Old games that actually hold up today

[Memory]

What are some old games that still look and play great today? I'm not talking about games you're nostalgic for and still enjoy. I mean games that a new player could pick up today and still think is graphically appealing and doesn't have that retro-game "clunk" in the controls. You may still love an old game, but you have to admit that it is ugly and a chore to play compared to modern games in the genre.

I just replayed Doom 3 again today for the first time in years, and it inspired this thread. Modern shooters still play pretty much identical to how Doom 3 did, whether you're using a keyboard and mouse or gamepad. And the graphics still look really good. Stylized graphics always hold up better than realistic, and the bulky character designs and stark shadows aged really well compared to games like FarCry or Half Life 2 that came out around the same time (not to say either of those games are bad, but they definitely show their age compared to Doom 3).

You could really add any of the old Doom games as well. No matter how old they get, the style, soundtrack and gameplay of the classic Doom games always holds up.

[Melooon]

I might be a little bias because its my ALL TIME favourite game; but I think SSX Tricky holds up really well (So do all the other SSX games). The graphics have aged and are very PS2 aesthetics, but once the game starts you forget about the visuals really fast. The soundtrack is fantastic 90s electronica and the controls for the most part still feel snappy and as you'd expect. I think it you sat a 10 year old down with it today they would enjoy it just as much as I did when I was 10!

[Zusk]

I have recently become a bit hooked to IQ; Intelligent Qube. The PS1 in general is filled with these sorts of weird hidden gems.

Also, hate to say this, but since the Gamecube's 20 years old technically those would count as 'old'. Super Mario Sunshine, Kirby Air Ride and most of the other gamecube big hitters still feel amazing (Notably point for Melee still having a huge competitive scene even today.)

[Memory]

I might be a little bias because its my ALL TIME favourite game; but I think SSX Tricky holds up really well (So do all the other SSX games). The graphics have aged and are very PS2 aesthetics, but once the game starts you forget about the visuals really fast. The soundtrack is fantastic 90s electronica and the controls for the most part still feel snappy and as you'd expect. I think it you sat a 10 year old down with it today they would enjoy it just as much as I did when I was 10!

I never played Tricky, but SSX3 is one of my all-time favourite games. I loved being able to ride from the top of the mountain to the bottom without any loading screens, and the music and art style are both great.

[sig]

I might be a little bias because its my ALL TIME favourite game; but I think SSX Tricky holds up really well

There is no week that goes by without me randomly starting to chant 'IT'S TRICKY TRICKY TRICKY TRICKY'

I thought the original Half-Life still holds up really well when I played it a few years back. The game is visually pretty dated but I still think it looks appealing, especially in the atmosphere it creates. Besides, I never played it Back In The Day so at least I know my judgement isn't clouded by nostalgia!

[Plasmon]

1. Deus Ex. The graphics are pretty bad, even by 1999 standards, but the gameplay is amazing—it's perfectly open-ended. Not to mention the way the game's story became even more relevant with time.

Honestly, I think it puts a lot of modern immersive sims to absolute shame. Deus Ex is so good at giving you the freedom to solve challenges however you want it makes you forget all the racism in the Hong Kong section. (That part didn't hold up so well, but at least the gameplay in that level was great.)

2. F.E.A.R.. Yeah the graphics don't melt systems nowadays, but the graphics are still very good, and it's awesome to see the way bullets cause giant sparks and shit everywhere.

Even if the game's story sucks, F.E.A.R. somehow manages to keep me hooked with how awesome the gunfights look and feel—I could talk about how much fun the shotgun in that game is for ages (or at least a couple minutes).

[brisray]

I've never been much of a gamer but puzzle games like TIM (The Incredible Machine) from the mid90's were always good.

But what I'm really writing about is Sherlock which is even older than TIM. Computer magazines used to have floppy disks and later still CDs attached to them with a variety of software. Sherlock was shareware (try before you buy) but one magazine made a mistake and gave away the full version of it. https://www.kaser.com/sherwin.html

About 25 years ago I gave a copy of that to some woman and she still spends hours playing it.

That wasn't the worst mistake some of the magazines made. One of them gave away the Marburg computer virus to anyone who used their disk, including me, except it didn't come to life until 3 months after it was installed - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6k4cz3Z9a

That "some woman" became my wife and I know for certain she still plays it. It's the only game I absolutely MUST save when we get new computers.

[randomtangent]

hmmmm, i kinda thought of Touhou and Cave Story - both indie, though early Touhou (gen 1 Windows) is really hard since it does't have any particularly new mechanics, though Undefined Fantastic Object and Mountain Of Faith (gen 2 Windows) are really graphically outstanding even for today, especially the mild 3D in the backgrounds looks really good for what it is!
the music especially has held up the best - like The Gensokyo the Gods Loved in MoF is still one of my favourite video game tracks, lmao

though, Cave Story - while it's hard, it's still fantastic even for me who's even younger than the game itself. it's hard since the hitboxes and all that aren't very forgiving like in more modern games, but overall i lovee the soundtrack and especially the whole lore and story of it!

also, Portal. Half Life 2 and Portal still hold up pretty well imo, though the graphics aren't your usual ray-tracing and trillions of polygons, it still looks fine imo - like early Xbox 360 graphics, lol
edit: corrected a bit that could be misinterperated (MoF and UFO aren't gen 1, they're gen 2 lol)

[AY38910]

mandatory mention of Doom here

[Junebug]

The original Half Life. On hard it's an excellent horror game that really makes you feel like you're fighting to survive. The first person platforming isn't that great though. I'm glad that never got common in first-person shooters.

[candycanearter07]

I'm actually going to say Ace Attorney here, the series gameplay has almost not changed in the 20(!!!) years it's been around, and the original trilogy is still enjoyable today, even with some hiccups (1-5 taking longer than any case in the game and 2-3)

[ThunderPerfectWitchcraft]

Personally, I think that video games do not really age - just as movies - and I love to play (and watch) titles that were released well before my time.

But I see that this might not be true for anybody - if that is the case for you, take these:

PC:
King of Dragon Pass - I mentioned the OST somewhere else here, but the gameplay is also really unique. Planescape Torment (and the other games based on the Infinity Engine) also comes to mind. I've never finished them though. When it comes to (c)RPGs, Morrowind also needs to be mentioned - the writing and worldbuilding was - imho - the peak of the Elder Scrolls series, and I don't see any problems regarding the controls. Half Life should be mentioned. The early C&C-Titles, Age of Empires 1/2, and - ofc - Warcraft III.
All the Lucas Arts point'n clicks, Tex Murphy, and stuff like Flight of the Amazon Queen - the controls of a mouse controlled point'n click is timeless :).

Arcade titles:
Many fighting games (I like especially the early Samurai Showdown titles and the Last Blade series - both are visually stunning). So is Metal Slug. Parodius and Gradius III are damn good SHMUPs. Asteroids (on an original machine - you want to play it with this raster screen) is great, and Missile Command/Tempest are damn good.

Console:
Both Zelda titles released for the N64. The control scheme was basically just taken for Dark Souls, and the graphic is still pretty by modern standards. Those for the SNES and the Gameboy should also be still enjoyable, while the NES titles might be challenging for people who are used to current standards (although you can adapt really fast). In the field of JRPGs, all the Square Enix titles for the SNES should be well enjoyable to this day - Secret of Mana is just so damn good! Banjo Kazooie is still a good 3D platformer/collectathon, just as the early Super Mario titles still work out well. Tetris!