Every year it seems as though our love for the past grows greater and greater. Every video game generation brings with it the promise of greater visuals, sound, depth and quality, but it also leaves many wondering just how good an old classic could be with a new lick of paint.

Final Fantasy VII has been the subject of many a craving, with the PSOne title now showing its age visually, despite remaining a thrill to play. Just imagine what it would be like if Square Enix took the most loved RPG of all time and gave it a current-gen makeover.

2009 has continued the video game industry's love affair with the past and seen many companies dust off old favourites and bring them bang up to date, with smoking hot visuals, wonderful musical scores and whole new worlds to explore. Digital Spy takes a look at some of this year's titles which tip their hats to times past.

Punch Out!!

With the Wii's popularity, control scheme and new audience, Nintendo, perhaps better than anyone, has the opportunity to make a whole host of old favourites available to the modern crowd. It's done so on the DS countless times, while the Virtual Console sees a constant stream of classics made available for a small fee. However, this year saw the Wii get a true slice of old-school with a remake of sorts of NES title Punch Out!!.

With the Wii's controls and userbase, it makes perfect sense to release a fast paced arcade boxing title, and fans have been waiting nigh-on 15 years for a follow up to Super Punch Out! on the SNES. In terms of gameplay, Punch Out!! doesn't really deviate from its source of inspiration, with the gameplay remaining almost identical to its ageing counterparts. The visuals may look flashier, and motion controls may have been added, but the point of view of the action, and the player's need to spot the computer's visual tells remains exactly the same as ever, which makes Punch Out!! accessible to new and old players alike, and is why it was well received when released back in May.

Bionic Commando

Unlike Punch Out!!, Bionic Commando completely strips out all of its old school sensibilities, and delivers a title that wouldn't have been able to see the light of day pre-current gen. Bionic Commando's only similarity to its late eighties predecessor is the fact that lead character Nathan Spencer has a bionic arm, which can be used to swing from ledges, buildings, roads and ravines.

While Bionic Commando is a sequel, not a remake, it is still a true re-imagining, and delivers a game that may have its share of flaws, but at the same time manages to capture the imagination of the player, especially when Nathan Spencer stands on high looking down at the wastelands of Ascension City.

Although extremely linear, and not quite the game one feels it could have been, Bionic Commando was fun to play, and when the game started throwing enemies at you thick and fast, it certainly reminded the player of a time when games were tough tests of skill and patience. Hopefully Capcom will put the bugs to rest for a sequel, or you can opt for the 2008 2D retro remake Bionic Commando: Rearmed on the PSN, XBLA, and the PC.

Konami's Rebirth Series

Through the medium of digital downloads, Konami has treated fans to two remixes of its most popular gaming series, with a third to follow soon. Gradius: Rebirth and Contra: Rebirth both arrived as Wiiware downloads earlier on this year, while Castlevania is heavily rumoured to be on its way soon.

With the Rebirth games, Konami is able to churn out quick, simple, but satisfying pseudo sequels. It's a simple formula - Konami takes a few old levels, gives them a bit of a paint job, also throwing in some classic enemies, bosses and music.

The biggest criticism of both titles is that they are a little on the short side, but with the difficulty levels ramped up to hard, and the lives kept at a minimum, players manage to get their money's worth, which as £7 a pop equals excellent value. With Castlevania on its way, and many more Konami titles with potential for remixing, the Rebirth series will continue to taunt gamers looking for a challenge for some time to come.

Street Fighter IV/King Of Fighters XII

Street Fighter IV and King Of Fighters XII are both sequels on paper, but they ditch the temptation of using fully-fledged 3D graphics and gameplay in favour of true 2D beat-em-up action, which sees them coming off as remakes of past titles.

Street Fighter IV

received the full five stars when DS reviewed it back in February, because it breathed life back into a fighting genre that was growing somewhat stale and tired with today's efforts. The reason it was such a success was that Capcom took all of the elements of its most successful incarnation, Street Fighter II, and bought it kicking and screaming into the next gen, with wonderful visuals, and enough gameplay tweaks to make it relevant to the modern crowd.

All of the characters were there, as well as a few new ones, with the action taking place on a 2D plain, despite the inclusion of 3D graphics. The action was fast and accessible, but it contained enough depth to satisfy the hardcore fan who still remembered pumping in the cash in the arcades all of those years ago.

SNK on the other hand has taken a slightly more subtle approach to modernising its own long-running fighting series. King Of Fighters XII is a 2D game without any shadow of a doubt, but it's still considerably next-gen thanks largely to some wonderful hand drawn visuals.

The difference between the two titles is accessibility. KOF XII is still one very much for the hardcore, thanks to its uncompromising gameplay, which takes an age to master, but is extremely satisfying if and when you do.

Both franchises have attempted to move away from the 2D style before, but Street Fighter's EX series and KOF's Maximum Impact games were unable to satisfy its fans' appetites for vintage action.

The Secret Of Monkey Island

DS has made no secret of its love affair with the adventure game, and it came as a welcome surprise when Telltale Games announced its remake of The Secret Of Monkey Island for the PC, XBLA and iPhone earlier on this year.

Not only did they treat us to an upgrade of perhaps the greatest adventure game of all time, but Telltale also proceeded to release brand new Monkey Island episodes, with the Tales Of Monkey Island: Episode 1 and 2 making their way onto computer screens already this year. The point and click genre may not be as healthy and popular as it used to be, but the addition of new sleek graphics, animation and sound, combined with the same insults and puzzles has seemingly captured the imaginations of wannabe pirates everywhere, with a new crowd of fans realising just what we salty sea dogs were raving about.

The Future

For the most part, gamers will get their retro fix from the likes of XBLA, PSN, and the Virtual Console. There is a steady stream of games released on these platforms that tip more than just their hat to times past. However, the likes of New Super Mario Bros for the Wii are still to come this year, while there's also talk of DC games coming to the PSN, which would put a smile on many a Sega (and retro) fan's face. There's also the upscaled God Of War Collection on the PS3, which may not seem so retro to some, but shows that companies continue to be interested in making a quick buck by upgrading their biggest games.

With that in mind, here's hoping that 2010 will see that remake of Final Fantasy VII, but we wouldn't count on it.