People talk a lot about games ageing and becoming less good over time, which can certainly happen. However I think the internet has massively improved a lot of old games.
When I was a chidl playing in the 90s I remember being terrified of getting stuck permanently on my favourite games with noone to ask for help. But know even the most annoying illogically flaws can be got past quickly by a swift google search. Equinox and baby boomer are two games that I think were rubbish ‘‘back in the day’’ as you would just end up stuck, or at least frequently worried about getting stuck. But now? You just get to focus on what is good and the broken parts don’t matter all that much!
Anyone got any games they think have improved with time. Castlevania 2 maybe?
This maybe isn’t the answer you are looking for but I still want to share. In my case every game ever. Let me explain. English is not my mother tongue and I don’t live in country that speak english like second language. So every game I played as kid was one fustarated mess because everything was trial and error. Games like pokemon, final fantasy etc. Now when I’m an adult and play those games again I can fully enjoy them story and all and not get stuck because I don’t understand I need to give a person item X etc.
I wasnt’ looking for any particular answer and your point is very similar, how with more information games can get better as time goes on. The only difference is that I was talking about the internet while you were talking about the impact of developing your own english skills. I definitely think there’s a good list just waiting to happen. Terrible games that have become classics as the years have rolled on by…
I can’t imagine playing the original Legend of Zelda without at least a map. A partial map was even in the manual but if you bought the game used, you might not get the instructions. Nowadays its easy to find a map, which makes the game so much more playable.
If I may, I think EarthBound is definitely a game that’s aged better with time in some ways. It may seem like low hanging fruit to mention it just because so many more people have gotten to play it in the past 10 years, but I really think the game’s humor has kind of evolved since it came out before the internet. Just by the way that Indie games nowadays sort of parody older games with their pixel graphics and jabs at gameplay mechanics, EarthBound does that in spades. Not to mention that the game really highlights the idea of “less is more” which is another aspect that people appreciate in modern games.
The obvious answer would be games that later got improved by mods. For instance, the levelling system in Oblivion was so bad it’s barely playable without a mod that fixes it.
Baldur’s Gate, Icewind Dale & Neverwinter Nights, because of mods and now their enhanced editions. Basically because my old CDs don’t work anymore / are lost forever. And BG1 without being improved by mods wasn’t very playable anyway. You couldn’t have two swords at once
I like isometric RPGs even more than when I was a kid. I can pause in a middle of a fight and answer my phone without frustration! Or even save and go to the kitchen!
The first game that comes to mind is (Shadowgate (1987) | Grouvee) on NES. I played it the best I could back when I was a kid but just kept dying.
Fast forward to 2011, I looked up a walkthrough using Gamefaqs and had a blast! I enjoyed the game so much as a kid but couldn’t hack it myself without a guide.
I think about that day in 2011 as if the little boy I was could now rest assured that I beat the game! I have such hard nostalgia for it now that I picked up CIB on NES.
