Retro Video Games That You Used To Love But Don’t Hold Up Today

Sometimes video games don’t age as well as we would like them to. As technology progresses, so do our expectations. Games that were once cutting edge can become mediocre as time goes by. Here are a few video games that used to be great but don’t hold up today in 2019.

Tomb Raider

The original Tomb Raider game was revolutionary when it was released back in 1996. It was the first time the iconic Lara Croft was introduced to the world. The mixture of puzzle-solving, exploration, and set the game apart from the others in the action-adventure game genre. Tomb Raider was highly successful and sold over 7 million units worldwide. Although the game is one of the most influential games of all time, Tomb Raider doesn’t quite pack the same punch it did back in the 90s.

If you go back and play Tomb Raider on the original PlayStation, you will find the game’s controls are extremely clunky. The game, like most early PlayStation 1 releases, used tank controls which aged like a meaty stew left out on a hot summer day. Tank controls don’t allow players to move forward and turn at the same time which can make things a bit awkward. These tank controls can make navigating levels more difficult than it should. Jumping over obstacles can be frustrating if you don’t have the tank controls mastered.

The graphics in Tomb Raider also didn’t age very well. The graphics might have been above average for the time period but looking at them now just shows you how far we have come. Everything is very blocky and pixelated. Some of the objects in the game barely resemble what they are supposed to. For example, you might not be able to see an enemy because they look like they are part of a wall texture. This might sound harsh but playing a game like GTA 5 and then going to Tomb Raider takes some getting used to.

GoldenEye 007

GoldenEye 007 for the Nintendo 64 revolutionized the first-person shooter genre. Many aspects of GoldenEye can still be seen in games today. The game helped make FPS (first-person shooters) games popular and took multiplayer gaming to the next level. Unfortunately, the game is like a shell of itself if you go back and play it today.

One of the biggest problems with playing GoldenEye nowadays is its controls. We have gotten so used to modern FPS control systems that playing GoldenEye now feels completely backwards. Trying to aim is a chore and much more difficult than you remember. Auto aiming helps this a little bit but it still feels very dated. It does not help that the N64 has a very unique controller, so the layout takes a while to get used to.

The one thing that has hurt GoldenEye more than anything is time. Over the years there have been multiple breakthroughs in the FPS genre. Games like Halo and Call of Duty helped establish the FPS control scheme as well as multiplayer. Playing multiplayer in GoldenEye feels archaic, especially with its control layout. Many gaming websites actually advise against going back and playing GoldenEye so you don’t ruin your blissful childhood memories. The game aged that badly!

Twisted Metal

Twisted Metal is another video game many 90s kids will fondly remember. It was actually the first vehicular combat game and paved the way for many that followed. Twisted Metal allowed you to chose from 12 different cars that had massive guns and explosives attached to them for you to destroy anything in your path. Nothing was better than blowing up your friends’ car and watching them yell at the television screen. Sadly, the game doesn’t hold up nearly as much today as it did in the past.

Twisted Metal seems way too simple today. All you do is drive around and blow up your opponent’s cars. This is fun for a few minutes but grows old rather quickly. The story doesn’t have very much depth and there are only 2 game modes to choose from. Twisted Metal story is also very short. You could easily beat the game in an afternoon. There isn’t much replayability besides the multiplayer since the story mode becomes repetitive.

The graphics are also horrendous. Twisted Metal was criticized for its terrible graphics even back when it was first released in 1995. They are so bad that you can barely see a rival’s car coming toward you. The cars tend to blend into the background when they are far away causing a ton of frustrating moments. Twisted Metal is very important to the vehicular combat genre, but the simplistic nature and dreadful graphics keep it from being a timeless classic. If you want to replay a Twisted Metal game, you are better off revisiting Twisted Metal 3.

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Grand Theft Auto 3

Grand Theft Auto has been around since the 1990s but didn’t gain traction until the third game in the serious was released in 2001. The game was highly praised and very revolutionary with its open-world sandbox. However, if you go back and play it now after getting used to the later GTA games, you will be amazed by how far the series has come. The game is still good but is nothing compared to later releases. Some retro fanatics might disagree but sometimes nostalgia can blind a person.

The control scheme feels very clunky compared to later titles. The lock on combat system can be quite frustrating at times, especially if you are not used to it. Sometimes it doesn’t lock on to the right target causing you to fumble between enemies while you take damage. Taking cover behind things can also be a hassle. There is no cover system so you just have to squat behind something and hope nothing will hit you.

The cars in Grand Theft Auto 3 blow up very easy and fast which leads to untimely deaths. It only gives you a small amount of time to escape the car before it blows you into smithereens. Some missions have you driving a fragile car while SUVs full of mobsters shoot at you. You might go through 3 or 4 cars before finishing the mission since the mobsters keep blowing up your car. GTA 3 is still a good time, but it still had a few kinks to work out before releasing the later titles. If you want to go back and play a classic GTA game, I recommend Vice City. Most of the issues in the first game were worked out and everything from the cars to the open-world has been drastically improved.

These are just a few games from the past that don’t hold up very well today. It is important to note that all the games in this article are still very good, but just not as good as you remember. Sometimes age is the worst enemy. Feel free to tell us some more retro games that didn’t age well in the comments below.