It is inevitable that as time passes and technology advances, gameplay at least is going to get better - faster and more responsive controls, better camera angles, etc. Some games age gracefully, and are still regarded as must-play classics even decades after their initial release. But others...not so much. Have you ever played a highly regarded classic game and found it absolutely terrible to play? How about revisiting one of your old favourites after many years, only to find that it's not as good as you remember? In your opinion, what keeps an old game's gameplay from going bad?
The original Doom. Great for its time, but difficult to younger audiences to put up with. Personally, since I grew up playing games with that level (and MUCH older) of technology it doesn't bother me, but there's no denying how poorly it aged. Probably why they decided to do a remake for modern consoles...
Super Mario 64 and Mario Kart 64 have both aged badly for their own reasons. They're both great for being the trail-blazer for turning platforming and racing games into even more intricate 3D than had ever been attempted before (citation needed), but they have their problems. Super Mario 64's biggest problem is the camera controls. They are absolutely garbage. You're followed at unintuitive angles, the C-buttons seem to change at a set angle before snapping back to the same previous unintuitive angle, the camera will move while you're running across a narrow platform or in the middle of a precise jump. It's just really bad, but at least the industry improved quickly. Even Banjo Kazooie and DK64 were better, so that's a quick improvement. Mario Kart 64 is similar in that its biggest problem is the camera and how it interacts with controls in general, but that may be more my/our fault for getting used to newer things. It's not particularly poorly designed, but it will feel very unfamiliar to anyone who's played and gotten used to newer racing games, Mario Kart or otherwise. Special mention for Final Fantasy 5. Pretty much any dialogue involving Faris (a main playable character, biological F who dresses and disguises (I don't think identifies as) M) will be taking a jab at how she's pulling a Mulan for the entire story, except at least Mulan was treated with dignity. Everything comment is just about how she (that's the pronoun the Wiki uses, and they're very understanding with pronouns) dresses as a man dresses. Even Gilgamesh, a comedic recurring opponent, has a pre-battle line of "Enough expository banter! Now we fight like men! And ladies! And ladies who dress like men! For Gilgamesh...it is morphing time!" Props for the Power Rangers reference, but how about we just let people dress and be how they like? The 90s were a different time.
Sonic Advanced 3. The camera slides around too much and you can't really see where you're going. Maybe that's just some of the charm of a sonic game, I don't know, but it's not as fun as it was the first time I played it. Elder Scrolls Oblivion. This one's a little nitpicky. It's a very fun game. Thieves Guild and Dark Brotherhood quests are a lot more fun than Skyrim in my opinion. Still a very good game, but wow those graphics aged really badly. Especially for someone like me who likes to play Khajiit. (Those bouncy tail physics. *shudders*) I still think they're good games, but I realize after replaying them for the first time in a long time that the dialogue in the original Gold and Silver Pokémon games is kind of... lacking. It's very simplistic. I'm guessing mainly due to data limitations of the time. It makes the whole world feel a little flat whereas I always remembered Gold and Silver being super immersive when I was younger.
It pains me to say it, but the old Crash Bandicoot games. As much as I love them to death, the lake of camera control is ridiculous and makes a large part of the game unnecessarily difficult. Those games would be among my favorites if it was better. A lot of old 3d games have aged terribly, for that matter. Super Mario 64 is great game, but the camera has hurt me so many times. I think we need another release with great camera controls. Then it would be an even better game.
Zelda 1 for the NES. While very impressive for it’s time, going back to it feels like a chore. Link’s sword has terrible reach, the game is incredibly cryptic without a guide, and the music can get repetitive as time goes on.
Mother 1/Earthbound Beginnings It has a massive flaw that many old JRPGs had- being a poor grind with a sudden massive power boost on enemies. Back then, when there wasn't guides or online help, people would explore, battle many more enemies, and get extra levels on their way to figure the game out. Now with all those guides and videos around, people go story event to story event- losing those well needed fights/extra exp gains..which leads to the sudden enemy power boosts and slow grinds.
I can't think of any games I own that have this problem… but one game that does come to mind is Goldeneye for N64. For a game with a great legacy it sure looks horrible nowadays
