Readers discuss old-school video games that still hold up well today, including Super Metroid and Beyond Good & Evil.
The topic for this week’s Hot Topic was suggested by reader Dennis, who asked readers to think about what gives older games their longevity and whether they could still benefit from a remaster or remake.
Most of the games mentioned were from the Mega Drive and SNES 16-bit era, and most agreed that early-era 3D titles, especially those on the original PlayStation, have aged worse.
Almost perfect
I’ve decided to use a game from the 80s for this Hot Topic because the older the game, of course the harder it would be to sustain (although early 90s 3D games have an aesthetic problem there too ).
I’m going for Super Mario Bros. 3 on the NES.
It’s not my favorite game on the NES (that would be Zelda 2), but some are now struggling with Zelda’s difficulty, and it’s a little rough around the edges. Super Mario Bros. 3, however, is timeless. It has an amazing variety in its level and enemy design, it’s not overly difficult, with a very generous item storage system, has a lot of secrets to find (quite a few like the white toad house which I suspect many never did) and may still be the best 2D platformer ever made. The graphics won’t knock anyone out, but they’re good late NES-era graphics, with excellent art design that helps them hold their own.
Super Mario Bros. 3 has already been remade as part of Super Mario All-Stars, but while it has nicer 16-bit pixel art, the art direction isn’t quite as good (wallpapers in the underground areas and the final world are especially less appealing to me), so I generally tend to play the original.
I can’t think of much that I would change with a new remake. I suppose Sonic Mania had quality pixel art with better art direction than All-Stars, and maybe some bonus levels, but the main game is pretty much perfect as it is.
Lord Darkstorm
Original love
I thought about this for a while and there could only be one answer: ToeJam & Earl on the Mega Drive.
I had it as a young teenager when it came out and my brother and I played it together regularly.
I picked it up on the Mega Drive Mini and found it to be as playable as ever.
It’s a fantastic game and definitely holds up. I know there have been remakes, but the original will always be the best, for me at least.
BadgerOfDoom
Evolution not recreation
This week’s Hot Topic is quite relevant as I’ve been going through an N64 phase of play for the past month or so. This is on original hardware and a 15″ CRT TV with S-Video connections. The games are absolutely playable and once you get used to the angular graphics and control schemes, it’s the gameplay that really shines through. GoldenEye 007 is still a lot of fun to play and the ‘C’ buttons allow firing, which is a good alternative to a secondary joystick.
F-Zero X is still as fast and smooth as I remembered, with a great soundtrack, and Wave Race 64 probably still has some of the best wave effects and ‘feel’ of being on the water (although I prefer to the sequel). There are many more that stand the test of time simply because age rarely affects great gameplay.
I’m not that short-sighted to think they’re all better than new games, but the games I’ve replayed have aged well in most respects. Modern games emphasize issues that were present in older generation titles – cheating AI, overly difficult/unfair gameplay elements, clunky controls, lack of checkpoints, etc. – but this is how I originally remember them and probably why I I have deep affection for my retro games collection.
Would I like to remaster them? Maybe, depending on the title, but I prefer franchise evolution over remakes. However, I’d love to see the much-rumored remake of GoldenEye come out to fix the Tank/Streets stage!
Drew5u75
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One remake at a time
Not sure if you can count it, and it’s probably cheating, I’d pick Dead Space 2. It’s from two generations ago so I guess it could be considered retro by most standards.
I recently experienced it again and I still loved it. The ending still frustrates as it throws non-stop evolved enemies, but the sounds and atmosphere still hold up throughout the game.
The graphics still hold up too, but this series could use a good remake and actually has more varied enemy types and is grosser if possible.
I’ve seen The Calisto Protocol and I hope it uses an old build as it’s very similar to Dead Space on the Xbox 360, not that it would put me off, but a lot of people can’t see past graphs.
bobwallett
GC: Two generations ago fits our definition of retro. Did you know that a Dead Space 1 remake is on the way?
Winner of multiple prizes
I have one clear choice, not only for the most timeless retro game, but also for the best retro game, the best 2D game, arguably the best Zelda game, the most enhanced sequel and the best game ever made. That’s the legend of Zelda: a link to the past.
What comes to mind is gaming in general, up until the time of release and how far it was above everything else. But the topic is about how games have aged and for a title that is over 30 years old, it’s surprising to see so many of its ideas copied by new games today, but often done less well.
One reason it’s so timeless is its controls, as the pace and point of view more or less save it from the challenges many other games face as the standards in gaming evolve. But there are so many other factors as well.
The presentation is incredible for a game this old, with a beautiful and surprisingly sophisticated color palette, smoothly drawn sprites and MIDI music that is not only brilliantly composed but has a sound that feels like a favorite blanket. The fullness and warmth of that copper in the overworld theme always seems to take me to a safe place.
The density of the world means you can barely walk a few feet before finding something worthwhile, and yet it’s not over the top in a way that predates so many modern games in a matter of months. I don’t think I’ve ever played it and didn’t go 100% because it’s so exciting to discover all the secrets.
Overall, I’d say it’s the depth that sets it apart from other frontrunners for best-age games like, say, Tetris or Super Mario Bros. Gradually building Link from a boy with a basic sword to the most skilled, heroic, fully equipped and richest person in the kingdom feels organically in a way that, by comparison, has kept me from role playing for a long time, with their dry stats based leveling systems . And as masterful as the mechanics and design are in other timeless retro games, I have a hard time just chasing scores or just getting from A to B.
In a way, since I was nine years old, it has determined the criteria by which I judge most matches.
Panda
Alien feeling
For me it’s Super Metroid.
The level design, the soundtrack, the colors. It all feels like an alien world. I can replay that game year after year and it remains easy to pick up and play and equally engaging.
I actually prefer Super Metroid’s art style over Metroid Dread’s gloss, which I found too gray and shiny for much of the game.
I would also recommend Super Mario Bros. Add 3, a game that is a joy to play.
Mat
More than 16-bit
I feel like a whole bunch of games have aged well, even as far back as the 16-bit period. I’d say console games like Mario and Sonic can still be played fairly comfortably from most retro console eras, but Commodores and Amigas probably won’t.
The original PlayStation, I’d say, only has a few games that have aged well and mostly because the polygon rich graphics now look horribly thriving in most of the other games. The previous generation of consoles had games based on solid graphics, with smooth movements, but without a complicated animation to make it look too awful now. Ironically, it’s the simpler design that inspired today’s indie games and taken it to the next level.
To pick a game that feels as good as it did then is Beyond Good & Evil. In short, a perfect game of stealth and combat, moving through city buildings, exploration of island caves and alien complexes, plus your own simple lighthouse residence. Loads of memorable characters to help and hinder you, with lots of locals to hang out with, and just interesting information in general.
It also takes photography of the local wildlife for payments as the protagonist you play is basically a researcher but turns into a superheroine as the story needs their and your skills to help solve what’s behind the military and alien connection on Hilly’s mining planet. Mastering the highly empathetic and well realized Jade was very satisfying indeed.
I would now play this game again as I did on the Xbox 360, having previously played it on the GameCube. Definitely a worthy game for today’s gamers to experience as I would personally say this game has aged very well – like a very pleasant satisfying whiskey.
alucard
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