Games that have aged incredibly well.

[MrSnugglesworth]

The first Halo.

I've played through the game 3 times in a row once.


I was extremely bored, mind you, but I did it.

That was a good day.

edit: Welcome to all the newcomers who posted =)

 

[face_head_mouth]

In general, 2D games tend to age much better than the N64/PS1-era 3D games have (just look at how great Symphony of the Night looks and plays next to a lot of the games from the same era), but I think that the first Silent Hill game is one of the rare 3D games that still looks and plays great. The clunkiness of the controls actually works in the favor of the game's story (of an Everyman grossly unprepared for the situation he has found himself in) and the graininess of the graphics (coupled with use of oppressive fog and darkness) adds to the mood, whereas most 3D games of the time look almost comically primitive today.

Speaking of primitive, I only recently played the original Doom for the first time (more out of curiosity and a sense of duty than anything else) and I was shocked at how much fun I had. The game has aged in exactly the right way; it looks and sounds ridiculous today, but gloriously so. It instantly makes me think of a bunch of burnt-out teenagers in metal T-shirts slumped in front of their monitors at 3am on a Saturday night, but in the best possible way.

I should add that I think most of the classic Nintendo franchises have aged incredibly well through the years, but I take it as a given that everyone else already thinks that.

 

[AngryMongoose]

Wind Waker along with pretty much anything else heavily cell shaded. The more cell shading, the better the graphics age.

I'd also like to mention Mario Sunshine, that still looks better than Wii games and on par with a lot of next gen graphics.

It's missing a bit with lower res and no anti-aliasing but that holds up rather well.

 

[Andy999]

This has been said, but I'd say Planescape: Torment, as its focus on plot, characterization, and writing transcend technology. This is why I would argue that its Infinity Engine contemporaries have not held up so well, including Baldur's Gate.

 

[42]

Half Life 2.
GTA San Andreas

 

[XxSummonerxX]

I actually find the first Digimon World for PS1 very playable.

 

[Charli]

Any game by Blizzard. Credit where it is due.

The 2D sonic games most definately.

Most of Valve's games.


...You really have to just look at the peak of every gaming generation and point and say pretty much that.

 

[ImmortalDrifter]

The original DOOM. Still incredibly fun.

 

[Dorian_Winter]

Homeworld 1 and 2, especially 2. It's hard to believe it came out in 2003, it still looks incredible and plays better than the most contemporary 4X RTS.

 

[kayisking]

Super Mario Bros. 3

 

[bam13302]

mechwarrior 4
story and gameplay doenst change, but people are very suprised when i tell them it is a 10 year old game
also Supreme Commander still causes some quite decent rigs to struggle (and still a good looking game)
Unreal Tournament is still awesome

 

[binvjoh]

Half Life 2.

I would never guess that it's from 2004.

 

[Sunrider]

Tetris?

Ok, Max Payne is still an amazing game.

I could not disagree more. I tried playing both Max Payne games recently, and I just couldn't do it.

OT: Zelda Wind Waker and Beyond Good and Evil, as previously stated.

 

[tehroc]

Most 2D games age well. Sure early Atari games have aged horribly, but they were never considered pretty to begin with.

As far as early 3D goes... Thief 1 and 2, Deus Ex, and System Shock 2 are all perfectly playabe, if only a tad polygon-challenged.

Deus Ex I couldn't get into, it's not the graphics. It's the lack of creature comforts such as autosave, I can't say how many, "Oh I haven't saved it in like 45 minutes..." I've had.

 

[legendp]

I know I will probably get flamed for this but I would say halo 1, the graphics are still good and the replay value is brilliant, especially on a laptop were you want to play something that want chew through your battery

 

[Gigano]

For me, Might & Magic VI and VII.

...probably because they were already fairly outdated from a technical and graphical perspective when they came out in the late 90's. Thus, those criteria most vulnerable to the test of time never factored into liking them in the first place.

 

[Lord Beautiful]

Over a decade later, Chrono Cross is still a wonderful experience.

 

[bulldogftw]

Pac-man it is STILL good.

 

[Gottesstrafe]

I noticed the newest "Games that have aged poorly" thread and decided to make a counter thread. What is a game that has aged astoundingly well?

Chess, obviously. The beta was first released in the 6th century, but it was all in Sanskrit so the developers had to make an English patch by the year 1000. The full version of the game was released around 15th century after the localization team adapted it to Western audiences.

For its time, it featured 4-D graphics, real time game play, interactive cutscenes, a unique wireless controller that offered amazing interactivity and physical feedback (no batteries required), peerless uninterrupted multiplayer free from server lag and without subscription fees, and highly polished gameplay and tutorials (although the Egyptains claimed that they all did it first and that the developers were just ripping off their game engine). It receives constant updates and patches to this very day, and recently has achieved cross platform availability, successful localization and poularity around the world, and smart enemy A.I. It has even become popular enough to be considered a sport by tourney fags (though casual players can still enjoy it too without it being ruined for them), though all the competitive servers nowadays are flooded by Russians the same way South Koreans flood the Star Craft II servers.

Some detractors might say that, as good as the game was back in the retro era, the absence of a plot, characterization, and strong narratives hamper the game compared to modern AAA games. To them I say pish-posh, Chess is a game purely about it's gameplay mechanics and doesn't need a story. It is a game in the purest sense, without the need to cross into movie or novel territory!

Anyway, yeah, Chess has aged amazingly.

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

Pretty much any 2D Mario platformer.

And I have a feeling KotOR would still be fun to play nowadays. But I can't do it again now I know the spoiler.

being the kotor fanatic that i am (just played and beat the first and second one for my near 70th time literally) i will say that personally, and alot of people who played it in the past will say yeah it's still amazing, however i have had a few friends who wanted to try it out say it's hard to get into...

which when i really thought about it, yeah, it can be kind of hard to get into, I will admit i do overlook the games flaws alot to enjoy the epicness it has


OT: Conkers bad fur day, love that game like a fat kid loves cake.