I'd say that the PS2 rereleases of the Metal Gear games fit here, MGS2 substance & MGS3 Subsistence. Substance adds lots of new optional content that doesn't affect the main game at all and just has more stuff to do outside of the main campaign. MGS3 Subsistence adds ports of the OG MG1 & 2 localized in English for the first time, Ape Escape Crossover Minigame, and a optional different camera control that can be completely ignroed in favour of the og camera among some other neat stuff. So both add lots to the game with zero reason to ever play the og in favour. PS3 rerelease of MGS2 & Peacewalker also fit, both lose nothing from the OGs except being a higher resoloution & for PW a higher framerate better controls and also able to transfer saves from the HD version to the PSP original.

Persona 3 FES could also be added since there is no reason to play vanilla instead of FES. It adds some optional new events into the Main story as well as a extra campaign which can be ignored if wished. I can't think of any reason you'd want to play the orignal instead of FES unless you want to see the slightly different main menu

I guess I can see your logic, in that case i think Kingdom Hearts HD releases are a good fit. I'm fairly certain they are identical to PS2 releases in every aspect except resolution is higher and character textures are improved, they are however extremely faithful. They also include all content from Final Mix releases some of which were Japan only afaik.

@red_by kh 1.5 and 2.5 have remade music and plenty of people prefer the midi versions. for those people it's more ideal to play the ps2 version of final mix

@ollchops good call on mgs, but i'm gonna decline p3fes. changes some gameplay mechanics. most notably the ability for a social link to reverse. also the additional story scenes are fairly polarizing (regarding chidori)

that aside, the differences between p3/fes are poorly documented, so i'm gonna err on the side of caution

also this list doesnt account for rereleases on the same system. cant call them ports or remasters

I mean, they remade all of them so the 3D would work, but you're kinda right, at least with Sega. Its functionally no different from emulating them, but on a 3D display, from my experience, although its possible the games run better.

Nintendo seemed to make more changes to a few of their games. I think saving being added to Excitebike and Kid Icarus at least makes them eligible.

Actually reading the wiki for 3D Classics Kid Icarus, it might have too many changes.

Definitely add the Star Ocean Last Hope 4K remaster. Easily the best version available and much better than the Xbox 360 version.

Another one would be Final Fantasy X HD and FFX International.

p3fes still has social link reverses though?

Considering Castlevania Advance Collection is here, would Mega Man Legacy Collection 1 and 2 count? It's the same games with optional savestates, optional challenges, optional filters, and an optional "turbo" CPU speed that reduces slowdown and flickering. There's also a museum with concept art plus a list of enemies that tells you each enemy's weakness.

G-Darius HD and Ray'z Arcade Chronology, though honestly its a catchall for the recent Taito collections M2 has done. Not only do they add optional modern QOL and graphical enhancements, they are more faithfully ported than they have ever been, and are the best way to play those games in every way besides maybe price to some. But even then they've been going on sale more recently.

Unless you insist on playing on PCBs for score it doesn't get any better than that, imo.

Cotton Reboot! would be a great addition, too. I actually prefer the remake over the original game due to its more thoughtful game balance, and a really good port of the original game is included with it too with some much needed enhancements. Namely improved controls and it being based on the X68000 port of the original Fantastic Night Dreams: Cotton, which is already considered the "director's cut" version of the game.

Only issues I have with the original port on there is some SLIGHT pixel shimmering, and a new cutscene font and no way to disable the Reboot! VA on the cutscenes. But I'll take that over the weirdass controls of the original.

@divedeep ffx hd is on the other list lmao. last hope works though - just removes disc swapping and lets you use the original portraits/voices

@apocynadeae u rite. me dumb. been a while

@hemerecio yeah that checks out

@tremirodomi would totally add but i only have one of m2's shmup remasters listed because otherwise this whole thing would be straight up overtaken by their work lmao

surprised there's no nightdive remakes on here since those are essentially the definition of this. they remake old pc games and include all optional content. additionally, every time they visually upgrade something, they include the original version as well. Stuff like their recent SW: Dark Forces, or their Quake series or Doom 64 ports are absurdly good.

@maelstrom i appreciate nightdive for preservation's sake, but i'd rarely ever actually play one of their remasters for any reason beyond compatibility. they tend to fuck up lighting, aim for too much in the way of 'modernization' and generally the visuals are an overall downgrade. sw dark forces i find especially hideous with the remastered visuals

powerslave without saturn lighting :(

sega 3d classics have some wicked features, the gyro tilt control in super hang on is very fun lol

How about The Bard's Tale Trilogy? It's a modern remake of the original Bard's Tale games with new QOL features and updates graphics and artstyle, while still allowing you to play with the original graphics from the OG.

@rogueliker i'm not seeing anywhere that you can toggle to original graphics. legacy mode makes no mention of it and reviews state there are no classic assets

@chandler I worded it poorly yeah, but Legacy Mode is still a thing in the game, and outside the Legacy Mode, the gameplay loop of The Bard's Tale is still generally the same as the original but with all the changes like the map and such. Sorry if I said It incorrectly btw.

@rogueliker yeah the art style is the deal breaker for me. i wouldn't play this version because i find it really uninteresting compared to the other versions

i suppose i should reiterate that the purpose of this list isn't to recommend things that are close enough but more widely accessible to 'modern audiences'. the purpose of this list is to stress the importance of not neglecting works of art just because they're old. having strict criteria and an ultimately slim selection is very deliberate

Kowloon High-School Chronicle - ORIGIN OF ADVENTURE: Pretty much a 1:1 recreation of the original at a higher res, with both major changes being entirely optional; selectable difficulty and all dialogue having voice acting (the original was only partially voiceacted). However, none of the additional content from re:charge, a revision released 2 years after the original is present. Which is a bummer, but it technically can replace the original considering its not missing anything, and neither of the ps2 releases were ever localized nor (to my knowledge at least) have they been fan translated so not like non-japanese speakers have a real alternative anyway

Tokyo Majin Gakuen: Kenpūchō (DS): Another odd one from the same series. Features a route/ending for each character (previously only had one) new side content, and a playable prologue. What I find really unique is that all of that new content was originally from a fanmade expansion/revision for the PSX that was popularized enough they made it “canon” in this release.
As far as changes go: Art got redrawn (previously watercolor, now digital), every character’s facial expressions have been animated, new music for characters previously missing unique themes, and the UI is redesigned to better suit the DS’ screens. All the music is also different but I'm unsure if it's actually been recomposed, or simply the difference in the console’s soundfonts.
Side by side comparisons for each game’s visuals & music: PSX DS

Tokyo Majin Gakuen Gehōchō: Keppūroku: Going for a hat trick in this series. Haven't played and I’m relying on machine translated websites, so take it with a grain of salt. But it definitely feels more akin to an enhanced port than a remake. One additional chapter, a minigame, new illustrations, and some minor mechanical differences - in the original you can only talk to one companion after the end of each chapter, in this version you can talk to everyone. There's also apparently a custom move system and new ai for party companions but I can't find much info or footage on either.

Powerslave Exhumed: This one I can see being contentious. I personally view it as the definitive edition due to combining elements of both console versions and the DOS game together. You could argue the lighting is a downgrade from the saturn version (which it is). That being said, there's plenty of options you can use to get the visuals pretty close to those present in either console game, even down to the PSX’s texture warping. Still a totally different game from the DOS version, but I can't find myself ever revisiting the Saturn’s when this exists.

@elassirish kowloon high's more of a technicality than anything so i don't see much of a point - it's the only way to play it for most people, so of course it's what they'll go with. the sequel i wouldn't include on the basis that the art and music was remade. third i can't really judge for the same reasons as you

i suppose there's no harm in adding the original though. i've got chrono cross on here for similar "you can play it officially now" reasons due to its radical dreamers translation. so sure, why not

powerslave i'll disagree with for the reason @goznog mentioned and you addressed - it doesn't fully represent every version of the game and it doesn't unarguably do everything the best

I wonder if it's fruitful to create a list that can act as an in-between for this and the break one. Reason I asked is cause, alongside the Nightdive and Resident Evil suggestions being declined, I was gonna mention Live A Live's remake before realizing it was also really gonna be added in just for the "it's actually available to overseas audiences now instead of needing emulation" clause.

@blazingwaters the purpose of these two lists is to stress the importance of preserving original game releases and not writing them off unless they are either perfectly replicated or objectively improved upon

an in-between is something i would find way too grey and way too person-by-person to be viable. it's as valid of an idea as anything else for someone else to make, but it certainly wouldn't be me doing it

for instance i have very little interest in the the live a live remake because i don't like the aesthetic sacrifices it makes. i don't the like 2.5d style and i don't like that the text boxes are no longer personalized

For clarification, I don't mind the super strict criteria surrounding both of those lists, and I largely agree with what ypu're saying. It was more so just a stray shot suggestion than anything concrete and substantial (especially since you raised a great point, it'd be way too personalized even after supreme scrutiny for an either-or list to really matter).

Maybe I'll make it myself at some point since it'd be an alright point of reference regardless, but it just sorta heightens how fuzzy and constricting these remakes/remasters/rereleases can end up becoming. Doubly so as someone that's started to hate the idea of "a definitive version" or w/e.