Top 10 Video Games That Aged Well
Unlike other media, video game technology moves forward at an impressive pace. With new consoles comes new graphics technology and worlds that looked rich and vibrant one generation can look dull and muddy the next. Some video games however transcend generations and look great and play well no matter how old they get. Join http://www.watchmojo.com as we count down our picks for the top 10 games that aged well.
#10: “The Curse of Monkey Island” (1997)
If you haven’t played through any of the Monkey Island games, you can just skip to the third one. 90’s style puzzle solving might seem a bit obtuse, but the jokes and the amazing music are both timeless, making it almost as fun to watch as to play. The cartoony look of the game still looks fine today, even if the SCUMM engine it used was already being phased out when it was release.
#9: “The Legend of Zelda Wind Walker” (2002)
Nintendo’s GameCube nautical classic will be playable forever. Though cel shading graphics and youngest ever Link did cause some controversy among purists and people when it was revealed, these design choices gave the graphics more longevity than you’d initially expect. Even with constant mentions to the events of Ocarina of Time the game was able to carve its own story that will still be as enjoyable for years to come- turning what many thought to be an underdog into one of the very best in the series.
#8: “Super Metroid” (1994)
This SNES action-adventure game is widely regarded as one of the best early generation console games of all time. At the time of it’s release, the game surpassed others in story, atmosphere, and graphics. But even today, the focus on non-linear exploration and the heavily atmospheric focus on isolation
#7: “StarCraft” (1998)
A common problem with strategy games in that both sides often mirror eachother for the sake of balancing the game – Starcraft changed all this by introducing 3 separate sides that all played differently, while still maintaining a careful balance. The reason StarCraft is still so popular to this dya is that nobody has really been able to replicate that balance since – it’s essentially the chess of the RTS world.
#6: “Star Fox 64” (1997)
Starfox was among the best games on the console. Blasting around and saving the Lylat System as Fox McCloud is an experience made complete by smooth animation, endearing voice acting, and differences in gameplay paths. These features were amazing at the time and still have charm – as do the colorful graphics.
#5: “Diablo II” (2000)
If it ain’t broke, there’s no need to fix it. Killing monsters to get better gear to kill bigger monsters to get better gear was a gameplay loop that was addictive as hell back in the year 2000, and still is now. The graphic may not be anything to write home about, but the fact that all the sprites are drawn instead of textured polygons means they don’t look worse and worse over time. Plus, 3 successive difficulty modes and characters that you can push to level 99, it’s really easy to become addicted all over again.
#4: “Street Fighter II: Hyper Fighting” (1992)
Found in arcades worldwide, Street Fighter II: Hyper Fighting gets better with age! Street Fighter is often praised as one of the best-balanced fighting franchises, and Hyper Fighting is the best of them all. Each character now has an ability that can counter hadoken spammers, and the increased overall speed makes it a remarkably responsive game even by today’s standards. With all the versions out there, it can be very confusing to know which is the best Street Fighter game, and our vote is for Hyper Fighting.
#3: “Half-Life 2” (2004)
If you know gaming history, or at least PC gaming history, Half-life 2 is definitely no stranger to you. Still, it’s amazing that over 10 years later, many shooters today fail to match Half-life 2 in terms of visual storytelling, gameplay variety, exciting set pieces and frightening AI. It’s ironic that while physics in videogames are yesterday’s news, it seems that Half-Life 2 is still one of the only places where you can find physics puzzles that make real world sense.
#2: “Super Mario World” (1990)
This is no secret to the guys over at Nintendo, but simple design with a bright color palate pleases crowds for decade. As we’ve seen in other games on this list, cartoony graphics may not have that wow factor when you first see em’, but they never really go out of style either – and nowhere is this on better display than in Dinosaur Land – No, not the mushroom kingdom. When you throw in level variety, secret paths and a huge amount of content, it’s no surprise that Super Mario World is a classic that hasn’t aged a bit.
Before we get to our top spot, here are a few honorable mentions.
“Sonic the Hedgehog” (1991)
“Mega Man 2” (1989)
“Banjo-Kazooie” (1998)
“The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past” (1991)
“Mario Kart 64” (1996)
#1: “Tetris” (1984)
This Soviet-era Russian game fits perfect into first place on our list. Tetris’ success comes from its simple increasing difficulty and the almost physiological need to see those rows fade away. Complex games and graphics be damned, this addicting game captured our hearts and minds for 30 years, the perfect little pocket puzzle. Simply put, Tetris hold up so well because it was basically perfect right off the bat. What else could you at? On top of all that, because it doesn’t require that much memory to play, there’s literally a version for almost every device imaginable – gaming console or not.
Do you agree with our list? Which other old favorites Do you think stand up well to games today? For more nostalgic Top 10 list, published every day, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.
