Polygon Says 5 Classic Nintendo Games Need No Remake

Polygon recently published an article titled 5 Classic Nintendo Games That Are So Good They Never Need a Remake. The argument suggests that certain older Nintendo games remain enjoyable without needing a modern update. Unfortunately, we only have access to the headline and not the specific five titles, so we won’t be able to name them here.

This piece follows a familiar theme. Polygon’s related feature, 10 Best Classic Shooters That Are So Good They Never Need A Remake, makes a similar point regarding games from the 2000s. It claims those shooters “were perfect two decades ago, and don’t need a remake in 2026.”

When you look at both lists together, they create a mini-series with a clear stance: not every classic game needs a fresh coat of paint. The Nintendo entry focuses on five games instead of ten, making it a more concise and opinionated selection.

This argument comes amid ongoing remake projects at Nintendo. The company released a remake of Link’s Awakening in September 2019 and surprised fans with Metroid Prime Remastered at $39.99 in February 2023. They also launched Super Mario RPG in November 2023 and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door in May 2024. Each game shows Nintendo’s willingness to revisit its classic titles when the opportunity arises.

Retrospective lists have been popping up across the gaming press as well. Comic Book Resources featured 10 Dreamcast Games That Were Years Ahead of Their Time, while DualShockers shared 10 Best JRPGs for Players New to the Genre. FandomWire also published rankings for New Game+ modes and games that let you play as the villain, both featuring five entries.

By The Numbers

Games on Polygon’s Nintendo list	5
Games on Polygon’s classic shooters list	10
Games on CBR’s Dreamcast list	10
Games on DualShockers’ JRPG starter list	10
Metroid Prime Remastered launch price	$39.99

Community Pulse: None of the sources we have include reader comments, forum discussions, or user reviews, so we can’t provide any community sentiment. We won’t make anything up. Reactions to the list will likely depend on the five games Polygon selected and which beloved titles they chose to leave out.

What To Watch

• The full five-game list: The specific picks will reveal whether Polygon favors Nintendo titles that have already been remade or those that haven’t.
• More entries in the series: The shooters and Nintendo lists indicate that Polygon might expand the “never need a remake” concept to other genres or publishers.
• Nintendo’s remake cadence: With releases in 2019, 2023, and 2024, any new remake announcement would test how much of their catalog Nintendo sees as fair game.