There are some games that don't age well. Games like these show age in more than just their graphics and sound. Gameplay itself can show age. Sometimes it can be due to the fact that later installments in the series can add onto the core gameplay of its predecessors, making the predecessors feel dated and not as "cool" or enjoyable as they used to be. Other factors can contribute to making gameplay feel dated simply due to the fact that the gameplay just doesn't hold up very well because the concept is no longer exciting. I decided to make this blog entry to point out some of the games that fall under this category. I'll start the list with this:

Ice Climber

I know I'm going to get a few hate comments for this, but in my opinion this game hasn't aged well because the "jump-and-break" concept isn't all that exciting today. Not to mention that the controls are more slippery than the iceyou run on. It's so dang hard to actually get the Ice Climbers to actually jump in the direction you want them to, and this makes the game very hard and frustrating. It would be nice to see a new sequel to this game though, but for now we'll just have to enjoy the Ice Climbers in the SSB series.

Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

This game doesn't as well as the other Zelda games because this one mostly contained side-scrolling as opposed to the top-down view that the others had. Not to mention its insane difficulty level. I actually think they should do a remake of this game where the enemies actually drop you hearts when they are killed to make just a bit easier and actually possible to beat.

Sonic Adventure

I'm probably going to get a lot of hate for this one especially, but I don't think it has aged very well. The GameCube port didn't do it any favors at all. All of the gameplay elements just don't hold up as well as they used to (emerald hunting, fishing, shooting, hubworlds), and the GameCube port really made that show. Nearly every gameplay element just felt dated. My guess is that this game was fun when it first came out, but it just isn't as fun as it used to be. I don't dislike this game or anything, but it just feels dated now.

Mario Kart 64

If you compare it to the GameCube and Wii installments, you'll find that you'd much rather play those than this. Many things in this game don't hold up quite as well as they used to, such as the tracks and graphics. The track designs are bland by today's standards. Not to mention that it gets very frustrating sometimes due to the random spin-outs and other annoyances. It still can be a decent amount of fun today, but you'll find that you'd rather much be playing the later installments.

Super Smash Bros.

We all have fond memories with this game, and it's still fun to go back and play, but let's face it guys: it doesn't hold up as well as it used to. Just like Mario Kart 64, if you've played the GameCube and/or Wii installments, you'd rather be playing those. Some of the single player elements of this game still hold up somewhat well, but the multiplayer elements don't due to the small roster and limited number of stages. The GameCube and Wii installments have far larger rosters and lots more stages. Not to mention that they both have better battling mechanics. Whenever I go back and play the original N64 version, I find myself wishing that I was playing the other installments. This game is still a blast to playthough, and if you have never played this game back in the N64 days and are curious about how the series started out, then it's worth the 1,000 Wii points to get it from the Virtual Console. Just keep in mind your friends would rather be playing Melee or Brawl.

And with that, I end this blog entry.