Easier to Respect Than Revisit
Some classic games absolutely earned their reputation, and it’s easy to see why so many people label them as some of the best experiences. The thing is, admiration doesn’t always translate into a fun replay, especially today. Say what you want about them, but a lot of older titles expose clunky controls, slow pacing, rough cameras, or design choices that modern games have largely left behind. Don’t get us wrong, these 20 games still deserve respect, but we’re praising them from a distance.
1. GoldenEye 007
GoldenEye 007 changed console shooters forever. Think about it: it had its split-screen multiplayer and mission objectives on the Nintendo 64. It was awesome back in the day, but today? You’re just dealing with stiff aiming and levels that feel far less smooth than memory suggests.
2. Tomb Raider
Hey, hey, hey, we’re not dissing Lara Croft. However, the original Tomb Raider’s tank controls and blocky platforming leave a lot to be desired, and it’s only worse when you stack them against today’s games. The atmosphere still works, but actually replaying it demands more patience than newbie players want to give.
RyC - Behind The Lens from San Francisco, United States of America on Wikimedia
3. Resident Evil
Resident Evil remains a landmark survival horror game, and we’re not saying you should skip it entirely. We are, however, saying you should take it with a grain of salt. On a replay, the same fixed angles and tank controls can make simple zombie encounters feel clumsy rather than frightening.
Capcom France (Capcom Co., Ltd.) on Wikimedia
4. Final Fantasy VII
Look, we all know that Final Fantasy VII is still one of the most important RPGs ever made, but that doesn’t mean it’s without flaws. The original version also includes dated character models and pacing dips around specific sections. Worst of all, the remake trilogy made the PlayStation version harder to revisit for a full run.
5. The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time
Say it ain’t so! Sorry, but it’s so. Ocarina of Time deserves its legendary status for bringing all we could ever ask from an adventure game in 1998. But keep that date in mind. Today, replaying it means accepting slow text, stiff camera movement, and stretches that still test your patience even with prior knowledge.
6. Metal Gear Solid
Metal Gear Solid is such a classic that it’s hard to imagine ever ragging on it. And we’re not—not really, anyway! It delivered cinematic storytelling and boss fights we still talk about (like Psycho Mantis reading your memory card). However, revisiting it now can be jarring thanks to the controls, top-down camera, and long codec conversations. The actual act of playing through Shadow Moses again can feel surprisingly rigid.
- EMR - from Chicago, USA on Wikimedia
7. Grand Theft Auto III
Rockstar is known for making replayable games, and the GTA series usually sits at the top of the list…except for Grand Theft Auto III. Once you replay missions like Espresso-2-Go! or deal with the lack of in-game map guidance, the rough edges become impossible to ignore.
8. The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
Morrowind still wins our high praise for its strange world and deep lore, unlike anything in later Elder Scrolls games. The problem is that early combat relies on hidden dice rolls, so you can visibly hit a mudcrab and still miss, all because your stats say so. Call us crazy, but we don’t want to grind through its opening hours again.
9. Super Mario 64
Super Mario 64 helped define 3D platforming, and while there will always be a certain charm to it, replaying it today means wrestling with a camera that fights you during precise jumps. Honestly, the camera alone can make a full replay feel more frustrating than fun, especially if you aren’t used to it.
10. Half-Life
Hang on, don’t come for us! We’re huge defenders of Half-Life, but we should acknowledge the elephant in the room: the opening tram ride, ladder sections, and Xen chapters that are much slower and rougher now than they felt when the game first hit the scene. Its impact is undeniable, but there’s a lot to get used to.
Long Zheng from Melbourne, Australia on Wikimedia
11. Silent Hill
Thank goodness they redid the second one at least. Silent Hill’s foggy streets and disturbing sound design gave horror fans something very different from anything on the market at the time—and we’ll never forget our first playthrough. Actually replaying it now, though, means accepting muddy visuals, awkward combat, and a PlayStation-era control scheme that make Harry painfully limited.
12. Deus Ex
The first few hours of Deux Ex can feel brutal today, and there’s no way around it. Let’s be honest: the shooting is clumsy, character models are stiff, and the interface takes time to settle into. Once it clicks, it’s brilliant, but getting there again isn’t as inviting as die-hard fans make it sound.
13. Shenmue
Shenmue was groundbreaking for its detailed world, and that’s something you can still easily enjoy today. What’s not so easily enjoyed is tolerating stiff dialogue and long waits for in-game time to pass just so certain events can even trigger.
14. Myst
Myst became an instant phenomenon, but it’s also riddled with issues when you aren’t looking at it with rose-tinted glasses. Returning to it without a guide can be a slow process of clicking through screens, reading notes, and wondering whether you missed a tiny detail.
15. Diablo
Okay, let’s call a spade a spade here: Diablo laid the foundation for action RPGs. That being said, compared with Diablo II or Diablo III, the original’s movement is limited, combat is repetitive, and town trips quickly become tedious. It’s okay, though, it’s still worth appreciating as the start of something huge, even if you don’t touch it again.
greyloch from Washington, DC, area, U.S.A. on Wikimedia
16. Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic
Hey, we love Star Wars as much as the next guy, but the turn-based combat hidden under real-time presentation is way too stiff now, especially during repeated encounters on Taris and Manaan. The writing still carries it, but replaying the whole thing requires accepting a lot of dated RPG friction.
17. Donkey Kong 64
It’s funny to think how Donkey Kong 64 was enormous when it launched. Think about it—it had five playable Kongs, huge levels, and more collectibles than most of us knew what to do with. On a replay, however, that charm fades. Constantly swapping characters to grab bananas can feel more like maintenance than adventure.
18. Perfect Dark
Perfect Dark pushed the Nintendo 64 hard with advanced mission objectives, bots, and a more ambitious campaign than GoldenEye. That doesn’t necessarily mean it holds up today, though. The frame rate and visual clutter can make later levels like Area 51 and Skedar Ruins feel rough by modern standards.
19. The Sims
No, we’re not talking about the whole franchise! We’re talking about the original, which may have been a cultural milestone but also needs constant management, has limited building tools, and carries a much smaller range of objects than later entries offer. It’s charming in short bursts, but we’d rather return to the others in the series.
20. Pokémon Red And Blue
Pokémon Red and Blue created a phenomenon, yes, but all it takes is a quick replay to expose the slow menus, limited bag space, and balance problems. The nostalgia is real, but the Game Boy originals are better remembered than replayed.
