See what some of your favorite Nintendo 64 games would look like with an HD makeover
YouTube
Releasing HD versions of older games has become a common practice in the gaming industry — so much so that even games originally released in high-definition are being remastered on newer hardware to give them a little extra polish and shine.
Unfortunately, it's impossible to know when, or even if, an HD version of your favorite classic game is on the horizon.
Those questions are still up in the air, but thanks to YouTube user and graphical designer CryZENx, we can see what some games from the late 1990s and early 2000s would look like if they were made today.
CryZENx recreates levels, primarily from Nintendo 64 games, using the Unreal Engine, the same graphics engine powering modern games like "BioShock: Infinite" and the "Batman: Arkham" series.
The levels can be downloaded and played on computers capable of running the Unreal Engine, but keep in mind that CryZENx is just recreating these levels graphically — he isn't recreating any gameplay. That means no enemies, no other characters, and no story — just an open level reworked with modern graphics for you to explore.
Nintendo is notoriously strict about people making remakes or homages to its games, so while it would be great to play a fan-made HD remake of "Super Mario 64," watching these videos is probably the closest we'll get.
To give you a taste of how CryZENx's recreations stack up against the original games, we've stacked the two side by side, and you can switch between the two by dragging the slider across the screen.
What a difference new graphics can make:
"Super Mario 64" (1996)
"The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time" (1998)
"Donkey Kong 64" (1999)
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