The world of video games has been around for over 50 years, and in that time, players have been treated to some unbelievable experiences across a range of settings and genres. Many of the top gaming lists are filled to the brim with classic titles from the early days and games that kickstarted blockbuster franchises, but in many cases, that quality just hasn't stood the test of time.
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When these games were first released, they were widely considered masterpieces beyond anything else seen at the time, yet as is the case with so many greats, that caliber can't always compete with modern-day innovation. That doesn't mean that players can't revisit these games and have a blast, but it is probably a better idea to look at later entries in their respective series, remastered versions, or to appreciate the influence they had on other amazing games and even genres as a whole.
Assassin’s Creed
Better Remembered Than Replayed
- Repetitive level structure.
- Later entries perfected the formula.
The original Assassin’s Creed is historically important, but mechanically exhausting by modern standards. Its level structure is repetitive, mission variety is thin, and progression relies heavily on doing the same investigations across nearly identical cities, which can quickly become tiring.
What once felt ambitious now feels rigid, especially compared to later entries that refined the mechanics and storytelling into something far more impressive. Understanding the game's influence doesn’t require enduring its dated design, so even for diehard fans, it is better to play through some of the later games that deliver the same themes with far more polish.
The Witcher
A Rough Draft Of Something Much Greater
- Poorly aged combat.
- The story is recapped in sequels.
The first game in The Witcher series is infamous for its clunky combat and awkward animations, which prevent it from feeling like a timeless masterpiece. A lot of its systems feel experimental, often fighting the player rather than empowering them, and even fans of the series frequently bounce off the first game in the early stages before reaching the stronger narrative moments buried within.
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Story-wise, much of what makes the world so compelling is revisited and significantly improved in later entries, with the sequels retelling and refining the ideas with better writing and overall cohesion. Still, The Witcher remains an important stepping stone towards one of the greatest RPGs ever made, and while it is probably best left alone now, the game's impact can never be understated.
Fallout
The Foundations Of Greatness
- Steep learning curve.
- A familiar concept adapted by the rest of the franchise.
Fallout remains a landmark RPG that launched one of the biggest franchises on the planet, but its interfaces and difficulty curve make it inaccessible to many modern players. The turn-based combat is slow, and basic actions require patience and system knowledge that is rarely presented straightforwardly, a problem that simply doesn't exist later in the franchise.
From a world-building perspective, the game is exceptional, and the originality of its satirical post-nuclear setting became the main driving force for why the franchise became so successful. Despite its issues, it is still an incredibly important footnote in the history of the series, but one that doesn't need to be experienced firsthand.
Grand Theft Auto 3
Modern Then, Primitive Now
- Clunky control scheme.
- Superceded by every subsequent entry.
Grand Theft Auto 3 changed open-world gaming forever, but returning to it nowadays highlights just how much the genre has evolved. Movement is stiff, shooting lacks precision, and mission design is often unforgiving, with single failures leading to long treks back to the start, which ends up testing the player's patience far more than their skill.
Narratively, GTA 3 relies far more on atmosphere than character depth, and later titles expand on every system introduced, while also offering richer stories for players to get invested in. Its legacy is certainly intact, and even if it can't be enjoyed in the same way is was at launch, the game has still earned the respect of virtually every fan of the franchise.
GoldenEye 007
Demolished By Time
- A vital contributor to the FPS genre.
- Its legacy outweighs its playability.
GoldenEye 007 holds a legendary reputation, largely due to its split-screen multiplayer and its impact on the wider shooter space. Today, however, it struggles to even come close to being enjoyable, with performance issues and lacking level design that quickly becomes stale for those willing to give it a try.
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GoldenEye's innovations in the genre were immense, bringing in elements of stealth and objective-based missions that were groundbreaking at the time. After countless iterations and refinements, the product that existed back in the 90s now exists as a product of its time that has been superseded in virtually every possible way.
Borderlands
Prototyping Later Looter Shooter Greatness
- Bare bones narrative.
- Far better action and writing later on in the series.
The first Borderland s introduced players to the addictive looter-shooter formula, but it feels fairly bare-bones compared to what followed, mainly due to the limited enemy variety and lack of personality that later entries became known for.
Borderlands 2 and beyond significantly improved both the writing and gameplay, making the original feel more like a beta to a larger, cohesive whole. Despite this, the game's foundation remains important, even if it has been handily eclipsed by its long list of successors.
Resident Evil (1996)
Controls More Horrifying Than The Actual Threats
- Restrictive tank controls
- Issues solved in the remakes and newer games.
Resident Evil brought players into a world that would quickly become one of the biggest in the entire gaming industry. Back in 1996, the scares were immense, and the level of tension was truly unmatched, aided by the intricate level design and constant mechanical demands asked of the player.
That original experience, however, now feels painful at best, and borderline insufferable at worst. The tank controls and awkward camera angles have become the main source of horror for the player. While the remaster helps fix a lot of the main issues, for most players, the modern titles will give them a much more enjoyable and less frustrating experience overall.
System Shock
Hostility Towards The Players Themselves
- Brilliant ideas that remain relevant today.
- Marred by a difficult-to-grasp control scheme.
System Shock pioneered immersive sims in a big way, thrusting players into a technological world with nothing but the surrounding tools to fight back with. A lot of that charm has since been lost to time due to the difficult control scheme, and even experienced players can struggle with basic navigation, making its brilliance hard to access.
While it might not be enjoyable to play today, its influence lives on through games like BioShock and Deus Ex, alongside several remakes and spiritual successors that can give players a taste of the original, without any of the pain and irritation.
The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind
Freedom At The Cost Of Joy
- Archaic combat design.
- Systems lack a lot of clarity.
The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind offers unparalleled player freedom, setting a standard for the RPG genre that many games are still struggling to compete with. However, from a gameplay perspective, everything from combat to exploration feels dated, relying far too much on dice-roll mechanics that are extremely punishing, especially for new players.
Later Elder Scrolls games streamline these systems while preserving the core ideas and keeping the same dedication to world-building. The game's depth is certainly admirable, yet modern players will find themselves facing significant resistance not from evil mages or horrifying creatures, but from the systems and mechanics of the game itself.
Alone In The Dark
Leaving A Genre Titan Behind
- Extremely dated gameplay.
- A relic in an incredibly stacked genre.
The original Alone in the Dark helped pioneer survival horror as it is known today, giving players a sense of vulnerability and pressure that would quickly be adopted by virtually every other game in the genre. However, it is perhaps the best example of a game stuck in the 90s, with its visuals and even certain gameplay elements (like the puzzles) feeling like museum exhibits from a long time ago.
Its core ideas surrounding atmosphere and danger have been vastly improved upon by later horror games, and it is easily one of the more influential releases of the decade, purely from an ideological perspective. While it may be essential to the genre's history, it no longer represents an enjoyable entry point for players looking to revisit the early days of horror in gaming.
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