Old games that aged well

[sephyboy]

I find it amusing you say SH2. I recently picked it up again! D=

 

[IamLEAM1983]

Diablo 2, the two Max Paynes, System Shock 2.

Yes, it's an absolute freaking oldie, but SS2 has the merit of being twenty times more terrifying than Bioshock 1 and 2 combined (which are both great games in their own right).

Other than that, hm... I sometimes find myself reinstalling Quake, because no other modern FPS seens to manage to bring the same structured levels and the same hordes of enemies - provided you're playing on the hardest difficulty. It makes snooping around for stuff all the more stressful, seeing as there's *always* going to be something running after you and trying to eat your face.

 

[DustyDrB]

Shadow of the Colossus will never age.

But I'm sooooooo so so glad they remade (remastered, re-whatever) it. The frame rate and anti-aliasing issues made me nauseous when I tried to play it when it was a new game. I think that's the only time a game ever had that effect on me.

OT:
I love old JRPGs. I love them a lot more than new ones, actually. And the funny thing about this is that I didn't play my first JRPG until 2010, when I played Earthbound and loved it. If that isn't a sign of aging gracefully, I don't know what is.

 

[Gabanuka]

Well I just started playing Vampire the masquerade and that seems to be holding up well. Cant work out how to get out of the Santa Monica are so I had to stop.

 

[Eggbert]

Just look at this comparison photo of old morrowind vs new morrowind. It's almost hard to tell that its the same game...

That's freaking amazing. Got a list of mods used?
On topic, I'd have to say HL2 may actually have improved with age, as the loading screens are no longer the massive inconvenience they were at launch. Sacrifice still has some great design behind it, and the controls are still fairly easy to pick up (despite using a fairly unique control scheme). I might also say Freespace 2, but its controls are kind of a pain to get used to.

 

[Arkvoodle]

Star Fox 64 still holds up well and remains one of my favorite flying games of all time.

 

[babinro]

Diablo 2, Warcraft 3, Starcraft - Blizzard excels at making games which are great even 10 years after they come out.

Zelda: A Link to the Past
Zelda: Wind Waker
Metroid Prime
Super Mario Bros 3
Ninja Gaiden 1&2 (NES)
Half-Life 2

I could recommend a ton of others, but they're games I love for nostalgia, and probably don't stand the test of time to someone new to the game. For example, Final Fantasy 6 (SNES). One of the best games ever made...but it simply plays and looks like an old game.

 

[Yopaz]

Paper Mario, might as well go with the whole series, you really can't improve the graphics when it's based on paper other than making it look sharper, and the games are still great

I was coming here to suggest the Donkey Kong Country series, but Paper Mario is a good example too.

Banjo Kazooie and Banjo Tooie still look surprisingly decent, I think they've aged well in gameplay and graphics.

Those games were awesome when they came out and they still are today. I have played them both so much that you'd think I'd be really sick of them. I'm not. Also it seems to be something about Rare's games that makes them age really slowly. Donkey Kong country, Donkey Kong 64, Conker's Bad Fur Day and Banjo Kazooie. They are still great after all these years. I've never experienced any weird annoying bugs in them either.

 

[lansid]

Xenogears. So many people hit their heads on bathroom sinks while hanging clocks with this game, and hasn't been done since.

 

[flying_whimsy]

I was just playing Silent Hill 2 last week (the xbox release with the slightly better graphics): I was just at the opening where James comes out of the restroom at the lookout outside of town when one of my housemates walked by and thought I was watching a movie until I started having the character walk around.

So much for a need for the HD collection.

 

[bliebblob]

Heroes of might and magic 3 still looks great and plays great.

Seconded. It almost plays like a board game, which nullifies all comments about it's old graphics. Because, in boardgames, who cares how detaied your pawns are? Even a bottle cap will do if you've lost the normal pawn somehow.

Also: worms armageddon and world party. In fact, I'm pretty sure many people will agree if I say the old 2D ones are still superior to the 3D ones.

 

[Matan]

I'll have to agree with most of what's been said already: Banjo Kazooie, Half-Life 2, Age of Mythology, Max Payne etc.

I'm amazed no-one has said Okami yet however. The art style and gameplay on that game are fantastic. Don't think I'd ever get bored of that gorgeous game.

 

[Blunderboy]

I was pleasantly surprised how well Theme Hospital, Populous The Beginning and Rollercoaster Tycoon hold up.

 

[Irridium]

Timesplitters. All of 'em.

Also, the PS1 Spyro games. A bit simple, but still look surprisingly good and are pretty fun to play.

 

[The Funslinger]

Spyro and Crash from PSX come to mind.

Agreed. Also, Tobal. The graphics are far from good, but the fact they're not trying to look realistic is on their side. But then, maybe I just find the graphics charming because of nostalgia.

Oh, and Croc! I must rebuy that game.

 

[Sight Unseen]

Just look at this comparison photo of old morrowind vs new morrowind. It's almost hard to tell that its the same game...

That's freaking amazing. Got a list of mods used?
On topic, I'd have to say HL2 may actually have improved with age, as the loading screens are no longer the massive inconvenience they were at launch. Sacrifice still has some great design behind it, and the controls are still fairly easy to pick up (despite using a fairly unique control scheme). I might also say Freespace 2, but its controls are kind of a pain to get used to.

I don't have the exact list of mods, but luckily some saint went and made a gigantic compilation of mods called the Morrowind Overhaul ( http://morrowindoverhaul.rpgitalia.net/ )which basically creates a giant installer that auto-magically installs all of the mods for you (even takes mouse and keyboard control at some point to optimize the settings of some of the more complex GUI-based mods like MGE). It's a combination of hundreds of different graphics mods and it looks AMAZING. I highly recommend this compilation mod, and if you use it I strongly suggest that you follow the video guide which literally walks through the process step by step and makes it almost foolproof. Enjoy!

NOTE: make sure to not overdo the settings on it because this mod can and will destroy your performance if you put things too high

EDIT: How do you hyperlink properly? I tried to make the words "Morrowind Overhaul" into the link, and it worked, except that for some reason the link redirected right back to this page, even though the URL I used was right and I used HTML formatting

 

[him over there]

Chrono trigger is still an amazing story wrapped up in a vibrant world full of wonderful music and an expertly blended real time and turn based battle system. I'd say it qualifies.

 

[IrateDonnie]

Diablo 2, I find myself going back every seven or so months for a ladder climb. Need my fix, na mean?

Yeah, whenever I play it after a while I don't even notice the graphics.

 

[Gaiseric]

Freedom Fighters

Yes! I still play that from time to time.

Brothers in Arms
Might and Magic 6+7. The graphics are pretty terrible but they are still fun.
Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire. Controls could use some work.
Star Wars: Rogue Squadron
Red Faction
Yakuza
Killswitch
Spartan Total Warrior

 

[SuaveSalarian]

Sly Cooper and Gladius have aged well, and will forever live on in my heart.