10 Great Games With Mechanics That Aged Like Milk

If you're around as old as I am, you've seen video games change before your very eyes, and change fast. We were playing very different games ten, fifteen, even twenty years ago. We've watched games improve from humble beginnings and seen how some ambitions buckle against technological restraints.

Innovation is incredible, and there's no medium that's walking evidence of that more than video games. With all the improvements we've seen in gaming, there are a few titles that were stepping stones to where we are now, and that's clear when you go back to experience them.

There's nothing wrong with experiencing these games now, but sometimes nostalgia makes the games feel old instead of you.

10 Kingdom Hearts

All These Years, And I Just Needed To Tell Donald To Heal Me

The triangle button — or Reaction Command for those who haven't been playing Kingdom Hearts on PlayStation for most of their lives — has been a very important button in almost all the series' entries. Who doesn't love being able to triangle button to Sora in Kingdom Hearts III?

The only game that doesn't turn the triangle button into a "cutscene powers" button is the first Kingdom Hearts game. But even then, it has a purpose. Did you know that pressing triangle when you're targeting an enemy in KH1 makes Donald and Goofy focus their attacks on that specific target? When you're not targeting anything, and you press it, it makes them follow Sora. On top of that, if you hit it when not targeting anything on low health, that's what will make Donald realize you have low HP and heal you.

Did you know about this? I didn't. I just found out about it while working on this list, despite it being in the manual. Says a lot about where manuals went. Still, this is an extremely useful and simple party management mechanic that was kicked out for more super cool fight scenes. A good or bad thing, depending on who you ask, but it's still proof of how much Kingdom Hearts has changed over the years.

9 Sonic the Hedgehog (1991)

"Oh Yeah. I Can't Spin Dash In This One."

I owe the fact that I'm writing this list and working here to this little blue hedgehog and his Sega Genesis adventures. I have a lot of fond memories of Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic 2. I also have a lot of memories of swapping between them and forgetting how Sonic 1 plays.

As Sonic 1 was literally the first Sonic game ever, there are naturally some growing pains when going back to the very first one. A lot of first games miss later mechanics, but I think the fact that it's a habit to forget that Sonic 1 doesn't have the Spin Dash because it was introduced immediately after in Sonic 2 is worth talking about. It was just natural while I was playing Sonic Mega Collection to start Sonic 1 after playing 2 or 3, crouch, and press the button to have literally nothing happen. And then I'd remember the lack of Spin Dash.

It seems like this was a common problem because later remasters and rereleases of Sonic 1 either give you the option or make the Spin Dash unlockable in some way. The recent Sonic Origins just straight up gives you the Spin Dash if you play in Anniversary Mode. So if you find yourself without the Spin Dash, you know you're playing one of the oldest versions of Sonic 1 possible.

8 Pokémon Red and Blue

We Grew Up And Older Together

We owe a lot to the original versions of Pokémon Red and Blue. We all know that. Game Freak refuses to let us forget Kanto's importance for even a second; just like how Nintendo will never stop remaking Star Fox 64. Pokémon Red and Blue are without a doubt very important, but if you play the original Game Boy games today, you'll see why the franchise's evolution is the best thing that's happened to it.

There are a lot of changes that have happened since Gen 1 that would cause anyone to trip up and forget they weren't around back when Pokémon started. Types like Fairy, Dark, and Steel weren't around, IVs worked a bit differently, moves like Wrap, and the Ghost-type balance with Psychic-type were completely broken. On top of that, Special Attack and Defense were all one stat, and what was a Physical and what was a Special move was in flux all the way until Generation 4 solidified the divide.

There are a ton of exploits and glitches you can use to your benefit or have completely sour your playthrough. There's a very good reason why Pokémon Fire Red and Leaf Green are the best way to experience classic Kanto these days, but sometimes going through memory lane isn't bad.

7 Star Fox

So, What Was The Point Of That Chip?

Speaking of, Star Fox was released in 1993 on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It certainly had a wow factor back then, boasting impressive 3D capabilities for such a small home console. It was made possible by the Super FX Chip engineered by Argonaut Software. All the 3D games you've played today have Star Fox to thank for guiding the way forward and out of the pixel art era. Too bad, though, that Star Fox would be made outdated only four years later on the Nintendo 64.

I'm sorry, it just boggles the mind how a group of developers would work so hard for Nintendo to remake the same game in four years. What matters here, though, is how Star Fox 64's existence almost makes playing SNES Star Fox pointless. Star Fox 64 is all-around a better title in terms of immersion, expanding gameplay, and, of course, the new content. The only reason you'd ever go back to SNES Star Fox is if you want to see its 3D in action, but that's a bit hard to see for yourself. Playing it on the original hardware can cost both of your kidneys unless you're lucky, and the Nintendo Switch Online version lags.

This also makes the fact that they're remaking Star Fox again even more weird and unnecessary.

6 Pokémon Puzzle League

I Love It When My Games Skip Like My Pokémon the Movie 2000 Soundtrack Cd

This may be the weirdest Pokémon game to ever exist, and I was lucky enough to have a copy as a kid when I had no way of knowing how bizarre it was. Pokémon Puzzle League is a Panel de Pon game on the Nintendo 64 that never reached Japan. Developed in North America, it had exclusive art based on the Pokémon anime, used midis of the songs from its English dub, and even brought in its voice cast.

If it didn't date itself with its visual and audio choices already, its unique 3D puzzle mode would lag on the original Nintendo 64 hardware. From my experience, it doesn't do this on the Nintendo Switch Online version, but I didn't really pay attention to that when I was beating Gary and Mewtwo through glitches in their AI design. Whether it works perfectly or has glitches in it or not, it certainly serves as a great time capsule of a Pokémon game. Pokémon Puzzle League would not be the same if it was made today.

5 Harvest Moon

A Perfect Retro Experience To Humble You With

Farming simulators have become a very popular genre these days thanks to the success of games like Stardew Valley. But Stardew had to get its inspiration from somewhere, and the biggest source of it was Harvest Moon. Harvest Moon is a franchise of JRPG-like farming games that has had at least one entry on every console you can think of. I jumped on board during the GameCube era, and when I found out the original Harvest Moon for SNES was on Nintendo Switch Online, it was a reminder of how far we had come.

Listen. It made me click my tongue when I found out I could only hold two tools in the SNES game. I'm so used to having wide, expandable inventories in my farming simulators! The fact that you can plant anywhere you want on the farm is neat, but days are impressively short. The day and night cycle on SNES is really fantastic to look at, too. All of it just felt so dated when I played, though. It's nice to see where the legacy of gaming's farming simulators began, but we've definitely moved past games like these.

4 Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards

Is This Even Kirby Anymore?

Out of the many iconic gaming characters we all know and love, Kirby took the longest to make the jump to 3D. There was an attempt with Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, and it's one of the most intriguing games in the series. It's also the one that feels the weirdest to play, at least to me, as the series has evolved.

Kirby has really found his own groove in 3D with Kirby's Return to Dreamland, and it's only grown more with Kirby and the Forgotten Land. So, now, playing Kirby 64 after those games feels incredibly slow and a bit off. With how it functions, it feels more like a Klonoa game at times.

On top of that, the way you can combine copy abilities feels like a missed opportunity going forward, but for a reason. The abilities all ranged from the awesome, like Plasma and Ice becoming a fridge, or the weird, like Cutter and Needle turning Kirby's arms into razor-sharp sets of teeth. Kirby 64 is definitely timeless in that it's like a Kirby time capsule of what never was.

3 Final Fantasy 13

Literal Linear Progression

A lot of these games on this list are perfectly fine, even if the industry and their franchises have moved on. I'd recommend a fair number of them, and I'll even play them myself from time to time. Not Final Fantasy 13, though. I'd have a hard time convincing someone to play Lightning's debut adventure unless they like hallways. Yep, that's what this comes down to. The hallways. When I played Final Fantasy 13 as my big foray into JRPGs and Final Fantasy as a whole, I wanted to learn as much as I could about these characters and their world. I really liked how FF13's story was driven by the characters' flaws and forced them to become bigger people.

I don't have an issue with linear JRPGs, which tends to be where the main complaint about Final Fantasy 13's hallways come from. For me, the hallways are just some insanely boring design. Every time I got to see more of the story, I'd get excited, then have to deal with long stretches of corridors. It's a bit understandable why the game was designed like this back then, but it definitely feels like a piece of history. Especially when other JRPGs from the same time, like Xenoblade Chronicles, offered bold, exciting worlds that ran circles around Final Fantasy 13.

2 Sorcerer's Kingdom

Good In Theory, Not So Much In Practice

Out of all the games on this list, plenty of them have moved on to be ported and rereleased for other platforms. Sorcerer's Kingdom, however, wasn't so lucky for a reason. This Sega Genesis game has a run-of-the-mill JRPG story, and for mechanics, it does away with simple experience point systems in favor of encouraging you to get stronger by doing certain actions. For some reason, the developers also thought it'd be fun to give your enemies more turns in a turn-based RPG.

This gives Sorcerer's Kingdom an interesting early gameplay loop that sees you beating back goblins as best as you can, escaping when you're low on health, healing at an inn, and going back to do it all over again. It made me feel like I was repeatedly inserting quarters into an arcade machine just to keep going against challenges designed to keep me paying. That trial and error is just how a lot of games worked back then, and in this day and age, not many people have time for it. It really paints a good picture as to why Sorcerer's Kingdom remained on the Sega Genesis.

1 Zelda II: The Legend of Link

Somewhere, There's A Split Timeline Where Zelda Games Became RPGs

The six-year wait between The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom was awful. Considering how the world shifted and changed before our very eyes halfway through, it might even feel longer than that for some. It really shows just how long the wait between games has become when the first two Zelda games only had eleven months between them. Of course, Zelda II: The Adventures of Link was outright planned to be different from the first game by Shigeru Miyamoto himself. Zelda II was a commercial success, but now it's one of the more awkward titles in the franchise's long history.

There's not much reason to play Zelda II these days unless you're a completionist and want to see everything the Zelda series has to offer. The game isn't necessarily bad, it's just the black sheep of the series these days. It plays like an RPG, and the more direct fighting Link has to do might feel awkward when you're used to strategizing with bombs, bows, and arrows. If you enjoyed Zelda II, though, I recommend playing Faxanadu after, because it does most everything Zelda II did but better. And it was released later in the same year. Huh.