#GamingNostalgia #OlderGames #DisappointingRevisit
🕹️ Remember those games from your childhood that used to bring you so much joy? Those games that you played for hours on end, completely immersed in the virtual world they created?
👾 As you got older, you may have thought to yourself, “I wonder if this game is still as amazing as I remember.” So, you dust off your old console or fire up your emulator, eager to relive the magic. But to your dismay, the experience falls flat. The game that once held a special place in your heart now feels lackluster and disappointing.
What happened? Why did the game lose its luster? In this article, we’ll explore some older games that were disappointing on a revisit, and try to understand why they didn’t stand the test of time.
##Why Do Older Games Sometimes Disappoint?
As we mentioned earlier, revisiting old games can often lead to a disappointing experience. But why does this happen? Here are a few possible reasons:
###1. Nostalgia Goggles
When we look back on the games we loved as children, we often do so through a lens of nostalgia. We remember the amazing gameplay, the immersive story, and the groundbreaking graphics. However, when we play the game again as adults, we realize that the reality doesn’t quite live up to our nostalgic memories.
###2. Advances in Technology
Gaming technology has come a long way since the early days of gaming. What was once cutting-edge graphics and innovative gameplay can now feel clunky and outdated. As we become accustomed to the advancements in the gaming industry, older games can struggle to compete.
###3. Evolving Taste
As we grow and change, our preferences and tastes in games can also evolve. What once captivated us as children may no longer hold the same appeal. This can lead to a sense of disappointment when revisiting old games.
##Older Games That Were Disappointing on a Revisit
Let’s take a look at some specific examples of older games that have left players feeling disappointed upon revisiting them:
###1. “GoldenEye 007” (Nintendo 64)
“GoldenEye 007” was a groundbreaking first-person shooter that captivated gamers with its intense multiplayer mode. However, when revisiting the game, players often find the controls to be clunky and the graphics to be dated. What was once a revolutionary game in the FPS genre now struggles to compete with more modern titles.
###2. “Sonic the Hedgehog” (Sega Genesis)
For many, “Sonic the Hedgehog” was a beloved game that defined the platformer genre. However, upon revisiting the game, players may find the level design to be frustrating and the gameplay to be less polished than they remembered. The fast-paced action that once felt exhilarating can now feel chaotic and unrefined.
###3. “Final Fantasy VII” (PlayStation)
“Final Fantasy VII” is often hailed as one of the greatest RPGs of all time. However, returning to the game may reveal that the graphics and gameplay mechanics have not aged gracefully. What was once an epic and immersive journey can now feel dated and cumbersome.
##How to Cope with Disappointing Revisits
If you find yourself feeling let down by a beloved old game, don’t despair! Here are a few tips for coping with the disappointment:
###1. Embrace the Nostalgia
Rather than focusing on the flaws of the game, try to embrace the nostalgia it brings. Remember the joy and excitement you felt when you first played the game, and cherish those memories.
###2. Seek Out Remastered Versions
Many older games have been remastered or re-released with updated graphics and gameplay. Consider seeking out these versions to experience the game in a new light.
###3. Explore New Games
Instead of dwelling on the disappointment of the past, explore new games that align with your current interests and tastes. The gaming industry is constantly evolving, and there are always fresh experiences to be had.
In conclusion, the disappointment of revisiting older games is a common experience for many gamers. Whether it’s due to nostalgia goggles, advances in technology, or evolving tastes, the games of our past may not always hold up to our memories. However, by embracing nostalgia, seeking out remastered versions, and exploring new games, you can find joy and fulfillment in your gaming experiences. Remember, it’s not about the destination, but the journey. Happy gaming!
The early Tenchu games.
VERY lumpy by modern standards.
Unfortunately a lot of games that don’t follow the two thumb stick movement we use today. I just can’t play those well and it drives me insane. So many N64 gen classics I can’t re-enjoy from my childhood.
Final Fantasy VIII was always my favourite. But as a 34 year old with kids I have a much harder time stomaching the child-soldier fantasy that teen me lapped up.
Basically any Nintendo 64 game not named Zelda or Mario 64. The graphics are horrendous. I feel like the 2d games from SNES have aged better
Jet Moto 2. I loved Jet Moto when I was younger and still owned it. I had Jet Moto 2 when it was new but must have gotten rid of it at some point. I saw it in a used game store a few years ago and was excited and bought it. Tried to play it and realized how much more difficult it was than the original and why I didn’t enjoy it as much when I was younger. The first one was still fun for me to play though.
Honestly can’t think of one fortunately. Def plenty of games I was excited for that I just didn’t enjoy (Luigi’s Mansion 3). Even a few I was mixed on but tried later and loved
Used to go back to Skyrim every couple years, tried last month during my second Witcher 3 play through and couldn’t do it
The Simpsons Hit And Run
Everyone remembers this game as a classic, but I replayed it during covid and it’s god awful. Terrible controls, like 2-3 missions copy and pasted over and over, annoying voice lines and buggy as shit
It’s only remembered so fondly because most people played it when they were kids, and it has the Simpsons name attached to it
The Legend of Dragoon. Revisited a few years ago. Played a digital version on the PS3.
The battles seemed terribly slow and repetitive now. I remember the Dragoon forms being so damn cool back then, now they just seemed to drag a battle on even more. Not quite how I remembered it.
Also, I couldn’t quite get the timing down for certain Additions. Particularly when the enemies randomly counter. So that threw off my groove. Although I figure that’s a me problem.
I really did not enjoy exploring the towns or some dungeons. There’s a desert town in particular that gives me a headache every time I think about it. It’s basically comprised of multiple buildings interconnected in a confusing maze, but the camera zooms out so far you can barely tell what you’re doing.
The story starts off decent enough but my interest was waning as the game went on. The pacing is all over the place. I ended up completing it to the end, but chunks of it are honestly vague to me already.
Not a terrible game by any means, rather, it was just more underwhelming than memory serves…
Borderlands 2. It’s a fantastic game, but once you’ve played the later versions, the controls and motion of your character don’t quite feel the same.
I played the remastered version of the first Red Alert. It just doesn’t hold up. The AI becomes predictable very quickly and there’s not much variation with the units. It was a different time back then.
I replayed Final Fantasy 8 recently, it wasn’t as good as I remember it being. The junction system was annoying, the graphics and story weren’t as amazing. It was one of my favourite ones as a kid, but these days it really is one of the weaker ones.
9 however, that holds up just fine.
Black & White. Innovative gameplay at the time but feels like a slough now.
**Deus Ex 1 spoilers**
I kinda went through this with Deus Ex 1. My family couldn’t afford a PC back in the late 90’s, early 2000’s so I mainly grew up with consoles for a little while. My first Deus Ex experience was with an original Xbox demo disc with a demo of Invisible War on it. I was blown away at the detailed gameplay and how you can close/open doors and containers, read notes, talk to people, pick up stuff, had powers, etc.
I eventually got Deus Ex 1 for the PS2 somehow and loved it. It was mind blowing to me at the time and was always considered a classic all throughout my 32 years of life. I recently played through Deus Ex 1 on my PC and while the first portion starts out with a bang, the game quickly starts to turn into a slog around the 70 percent mark or so. The Paris catacombs was boring. The shipyard was boring. Etc etc. The game also seems to lose its balance after awhile. I put all of my points into lockpick and electronics for multi tools and always conserved them but the amount of times you have to use either one outweighs how many you receive. I know there’s times where you can find keypad codes or passwords or something but there’s a ton of doors that you can’t find nano keys to and you NEED lockpicks and multi tools.
The story near the end turns into a weird go here because of this and then here because of this. You don’t feel like anything is actually going on like you did in the first half. Working for Unatco, discovering your brother works for the enemy, you discover the enemy might not be the enemy, discovering who these shady people are, you’re now being hunted, you have a Killswitch to get rid of, etc. You start to realize what’s going on and things get interesting. By the end, it’s like….ehh. This new piece of the story isn’t interesting. The piece after that isn’t interesting. And it just goes downhill from there….in my humble opinion.
I still love the game and consider it to be a classic. You just start to see the issues when replaying the game. It also isn’t a situation where my problems with the game is due to it being released in 2000. It’s more of balance and story type issues.
Wizard 101. I remembered having so much joy and passion with that game as a young kid, but I never had the membership that let you explore more. I finally got it as an adult and, while I won’t say that the game is terrible, the slow battles and grindy quests have become so much more noticeable as an adult.
Most OG playstation games from before twin stick contollers. Those shits are not fun to control.
A lot of the N64/ps1(other than rpgs) generation. Graphics, gameplay, framerate, whatever the case may be, a lot of those games did not age gracefully.
Grand Theft Auto 3 dominated my high school years, but is pretty rocky to return to.
Resident Evil 1 – I couldn’t handle how small inventory is.
None that I can think of. If I loved it, then I loved it for what it was. Expectations change with the years but not the memories
The 2005 version of star wars battlefront, the recent ones have a feeling in shootings mechanics that is just way way wayyy better, but damn I’m missing the conquer the galaxy mode so much ;(
Jade cocoon
Jet Force Gemini. I got so far in that game as a kid, and loved it. As an adult it was so painful to just try and do the most basic thing, shoot enemies.
The original Far Cry. The game gets progressively more quaint as its graphics get more dated with each passing year. Sure it’s still cool to freely explore such huge maps and use a variety of vehicles to do so, and there are some locations that still have a nice atmosphere. But holy hell the enemy AI is dumber than a bag of rocks and the only way to compensate for it is by having superhuman accuracy. It got even worse when mutants showed up and those monkey things kept leaping at me from 50 feet away, instantly killing me in one hit.
I guess the sanboxy nature of the game is still pretty fun but the combat just isn’t very good. It’s not a big deal if you’re a veteran and know what you’re doing but I can imagine many newcomers going back to this series’ roots and only getting frustration out of it.
Duck Duck Goose. As a grownup trying to make those sharp turns….
Dark Cloud. I loved dungeon crawlers and town builders and I’d thought I’d give it another go. It’s insanely clunky and even only in the first dungeon it drags.
Original Mass Effect trilogy. Jumping back to ME1 after ME3 was quite downgrade in mechanics and graphics. Luckily there is the legendary edition to fix this
Shenmue II. It’s not that it was disappointing per se but I enjoyed it on a totally different level as a kid.
Doing mundane stuff was so much fun. I could spend ages playing the slot machines or on the capsule toy machines or even just talking to everyone to hear what they say. When I’m older that’s just not as fun unfortunately and feels like a waste of time. The core game and a lot of the side content is still good though.
Injustice 1 did not feel as smooth as I remember.
Goldeneye 007, that game looks and plays horrible
Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven.
I was unstoppable at the game as a teen but returning to it now was rough to get used to.
Plus the voice acting was *not* what I remembered it to be at all.
Back to the future: the video game.(telltale) I’m not sure if it was just my old ass copy but the game looked so bad and lazy, you could constantly see OOB and stuff would always clip and animations would loop and it was all really buggy and awful looking apon revisit, I hope it was just my old copy because my lord it looked so bad and lazy.
Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two. I replayed it while I was waiting for the original, and it just wasn’t as fun as I remembered it. It didn’t really help when I platinumed the PS3 version (I originally played the WII version), I could go through the main story in around 4 hours.
Jet force Gemini
Mercenaries
The draw distance and controls are pretty awful.
Steam deck user. Installed a PS2 emulator and downloaded all my old favorites.. LOTR Return of the King, Enter the Matrix, Spider-Man 2, Star Wars Episode 3, SW Battlefront 2.
None of them played how I remember and all fell short of how I remember. Couldn’t play any of them longer than a couple hours and that was only because of pure nostalgia.
I replayed Carmeggeddon a couple of years back because it was ported to phone. It’s definitely a thing it’s time.
Makai Kingdom. Turn-based action like FF Tactics. Except there’s no skip. Can’t skip or fast forward turns or animations. And this is a game where every single attack has anywhere from a 5-15 second animation. They rereleased it a few years ago still without fast forward or skip. Went from the first JRPG I ever loved to one I couldn’t even play one map of.
sonic 1
sonic 3 was so much better on every level, revisiting sonic 1 broke my heart.