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Topic.

Triick question, good games are always perfect. Modern shitty games aged horribly as soon as they were born.

The Assassin's Creed Ezio games. Story is still phenomenal, controls are an absolute mess.

Ctdm's top 100 games. And Digimon World 3.

Originally posted by jaden_2.0
The Assassin's Creed Ezio games. Story is still phenomenal, controls are an absolute mess.

Playing 2 on the 360 right now. Don't see a problem with it.


It's like F.E.A.R., the controls being non standard doesn't make them bad. Just different.


And both games came before there were standards anyways, product of the times.

For me, as much as the last 3 AC games fall way short of the Ezio trilogy in plot and characters, the combat and agility controls are miles ahead of the older games with the exception of counter attacking and combo-ing multiple opponents. They old games just feel clunky to me now.

Originally posted by jaden_2.0
For me, as much as the last 3 AC games fall way short of the Ezio trilogy in plot and characters, the combat and agility controls are miles ahead of the older games with the exception of counter attacking and combo-ing multiple opponents. They old games just feel clunky to me now.

I prefer thinking of it as "authenticity".


When I bought the PC Halo game, I refused to play it with a keyboard and mouse, because I wanted as close to an experience as they would have had back when it was first released.


I've since softened on that, adding all kinds of mods and life conveniences.


I still like flipping back and forth between modern and "If I was playing it back then".

"Authenticity" when attempting to play old PS1 games with only a D pad leaves a lot to be desired 😄

Originally posted by jaden_2.0
"Authenticity" when attempting to play old PS1 games with only a D pad leaves a lot to be desired 😄

Well I mean, that was how I played them on the PS1. 😤

Soul Reaver 1's save system. Doesn't matter where you save your game in the world you still end up back in the Underworld area when you load it up

apart the outdated save system its still a good game.

Originally posted by cdtm
Well I mean, that was how I played them on the PS1. 😤

Same. Trying to play most of those games nowadays is rage inducing. PS1 games might have aged the worst of all consoles. The middle stick on the N64 may have given me thumb blisters from hours of pushing forward to run while playing Ocarina of Time but I can at least still play it and enjoy these days. Most PS1 games get rage quit within minutes.

Originally posted by cdtm
Playing 2 on the 360 right now. Don't see a problem with it.

It's like F.E.A.R., the controls being non standard doesn't make them bad. Just different.

And both games came before there were standards anyways, product of the times.
FEAR controls were mostly the standard FPS stuff though. The melee controls were kinda dumb though. I loved the series, but I didn't even bother using it. FPS attempts at melee systems are generally trash anyway. Just stick to a knife swipe or punch and move on.

The game I think sits in a weird territory is Jetforce Gemini. I loved that game, but holy **** those controls feel atrocious now. It was limited by the N64 controller's one joystick, but it also just made really weird choices with the other buttons even for that time.

Rare themselves gave updated control options for the Rare Replay thing in 2015. They basically said "yeeaaaah....we've learned a lot since then. ermm"

Originally posted by StyleTime
FEAR controls were mostly the standard FPS stuff though. The melee controls were kinda dumb though. I loved the series, but I didn't even bother using it. FPS attempts at melee systems are generally trash anyway. Just stick to a knife swipe or punch and move on.

The game I think sits in a weird territory is Jetforce Gemini. I loved that game, but holy **** those controls feel atrocious now. It was limited by the N64 controller's one joystick, but it also just made really weird choices with the other buttons even for that time.

Rare themselves gave updated control options for the Rare Replay thing in 2015. They basically said "yeeaaaah....we've learned a lot since then. ermm"

The zoom thing was a weird toggle of pressing one of the analog sticks in, instead of the standardised pulling on the left trigger.

FEAR doesn't have many guns that utilize ADS. It is very similar to Half Life 2.

But I will add FEAR to this list of games that aged...maybe not horribly.

I loved FEAR when it came out...and I love most Monolith Software games but the horror element of the game has not aged at all. The combat is good, the AI is still OK...and the story elements are fun...but the horror and jump scares do not have the same impact like they do before. I think it's the graphics...

Compare that too RE4, where I still get freaked out by being chased around the village in the opening act...

Lot of great PS1 games look like shit now on HDTVs. The graphics styles just don't work well anymore.

Originally posted by BackFire
Lot of great PS1 games look like shit now on HDTVs. The graphics styles just don't work well anymore.

Thought Armored Core and Final Fantasy 9 looked better on my LCD compared to the CRT.


Using components for the HDTV and composites on the CRT though.


Plus it's a 32 incher, 720p TV. So that might have something to do with it.


They say it all really depends on how your TV upscales. A friends no name looks like absolute ass.

Originally posted by cdtm
The zoom thing was a weird toggle of pressing one of the analog sticks in, instead of the standardised pulling on the left trigger.
Yeah, but I said "mostly". It's not Jetforce Gemini where you're left wondering why the **** would the jump button be the on the C-pad.

Originally posted by Smasandian
FEAR doesn't have many guns that utilize ADS. It is very similar to Half Life 2.

But I will add FEAR to this list of games that aged...maybe not horribly.

I loved FEAR when it came out...and I love most Monolith Software games but the horror element of the game has not aged at all. The combat is good, the AI is still OK...and the story elements are fun...but the horror and jump scares do not have the same impact like they do before. I think it's the graphics...

Compare that too RE4, where I still get freaked out by being chased around the village in the opening act...


I haven't replayed FEAR, but it definitely leaned heavily into jump scares. They were well done, but I'd imagine knowing where everything happens would soften the impact.

Originally posted by BackFire
Lot of great PS1 games look like shit now on HDTVs. The graphics styles just don't work well anymore.
Pretty much. The polygon wasn't as fortunate as the pixel art look. The FF9 remaster smoothed over the models so it because it kinda just looks ugly now.

That's true. It's hard to say if it's due to knowing the jump scares or not...but it's been a very long time since I played it and I don't remember all of them.

It's hard to explain but I started playing it a few weeks ago but I was not feeling it anymore. Yes, the shooting is still viable but seeing Ada is not as impactful as it was before and that is a major part of the game.

For instance, Monolith's other game Condemned is still freaky as shit because the encounters are still scary enough to warrant slowly walking through the environment. FEAR...I was just blasting through and then boom, Ada runs across my screen...yeah, not doing it for me anymore.

Super Mario 64 and Morrowind off the top of my head.

Originally posted by BackFire
Lot of great PS1 games look like shit now on HDTVs. The graphics styles just don't work well anymore.

Depends what cables you use too.

Originally posted by NemeBro
Super Mario 64 and Morrowind off the top of my head.

Agreed, perfect examples of terrible games that aged terribly.

Okay. I'll say it.

Metroid. The original one. On NES.

Ironically, it's almost a victim of its own success. The Metroid games helped create the sub-genre, but also helped evolve the genre so much that the original game feels really bad to play now.

It's available with my Switch Online membership, and I'm playing it more for historical curiosity than actual fun. I stick with it because the emulator Nintendo uses lets you rewind frames and save your game state so you don't have to re-do stuff. It's actually quite excruciating otherwise tbh.

If you want to play an older Metroid and have actual fun, go play Fusion or something.

Originally posted by StyleTime
Okay. I'll say it.

Metroid. The original one. On NES.

Ironically, it's almost a victim of its own success. The Metroid games helped create the sub-genre, but also helped evolve the genre so much that the original game feels really bad to play now.

It's available with my Switch Online membership, and I'm playing it more for historical curiosity than actual fun. I stick with it because the emulator Nintendo uses lets you rewind frames and save your game state so you don't have to re-do stuff. It's actually quite excruciating otherwise tbh.

If you want to play an older Metroid and have actual fun, go play Fusion or something.

I'll be honest, I NEVER found Metroid 1 good.

Why would I want to get lost on scavenger hunts when I could be playing Super Mario Bros, Master Blaster, or Megaman?

I think Hollow Knight is good in spite of being a Metroidvania, not because of it. It avoids all the pitfalls by making areas less labyrinthine, has plenty of interesting and diverse bosses to focus on, and for the most part avoids ohscure hiding places (Until they gave us Godmaster, how the heck did they ever expect anyone to assume a ceiling is breakable when that has never ever been a thing?)

Ok, enoughs enough. Many of these games were never great even in their day, imo. (Morrowwind, blech)

I'm going to suggest some genuine classics that ages horribly.


Wing Commander Privateer. Wing Commander mixed with Elite, what's not to love?

Ironically, Elite aged a lot better, I can play that today and it feels less dated.


System Shock 1. Ground breaking for its day, and was still very fun in 2001. But its unquestionably aged horribly in all ways, from combat mechanics to interface to the visuals and environmental design..

Marathon. Sorry fans, you can tout its better physics engine, weapon selection, AI or whatever, it is nearly impossible to enjoy these days compared to Doom. It's not even close.

Don't feel like making a thread for this but if you want an old game that's aged very gracefully, track down the freely available Terrafire, and set up Dosbox, and get a gamepad.

It's essentially a souped up Thrust game where you fly a little ship through these environments looking for a bomb to drag into space. And it is AWESOME. Beautifully pixel sprite animations, beautiful environments, plays like a dream.

Really a one of a kind game, no one makes Thrust games anymore.

Originally posted by NemeBro
Super Mario 64 and Morrowind off the top of my head. IDK about that

I played morrowind for the first time about a year ago. It's now my favorite ES. I know that sounds hipster/ES retard elitist as hell, but the world design and the using directions to find your way around was fantastic. The writing was great. So were the magic builds and stats (though this was kind of broken).

Skyrim was magical my first time since that's where I started, but the world design and story/writing was boring as hell.

EDIT: Also I played with graphics mods which could be cheating.

Originally posted by cdtm
I'll be honest, I NEVER found Metroid 1 good.

Why would I want to get lost on scavenger hunts when I could be playing Super Mario Bros, Master Blaster, or Megaman?

I think Hollow Knight is good in spite of being a Metroidvania, not because of it. It avoids all the pitfalls by making areas less labyrinthine, has plenty of interesting and diverse bosses to focus on, and for the most part avoids ohscure hiding places (Until they gave us Godmaster, how the heck did they ever expect anyone to assume a ceiling is breakable when that has never ever been a thing?)
Well, I disagree on that. Hollow Knight's level design is the standard level of labyrinthine for the genre, and plenty of games have interesting bosses. It's not quite Axiom Verge levels of simping for Samus, but Hollow Knight definitely followed the Metroidvania formula. That was part of the appeal though. It's not Dead Cells or Shantae: 1/2 Genie Hero, where they kinda straddle genre lines.

Granted, I think Axiom Verge is a bit overrated too. Good game, but some folks go bonkers over it. And the main character still looks like a douche.
Originally posted by cdtm
Ok, enoughs enough. Many of these games were never great even in their day, imo. (Morrowwind, blech
Nah, Metroid 1 was considered spectacular in its day, and still holds onto its classic status for the most part. I totally understand how it was great in 1986. It entered uncharted territory and I respect it for that, but I just think it aged terribly. We don't even need super modern references to make it seem dated. Metroid: Fusion, Prime, and Zero Mission are all ~ 20 years old and are better experiences.

To be fair though, they sort of admitted this with Zero Mission, since it's a remake of the first game. If you want to experience the story of Metroid 1 without wanting to blow your brains out, just play Zero Mission tbh.

Originally posted by cdtm
Don't feel like making a thread for this but if you want an old game that's aged very gracefully, track down the freely available Terrafire, and set up Dosbox, and get a gamepad.

It's essentially a souped up Thrust game where you fly a little ship through these environments looking for a bomb to drag into space. And it is AWESOME. Beautifully pixel sprite animations, beautiful environments, plays like a dream.

Really a one of a kind game, no one makes Thrust games anymore.
That might actually be an interesting thread. There are some games that did age well. I can already think of a few off the top of my head.

GoldenEye is probably the quintessential example.

I busted out my 360 a couple years ago and played Gears of War 1 with a younger cousin and I was amazed at how clunky the controls felt (and also how ugly it was). This is a game that was renowned at release for revolutionizing the TPS genre and setting a new standard for graphical fidelity.

Early 360 and PS3 games are like that.

I remember feeling the same way about Killzone 2 and early Resistance games. I'm not sure what it is but its all brown and fuzzy....

After replaying the first FEAR game...and some of the earlier FPS, you notice the lack of objects in the game. For instance, office buildings are filled with cubes but they have like 1 PC, monitor and a phone...while newer games would have like pencils, pens, and 100's of other objects.

And then you notice the textures are very basic and repeatable...

Yeah, Gears 2 and 3 are a major upgrade.

I still think Halo 3 looks good, and that was early 360.

I always felt Halo world and atmosphere incredibly fake. I always felt the games were just a series of areas designed to maximum gameplay.

While Gears always felt it was about world building and ensuring the areas you fight in are "realistic".

Both approaches are OK and not a criticism but when I played Halo on the PC when it came out...it was after play Doom 3 and Half Life 2 and the difference between how those games created atmosphere and immersion is a stark contrast to Halo.

Well personally I enjoyed the Gears and Halos more then I am Borderlands right now.

Or even Destiny 2.


The trouble with looter shooters is your loot expires way too fast, and the grind feels like artificial difficulty after awhile.

Bully Remastered for the Xbox, it's a good game I genuinely enjoyed it, but now those 'alt' kids are making edits of Gary (because he has, according to them, a 'god complex), and just saying they relate to him and that they'd do what he did; Or just trying to make themselves look edgy and cool. It's just weird, and corny.

I don't know I just feel like it should've been loved for the game itself, and maybe even Jimmy, Jimmy gets no attention and he was the main character lmao.

Yes, I get to a point where a loot shooter gets to the "artificial grind".

But I do enjoy them and I like going through loot shooters campaigns when they are done well. There is dopamine hit when you get good loot.

I'm playing Outriders right now with friends and I literally got 3 awesome items and yeah, that's why you play it.

The Pre Sequel has a terrible sell system which doesn't help.


It wholesale sells everything, unless you favorite it. And its really easy to accidentally unfavorite, say, an awesome rocket launcher, as I did.

Originally posted by Smasandian
Yes, I get to a point where a loot shooter gets to the "artificial grind".

But I do enjoy them and I like going through loot shooters campaigns when they are done well. There is dopamine hit when you get good loot.

I'm playing Outriders right now with friends and I literally got 3 awesome items and yeah, that's why you play it.


Oh wow, Outriders looks awesome. Way better then BL3.

Surprised it has such middling reviews. And from the guys who made Bulletstorm too, no wonder its so good.

Its not that good......

Its fun but its pretty damn janky. I wouldn't buy it but Im playing it by using Game Pass.

I generally don't go back and play old games so can't really think of any.

One I can think of though is Golden Eye. The controls aren't really good anymore and the story isn't really that gripping.

I dare say people only really play it anymore for the nostalgia of it.

Originally posted by Newjak
I generally don't go back and play old games so can't really think of any.

One I can think of though is Golden Eye. The controls aren't really good anymore and the story isn't really that gripping.

I dare say people only really play it anymore for the nostalgia of it.

Can't really blame the controls on Goldeneye. The N64 was a nightmare when it came to controller ergonomics and button layouts.

Three prongs. D-Pad and L Trigger on the left prong. Joystick and start button in front of the main prong and the Z button on the back. Face buttons(A+B) and C buttons on the right prong with the right trigger on that side.

I cant name how many different positions I had to put my hands in because of different gameplay controls and mechanics on that system.

Yeah, that controller sucked balls....though it was the first attempt for 3D movement.

I do remember being able to run around without issues in Goldeneye using the 3 yellow buttons, really, really fast. I remember playing games against adults who were not using that system...and just running around them like I was superhero.

Originally posted by Tzeentch
GoldenEye is probably the quintessential example.

I busted out my 360 a couple years ago and played Gears of War 1 with a younger cousin and I was amazed at how clunky the controls felt (and also how ugly it was). This is a game that was renowned at release for revolutionizing the TPS genre and setting a new standard for graphical fidelity.

Probably because you're playing a sub 720p game on a 4k tv.

At the time I remember liking the N64 controller a lot. I never had any issues with it really. Now looking back it's strange and clunky as hell but it was doing something new at the time.

For FPS games you basically had to use the Turok controllers, movement with the yellow C buttons and then the stick for looking around. Worked well like that.

Originally posted by cdtm
Probably because you're playing a sub 720p game on a 4k tv. 20" plasma screen from 2009, actually.

On Goldeneye, there was the cancelled 360 version that became somewhat available in full via emulation not too long ago.

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Turns out Nintendo wasnt the reason it was cancelled (as they obviously dont own the Bond IP, just the Goldeneye source code), but the Bond owners themselves MGM/EON. Since we are getting that upcoming Project 007 game though, maybe they will have eased up on letting more Bond game related stuff happen again, like letting the Goldeneye nostalgists finally have their bone tossed, even though they always prefer to focus on who they have as the current Bond with any medium and not the past ones (Pierce Brosnan, etc).

If the above gets officially released, beating it on 00 Agent difficulty will be easier than doing it on the original on a 64 controller. lol Just having two control sticks to move and aim with.. Also you know one thing about Goldeneye that hasnt aged and will never age? The soundtrack.

Hardly played the original Goldeneye game at the tim, I was playing other FPS games on the PC & PS1 at the time


but i absolutely loathed the N64 controller with other games that i did try it out on.

I know its a FPS....but you could probably make a small little argument its a glorified rail shooter.....