Retro gaming is a passion for many people. There's nothing quite like digging into a magnificent game from the early days of the medium and reliving past glories. Honestly, it's amazing how many releases from the NES, Sega Genesis, Atari 2600, and more still hold up in their own ways.
That being said, there are more than a few retro games that certainly seem great through the rose colored glasses of youth. Going back to them now can be a bit of a fool's errand as they don't quite live up to those memories of halcyon days gone by. Some games are better left to the history books, or at least to the good ol' days of after school gaming sessions.
10 It's Hard To Get Past How Ugly Twisted Metal 2 Actually Is
During late 1990s, one of the biggest franchises on the original PlayStation was Twisted Metal. This demolition derby-style driving game was filled with absurd locales and over-the-top competitors. The franchise continued on other Sony consoles but it never quite found the success of its early heydays.
Twisted Metal 2 was arguably the best game in the franchise but trying to go back and play the original 1996 release is nearly impossible. The graphics are terrible by today's standards, with buildings being made of seemingly one pixel.
9 Pitfall Lives Up To Its Name
Going all the way back to the Atari 2600, one of the biggest games on the console was the 1982 release Pitfall. Gamers play as Pitfall Harry, an explorer tasked with avoiding various traps and obstacles in the jungle while looking for various treasures.
This is generally regarded as one of the best games ever made, and was a huge seller back in the day. That being said, this game just isn't as fun as it used to be. It's frustrating, and not in a fun way. Pitfall will always be an important part of gaming history, but it's not something most people would enjoy playing today.
8 GoldenEye Was Revolutionary In Multiplayer, Less So In Story Mode
Speaking ill of GoldenEye can get you jumped in the wrong part of the gamerverse, and for good reason. The classic 1997 first-person shooter was an adaptation of Pierce Brosnan's first James Bond film. It led to some great, and incredibly intense, multiplayer shootouts.
While it can be fun to break out the Nintendo 64 and go old school for an evening with some friends, actually playing through the story is difficult at best. The gameplay is a little rough, and the graphics are terrible by today's standards.
7 Star Fox Was Eclipsed By Its Successor
For a lot of people, their favorite game on the N64 was 1997's Star Fox 64. In the overall series, this release was by far the best selling of the franchise and for goo reasons. It remains a fan favorite to this day.
But it can be easy to forget that it was preceded a game on the Super Nintendo simply called Star Fox. It's not generally regarded as the classic that the N64 became, though it was fun at the time. While the game had some heart, it just doesn't hold up nearly 30 years later.
6 Metal Gear Is Simply Not Solid
Metal Gear Solid for the original PlayStation was the beginning of a massively popular and successful direction for the overall franchise, and an enduring aspect of gaming history. But it wasn't the beginning of the franchise by a long shot.
The first game in the franchise was Metal Gear, which was released by Konami for the MSX2 computer in 1987. A heavily modified port was later released for the NES. It was popular back in the day, but going back to it now just doesn't work. The gameplay doesn't stack up to later games.
5 Metroid Is Great Until It Isn't
When it comes to big Nintendo franchises, naturally people immediately even think of anything involving names like Link, Mario or Kirby. Those characters are ingrained in the psyche of Nintendo fans of every age. But there's also Samus, the main protagonist of the Metroid franchise.
The first Metroid game came out the for the NES in in 1986, and set the tone for the series. The problem is that it's honestly just not as fun to go back to as it used to be. While it's still a classic game, the design is awkward and a little frustrating at times, particularly as the game goes on.
4 Tony Hawk's Pro Skater Isn't An Old School Jam
Skateboarding video games used to be all the rage. While they still have a lot of fans, they don't dominate the gaming landscape the way they used to. That being said, it's hard to ignore the impact of the Tony Hawk gaming franchise on the industry.
The very first Tony Hawk's Pro Skater came out in 1999 and blew minds. But the series quickly moved past it, particularly in its gameplay which allowed for greater ease of chaining tricks together and more. It's just not the jam fest it used to be, though the recent updated re-release helped that.
3 Donkey Kong 64 Is Fun But Frustrating
For a lot of fans, Donkey Kong was the old enemy of Mario and a classic gaming villain. Releases like Donkey Kong 64 changed that, making the barrel throwing gorilla a hero and the protagonist of his own story.
But taking a trip into the country with Donkey Kong just doesn't work. The game is unnecessarily repetitive, forcing players to go through the same level over and over again to fully complete it. Plus, it's hard to justify hoarding all those bananas.
2 Silent Hill Just Isn't Scary Anymore
Horror games are a huge part of the industry, with several long-running franchises available to enjoy. Well, enjoy or be utterly freaked out by. A big one for many years was Silent Hill, though that specific franchise has been largely quiet for the last several years.
Still, some of the games have held up really well over the years. 1999's Silent Hill is not one of them. It's not particularly scary compared to other releases, and a lot of its mystique has been overshadowed by better games in the franchise, most notably its excellent first sequel which absolutely does still hold up today.
1 The Original Tomb Raider Was Incredibly Clunky
The recent rebooted Tomb Raider games have taken Lara Croft's adventures in some entirely new directions. A major difference is somewhat more realistic look that didn't seem so outlandish, not to mention more engaging and diverse gameplay.
In particular, the first 1996 game is almost unplayable at this point. Croft's impossibly curvy body combined with the old angular design from that era of gaming is just difficult to deal with. It's a wonder that the franchise made it past that point, but today's games more than make up for it.