With long-running franchises such as Super Mario Bros. and Resident Evil still dominating dominate the video game landscape, it's obvious that many classic games are considered classic for a reason. Despite these decades of popularity, older video games have drawn the ire of some modern gamers, and they aren't afraid to bash the classics.
From legendary side-scrollers such as Castlevania to first-person shooter epics such as Goldeneye, no vintage game is considered perfect. While most classic games have legions of fans, a few contrarian gamers on Reddit took to the site to air their grievances with some of the most famous vintage video games.
Weak Mega Man
Mega Man's time on the NES introduced the world to the familiar blue robot and helped launch a massive gaming franchise for Capcom. Despite this, user pipj0exe took aim at a beloved Mega Man game when writing "Mega Man 2 is one of the weaker NES Mega Man games".
Essentially setting in motion what the rest of the 2D games would look and play like, Mega Man 2 was seen by many as a vast improvement to its predecessor, and one of the best games to begin the series. While Mega Man would continue to evolve in the coming decades, most fans point to the second game as a pivotal turning point for the franchise.
Sonic In The Trash
When it comes to legendary video game rivalries, the battle between Sega and Nintendo was one for the ages. At its heart, Sega's mascot Sonic the Hedgehog, was a shining beacon for the gaming company in the '80s. User Udon259 had no love for the speedster when they wrote "I think all Sonic games are trash".
Some fans complain about the direction that the franchise has gone in recent years, but usually the classic games are greeted with universal applause. The quick and exciting gameplay was utterly unique to the games, and even Nintendo loyalists couldn't deny that the blue hedgehog's exciting early games were fun to play.
Earthbound Is Dated
Classic video games are legendary usually because they were intuitive and fun, and they have stood the test of time. Some games however, gain an intelligent reputation, and are a symbol of what the best of gaming could be. When speaking of one such game, user spritecity commented "Earthbound is a frustrating, grind-heavy game, with dated combat mechanics and sluggish pacing".
Revolutionary for its time, Earthbound made subtle commentary about the RPG genre in general. One of the reasons it is considered one of the best RPGs of all time, is because of its unique setting and intelligent sense of humor. Unfortunately, even games that were cutting edge in their time can become dated when looked at with modern eyes.
Crash Team Racing > Mario Kart
Some games stand on the shoulders of others, and take advantage of the paths that were blazed by ones who came before. User zFoxx gushed about a particular racing game when writing "I think Think Crash Team Racing is so much better than Mario Kart".
The Playstation pushed the boundaries of modern gaming, and Crash Bandicoot was one of their star subjects in the early days. Mirroring the success that Nintendo had with Mario Kart, Playstation cast their mascot in his own racing game. Though it featured more gameplay options than Mario Kart, there is a big chance that it wouldn't even exist without the inspiration of its predecessor.
Goldeneye Is Overrated
Games based on movies are usually a recipe for disaster, but Goldeneye proved to be a licensed game that was actually good. However, user avensvvvvv had other thoughts when saying "Goldeneye is objectively one of the most overrated games of all time, especially considering the time period when it was released".
Conversely, many fans point to its time period as to why Goldeneye for the Nintendo 64 is so great. FPS games were nothing new, but the 007 action game not only brought the movie to life, but also had gripping multiplayer modes. It may not have looked as good as some of its contemporaries, but its gameplay was second to none.
Resident Evil Isn't Scary
Generally considered one of the scariest games of the 1990s, Resident Evil had players sleeping with the lights on. User Temporary_Career found more yawns than screams in Resident Evil, commenting "The games aren't scary...They're campy, dumb, cheesy and I wouldn't have it any other way".
When looked back on with modern eyes, early horror games usually don't move the needle like they used to. However, the original Resident Evil games used their limitations to ratchet up the tension for most players. The game's tank controls limited the user's field of vision, which made the game all the more scary.
Metroid Is Out Of Control
The most important aspect of any game is the controls, and if a user can't get a handle on a game, it stops being fun. A deleted user found a flaw with a classic game when they wrote "Super Metroid's controls are bad. I've always felt I'm manhandling the controller when I play".
Upgrading from a simple two button system on the NES to a four button system on the SNES took a while for players to get used to. Many of the best games on the SNES utilized the full range of the system's capabilities, and that made them all the more challenging. Hardware issues aside, Super Metroid itself plays like a dream, and the SNES' controller scheme has nothing to do with the gameplay.
Ocarina Of Time Is Shallow
Few games are as universally acclaimed as the Nintendo 64 classic, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Despite this sainted reputation, user km1181 couldn't help but bring it down a peg when saying "Ocarina of Time was revolutionary for its time but doesn't have the depth of later entries and doesn't hold up well".
While the first statement may be true, the second takes away a lot of credit from a well-designed game. Ocarina of Time completely shifted the Zelda paradigm and walked so that later games could run. It pushed the N64's capabilities to the limit and left gamers feeling as if the medium of video games couldn't get any better. On top of that, the simple yet effective story added a layer of whimsy to the addicting gameplay.
Is Simon's Quest The Best?
Castlevania is a rare franchise that has jumped from platform to platform and yet maintained a consistent level of quality for over three decades. However, user Oafah went against the grain when praising a clunker, writing "Castlevania II was the best of the three for NES. It had the best soundtrack, the smoothest gameplay, and was the most atmospheric".
While it wasn't the worst game in history, Simon's Quest was an odd departure from its predecessor. Eschewing the linear nature of the first game, many players were left frustrated by a game that seemingly lied to them at every turn. While the gameplay was just as fluid as the first, it was nearly impossible to advance in the game without a user guide or an absurd amount of guessing.
Old Mario vs. New Mario
Mario is undoubtedly the most recognizable character in video game history, and the amazing games he starred in have given him such a vaunted reputation. User p7urple had less love for Mario's classic outings when they said "The new Super Mario Bros games are better than the original NES/SNES Mario games".
Modern Mario games have integrated improvements on technology, but at their hearts they attempt to capture the magic of the older games. What makes the modern games so lovable, is that they call back to the nostalgia of the originals, and act as high-definition mimics of the old 8- and 16-bit classics.