Like Milk or Wine? Games that Aged Poorly and Games that Got Better with Time

Nostalgia clouds our memories in all sorts of ways. As we get older, problems, bills, anxiety, and our peaceful past, with games and no responsibilities, start to creep in, and we miss those times. The past has always been better than the present in our memories.

Video games are no exception. People always tend to think that the best games are the oldest ones. “Remember when games came complete? Without DLC?” Our favorite games are almost always the ones we played ten, fifteen, or twenty years ago, when they were part of our lives for months at a time.

Unfortunately, many of those games don’t hold up today. Sure, the graphics aren’t that great, but that’s not the only thing that determines whether a game has aged well or not. Mechanics and gameplay have to be engaging to overcome bad graphics, and many great games from the past simply don’t.

Others appear to have gotten even better. Compared to more recent games or the sequels that a certain franchise has released over the years, that simple little game, with colorful sprites and songs full of “blip blop” from old chiptunes, has become even more lively, and that ending that you saw years ago has become more exciting.

So, let's talk about games that have aged like milk, which have gone bad over time and no longer taste good, and others that have aged like wine and are full-bodied, velvety, and tasty. And, if you have any questions, leave a comment.

These games have aged poorly. You may still like them, but let's face it: they're not what they used to be. Some of them broke new ground in their fields and became landmarks, but today, you can see that even back then, they could’ve done a lot better.

GoldenEye 007

This one hurts my heart to say, because I spent hours playing with friends on a four-way split screen, a small window, and hunting for the famous Golden Gun or placing proximity bombs on doors or near coveted items and powerful weapons so that, when someone tried to get them, they’d instantly die.

Let's get this straight: The Nintendo 64 controller wasn't made for FPS (although that trigger on the back felt good). Plus, the game was a mess, with invisible enemies shooting at you with sniper precision and you, on the other side of the map, struggling to find a guy in the middle of the scenery. If you want to play with friends nowadays, the lag makes the game practically unplayable.

PC emulators fix the control issues, but GoldenEye is in desperate need of a remaster. The game was fun back then, but it probably has one of the biggest discrepancies between reality and our nostalgic memories.

Tomb Raider

Games that attempted to have realistic graphics at the beginning of the 3D era have suffered more with the passage of time than those that used 3D models to create mascots or a more cartoonish style. Games with cartoon-style characters, like Mario and Donkey Kong, may get away with it, but there's nothing like seeing Lara Croft's pixelated triangles to remind us how far graphics have come today.

It's not just the graphics that are the problem, though; it's the combat. The game is easy. If you point your gun at an enemy in the area, you'll immediately hit them. All you have to do is shoot and roll, and you'll win the game. The remastered version fixed the graphics and some of the broken gameplay, so play that version if you want to revisit Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. The original has plenty of problems.

TES IV: Oblivion

Elder Scrolls is one of the most beloved RPG franchises of all time, and that fact is difficult to argue with. Elder Scrolls has done a fantastic job of building an immersive world for players who want to sink hours and hours into a game, develop a character, and take on the world.

Oblivion is an excellent game, but does it stand the test of time? Unfortunately, the answer is no! There are some glaring issues with Oblivion, and while it was a great game when it first came out, it's hard to ignore some of these issues.

While the story is great, the repetitive nature of closing Oblivion's gates one after the other gets incredibly boring within a few hours. There's also a Thieves Guild quest that, if completed, kicks you out of the Mages Guild (unless you've already completed the Mages Guild questline). If you've ever been kicked out of the Mages Guild, you know how hard it’s to get back in.

So, if you want to enjoy this story and many incredible missions, like the Dark Brotherhood, you better take advantage of the Remaster and start your adventure here.

Mass Effect

One of my favorite RPGs has problems that you really can't sweep under the rug of nostalgia without seeing them there, jumping out at anyone who's looking. The reality is that the first Mass Effect does a phenomenal job with several elements that make you feel the weight of your actions in each decision - each choice - which is important and adds an immersion that's difficult to find in current games.

If you play Mass Effect today, though, you'll probably be disappointed. The game was still trying to find its identity, and the combat leaned more toward a fantasy RPG than a shooter. The most annoying part of the game is the quest tracking system. You'll probably spend hours looking for where you're supposed to go, getting stuck in caves, and retracing your steps. Does the remastered version help with that? A little, but it still requires some patience.

Dragon Age: Origins

While the Dragon Age franchise has become less tactical over the years, Dragon Age: Origins is an example of a solid RPG that planned out how to make a tactical game to the smallest detail. However, it could be argued that all that tactical planning from years ago has become dead weight for today, and one example that reinforces this is Baldur's Gate 3. Simple, tactical, and intuitive as Dragon Age: Origins will never be.

Yes, the writing, characters, and story of Dragon Age: Origins hold up extremely well to this day, but there’s a lot of outdated stuff you have to put up with to enjoy it.

Compare that to Baldur’s Gate 3, which was the perfect modern RPG experience combined with excellent tactical combat. The difference between the two is stark. Combine that with some of the game’s quirks in combat and its repetitive nature, and Dragon Age: Origins becomes more of a game you play for the love of it than for its own unique qualities.

Some classic series have continued to grow and evolve, creating new games to keep their franchises going. Others may have faded away over the years, but their original games not only hold a place in people's hearts, but they can also be a lot of fun to replay.

Classic Sonic Games

Sonic the Hedgehog was once the coolest character in the world. While his personality and design were reflective of his time, his original 2D platformers are still just as phenomenal today! And there are even better versions of them available on both PC and mobile.

Before he turned into just a hedgehog and wore weird hipster scarves, Sonic was a radical dude with a game that left many competitors in the dust with its speed. The original title and its early sequels are the epitome of platforming. Who doesn't love racing through Green Hill Zone, escaping certain death by drowning in the Labyrinth Zone, and destroying Eggman’s menacing machines?

Super Mario World

Mario’s unforgettable SNES adventure is widely considered his finest work. It introduced a new world outside the Mushroom Kingdom with Dinosaur Land, introduced the flying cape, and gave Mario his gobbling friend, Yoshi. Inspired by his previous game, the controls are tight and fluid, and the game world is full of fun references and surprises.

Super Mario World is one of those rare games that, if it were released today, would still be as big a seller as it was decades ago. Now that retro gaming and vintage graphic styles seem to be getting a lot of attention again, maybe we’ll see another 16-bit Mario game in the future? We hope so.

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2 was originally released for Xbox in December 2004, followed by several other platforms. In 2022, it was released for the Nintendo Switch, allowing fans to play it more easily on a modern console with improved graphics and animations.

The game initially struggled due to being unfinished when released, but this was later fixed through patches. KotOR 2 was praised for having some of the best storytelling and characters of any game at the time, and for representing the Star Wars franchise well. If you don't have a Switch and want to experience an improved version of the original game, you can even play KOTOR 2 on mobile!

Chrono Trigger

Think of a game that’s still as good today and that many people still think of when it comes to Akira Toryama's incredible storytelling and unique character design. Chrono Trigger is one of the definitive JRPGs of its time, and its gameplay not only remains relevant in modern times, but also inspires new games to this day.

Chrono Trigger has been re-released multiple times to be replayed by many of its most dedicated fans and introduce newcomers to the game. The time-traveling adventure was groundbreaking and included an impressive number of alternate endings to its incredible storyline. The game remains a favorite of many and continues to be ported to new systems.

Classic Mega Man

Mega Man has been slaying robots with his signature Mega Buster since 1987, and while his second game is considered a cornerstone of action platformers, his debut was a bit of a struggle. It had great run-and-gun action, creative power-ups, and bosses, but its steep learning curve and life-sapping traps made it a bit of a struggle to get used to.

Mega Man's action-packed adventures continued to improve the gameplay while still maintaining a tough-but-fair platforming style. It has evolved a lot since its original release, but due to its many improvements, its first release is remembered as a landmark (including the infamous North American cover). It's a good game, just not as good as its sequels. But still great.