Games that USED to be great

[Cirrus]

When I think back to my childhood, I can remember a ton of games that I loved... but I really can't remember any that I really recall hating. Now, I play some of the games of my youth, and they are really terrible. Well, some of you won't think all of these games are terrible, but the contrast between how good I thought they were, and how good they are now is huge.

For instance, I used to think Caveman Games was just about as good as it got. I really thought it was a lot of fun, and was very envious of my friend who had it.

Another good example is T&C Surf Factory (?)... what a bad game. I mean, we played this game a ridiculous amount, to the point where it honestly should have been clear to us how bad it was... we just kept playing.

Post the games that you have played lately for the first time for years, and said, "What happened?!"



I tried my best to search for a thread that is similar to this, as I hate doing the same thing twice, but I haven't come across this one. So, sorry if this is a repeat!

[Richter Belmount]

its just cause your exposed to better games thats all.

[o2william]

Out of this World!/Helicopter Rescue! on the Odyssey2 is probably my best example of this. I don't think I ever thought it was that great even back in '81, but I do remember having some good times playing it. Now, it's nothing but boring.

Journey Escape for the 2600 is another one. I actually still can enjoy this one, but I was totally blown away by it at age 8. Ahh, the innocence of youth.

[Cirrus]

its just cause your exposed to better games thats all.

Well, that's a thought, but I was exposed to better games even at that point. There were plenty of games I was playing at the same time, but I couldn't tell the difference. All games were great.

[imanerd0011]

When I was growing up I thought that Batman (NES) was AWESOME!!! When I play it now, I realize it is a sub par NES game at best. Batman moves like a freaking caveman, and the game is way too hard in general.

[nik]

most of the games I used to have play very well today... even drunken mario kart via snes.

[Uzi 9mm]

Tonic Trouble- I vaguely remember renting this way back in '99, and actually enjoying it. I bought it quite a while ago, now it's bleh...

Jet Moto 2- This was a great game when it first came out, but now it's a sub-par racing game with sluggish controls.

Grand Theft Auto III- Don't get me wrong, I love this game, but it is not as good as I remember it back when it came out. The other day I bought it, expecting it to be as good as San Andreas, but it just seemed mediocre compared to it.

That's all I can think of for now...

[Damon Plus]

Legend of Zelda for the Nes. I remember playing it 8 years ago and loving the sense of exploration, but now I get bored with it if I play more than an hour. :/ It was my 7# favorite game of all time last year. Now is at 34#

[Aussie2B]

When I was growing up I thought that Batman (NES) was AWESOME!!! When I play it now, I realize it is a sub par NES game at best. Batman moves like a freaking caveman, and the game is way too hard in general.

Sub-par NES game at best? o_o You're crazy, man. Batman IS an awesome game. Always has been, always will be. Maybe you just don't have the patience for such a difficult game anymore. ;)

I honestly can't think of any examples. Sure, there were some so-so games that I played a lot when I was young only because I didn't have anything else to play (like Tetris 2 on SNES), but even then I knew those games weren't that great. Everything back then that I loved I still love.

[Snapple]

Dragon Warrior. The original.

There's nothing this game does that now a thousand other games haven't done better.

A lot of 8-bit games have really stood the test of time and offer enjoyment that can't be found on current-gen consoles. Not Dragon Warrior. It's completely outdated, and to me, completely boring now. So is the first sequel, in my opinion.

Dragon Warrior/Quest 3 on up, are still good games to me. But I don't like the original in the slightest anymore.

[jdc]

Halo LOL (only HALF kidding). Can't understand how people play it 24/7. Once through is enough then it pales for me.

[nildem]

I loved the NES game King of Kings when I was younger. I bought it used a few years ago and popped it into my NES. Good god. I couldn't even get through the first level. Terrible, terrible game, IMHO.

[The Great Dane]

When I was growing up I thought that Batman (NES) was AWESOME!!! When I play it now, I realize it is a sub par NES game at best. Batman moves like a freaking caveman, and the game is way too hard in general.

Sub-par NES game at best? o_o You're crazy, man. Batman IS an awesome game. Always has been, always will be. Maybe you just don't have the patience for such a difficult game anymore. ;)

I honestly can't think of any examples. Sure, there were some so-so games that I played a lot when I was young only because I didn't have anything else to play (like Tetris 2 on SNES), but even then I knew those games weren't that great. Everything back then that I loved I still love.

You took the words out of my mouth about Batman. I first played that game back when it first came out which was like in 1991 or sometime. I thought it was awesome then. Then I didn't ever get a chance to play it again until about 2 months ago where I found it at a pawn shop for $2. I thought it was a steal and I bought hoping that I would still like it as much as I used to. Man, it is one of the games where I actually like it more than I used to. It is so much fun to me. The wall jumping is outstanding, imo. And the music is very tight sounding. True, it is very tough once you get to about level 3 or 4 but hard in a good way.

I think that a game where I am a little dissapointed about now after thinking that it was awesome when I was younger is Ikari Warriors. I mean don't get me wrong, it is still fun, but after buying the other day after not playing it for a good 13 years it just wasn't near as fun as I remember it. But, I still like it a lot now. So, I guess that isn't a good example :/

[DragonMaster Sam]

Final Fantasy 7. It is a good game, so good in fact that I used to play it day after day when my brother first got it. But mainly because of the Internet (no offense to you guys, it's mainly GameFAQs), FF7 doesn't seem as great as people say. Like I said before, it is a good game, but I'd take Final Fantasy IV over it any day of the week.

[FlufflePuff]

TMNT 1 and 2 on the NES. I used to play them all the time. I could actually beat TMNT 1 and I was decent at 2. Since I've gotten back into gaming I tried playing them again and they are just terrible. Personally, the whole Double Dragon - side scrolling beat um up genre hasn't held up well to me. The only ones I still enjoy are the Simpsons and RCR. One other that I still enjoy playing, but pales in comparision with the way I remember it, is Crystal Castles. I remember the game being fast and exciting but now it seems slow, akward, and with those damn flashing Atari graphics.

[Uzi 9mm]

Final Fantasy 7. It is a good game, so good in fact that I used to play it day after day when my brother first got it. But mainly because of the Internet (no offense to you guys, it's mainly GameFAQs), FF7 doesn't seem as great as people say. Like I said before, it is a good game, but I'd take Final Fantasy IV over it any day of the week.

Bleh, I never liked Final Fantasy VII to begin with. The graphics are awful, and the gameplay is tedious...

[Uzi 9mm]

Final Fantasy 7. It is a good game, so good in fact that I used to play it day after day when my brother first got it. But mainly because of the Internet (no offense to you guys, it's mainly GameFAQs), FF7 doesn't seem as great as people say. Like I said before, it is a good game, but I'd take Final Fantasy IV over it any day of the week.

Bleh, I never liked Final Fantasy VII to begin with. The graphics are awful, and the gameplay is tedious...

[Dr. Morbis]

When I was growing up I thought that Batman (NES) was AWESOME!!! When I play it now, I realize it is a sub par NES game at best. Batman moves like a freaking caveman, and the game is way too hard in general.

Sub-par NES game at best? o_o You're crazy, man. Batman IS an awesome game. Always has been, always will be. Maybe you just don't have the patience for such a difficult game anymore. ;)
Aussie is right, sub-par my ass! Batman's only problem is that it's much too short (probably to get it out the door while everyone had the movie fresh in their heads). However, I'll have to disagree on the "difficult" part. It's like a 20 minute game. Can't everyone do a no-death run to Joker everytime? The Joker is quite a handful, but getting to him is cake.

For this topic I'll say Blackthorne for SNES. I remember thinking this game kicked ass back in the day. Now I see that it's a Prince of Persia rip-off with a gun. It's got cool graphics and theme, but the play control just doesn't engage me anymore.

[Push Upstairs]

"Toejam & Earl" - I loved this game when i was younger but nowadays i find it to be not nearly as good as i had in the past.


I do have a reverse situation (the anti-games that used to be good)

Despite all my efforts I still cannot find a game that is as fun as "Streets of Rage 2".

I guess you just can't top the best.

[Richter Belmount]

on topic I remember jurrasic park for gb , nowadays not so much.

[felix]

I loved North vs South for NES..
Kinda boring and hard to play now..

[devilman]

Final Fantasy 7. It is a good game, so good in fact that I used to play it day after day when my brother first got it. But mainly because of the Internet (no offense to you guys, it's mainly GameFAQs), FF7 doesn't seem as great as people say. Like I said before, it is a good game, but I'd take Final Fantasy IV over it any day of the week.

Bleh, I never liked Final Fantasy VII to begin with. The graphics are awful, and the gameplay is tedious...

I think saying FFVII has awful graphics is a bit strong - compared to what other PS1 games? I know some didn't like the cartoon style 3D characters but it was hardly bad graphics - it was all deliberate.

[Big Papa Husker]

I used to LOVE Adventures in the Magic Kingdom and MC Kids as a kid. I tried to go back and play them when a friend of mine picked them up and man... I mean they were ok.. but not the way I remembered them.

[Solo Incision]

Toejam and Earl
Sonic- I used to love the sonic series, now I hardly play them at all same with most of the platformers, Mario etc
Zool- Loved this years ago, now I totaly hate the angle and gameplay.

[Cryomancer]

I remember that I used to BE GOOD at playing Mario 3, and somehow I've gotten better at classic Megaman games but worse at X series. But that's not really the topic here.

Most of the games I played..ever really, I still can enjoy. Mario 64 on DS doesn't seem as fun as Mario 64 on n64, but that's probably more control issues. I was so used to that n64 controls...I could make him do anything. But on DS...not so much. Me and my dad used to play a lot of Dragster, I haven't played that for ages and I kinda imagine I might not like it as much anymore, but who knows.

I guess I actually had pretty decent tastes in games as a kid, weird. Everything I spent time with I can still enjoy, so I guess none of them really sucked that bad.

edit: I just remembered, I can't really stand to play very much Sonic 2 nowadays, since I've played it so many damn times in my life that I'm just burnt out on it.

[Eldergod]

Games I used to think were great at one time or another...

NES
Karate Kid

Genesis
Toe Jam and Earl

N64
Goldeneye

[Cryomancer]

Am I the only person who still likes Toejam and Earl? The first one and the third (for xbox) are both great games...I haven't ever owned the second one though so I haven't gotten too into it yet. I'd be nice if they'd make a forth one, maybe it can be a xbox 2 or whatever launch title.

[YoshiM]

Too many Atari 2600 games: there's actually only a handful I'd still play today. With the classics I'm spoiled by the NES.

Dragon Power (NES): it was so cool when I was young because of the cinema sequences. I tried to beat it so I could see the story end but at the time I couldn't and never got back around to it. When I got it not too long ago, I realized how cheesy the gameplay was.

Populous (Genesis): I rented this a lot when I was a teen. It was so different than what I had seen at the time: playing a god, molding the land to your will and nailing your opponents with holy powers. Now it's just a slow paced game where I had less control than I thought I did.

Mortal Kombats (1,2,3-any system): I was enthralled with the idea of a Mortal Kombat coming home to my favorite console. I played all three a decent amount, played against friends and had a general ball. Now I find the control stiff and the computer pulls off moves that are humanly impossible.

I'm sure there are others but I can't think of them at the moment.

[Daria]

Final Fantasy 7. It is a good game, so good in fact that I used to play it day after day when my brother first got it. But mainly because of the Internet (no offense to you guys, it's mainly GameFAQs), FF7 doesn't seem as great as people say. Like I said before, it is a good game, but I'd take Final Fantasy IV over it any day of the week.

Bleh, I never liked Final Fantasy VII to begin with. The graphics are awful, and the gameplay is tedious...

I think saying FFVII has awful graphics is a bit strong - compared to what other PS1 games? I know some didn't like the cartoon style 3D characters but it was hardly bad graphics - it was all deliberate.

The backgrounds are well done, Prerendered stuff always looks nice. But face it the character models are freaking Lego people. They're ugly now and they were ugly back then.

I also don't know what you mean by deliberate. How does the Lego look enhance the game? I'd say Earthbound had deliberately "bad" graphics. Final Fantasy 7 just jumped on the 3D bandwagon too soon.

Course I'm not fond of PSone era 3D at all, and would love to give you a list of 2D games that were better looking the FF7, but that's hardly fair. But you know like FF8 and FF9 even had nicer (although grainy) 3D models. Once they got past that blocky look the characters were really able to express fluid motion which leads to expressions that was never possible with FF7. Better physical acting gives the characters more depth and personality.

But again, as far as I'm concerned all PS era 3D games are butt ugly. The console wasn't capable of anything better. And I think FF7 sucks, not because of it's bad graphics but because of it's convulted soap opera-esque storyline and terrible translation. Game had one of the worst scripts I've ever read in an RPG, apart from gross grammatical errors the writing was just plain bad.

[NeoZeedeater]

A lot of Data East arcade games don't impress me as much now: Karnov, Two Crude Dudes, Sly Spy, Bad Dudes.

[boatofcar]

Another good example is T&C Surf Factory (?)... what a bad game. I mean, we played this game a ridiculous amount, to the point where it honestly should have been clear to us how bad it was... we just kept playing.



Don't be hatin' on the T&C! I still play the heck out of that. It was the first skateboarding game I can recall you could grind on, besides what you could do on a half pipe. Plus, when you complete 5 or 6 levels, the sky gets darker 8-)

[boatofcar]

dubba dubba dubba la post!

http://www.frogsonice.com/froggy/mjfrog/mjfrog-icon.gif

[Push Upstairs]

Am I the only person who still likes Toejam and Earl?

You must be. Its not that i find the music or the style dated (it is in a way) but i just don't have the desire to wander around those levels anymore. I would be alright if the levels were rather interesteing and varied..but its the same similar "look" over and over again.

BTW, how did you get your avatar to be that size?

[Crush Crawfish]

I still like Toejam & Earl! :)

Anyways, the original Star Fox hasn't aged gracefully, that's for sure. I remember it looking and playing amazing back in the day, but I played it recently, and now it just kind of looks like a bunch of crap moving around the screen. And It has the frame rate of a slideshow. :/

[Cryomancer]

Am I the only person who still likes Toejam and Earl?

You must be. Its not that i find the music or the style dated (it is in a way) but i just don't have the desire to wander around those levels anymore. I would be alright if the levels were rather interesteing and varied..but its the same similar "look" over and over again.

BTW, how did you get your avatar to be that size?

A wizard did it.

Actually I just uploaded one...don't think I did anything special.

[Uzi 9mm]

Thought of some more while lazing off in class...

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City- Same thing as I said in that last post I made. I expected it to be as good as San Andreas, and I was wrong. It's not neccesarily a bad game, but I was just exposed to a better game, like the poster above said.

Spiderman(GC)- When this game first came out, it was pretty fun being Spiderman and all, but now it is kinda linear and tedious...

San Francisco Rush 2049- When I first played this game on the Dreamcast, it was awesome. A couple weeks ago me and a friend were playing it, and now the graphics are outdated, and the level design in kinda bland compared to racing games today. It's still a fun game, but not as good as it used to be.