NTSC-RePlay 006: The Test of Time

[Neon Ignition]

22 April 2003 and marcus raised a question about the endurance of classic game experiences:


This isn't NTSC-UK... it's NTSC-RePlay

Games enjoy a constantly evolving state of development with tweaks being made to the hardware and software sides of the experience on a daily basis, even post-release. However, the core gameplay base of any game is largely what it is and that stands true for older games where the simpler nature of 8-bit, 16-bit, 32-bit etc era titles meant the core experience more prominently carried the game compared to moern titles where a sprawling open world title is often forgiven weaker mechanics because of the impact of the overall experience.

What old retro era games would you say have transcended the passage of time and remain precisely as good to play as your memory would have them be?

Which have eroded with the passage of time?

Which ones have modern day equivalents that have either reflect how much the core gameplay has endured as is?

[CMcK]

Tetris is absolutely timeless. Still works just as well as it ever did and is just as enjoyable. It even transitioned on to VR and felt quite at home there. Can it progress from where it is with Tetris Effect I’m not sure?

[wakka]

Tetris is a great shout, and is probably one of the most perfect examples. I don't think it needs to progress, instead I think Effect and 99 both show how it can be endlessly riffed on because the foundations are so unbelievably strong. As fun as it ever was.

Another I would say is Mario 64. It's not as totally timeless as Tetris - the camera controls have dated badly, in particular - but it's nearly perfectly formed as a game. I only played it for the first time last year. It's really quite sublime and I think now that we're 25 years out from it, I feel quite confident in saying it will continue to be a terrific game to play for the foreseeable.

[gunrock]

Boulderdash. All the modern takes on it are just.... meh. The feel is wrong, the new elements added ruin the gameplay or don't fit, the new graphics seem out of place - either too twee or too kawaii/cute. It's just a mess.

[Neon Ignition]

The most obvious 2D choices are key ones so I find this question applies most strongly to 3D games. Mario 64 is a great example as the core gameplay has aged incredibly well, more so than its sequel. Zelda is broadly the same too but a lot of 32 bit era titles I find a struggle to maintain interest in now, classic tank control era Resi and the like is a particular one that feels like a chore.