Games That Didn't Really Age Well

[The Manimal]

also....


late period PS1 sports games look okay to me

NASCAR 2001 looks good still, as does MADDEN 2004 and NBA LIVE 2003.

[suppafly]

Anyways, I'd say that Hard Drivin' and Bubsy 3D are 2 games that need to be added to this list.

Bubsy 3d?? it NEVER was a good game...thus we cant say it didnt age well

[MegaDrive20XX]

*pets my N64*.....don't listen to their lies...It'll be ok

*Super GnG has a hard time facing the music when it comes to realism in 3D*

[Fungus]

I got a Jaguar just because I read about the upcoming Alien vs. Predator. I bought the thing BEFORE the game was released, so my hopes were definately high.

I was not disappointed. I had never been so scared while playing a video game before in my life. I was so stressed out from fear that it sometimes carried over into my real life. I spent probably four straight weeks of every waking moment playing that game. Playing all three scenarios one right after the other, and then playing through them again.

Today, it's sooooo slow. It drives me nuts having to take ten seconds to turn around, not being able to jump, and not being able to save without the bad guys magically respawning.

[CartCollector]

Totally Rad. BOGUSLY uncool NES platformer just like the rest of 'em, dudes. Though it has a righteous noslagia factor... NOT!
I look at some of the newer games now like "Def Jam: Fight for NY" and "Get on da Mic" and think how badly those will age, too. I fell sorry for posterity.

[SirDrexl]

I definitely agree about the sports games. Not only do they look bad, but they are based on the same games, so to speak as the new titles, but the gameplay is a lot better in the new ones. At least with an old Mario or Sonic game the levels were different so it was a different game. With a sports game, you're playing the same game, but its much more limited and looks much worse. Compare the old Maddens with the passing windows where you were limited to 3 receivers (since the Genesis had only 3 buttons at first) to the new games where you not only can see everything that's going on in smooth 60 frames per second, but you can also throw to 4 or 5 different receivers, call audibles and hot routes, etc. Also, there are all the changes to the game like rule changes (2-point conversions for example), new teams, divisional realignments, and of course updated player rosters. Some people may like the older games for their simplicity, but most people who are into the sport will prefer the complexities of the new games.

Another thing that's kind of related is when other kinds of games are now available on newer systems. I can't see myself ever wanting to play the N64 Zelda games when I can play them on the bonus disc on the Gamecube with high-res graphics and less slowdown.

[Psyleid]

Gran Turismo 1 and 2

[ClassicGameTrader]

, Don't know if anybody has metioned this yet but the "Make your own video" sega CD games really come to mind. Who wants to listen to good vibrations with grainy scd video and skid pants and shit.

[long_shawn_silver]

Many Atari 2600 games, I'm afraid, even the ones we thought were really good when they first came out.

Atrocity, Atrocity!! /throws the book at anti-atari folks

[shoes23]

My vote goes for any SNES games that utilized the FX Chip (with the exception of Star Fox). I remember playing them back in the day and being amazed, but now I try to play Dirt Trax FX or even Out of this World on the SNES and .

[FurinkanianFrood]

Games that play well shouldn't age in the overall sense. If a game seems to have aged there was something wrong to begin with. Some good examples have already come up here:

Gran Turismo is always awful. I hated it long before I had a problem with Sony.

Toshinden. (Kind of enjoyable, but meh.)

I personally get ticked off when people complain about early 3D games that play well. Especially Sega games. The 3D games on Saturn at least played better than 3D PS games, and later games proved that the Saturn could handle 3D quite well. Virtua Fighter on 32X and such is still good, the blockiness is a good alternative to shitty animation on many early 3D games.

I have to defend the Jaguar on the same basis. Iron Soldier, Battlemorph, and AvP are all still fun. I personally liked Cybermorph despite the draw distance.

The original Star Fox sure looks hella ugly now.

If you are referring to the Mythicon cart I heartily agree....

There is nothing wrong with the graphics of many 2600 games. Their simplicity should be appreciated, not maligned.

The junk that comes out these days often pales in comparison in terms of sheer playability. Abstraction isn't a flaw when coupled with superior gameplay.

Though they aren't bad games by any means, FF7 and MGS are both ugly as sin IMO.

Some early 3D games are admittedly quite ugly.

Not only do they look bad, but they are based on the same games, so to speak as the new titles, but the gameplay is a lot better in the new ones.

Sports games played much better back in the day. The newer (post mid 90's) Madden games are rubbish. The old one on Genesis were pure greatness. The gameplay was way different, and much better.

I can't see myself ever wanting to play the N64 Zelda games when I can play them on the bonus disc on the Gamecube with high-res graphics and less slowdown.

I haven't the words.....

Yeah i'll second altered beast dont know what i saw in that game years back.

Other than being short and simple what the hell is wrong with it?

Old racing games can be great. Super Sprint. Outrun. Super Burnout (Jag). Motoroader MC (PCE).

Since when were there many non arcadey racers back in the day? (Or are we talking about really recent stuff like Playstation?)

try going from ridge racer 4 to ridge racer revolution, and you won't even be able to tell what you're doing.

That's a heck of an exaggeration dude.

The control in DKC is slightly off, and Goldeneye gives me migraines somehow, but they are still nice games.

You should really give Ground Zero Texas a try. Or Sewer Shark, or Night Trap.

True. Very true. They are enjoyable to this day if you let them be. Though I personally would rather play digital comics/FMV fighters on PCFX, but I can understand most of what they are saying in those.....

As far as FMV games, I rather like Battle Heat on PCFX. Haven't managed to pick up the Tengai Makyo game yet.....

[Zadoc]

Virtua Racing, Virtua Fighter

[bangtango]

I'd say the TMNT games on the NES. I used to enjoy all three of them but they look and play pretty badly today.

Speaking of the NES, I always thought the Battletoads series sucked (and was a lame TMNT ripoff) but those games have also aged poorly.

[c0ldb33r]

My vote goes for any SNES games that utilized the FX Chip (with the exception of Star Fox). I remember playing them back in the day and being amazed, but now I try to play Dirt Trax FX or even Out of this World on the SNES and .

Out of this World didn't use the FX chip. And it's graphics are still fantastic! The controls for the SNES version are a little sluggish but it still looks great.

[skaar]

Flashback for the Genesis is still very, very playable as well.

And it's evil. And mean. But fun.

[G-Boobie]

Vagrant Story. I love that game, but goddamn: I cannot stand looking at it anymore. Also, the idea of a game that can screw you to the wall to the point where you have no choice but to start over after thirty hours of gameplay is one I can't get behind anymore.

[annoy fanboys]I watched my girlfriend try and play through Final Fantasy VII a couple months ago. She had no prior FF experience and couldn't get past the second disc, due primarily to the crap translation and horrible graphics. [/annoy fanboys]

Resident Evil. Especially on PS1. The Gamecube version is fairly playable, but how I ever tolerated the tank controls and terrible static camera is beyond me.

While we're at it, Silent Hill hasn't aged particularly well. I hope Silent Hill 2 ages better.

[Jon R.]

Vagrant Story was still quite nice, although the last time i played it was with the enhancements of ePSXe's plugins. Silent Hill 2's kind of a weird one though, since the non-tank controls ended up being more confusing when changing screens than the usual tank-style. Nice PC port though.

For me, the big one is pre-3D racing games. I remember playing the hell out of Top Gear on the SNES with a friend way back when, but today i can't imagine how anyone ever managed. I just can't get a handle on the pseudo-3D perspective anymore.

StarFox too. Couldn't care less about the flat shaded models, but the framerate is completely intolerable to me now. For someone who still has the StarFox jacket from the competition in his closet, this was an especially amusing discovery. The Genesis Hard Drivin' is in this camp as well.

Pretty much anything 2600. My earliest memory is of playing Yar's Revenge, but today there's actually something vaguely unsettling about 2600 games. First-gen stuff for anything up to the PSX tended to have a sort of pocket-universe vibe, like NES Kung-Fu or Metroid, which i still dig. You know, not quite there, but still has enough to connect to you with via the sprites and the music? Even simple things like title screens go a little ways in that regard. The 2600 though, until its later days, you just turn on and get some barely recognizable objects, a black background, and soundeffects that are as disconcerting as holding a conversation with someone who hasn't learned to use his indoor voice. Plus, most of the games didn't have any problem with plonking you down unceremoniously and with jarring effects.

Or maybe that's just my recent bout with Airlock speaking.

[RadiantSvgun]

I can actually still play resident evil, silent hill, and vagrant story with ease. However, Mystaria, Shining the Holy ark, and Legend of Oasis, I can't bear to play.

[mercarian]

While I loved FF7 (and still do), it just doesn't hold up graphically anymore.

Pokemon Snap was another great game, until you beat it then it became really boring really fast.

I also thought that the older Street fighters were better then the newer ones.

Altered Beast was another great game in the day, that now seems to move really slowly.

[DragonmasterAlex]

I still play the first Resident Evil sometimes, it is almost as awesome as it was ten years ago.
But Tomb Raider, now that's a game I can't stand anymore. I used to love the first PS1 game, but today, those damn controls just make me wanna puke.