Newer doesn't inherently mean better, right? Remakes have become an ever-increasing portion of the hyper-conservative AAA video game market, but that doesn't mean we should stop playing the source material. In fact, many remakes are substantially more enjoyable when played in tandem with their progenitors.

Shinier graphics, new features and sensible control tweaks usually create a more approachable experience for new players, but much of the weird, crunchy aspects of older games get lost in translation. That's why I've put together a list of five remakes I'd recommend playing with the originals, not instead of the originals.

Have some other top-notch remakes that should be played alongside their predecessors? Give 'em a shout out in the comment section below. Now, let's (re)make our way through my selections.

'Super Mario All-Stars' (1993)

One of the single best cartridges you could have for the SNES actually had a bunch of '80s NES/Famicom games on it. This ambitious remake of all of the 8-bit "Super Mario Bros." titles sports updated visuals, music and gameplay while introducing the west to the infamous original Japanese "Super Mario Bros. 2" game as "The Lost Levels."

Of course, these updates also mean we lose weird quirks like the Minus World from the OG releases. I'd never want to toss my NES carts, but I'm awfully fond of these 16-bit remakes.

'Final Fantasy VII Remake' (2020)

Only a few years after "Final Fantasy VII" blew the doors off the first PlayStation, fans began begging Square-Enix for a remake on beefier hardware. It took longer than expected, but they finally shipped the first of their three-part remake series at the start of the pandemic. It ditched the distorted chibi character models and classic combat system in favor of a more realistic look and a hybrid of real-time and menu-driven battling. It shreds, and when the second installment hits next year, I'll be there with bells on.

Most importantly, the story makes it perfectly clear that this isn't a straightforward retelling of the 1997 classic. Instead, it's a supplementary experience that critiques and comments on both the original game and the phenomenon at large while still hitting all of the main beats fans are craving.

'Black Mesa' (2020)

You simply cannot overstate how influential "Half-Life" was. Not only did it change the face of first-person games overnight, but its success lead directly to Valve becoming a juggernaut in the PC gaming market. The studio did a relatively modest upgrade called "Half-Life: Source" with their physics-heavy Source engine, but a full-fledged remake fell to fans instead (with the blessing of Valve).

"Black Mesa" is what I might call a huge success for a more accessible experience, but the original still stands up. If you've somehow never played any of these games, it's worth going through "Half-Life" so you can see how much effort went into the remake.

'Ratchet & Clank' (2016)

This is a weird one — it's simultaneously a remake of the original PS2 game and a cross-media advertisement for the poorly-reviewed movie. Thankfully, it's extremely fun to play, and serves as an excellent re-entry point for lost fans. The PSP and PS3 era of "Ratchet" seems to have lost some of the prestige of the originals, but this wonderful reboot got everything back on track.

The remake sports a gorgeous aesthetic that evokes the likes of DreamWorks or Pixar movies, but there's still something to be said for the simpler look and snappy gameplay of that first installment. If you can access an emulator on a half-way decent gaming PC, that PS2 version can still look shockingly good.

'Resident Evil 2' (2019)

Broadly speaking, "RE2" is considered to be the cream of the remake crop. It drops the pre-rendered environments of the PS1 original, offers substantial quality-of-life improvements and even adds in a more dynamic game-long threat that cranks up the stress.

All of that said, the warbly polygons and pixelated textures of the PlayStation hold nostalgic appeal, and the tank controls and fixed perspective of the first go-round are undeniably distinct. The original is harder to play, but definitely hasn't been supplanted.

Love old games? Be sure to keep your favorites in good condition because the classics are disappearing.

[Image: IGN]