Name one game that you think has aged well and one that hasn't - CHAT WITH THE STAFF!

[coldfrog]

Hasn't? Point And Clicks: With the exception of some newer games that are taking advantage of the Wii (Telltale games) most of these had horrible sound and what I would now consider to be eye-wrenching environments and character animations. Indiana Jones and the fate of atlantis was so cool back in the day, now my computer might die. The only notable exception might be Day of the Tenticle.

Wow, really? I still found things like Monkey Island and Sam and Max and others still endlessly playable because the graphics and sound are so unimportant when compared to the humor and style they exude, and I will play them until I die. And even then, I still love the highly pixellated style of those early games. The new adventure games are also good but I don't play them because of the great graphics but because of the excellent scripts they come up with. OK, the voice acting HELPS but in a world where there is an entire genre of games with silent protagonists, not speaking doesn't bother me in the slightest.

For me, there are a couple games that have great lasting power. I think I want to separate this out and give one classic game and one more modern game. Since Tetris was already taken, I'll go to a different ancient classic, PacMan. The simplicity is its strongest suit; anyone can understand the goal, and its smooth playing makes it simple to handle always. It has exactly what it needs, which is a thing most games don't pay attention to these days.

More Modern game: Katamari Damacy. Again, the simpler style gives it a timeless feel; it could have been done with higher quality graphics but its style is such that the blocky, bizarre world is much more interesting and much more identifiable, and the play is again so simple that it almost feels natural to just push a ball around.

As for ones that don't stand up to play:
Classic: Defender. Maybe it's me but this game no longer holds the appeal it did in the past. Whatever made this unique and fun to me in the past is no longer exciting or compelling and it simply hasn't held its weight in the slightest.

Modern: Final Fantasy 7. No matter how much I tell myself this game got me into the JRPG style it doesn't feel right anymore. The graphics, which were one of the things that were touted at the time, no longer feel good to me, the style of turn-based gameplay has been done much better in other games and feels very bland now. Even the story fails to draw me in, it seems very poorly paced, spread out over too wide an area and needlessly complicated.

 

[Ophiuchus]

Sadly I'd say that some of the point 'n' click adventures haven't aged well. A particular example from recent plays would be Discworld 2 - I remember loving it back in the day but it's not so much fun nowadays. I guess that's an inherent problem when you know exactly what you're doing, there's not a lot to be had when you don't get that smug feeling from figuring out a difficult puzzle.

As far as games that did age well: I still count Super Mario 64 as my favourite game of all time, in fact I just completed it again last night for about the thousandth time. It had to be done really - I just bought a Wii last week and immediately got it from the Virtual Console, it'd be completely improper for me to have a copy that didn't have at least one 120-star file on it.

 

[Geamo]

Despite what people think, I still love Age of Mythology.

Games that didn't age well...Evil Genius.

 

[Lopunny]

Ones that havent hmmm...incrediably fun at the time, but the Pharoah city builder games by Sierra?, as for a game that HAS

Homeworld 2!!!
I love it, its on the PC and as far as ive seen (being unsure of how many there are exactly) is the best space-based RTS ive seen so far as there are still purdy mods being produced for it despite being released in 2003

Its totally 3D movement and mechanic might of driven away some casual gamers, as im not afraid to admit, i still find the campaign a massive struggle, but it has nice grapgics and backdrops, hauntily beautiful music at points, and ofc, the explosions and weapons are nice ^^

[EDIT] and yes im a complete fanboi ^^

 

[AeroZeppelinSevenfold]

Chrono Trigger has aged very well. I played it for the first time a few weeks ago and loved it more than most games out now.

The older Mario's have not aged well for me. The jumpy gameplay on the tiny SNES controller doesn't give me joy, and you always start the game in some stupid grassy area. Couldn't I start out in an ice world for once? Something different? I also never got that far in the games though, because I would quickly lose interest. I think its a nostalgic thing...oh wait...SONIC HASN'T AGED WELL AT ALL!!! If the Sonic series was a person, it would be bald and wrinkly at the age of 20.

 

[Gman6817]

One of the games I always go back to is Half Life. Doesn't matter how my times I've played through it I always enjoy it. I also liked how Homeworld was mentioned, another timeless game. Finally, my friends and I always go back to super smash bros for n64.

I found out recently how poorly goldeneye aged. It was great when it first came out but after playing later fps's, it's almost impossible to enjoy it now.

 

[Signa]

I think it depends on what aspects of the games that age well or not. Case in point: Thief. The graphics are absolutely horrible. However, the gameplay is as fun as it ever was. Final verdict? Aged REALLY well. I don't know if everyone who would pick this game up for the first time now would agree though. The graphics are that bad.

I also played the Doom series for the first time 6 months ago, and I would also say "Aged well." I played the game in front of my friend's roommate, and he had to stop watching because the graphics were giving him a headache.

I have to agree that Goldeneye has aged poorly. I recently attended a retro-game party, and Goldeneye was played. It was still fun, but after we finished and moved to Perfect Dark, there was no comparison.

Another game series that I feel aged poorly is Final Fantasy Tactics. They aren't bad games, but they are too slow. I played a lot of the GBA version, but I couldn't get into the PSP remake or the new DS version because the game just progresses too slowly. I've spent too much time playing other fast-paced turn-based like Advanced Wars, and I can have a lot of fun with that. It takes 20 minutes to get through some battles in FFT, and some times longer, if you are trying to steal all your enemies' equipment. The same can be said for AW, but so much more happens in 20 minutes of gameplay in that game.

There is another game, Advanced Wars. It's hard to play the older incarnations of the game because the new units really change gameplay drastically. I want my Anti-tank guns!

I also disagree that Super Metriod has aged poorly. I think the series has evolved in a new direction without being better or worse. There was almost NO dialogue in Super Metriod, yet it was pretty clear what was going on. I mean, there were dead people in the science station! That was unheard of in a Nintendo game. I also like the free exploration that Super Metriod had. I actually turned off the map hints when playing Metriod Prime 1 and 2. I want to have to discover things myself.

 

[MattRooney06]

hhmmm i picked up msg1 for the ps1 in a car boot sale today and i can not stop playin it i think its prob the best in the series with its jokes, easter eggs and genra difining action

one game that hasnt aged wellin my oppion is probably crash bandicoot i loved them all up until crash bash then they all got rubbish and lost a lot of their jokes and appeal

 

[Rycane_HHS]

I'd have to say that a game that aged well was Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. The plot is still interesting, playing the game itself is wonderful as well (yet, I still hate the Water Temple, but that is only a minor problem)..

Now, what game has aged badly? Ugh. I guess I'd pick Goldeneye. A god of its own era, and now but a husk of what I remember it to be. Sad, so very sad, but true.

 

[KaZZaP]

Worms, that game is still as glorious as ever. I plan on re buying Armageddon when it comes out on the XBLA.

 

[Tegid Teles]

I guess it depends on what the definition of 'aged well' really means. Only a few people have mentioned this since the topic started. A well aged game could be one that possesses a thriving community that is still producing mods, updates, discussion, and interest. On old console games, this isn't really possible, but should still be considered.
The definition which I think most valuable is measured in attention. I've noticed that over the years, my tolerance for older graphics has become increasingly low. Games from the past fail to hold my consideration for as long as they would have at the time they were created. For me, however, a game that has truly aged well is one that still captures my attention and imagination even after so many years. There will always be better graphics and more realistic effects, but great works of art are truly timeless. Final Fantasy VI. Monkey Island. Starcraft. Fallout. Commander Keen. Descent. System Shock 2. Age of Empires II. Something to try, then? Put an oldie in front of a new generation gamer that has had their experience defined by the newest consoles, and see if they will play through a classic game from years past.

 

[shiajun]

Aged well: Starcraft, Homeworld 2 (and if the mod for updated shaders gets finished, it'll have aged EXTREMELY well) and Descent 3.

Badly: Pretty much the early 3D shooters. The game mechanics seem utterly archaic now.

EDIT: wait, wait, POP:SoT has also aged very well too. Played for the first time a few months ago and it was awesome.

 

[Higurashi]

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is the best example of a game that has aged well, in my book. The graphics are still drop-dead gorgeous in their simplicity, the sound effects and music are nothing but so very grand and epic, and the gameplay is still so much fun.

Another rather obvious one is Fallout 2, which I have played to death. More include Diablo II, Starcraft and a game called Age of Wonders, not many seem to know about. Heroes III might also be in this category. Oh, and Resident Evil! Phantasy Star Online as well. :3

As for bad... well, that is harder. I do not know how far back you want me to go, but Hunter: The Reckoning is definitely one. Not to mention Metroid Prime 2 and Turok: Evolution. Seeds of Evil is still pretty awesome. I personally think Prince of Persia: Sands of Time was unbearable.

Hm, that was a lot more than one. Good: A Link to the Past. Bad: Hunter: The Reckoning.

 

[nuckpang]

Pac hasn't aged a day. I suspect it's had some kind of surgery or botox, because it's still awesome as ever.

For a game that's aged badly, I'd have to say Star Wars: Dark Forces. It was the first game I ever bought, went back to play it a couple of months ago, and I almost couldn't. Which blobs are the enemies and which blobs are power-ups?! It's a weird choice, but it kinda represents the whole genre though, I don't think most fps games age well. It depends too much on graphics, and when the graphics improve then everything else falls behind.

 

[Clashero]

The Secret of Monkey Island, of course! Back when point-and-licks were all the rage, Monkey Island stood tall above all of them. The storyline is still witty, the gameplay is enjoyable, the dialogue superb, and the puzzles are still... puzzling. All of its sequels are just as amazing, although I hated MI4's style: by "evolving" into 3D they took a step back.

One that hasn't aged well? That's more difficult. I'd say the PS1 Crash Bandicoots. I loved them when they came out, but I tried to replay them a few weeks ago to find that they had lost all of their charm.

 

[Yegargeburble]

Chrono Trigger has aged extremely well, in my opinion.

I haven't really found anything to age badly.

 

[smudgey]

Aged well: Tetris, Super Metroid, Punch-out!
Not so well: Gotta say Goldeneye.... used to absolutely love it, but it was outclassed in every way by Perfect Dark (which hasn't aged too bad. counter-op mode ftw!).

 

[kommando367]

well: morrowind, RE4, GTA: SA
badly: Twisted metal series, DMC series, and sonic series.

 

[300lb. Samoan]

Funny, I was just digging thru my rom collection last night, so here are my NES picks:
AGED WELL: Megaman 2 - holy shit that game is still fun. And fuckin HARD. I only last night got past the first stage of Wiley's castle on NORMAL mode for the FIRST TIME! Great controls, examplary graphics for the NES, good gameplay engineering and FANTASTIC MUSIC (although this is the only game that I don't like listening to with emulator sound: I'm gonna the cart this summer, if I can find it!)

HAS NOT AGED WELL:
TMNT. Loved playing it when I was young, even tho I never got that far with it. Now I can see what a poor game it is.