Sometimes it's necessary to give a gaming series a kick square in the pants, to move it in a different direction or make it relevant to a new audience of gamers. We’ve raided tombs, fought shadow lords and murdered moon Nazis to bring you the best gaming reboots, refreshes and do-overs in the history of Xbox.
01: Tomb Raider:
There’s a lot to love about Lara Croft’s original adventures, and they remain the Raiders of choice if you value puzzles, skill-based platforming and polygons you could cut yourself on. Crystal Dynamics were handed the keys to the series after the disastrous Angel of Darkness, and after an excellent reboot trilogy, they repeated the trick in 2013 with their second reinvention of Lara Croft. The simply named Tomb Raider is a more story and spectacle-focused affair – last year’s sequel would expand on its downplayed tomb and puzzle elements – and one that succeeded in revitalising a gaming icon who was in danger of being left behind.
02: DMC: Devil May Cry:
Ninja Theory’s divisive reboot recasts Dante as a snarling whelp with a fancy new hairdo, and coupled with the halved framerate this was enough to get the internet up-in-arms. (The internet, enraged? Surely not.) In truth, the combat isn’t as deep as the system in DMC 4, but this is still a fine action game with a great story, a sense of humour and some of the most visually impressive environments we’ve seen. While it’s not yet received a sequel, the Definitive Edition doubles the framerate and adds a raft of new modes. Now in its final form, it’s a worthy competitor to the reigning monarch of character action games, Bayonetta.
03: Strider:
While it didn’t go on to spawn a new series of Strider titles, the 2014 reboot is a cracking one-and-done platformer, and a great lesson in how to refresh an old game for a modern audience. Drawing from the arcade Striders, the wildly different console versions, and the original manga, this blistering reboot is a sort of compilation of hero Strider Hiryu’s best bits: one that retells the central story of a high-tech ninja tasked with defeating a powerful dictator. Inspired by modern trends as much as it is by the past, Strider 2014 adds a Metroidvania-style open world that gradually unlocks as Hiryu acquires new abilities. The simple combat has been expanded massively too.
04: Rayman Origins:
Rayman was one of the pillars the mighty Ubisoft was built on, but before Origins arrived back in 2011, the jolly French hero seemed doomed to an early retirement. For the longest time, the only Rayman games around were those cute/annoying/please-make-them-stop Rabbids spin-offs, but with Origins, he put them firmly in their place. The first thing you notice about the game is its exquisite painterly aesthetic, made possible thanks to the UbiArt framework that reinvigorated 2D game art. Looks aren’t everything, however, and it’s Origins’ winning level design, stage variety, and playful sense of humour that rescued Rayman from obscurity.
05: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare:
We were tired of World War II shooters long before Call of Duty 4, so this landmark game was long overdue. Modern Warfare updates the action to the present day, in a thrilling, twisty story that straddles realism with 24-style bombastic action. This is CoD’s sweet spot, thanks to a generally plausible story that lacks the toppled landmarks and uncanny Spacey of more recent games. Everyone remembers the atmospheric Pripyat level, or that bit with the nuclear bomb, but Modern Warfare’s biggest contribution to shooters is its surprise RPG elements. Succeeding in CoD’s multiplayer now grants XP, which can be used to unlock equipment and abilities.
06: XCOM: Enemy Unknown:
While we’ve yet to enjoy the sequel on consoles, this faithful reboot of the beloved X-COM series was gratefully received on Xbox 360 back in 2012. Unlike its middling third-person shooter spin-off The Bureau, Enemy Unknown is the real deal: a turn-based strategy of enormous depth and replayability. A game about repelling an alien invasion, Enemy Unknown is different each time you play, thanks to procedural events that happen as you scan the globe for alien activity, and the random pool of soldiers you soon grow attached to. Lose a precious team-member and they’re gone forever, leaving just a memorial message and a hole in your heart.
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