The title of Game of the Year is an accolade that only a select few titles ever manage to achieve. Over the past few decades, there have been countless exceptional games released across a range of different genres, but even within the sea of tens, there are still just a short list that have been awarded the highest level of praise. However, over time, games that used to be considered the best in the genre can quickly fall out of favor with even the most adoring fans, becoming outdated quickly due to new hardware, advancements in technology, and sequels that manage to eclipse basically everything that the original set out to do.
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This doesn’t mean that these games are bad by any stretch, more that they are products of their time, and are probably best left as pieces of nostalgia rather than timeless masterpieces. A lot of the issues come from the gameplay itself, as the stories can easily remain just as exceptional many decades on, but the mechanics and design often suffer, feeling dated due to innovation and improvements to the overall experience. It can be a nice trip down memory lane for some players looking to recapture some of that original joy, yet in a lot of cases, it can feel more like they are fighting the game itself than the actual enemies and objectives within it.
GoldenEye 007
Trapped In The Early Shooter Days
Details:
- Pioneered the FPS genre
- Outdated controls and feel
GoldenEye 007 was a landmark release that redefined how people saw shooters as a whole, laying the groundwork for countless console FPS titles that followed. At the time, its mission-based structure and split-screen multiplayer felt groundbreaking, especially on hardware not designed for FPS games, proving that shooters could thrive outside of the PC space. Because of the bold leaps forward taken by the developers, the whole genre was thrust forward several years, allowing so many exceptional games to be released in such a short period of time.
Unfortunately, its control scheme is the biggest obstacle today. The single-analog aiming feels clumsy, imprecise, and actively goes against a lot of the modern principles that govern today’s FPS games. Also, the enemy AI is pretty basic, and the levels aren’t particularly interesting overall, making the whole game feel more like a history lesson than an actual enjoyable experience.
Resident Evil
The Start Of A Horror Revolution
Details:
- Great atmosphere and environment
- Tank controls make the combat feel dreadful
The original Resident Evil is more than just a classic horror game, but a pivotal stepping stone that paved the way for an entire genre to thrive going into the 2000s. The fear factor was elevated to the forefront, as players are forced to navigate tight corridors and dark rooms with a limited number of resources to help them fight back against the various monstrosities awaiting them.
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However, as impressive as the game was at launch, nowadays, a lot of horror fans struggle to put up with the tank controls and fixed camera angles. The criticism goes further, as people say that the awkwardness and jank make certain encounters feel more annoying than scary, taking away from the core experience that is otherwise incredibly polished. There are certainly worse horror games from the early days out there, but given how much praise it received, Resident Evil hasn’t exactly entered the modern day with grace.
Grand Theft Auto 3
The Groundwork For Later Open-Worlds
Details:
- Blueprint of level design that many games followed
- Dated driving and harsh mission design
GTA 3 changed gaming forever by introducing a fully 3D open-world city that players could explore freely in whatever way they chose. The sense of scale was well beyond anything else in the genre at the time, and players were given all the tools to cause chaos and wreak havoc, setting the standard for modern sandbox design.
Now, more than two decades later, the game’s age is obviously apparent. The main mechanics of shooting and driving just hold up in any regard, and the mission design is obscenely punishing, with players often needing to replay large segments over and over due to the lack of checkpoints. While its influence is undeniable, actually playing it today highlights how far open-world design has evolved.
Assassin’s Creed
Taking Stealth To A Completely Different Period
Details:
- Striking visuals and satisfying movement
- Repetitive mission structure
The first Assassin’s Creed impressed players immensely when it was first released, with its engaging historical setting and satisfying parkour movement that fully immersed them in the world around them. Climbing massive cities and blending into crowds felt revolutionary, and it quickly made the series into a household name that would branch off into countless sequels and spin-offs over the coming years.
The biggest problem now is repetition. The mission structure becomes very predictable in just a few hours, cycling through the same investigations and assassinations with minimal variation. Also, the combat lacks depth in a lot of ways, and the actual stealth systems feel underdeveloped compared to later entries, so despite kick-starting one of gaming’s most well-loved franchises, it is unfortunately nothing more than an ancient relic.
God of War (2005)
Spectacle Over Actual Substance
Details:
- Great action sequences throughout
- Shallow combat depth by today’s standards
God of War brought the brutality of Kratos into the gaming world, gifting players with intense action sequences on a cinematic scale and an unapologetically absurd tone that would carry through to the following games in the trilogy. The unrelenting bruiser became an instant icon, and players were quick to praise the game’s representation of figures from mythology that had gone completely untouched in any form of media.
Over time, its flaws have become more apparent, with the combat encounters relying heavily on button-mashing, and the camera being just as much of a challenge as any of the enemies. From a narrative perspective, while impactful then, the story lacks the emotional depth seen in later entries, leading many players to strongly recommend the more modern games over revisiting the dated original.
Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune
Cinematic Storytelling At Its Best
Details:
- Engaging level designs right from the start
- Weak combat encounters
Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune took the concept of an action-adventure game and took it to new heights in ways few had seen before. The main draw comes from the gorgeous set pieces that pulled players into constant states of action that never strayed too far into the realm of absurdity, managing to retain a grounded feel thanks to the writing of the characters.
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However, revisiting it today highlights how rough the first entry was. The keyword is polish, as everything from the gunfights to the platforming just doesn’t come close to the standards set by the later games. An important component towards the greater hits in Nathan Drake’s story, but far less enjoyable now in comparison.
Mario Kart Wii
Chaotic In Both Good And Bad Ways
Details:
- Casual multiplayer fun
- Poor balancing and track design
Mario Kart Wii became an instant success overnight, giving every Wii user an exceptional party game that could be played and enjoyed by basically anyone. Several new systems were introduced, and the online play became a much bigger component than in the past, letting players connect with one another and compete on a global scale. Virtually every household had the game, and it would easily consume dozens of hours without ever feeling like a bore, bringing together families and friends of all kinds for an entire console generation.
Today, the game actually looks more like an unpolished mess in many regards than a fully-fledged release that was once considered great. For starters, the track designs left a lot to be desired, being fairly linear and uninspired compared to even previous entries in the franchise. But the bigger issues come from the performance of the game and the integrity of the competitive play. Rubber-banding was and still is a major issue, plaguing lobbies and often ruining the outcomes of otherwise winnable races, and the randomness of the item system makes it quite frustrating to play at a high level. A lot of the issues were ironed out in later entries, and many players will still have fond memories of the game, but for the most part, it should probably stay on a shelf collecting dust.
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