metroid-inspired tweaks, and a fun Zero Suit epilogue to boot. It’s so good, in fact, that it rivals the SNES entry in the affections of several Nintendo Life writers.
As we reflected on Zero Mission’s excellence ahead of its anniversary, it got us wondering: Which is the best remake from Nintendo’s roster of reimaginings? We’re not talking remasters or HD ports — we mean full-on reworkings that switch out models and rebuild the game from the ground up.
In this article, NL staff ponder that question, and at the bottom of the page you’ll find a list of every Nintendo-published remake on our database — take a look through and feel free to rate any of the games included if you haven’t done so already. On Friday, we’ll publish the results and find out which Nintendo game takes the gong for Best Nintendo Remake ever.
First, let’s hear from the team…
Gavin Lane, editor
For me, the best remakes recontextualise the original game for a new audience, rejuvenating the experience and offering a glimpse of the OG magic that might have worn off over the years thanks to decades of design iteration, improved technology, evolved sensibilities, or any other reason a piece of media feels less than fresh many years on. Just rendering the same game in HD and slapping it on the current console is all well and good (easier access to great games is never a bad thing!), but it’s the classics that modern gamers might struggle to stick with that, I feel, benefit most from revisiting.
For that reason, it’s Zero Mission that ticks all the boxes. It’s tough to choose but if I had to, I’d take it over Super Metroid. That dinky GBA cart holds a sublime little piece of software that feels ageless. Maybe in a couple of decades, the series will have evolved to the point where this feels archaic too…but I don’t think so.
Jim Norman, staff writer
Gosh, there are some absolute belters out there, huh? Being the predictable bean that I am, however, I’m going to have to go for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D. The N64 original is one of my all-time favs (hot take, I know) and while the 3DS version does stick to the script in a lot of respects, I can’t shake the feeling that Grezzo’s remake is the best way to play.
Yes, a lot of the changes are small — easily accessible menus, a sign-posted Water Temple, moving the Iron Boots from ‘Equipment’ to ‘Item’ — but they tweak just about every tiny crack in the original’s otherwise sturdy armour. It also helps that the updated visuals blew my socks off at the time. We must be due an OOT re-remake about now, right?