10 GREAT Games That Have Aged BADLY
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VOICE OVER: Mathew Arter
WRITTEN BY: Mathew Arter
They may have been great video games at launch, but they certainly haven't aged well. For this list, we're analyzing games that were outstanding when they first dropped, that are incredibly difficult to return to in 2023 because of outdated visual, gameplay and content elements. Our list includes "Tomb Raider" (1996), "Turok: Dinosaur Hunter" (1997), "Assassins Creed" (2007), "Dead Rising" (2006), and more!
Welcome to MojoPlays, and today we are going to anger at least one person with each entry, by looking at 10 Great Games That Have Aged Badly. For this list, we’re analyzing games that were outstanding when they first dropped, that are incredibly difficult to return to in 2023 because of outdated visual, gameplay and content elements. Do you disagree with any of these entries? Let us know in the comments below and please don’t beat me up, I bruise easily!
With the recent remake dropping and blowing us all away, it did an incredible job of not only reminding us of all the things we loved about the original, but also highlighting the things about it that have become criminally outdated. The combat and gunplay has aged like a fine milk, forcing players to stand completely still when aiming. This outdated and frustrating arcade combat style has been rightly pushed out of modern games, as it’s not only incredibly frustrating to experience, but once mastered it offers a rinse and repeat gameplay style with no flexibility or room for personal approach. With a story and tone that feels a bit cringe by today's standard, linear gameplay and a monotone world design, this game may now be destined to fade into the shadows with a near perfect remake now available.
Jak II is often labeled a cult classic, or a misunderstood masterpiece. But, the game can hardly be considered a CULT classic as upon release it was rated 9s by just about every gaming outlet upon release. This inaccurate ‘cult’ classic labeling has most likely come about due to how quickly the game aged, and how by today's standard, it’s pretty poop! That doesn’t make it a cult classic! Okay rant over. Let’s look at the game. The map design is…interesting. Its atmosphere is weak and outdated and the missions and gameplay represent the worst of the early 2000’s gameplay style including repetitive escort and timed missions. The plot and story (whilst possibly cool at the time), are a little too ‘edgelordy’ and two dimensional in 2023. The difficulty balance is embarrassingly varied, with the most difficult parts being due to bad game design rather than genuinely tricky gameplay. I genuinely didn’t mean to rip this game apart so bad, it kinda just happened … Daxter is still funny though.
Funnily enough, it seems more often than not that the 7th generation of console games have the hardest time aging gracefully. There are N64 games that have aged better than most PS3 and Xbox 360 games. The turn for this generation of hardware was heavy for graphical capabilities, but for games like Assassin's Creed, the fact that they still look so nice today only magnifies their weaker qualities. For the layman, the fact these games still look modern makes them harder to forgive when the gameplay is outdated. The map and combat of Assassin's Creed is so flat and boring that it makes the two main features of the game (traversal and fighting) get really old really quickly. With little variation in fights, most players just stand around waiting to counter, and with even less variation in the world and map, players get bored of the universe almost instantly. Throw in a huge lack of features, and missions that are about as varied as a fish and chips color pallet, and you’ve got the makings of a badly aged masterpiece.
Tomb Raider was the peak of action adventure, it was the OG, it was the beginning, and it spawned not only a massively successful franchise, but an entire genre of games. If Tomb Raider hadn’t accomplished what it did, we may not have Uncharted. Unfortunately, Tomb Raider in 2023 is like stepping on a booby trapped floor in an ancient tomb, and having 10,000 arrows fly into your torso … painful. The game's graphics are not easy to look at, in fact they weren’t even that good for 1996 with games like Crash Bandicoot, Mario 64 and Resident Evil coming out at the same time. The gameplay, and the way the player moved Lara Croft around the world was wildly counterintuitive. We understand we were turning a corner in game development and devs were still trying to work out how to make models move through 3D environments fluidly, but the difficulty of the terrain mixed with the players controls made for a very hard game, that was often only hard because of the controls.
The immersive sim genre owes a lot to System Shock 2. Dropping with other games of similar style that boosted the popularity of the genre, this game may have directly birthed legends like Hitman. Unfortunately, System Shock 2 has aged so poorly, that jumping back to relive the nostalgia will give the player a system shock .. I’m stupidly proud of that joke. The idea of having the player not be able to rely on guns is a mechanic that’s a good idea, but pushing the player so far away from guns with the most fragile weapons in gaming history and incredibly scarce ammo, meant guns weren’t a rare commodity, they were just a pain in the arse. The tutorial does not set up the game correctly or explain some of the more important factors the player will experience (like classes and exploration), and the story drags on and on to an excruciating point. Throw in a bad map with an abusive amount of backtracking, and you have an entry that could fill its own top 10 list.
Before you follow me to my car in a dimly lit car park and kick my head in, remember this is about GREAT games that have aged badly, and no one can deny that the OG Pokemon games are great .. they also have a few core issues that haven’t aged perfectly, let’s talk about it. We could spend all day talking about how SLOW these games are, and how much of a drag they are on the original Gameboy, but we’d be here all day. The game features next to no post game content, the move sets can be very average, the inventory is beyond a joke compared to later entries, and quite frankly, some of the Pokemon designs are really really bad, and not JUST chubby Pikachu. The game was filled to the brim with glitches and bugs that could fill a novel, and psychic Pokemon were so overpowered it became a joke. The game was often about mastering the exploits to become unstoppable, and we loved every second of it!
Dead Rising was an absolute blast upon release, but compared to all other entries on this list, it might be the game that would get torn apart the most for design and gameplay choices if it had been released today. The main campaign time limit has become a point of contention and argument since its release. Giving the player 72 hours before the helicopter comes to pick you up is a fun idea on paper, but could have done with a little more playtesting to find the sweet spot that would allow players the chance to do ALL the side missions and campaign even if they aren’t a speedrunner. The stop and aim system is clunky and outdated, and much like RE4, feels a bit too arcadey by today's standards. The game's campy elements feel more stupid in hindsight, the AI is SO SO bad, and don’t even get us started on the transceiver! Actually do, the transceiver stops YOU from moving but NOT the enemy, and you can’t skip the dialogue, and if you don’t answer you might miss important info, what’s that about mate?
Turok released at a PERFECT time in N64 history. The games at the time hadn’t fully utilized the system's power, and in terms of bloody gory action games, there were next to none. Turok absolutely blew up at release, but to play it today requires a significant amount of nostalgia blinding to get the same enjoyment that players had back in 1997. The player would move Turok with the C buttons, aim with the analogue stick, and jump with R. These were all features that would possibly birth inspiration for later consoles, on the N64 however, it was a little clunky. With the first person perspective, the intense platforming sections were a nightmare, and even on the easiest setting, this game was still REALLY REALLY hard. Even with the expansive and diverse lands, the game still appeared unpolished. We wonder if the game had been released a year later post-GoldenEye, if it would have still been considered a masterpiece in 2023?
Speak of the devil. Goldeneye was the third highest selling N64 game of all time. It’s undeniable that returning to Goldeneye in 2023 with 4 mates is especially fun, but if you aren’t in your 30’s, it probably isn’t that fun. With only one joystick, and an A and B button, it can be incredibly painful aiming efficiently, especially when the FPS model has been so vastly improved upon. When playing a 4 player match of Goldeneye, the frame rate can drop as low as 5-7 frames per second during heated combat moments which is wild by today's standards. The gameplay, once mastered, makes the campaign a bit of a drag, and after the explosive first few levels, the design and variation does become a little sluggish, much like the controls. The terrain and world are visually a little hard to discern, and considering how epic it was in 1997, this game really hasn’t aged well at all.
The move to third person open world for the Grand Theft Auto series was substantial, and was the influence for hundreds of games to follow. GTA III offered a stupid amount of fun AND freedom, it had interesting characters and missions, and a gameplay style that made just picking up the controller and wandering around Liberty City super fun. Unfortunately, there isn't a single element in this game that hasn't been improved upon in later entries of GTA. Gameplay, missions, graphics and atmosphere, GTA III definitely stands better in our memories than in our consoles. There aren’t many people alive who consider GTA III the best in the series as the sequels vastly improved with every installment. The story here is also one of GTA’s weakest, making the characters and universe not that interesting to return to. It’s earned its rest, let it be.
Resident Evil 4 (2005)
With the recent remake dropping and blowing us all away, it did an incredible job of not only reminding us of all the things we loved about the original, but also highlighting the things about it that have become criminally outdated. The combat and gunplay has aged like a fine milk, forcing players to stand completely still when aiming. This outdated and frustrating arcade combat style has been rightly pushed out of modern games, as it’s not only incredibly frustrating to experience, but once mastered it offers a rinse and repeat gameplay style with no flexibility or room for personal approach. With a story and tone that feels a bit cringe by today's standard, linear gameplay and a monotone world design, this game may now be destined to fade into the shadows with a near perfect remake now available.
Jak II (2003)
Jak II is often labeled a cult classic, or a misunderstood masterpiece. But, the game can hardly be considered a CULT classic as upon release it was rated 9s by just about every gaming outlet upon release. This inaccurate ‘cult’ classic labeling has most likely come about due to how quickly the game aged, and how by today's standard, it’s pretty poop! That doesn’t make it a cult classic! Okay rant over. Let’s look at the game. The map design is…interesting. Its atmosphere is weak and outdated and the missions and gameplay represent the worst of the early 2000’s gameplay style including repetitive escort and timed missions. The plot and story (whilst possibly cool at the time), are a little too ‘edgelordy’ and two dimensional in 2023. The difficulty balance is embarrassingly varied, with the most difficult parts being due to bad game design rather than genuinely tricky gameplay. I genuinely didn’t mean to rip this game apart so bad, it kinda just happened … Daxter is still funny though.
Assassins Creed (2007)
Funnily enough, it seems more often than not that the 7th generation of console games have the hardest time aging gracefully. There are N64 games that have aged better than most PS3 and Xbox 360 games. The turn for this generation of hardware was heavy for graphical capabilities, but for games like Assassin's Creed, the fact that they still look so nice today only magnifies their weaker qualities. For the layman, the fact these games still look modern makes them harder to forgive when the gameplay is outdated. The map and combat of Assassin's Creed is so flat and boring that it makes the two main features of the game (traversal and fighting) get really old really quickly. With little variation in fights, most players just stand around waiting to counter, and with even less variation in the world and map, players get bored of the universe almost instantly. Throw in a huge lack of features, and missions that are about as varied as a fish and chips color pallet, and you’ve got the makings of a badly aged masterpiece.
Tomb Raider (1996)
Tomb Raider was the peak of action adventure, it was the OG, it was the beginning, and it spawned not only a massively successful franchise, but an entire genre of games. If Tomb Raider hadn’t accomplished what it did, we may not have Uncharted. Unfortunately, Tomb Raider in 2023 is like stepping on a booby trapped floor in an ancient tomb, and having 10,000 arrows fly into your torso … painful. The game's graphics are not easy to look at, in fact they weren’t even that good for 1996 with games like Crash Bandicoot, Mario 64 and Resident Evil coming out at the same time. The gameplay, and the way the player moved Lara Croft around the world was wildly counterintuitive. We understand we were turning a corner in game development and devs were still trying to work out how to make models move through 3D environments fluidly, but the difficulty of the terrain mixed with the players controls made for a very hard game, that was often only hard because of the controls.
System Shock 2 (1999)
The immersive sim genre owes a lot to System Shock 2. Dropping with other games of similar style that boosted the popularity of the genre, this game may have directly birthed legends like Hitman. Unfortunately, System Shock 2 has aged so poorly, that jumping back to relive the nostalgia will give the player a system shock .. I’m stupidly proud of that joke. The idea of having the player not be able to rely on guns is a mechanic that’s a good idea, but pushing the player so far away from guns with the most fragile weapons in gaming history and incredibly scarce ammo, meant guns weren’t a rare commodity, they were just a pain in the arse. The tutorial does not set up the game correctly or explain some of the more important factors the player will experience (like classes and exploration), and the story drags on and on to an excruciating point. Throw in a bad map with an abusive amount of backtracking, and you have an entry that could fill its own top 10 list.
Pokemon Red & Blue (1996)
Before you follow me to my car in a dimly lit car park and kick my head in, remember this is about GREAT games that have aged badly, and no one can deny that the OG Pokemon games are great .. they also have a few core issues that haven’t aged perfectly, let’s talk about it. We could spend all day talking about how SLOW these games are, and how much of a drag they are on the original Gameboy, but we’d be here all day. The game features next to no post game content, the move sets can be very average, the inventory is beyond a joke compared to later entries, and quite frankly, some of the Pokemon designs are really really bad, and not JUST chubby Pikachu. The game was filled to the brim with glitches and bugs that could fill a novel, and psychic Pokemon were so overpowered it became a joke. The game was often about mastering the exploits to become unstoppable, and we loved every second of it!
Dead Rising (2006)
Dead Rising was an absolute blast upon release, but compared to all other entries on this list, it might be the game that would get torn apart the most for design and gameplay choices if it had been released today. The main campaign time limit has become a point of contention and argument since its release. Giving the player 72 hours before the helicopter comes to pick you up is a fun idea on paper, but could have done with a little more playtesting to find the sweet spot that would allow players the chance to do ALL the side missions and campaign even if they aren’t a speedrunner. The stop and aim system is clunky and outdated, and much like RE4, feels a bit too arcadey by today's standards. The game's campy elements feel more stupid in hindsight, the AI is SO SO bad, and don’t even get us started on the transceiver! Actually do, the transceiver stops YOU from moving but NOT the enemy, and you can’t skip the dialogue, and if you don’t answer you might miss important info, what’s that about mate?
Turok: Dinosaur Hunter (1997)
Turok released at a PERFECT time in N64 history. The games at the time hadn’t fully utilized the system's power, and in terms of bloody gory action games, there were next to none. Turok absolutely blew up at release, but to play it today requires a significant amount of nostalgia blinding to get the same enjoyment that players had back in 1997. The player would move Turok with the C buttons, aim with the analogue stick, and jump with R. These were all features that would possibly birth inspiration for later consoles, on the N64 however, it was a little clunky. With the first person perspective, the intense platforming sections were a nightmare, and even on the easiest setting, this game was still REALLY REALLY hard. Even with the expansive and diverse lands, the game still appeared unpolished. We wonder if the game had been released a year later post-GoldenEye, if it would have still been considered a masterpiece in 2023?
Goldeneye: 007 (1997)
Speak of the devil. Goldeneye was the third highest selling N64 game of all time. It’s undeniable that returning to Goldeneye in 2023 with 4 mates is especially fun, but if you aren’t in your 30’s, it probably isn’t that fun. With only one joystick, and an A and B button, it can be incredibly painful aiming efficiently, especially when the FPS model has been so vastly improved upon. When playing a 4 player match of Goldeneye, the frame rate can drop as low as 5-7 frames per second during heated combat moments which is wild by today's standards. The gameplay, once mastered, makes the campaign a bit of a drag, and after the explosive first few levels, the design and variation does become a little sluggish, much like the controls. The terrain and world are visually a little hard to discern, and considering how epic it was in 1997, this game really hasn’t aged well at all.
Grand Theft Auto III (2001)
The move to third person open world for the Grand Theft Auto series was substantial, and was the influence for hundreds of games to follow. GTA III offered a stupid amount of fun AND freedom, it had interesting characters and missions, and a gameplay style that made just picking up the controller and wandering around Liberty City super fun. Unfortunately, there isn't a single element in this game that hasn't been improved upon in later entries of GTA. Gameplay, missions, graphics and atmosphere, GTA III definitely stands better in our memories than in our consoles. There aren’t many people alive who consider GTA III the best in the series as the sequels vastly improved with every installment. The story here is also one of GTA’s weakest, making the characters and universe not that interesting to return to. It’s earned its rest, let it be.
