Remakes and HD remasters are a somewhat controversial topic in the gaming community. Many gamers hate them, as they reason, that time and effort that went into a remake could have gone into a new game instead. However, there are also numerous gamers who enjoy playing old favorites that have been given a fresher look or have been remade from the ground-up for modern consoles.

The announcement of Perfect Dark for the Xbox Series X made millions of Xbox loyalists very happy. What other classic Xbox titles should be given the same update? This list will stick to games that did not appear on Sony or Nintendo consoles (at least originally).

10 Blinx: The Time Sweeper

Before Master Chief became the mascot of the Xbox console series, Microsoft released Blinx: The Time Sweeper in an attempt to compete with Nintendo’s Mario and Sega’s Sonic franchises. Blinx is a 3D adventure game in which the player controls an anthropomorphized cat (with lots of ‘tude) that is equipped with a device that can manipulate time.

The game actually looked fantastic for its time; in fact, it rivals many Xbox 360 games in the graphics department. But critics dinged the game for having controls that were a bit obtuse. A remake could alleviate the control problems and give the game a more modern look.

9 Crimson Skies: High Road To Revenge

Crimson Skies is an arcade shooter set in an alternate 1930s where planes and dirigibles are the primary vehicle of choice instead of cars. The player controls the protagonist, Nathan Zachary, who looks like he was the inspiration for Nathan Drake in the Uncharted series. The player (eventually) has access to ten planes – each with their own stats to set them apart from each other.

The online multiplayer options could be given an upgrade and would, no doubt, be as popular now as it was at its release. This would be a great HD remaster; however, a full remake with a modern game engine would be even better.

8 Otogi: Myth Of Demons

Since the remake of Demon’s Souls is a PS5 exclusive, Microsoft needs to find a similar game with which to make a remake. They need look no further than Otogi: Myth of Demons for the original Xbox. This game was a hack-n-slash adventure that featured destructible environments.

Like Demon’s Souls, it was known for being a difficult game. Also, Otogi was released by the same development studio that made the Souls series of games - FromSoftware. However, a simple remaster would likely not be enough to win over fans. To compete with the Demon’s Souls remake, this game needs a full remake itself.

7 Ninja Gaiden Black

Ninja Gaiden Black was actually a re-release of the Ninja Gaiden game for the Xbox. That being said, if a title in the series deservess a remake or HD remaster, it’s Black. This could also be Microsoft’s answer to the Demon’s Souls remake for the PS5 – at least in terms of providing a challenging game to players.

Ninja Gaiden Black has been improved over the years to make it look better when played on an HD display. Now, with the release of the Xbox Series X, it might be time for a full remake.

6 Jade Empire

As critically acclaimed as Jade Empire was, it is odd that this game hasn’t been retouched for modern hardware. Granted, it looks much better when played on the Xbox Series X than it did on the original Xbox. But this is true of all backward-compatible titles on the system. Even with some tricks to make it look better, this classic game still looks very dated.

For those who have never heard of Jade Empire, it is a 3D action-adventure game set in a fictional Asian-inspired realm where the lines between real world and the spirit world are blurred. Many gamers would have preferred if Bioware put their resources towards a remake of this game before creating a Mass Effect or Dragon Age sequel.

5 JSRF – Jet Set Radio Future

Back in the day, the original Jet Set Radio was the reason many gamers bought a Sega Dreamcast. The Xbox exclusive sequel was hailed as a worthy successor but didn’t sell nearly a well as the original. In this unique game, the player controls a member of a gang as they roller-blade around Tokyo replacing rival gangs’ tags with their own, as well as evading the authorities.

JSRF was more of an open-world game than its predecessor and it also got rid of the constrictive time limits imposed upon the player. This original Xbox title is not even backward-compatible with modern Xbox consoles. Not only is that a shame for older fans, it’s a shame for newer gamers, too.

4 Kameo: Elements Of Powe

Kameo is another forgotten Xbox title that deserves an HD remaster or remake. In Kameo, the player controls an elf girl as she searches for elemental powers that will help her on her quest to rescue her family. Each element (fire, earth, water, plant, and ice) has two elementals that the player can transform into for different abilities.

Everything about this third-person adventure game with some RPG elements was near-perfect. The graphics, music, sound effects, difficulty, control, and game-world were all superbly implemented. This can be played on the Xbox One via Rare Replay, but it deserves an HD remaster or full remake.

3 MechAssault

MechAssault was a standout game for the original Xbox and the Titanfall series bears many resemblances to it – including success. One reason this game hasn’t been revisited by Microsoft is likely due to its use of the Battle Tech license.

Many in the gaming community consider this the best game released for the original Xbox even rivaling Halo for the must-play multiplayer experience on the console. Gamers would probably be happy with a well-made HD remaster. But a full remake using modern development tools and a Battle Tech universe setting might make fans forget that they don’t have Titanfall 3 yet.

2 Call Of Cthulhu: Dark Corners Of The Earth

Dark Corners of the Earth is a survival horror game set in a small town in the 1920s. As popular as the Cthulhu mythos has become over the past decade, it’s surprising that this game hasn’t been revisited by Microsoft. This game used concepts that were later used in modern games like Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice.

But Dark Corners has some very disturbing visuals – the sight of which can cause the protagonist to hallucinate. This makes the game a frightening journey for the player made more so by the limited means of defending one’s self. This game just needs an HD remaster as it still looks pretty good by today’s gaming standards.

1 Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic

Bioware has made some great games, but many, many gamers consider Knights of the Old Republic (KOTOR) to be a zenith that they will never reach again. Additionally, this game is also considered the best Star Wars game ever made by many fans. A remaster or remake of this game would be an instant bestseller.

EA currently owns the license to make Star Wars games; however, EA also owns the game’s developer: Bioware. There is nothing stopping them from giving the gaming community an updated version of this classic title. Even detractors of remasters and remakes would not complain about this game being re-released.