Pretty much any game that had some weird controls for a first-person shooter type of game. I'm talking about is right now there's a standard to what controls should be in the first-person shooter and going back and plain old games that do the complete opposite just feels wrong.
They are as worse as i remember haha As Sonic as you mentioned, it is just not as good as other Plattformers or following Sonic Titles (CD and even 3D Blast) I also disliked many of the early 3D Games, clunky, slow and ugly, just not as fun as a polished 2D TItle.
I hope people playing the games in the future understand the historical context, how some of them like Double Dragon was a genre defining title of its time. Inspiring games like Golden Axe to develop the concept further.
Yes double dragon really helped to move the beat em up games forward. There were few before it but it’s popularity at the time inspired many other great games such as golden axe, final fight, teenage mutant ninja turtles and others.
Double Dragon still is a fun game to play today. It needs a proper CRT to look right because of the extremely low res. It was the first game I could 1CC at the Arcades. Not a game for two players, because the people who were skilled at the game would usually kill off a second player if they tried to join. The short game time is actually perfect for the arcade, giving someone else a chance to play and the other player to move on to the next game.
Some games are only good in a historical context but they're not really worth playing otherwise I think new super Mario Bros 1 isn't the best new super Mario Bros game however if you look at it knowing it's the first game in the series then it becomes better to play through personally I'd recommend U then Wii then 1 (ds) then 2 (3ds) from best to worst and I played 2 second (wii first) so i was not burned out on the series when I got to it.
I am surprise you didn't mention a part of Crash Bandicoot that really aged: The save system. You had to get three tokens in a stage to enter the bonus stage and had to speak to your girlfriend to save on your memory card.
They are pretty much timeless because those types of games didn't need powerful machines to be enjoyable. It's games that try to push the envelope that kind of aged poorly
Yeah, the 16 bit era was when 2D games started to really *get* what worked and what didn't, and weren't as constrained by the limits of the hardware. Of course, then 3D came in and devs had to learn how to make games in a whole new dimension, so we kinda regressed for awhile there.
So glad you've mentioned Double Dragon. Decent game at the time, but I feel like I'm going mental when I see people say it's aged better than Streets of Rage 2. Also, side note, Tony Harnell who sang It Doesn't Matter on Sonic Adventure used to be my vocal coach!
The original NES Metroid is hard to go back to, but I loved the sense of exploration back in the day and appreciate the foundation it laid for what remains one of my favorite series today
I'm glad I got to experience what it felt like to play many of these games when they were at their best. It's like that old story of the audience reaction to the short film "Train Pulling into a Station" in 1895. I was born at just the right time that I got to be "shocked by the train," so to speak.
Yeah while there are many old games that are still fun to play there are also many that were novel or innovative at the time but uninteresting or a chore to play now
I'd also like to add that some games really age like wine so to speak. My favorite game of all time is an RPG from the 90's and I only got to play it around 2010-2011. You can get to experience things like that with old games, it all comes down to your taste and the game itself.
@@Crazy_Gamer_OG It is but you must understand that there will be always those who like the original, some even more then the Remake which is absolutely normal. I like both, I play the original on my Xbox and Anniversary on PC.
I think this revisit to the game was definitely done through a modern lens where everything seems to be hyper-partisan. Back when I played the game originally, I really liked it, but never thought of the enemies as either Republican or Democrat. Ha ha!
2:30 I'll push back, even if you don't care. I loved exploring the jungle hub area. It was kind of interesting, and expanded as you unlocked more abilities.
Sonic 1 is a fantastic game. The thing is people are usually hung up on the "speed" of the game and the marketing associated with it. Going fast the entire game would be boring as sin and everyone would complain. Going fast in good 2D Sonic games is the player's reward for lite level memorization and making it through precise platforming. Sonic is unfortunately a series that is weighed down by people's skewed perception of what they're "supposed to be." If Sonic 1 had zero "speed" marketing and fell under the cracks it'd absolutely be held in extremely high regard by collectors for being a solid platformer.
Exactly. I blame the "marketing" and the modern boost games for memeing Sonic being all about GOTTA GO FAST and nothing else. The speed isn't the point, it's the reward for the platforming and navigation of the levels where the enemies, layouts, and the physics are your obstacles.
@@garaschneider4808 I felt at first that if I wasn't going fast in a Sonic game, I was playing it the wrong way. I adjusted though and realized the games didn't always have to be played fast.
I can say the same with crash bandicoot. I agree that those games didn't age well. But you can still make some flawless playthroughs. Crash 2+3 are games that started to shine
Yeah, you really have to think of the original Tomb Raider games as working on a grid, step back a square, run and hold jump... boom, done! Plus, walking and strafing are your friends.
I played the PC version of Tomb Raider in software mode back in the day, just tried it a few weeks ago with an old 3Dfx card and although the graphics were "great", it took a while to get used to the tank controls again, but eventually it becomes second nature. OK, third nature, but still quite playable and enjoyable even for such an old game, specially with the "upgraded" graphics.
I played the PC version back in the day, accelerated by an Nvidia Riva 128, and have played both the Playstation and Saturn versions quite a bit over the years. IMO, the graphics were never the problem, even though the PC version looked a lot cleaner. The problem on any version was the controls, specifically jumping and grabbing ledges, and aligning the character for things like switches. Tank controls aren't terrible, but they're not nearly as well-suited to a game like this, especially if you're used to decades of standardized control schemes and you try to go back and play it without any practice. They made sense at the time, and the games ARE playable if you take the time to re-learn them, but it can be pretty frustrating at times, when you have a series of careful jumps to make and you keep missing one of them. I agree though, even the Saturn version is both playable and enjoyable. It's a very barren game (including the lack of music), but to me that just adds to the atmosphere, and makes it feel like you're actually, you know, raiding tombs.
@@rars0n Yep that's exactly the intended feeling, all alone without any background music. I played it all the way to the end. The PC version was better because it allowed to save at any point and redo the difficult jumps if needed, unlike the PSX version.
@@wettuga2762 Yeah, I agree. The game does an incredible job of putting you into that setting. I love the echo of the sound effects and the otherwise quiet nature of the game. Then something comes out and starts attacking you and you have to scramble to kill it before it kills you. All of that would be ruined with music in the background. And honestly, I'd much rather have no music in most games than licensed songs playing in the background (one of the first things I do in most EA games today is disable the music).
@Channel Zero There is no "walk button," Joe is simply having the same problems everyone have after playing nearly 3 decades of more modern games and then going back to this one without any practice of the controls. Because why would Joe spend any amount of time re-learning the controls just to get 2 minutes of gameplay footage for a video?
Interesting that you prefer the first level of Sonic because it fast, I’ve always dismissed Sonic as boring as I felt it was just “push right and press jump lots”. It was only recently that I gave it a chance and played through it .......and I now love it!I feel the later levels require more skill which I think it better.
I still enjoy the original Sonic the Hedgehog for Sega Genesis. I understand that Sonic was marketed as fast, but I ultimately just prefer the original Sonic the Hedgehog game for its flow and how every set of levels feels different from the previous one (until closer to the end, anyway). I've never really cared as much for the other Sonic games, though.
I still think 2 is the pinnacle but just because 1 is slower doesn't mean it's bad. The music alone is enough to get me playing it again and again. Still holds up.
I still love Sonic 1 as much as I did in '91 - it's got the best music and artstyle. Gameplay is slow at times, but even then it's a good platformer. I'm also nostalgic for it.
my favourite Sonic just behind Mania and 3 Complete. For many people is too slow and doesn't have that Sonic vibe besides the fist stages, but for me it has better platforming than most other releases and much better level and game design than CD, for example, a game designed to be fast, but then you have to memorice where the teleporters are to be sure you go to the past first, and backtrack in case you accidentally go to the future instead (really annoying).
The Labyrinth Zone is just too sadistic. And then, on the final level, they throw another water section again. WHY?!!! But it's still my favourite 16 bit Sonic game. Although, it's far from being on my top 10 plaformers, to be honest.
Regarding Tomb Raider, I think the controls is just something you have to adapt to. For me I have no issue playing the older TR games but I've played them to death so to me the controls are second nature.
I also think Tomb Raider shouldn't be on this list. Once you get over the visuals and controls, games like this are just as immersive today as they were on release. Of course it helps if you played and liked it back in the '90s.
@@64-Bit-Gamer Definitely. I think people who didn't grow up with Tomb Raider will always have a hard time adapting to the controls. I just think it is unfair to judge the game by comparing it to other games. The classic Tomb Raider games hold up pretty well in my humble opinion.
To be honest, I never liked Tomb Raider, but the thing Joe neglected to mention is that the original PSX controllers didn't have an analogue stick (analogue controllers weren't a thing until the N64 was released), so the tank controls were necessary at the time games such as Tomb Raider and Resident Evil were released.
Joe how DARE you imply these cherished games of my childhood are bad! I haven't read the title of the video and my audio kept cutting out at specific points throughout and I am FURIOUS that you haven't clarified your position on whether these games are bad, or rather just not as good as I remember.
It was a pretty interesting event at the time. I recommend hitting up a google search to get some groundwork to hit up archive.org's magazine and newspapers to get a sense of the computer markets, as the US was entirely tryi ng to make the shortage out to be Japan's Prime Minister enforcing unofficial sanctions on the US technology market in a very xenophobic way. The cause was a lot less sinister, though...I mean, if that was the case, then there would have been plenty of chips available in Japan but nope....they had issues too, but they made them and so obviously, they're first in line to get whatever was available.
I remember believing the myth (propagated by I think some retrospective article in EGM, or maybe an early NES fan site - I was only born in 1987) that the chip shortage story was made up by Nintendo to artificially increase demand for their games. I think I eventually discovered (possibly from a Gaming Historian video?) that this line originally came from the head of Tengen, who said plenty of anti-Nintendo stuff at the time of the shortage (totally not surprising that he would, since it coincided with their feud with Nintendo and venture into unlicensed publishing).
Technical info: the black screen flashes in Double Dribble are the NES' fault, you can't update that much background graphics from one frame to the other, so the screen must be turned off and then on again 2 frames later.
I've always hated that perception about Sonic. It's not just Joe either and he's right in that the ads are to blame for it. Sonic 1 was a great platformer (Still is IMO). The problem is the ads promised SPEED SPEED SPEED and it's all people cared about because of it. I personally love Sonic 1 FOR it's platforming. 2 and 3/Knux are great games, but they removed a lot of the platforming and it really made them games mostly about just keep running and anticipating/memorizing what was coming up next.
Sega Lord X also bashed Sonic 1 a lot on his review. I know that Sonic 1 isn't the SPEED based game that was advertised, but it's one of the finest Sega Genesis platformers and a huge classic on this console library. Sonic 2 was great too, and this time more focused on speed. But my favorite is Sonic 3/Knuckles: they had a very good mix of platforming and speed. Short answer: All 3 main Sonic games are good. And both Joe and Sega Lord X bashed way too much Sonic 1 IMO.
I think Sonic 3 had a fine mix of speed and platforming on most levels, and most of them are really fun to play. Sonic 2 on the other hand is just boring, it has a couple of really good zones, but most of the others are either just holding right and jumping ocasionally or very tedious platforming (much more so than Sonic 1's slowest zones), also, sky chase zone is pure boredom.
@Channel Zero There is a long distance between speed and snail-motion. And Sonic 1 has too many snail-motion levels and sections. In lots of occasions you actually have to literally WAIT, before being able to move on. That's simply boring.
Nah. Marketing has nothing to with it. Its just a very mediocre-playing game with fun character designs and nice graphics. Sonic 2 was a MUCH better game.
Renting Bayou Billy back when it came out let me know not to buy it. So disappointed. I’d still love a Double Dragon arcade port that fixes the frame rate and adds moves and levels.
@@benmalsky9834 There is the stage too, Speed Highway, it's a glimpse of what could be on the 7th Gen. Sadly we never got a Generations 2, which if I'm not mistaken was the desire of the fans at the time.
@matt alan It's your problem dude, not mine If you think this way. And why are you bothering trying to change my opinion? Do you think the world turns around you?
It's hard to judge where you're jumping in crash bandicoot but somehow even though it's just as hard to judge where you're jumping in Pac-Man world they put stuff on the ground to tell you where to jump and other similar things to that so that you know where you're jumping even though your depth perception isn't working.
@@dazzio187 Well, to each his own, but Sonic Genesis was an atrocious port that wasn't any good to begin with. I can absolutely see why someone would be mad over that.
For me Street Skater on the PlayStation is really hard to get back to nowadays. Great memories with this game but some memories should always be, well.. just memories.
Tony hawk pro skater, ruined any other PS1 skating games that predates it ...man I thought thrasher skate and destroy , and top skater was good ..until I played thps...
For Tomb Raider you just need to walk. Hold R1 and you will not fall, walk to the edge. Push back to make Lara hop backwards, you are now the perfect distance to run up and jump to the platform you need. It's really simple.
I agree that the first crash game is like controlling a bowling ball on legs, but when it was alone, there was nothing to compare it to. When crash 2 was released, crash's movements were dramatically improved you could tell that the first was already heavy as a big pile of floating, yet heavy, bricks
I have a serious soft spot for Tomb Raider, particularly the Saturn version. In the UK, we got it 6 weeks before PlayStation owners. What a time to have been a Saturn owner!
@@cooppp I absolutely agree with you, such an atmospheric game thanks to the little musical “reveals” when something is about to happen, and silence the rest of the time. When the music kicks in just before the T-Rex, you know something is gonna happen, but holy crap you don’t expect that!!!
I have played everyone of these games while they were new I'm 41 literally only spot I disagree is the original crash bandicoot I don't think 90's marketing was as potent as you recall atkeast not anywhere near us but good list sir 👍
You don't think 90's marketing was that potent? What about the Genesis? Blast processing? Genesis does what Nintendon't? I think you have forgotten how ubiquitous the Crash ads were, and how Sony's marketing was at its absolute best during that time. Remember how early Playstation ads had cheat codes hidden in them? Sony had already gained a chunk of the market by targeting older gamers when they started using the Crash ads to not only position him as the console's mascot, but also send the message that they were challenging Nintendo directly with this particular game. And they were doing it by taunting Nintendo on TV. Even as a non-Playstation owner I wanted to play that game. Those ads were super effective.
Crash Bandicoot has flaws, but it’s the single game in this video where I’d argue may not belong on the list. (I know, it’s Joe’s list.) It provides a great challenge to complete. Way harder than comparable games of the time (like Mario 64).
@@herecomesthescience I never said that anyone was being brainwashed. I simply said that the commercials were ubiquitous and effective. Case in point, I didn't even have cable back then (all of our TV was over the air, so we had about 5 channels to watch) and I still saw a lot of them. Sony spent a lot of money to advertise that game and the ads worked. There's no doubt about that. My statement that your mom was living under a rock was hyperbole. I lived in a rural area with no cable and still saw lots of those ads. If your mom really didn't see those ads back then, perhaps she really was in a rather remote location where those ads weren't being shown. Or maybe she just doesn't remember them because she wasn't interested in gaming? I can tell you right now that most of my family members probably don't remember them either, because they weren't into gaming like I was. The point is that obviously you weren't there, and your one piece of anecdotal evidence doesn't disprove all of the others, like mine and Joe's considering we were actually alive and actively gaming at the time.
Sorry, but Crash 1 is a fundamentally rubbish game. I used to swear by it being good, but the the bland and monotonous design and bad camera made for a thoroughly unenjoyable experience. Crash did eventually become good by the time Warped came out, but that high quality was unfortunately short lived.
While I definitely agree that the first Sonic has aged rather poorly, I definitely have to disagree with your general lack of interest in the 2D Sonic games in general. I was a HUGE fan of the Genesis games back in the day & played the living HELL out of them! No, I don't have quite the hype for them these days but I still enjoy them immensely. The first Sonic was always my least favorite though, I'll give ya that.
@@benevans7564 Am actually playing Sonic 2 for the Master System as we speak. Fantastic game, often trashed by those who think it's too hard. Being hard is not at all a good reason to say a game is bad. Sonic 2 for the SMS/GG is in no way a bad game. It is challenging, but I very much like it that way. The controls, graphics & music are all great.
Exactly Tomb Raider was all about the ambience of the level. Then the music kicks in when you've reached a milestone in the level. Always love the bit in TR2 when you get on the skidoo
I remember playing the original Sonic a while ago and I was like, "This isn't as good as I remember it." Sonic 2 however is somehow better than I remember it. I believe that's what Joe means. Also, I played Sonic 2 WAAAAAY more than Sonic 1. People have sentimental attachments to things and sometimes they don't realize how much, even at a subconscious level, that influences their opinions.
Right. If something's shockingly new, the early feelings can imprint on you like a mother bird and be overblown in your mind when thinking about ANY aspect of said thing. Also, things can be judged differently depending on what one can imagine and values. Sonic Adventure 2 is a VERY controversial game in no small part due to those two phenomena considering how much it changed things for Sonic and how many of those that experienced it in its day were new to the franchise because of the circumstances of its release.
This channel is strange in that it clearly is the greatest general gaming channel on RUclips but its subscriber count doesn't reflect that. Thanks for all that you do Joe. Cheers from Toronto
Well, millions upon hundreds of millions love GTA games, even though these games are just "well made" casual garbage. So don't be surprised if Gamesack doesn't get the subs it deserves.
@@nashismox3 Hard not to be in my case. I like the bitesized snips of games with just the right amount of info. I also appreciate the extra dive into sound channels and little extra tidbits here and there. Hundreds of millions like Celine Dion; dont make it right tho. :D
I lived in the Middle East back in the day, so we didn't really get commercials showcasing Sonic as "speed and nothing else." As a result, I went into it just like I would any other platformer. Some stages were made with speed, some weren't, but that didn't make any difference to me as Sonic was just "that mascot with the attitude" as opposed to "that SPEEDY mascot with the attitude." It's also because of this mindset that I discovered the Perfect Bonus scores in Sonic 2--that is, when you get ALL the rings in a stage, you get a Perfect Bonus worth 50,000 points. I remember weekends when I would just try my darndest to "perfect" as many stages as possible. And to this day, I still remember how to perfect both acts of Emerald Hill as well as Act 1 of Mystic Cave.
As someone who was born in 97, and didnt start playing games until 2001, I remember going back to all these games people would say were the "best games ever" and always being confused as to why I wasnt haveing fun. I tried so hard to enjoy the first Crash but never had the patients to get past the first Island, even when I was in High School; same thing with Tomb Raider and 2D Sonic. I'm glad I'm not crazy. I think growing up with the PS2 and PS3 spoiled my enjoyment for a lot of old games. Although as a teenager I got a Genesis and og PlayStation, and fell in love with Rayman 2 and Gunstar Heroes!
X-men on Genesis was what sold me on the system. Looking back I can’t believe how much time I spent playing that turd. To be fair though it felt epic at the time.
@@lvag741 yeah the first one. That promo commercial had me hooked on getting a Genesis. That’s all I talked about, all my friends told me I was dumb and should get a SNES. In hindsight yes but the Genesis had me.
@@sir_cumfrence824 have you played spiderman vs the kingpin (genesis) I heard it's really descent and I'm looking forward to play it since spiderman x-men arcade's revenge was a huge disappointment lol.
@@lvag741 just wanna say spiderman vs kingpin is a good game,I got it back in the day and loved it ,it stay true to the comics of that era to, probably best 16bit superhero game
This applies to many video games and movies I enjoyed back in the day. I truely learned the meaning behind the phrase. "Some things are better remembered than relived"
Fear Effect on the PS1. I still had fun going back to it but it was a bit of a bugger to play. I say that its worth revisiting old games the same way as revisiting old films, to appreciate what was accomplished at the time with what they had. In fact, it's worth playing old games if you want to experience a different vibe, which I'd put up there with gameplay on equal footing any day
Spot-on video. When I first saw MUSHA appear I was like, "Wait, What!?" But then I realized that you were actually a fan of that game instead and not insane, lol. Agree with all of these picks.
"It's interesting trying to analyze something from the past, when the excitement of a game is solely based off of newness and graphics and analyzing it through modern game abilities. 🤔 I've gone back and played many games, and they're just as enjoyable. I guess perspective really dictates observation. 🤷🏽♂️" (-James)
I vividly remember myself and all my friends waiting for Bayou Billy to release. I snapped up a copy as soon as it was available. It quickly wound up in the “do not play pile” because of its insane difficulty.. (the first stage alone was brutal)
@Jabroni Destroyer I disagree heavily. Does nostalgia exist? 100% Can it make you love a poorly aged, or bad game? Absolutely. But I don't think I have the mental capacity to fool myself into saying something is good now, because I liked it then. I LOVE Ecco Tides of Time. But! I know it's aged poorly. Hence my original comment. And I can't see myself calling it a great game, or even a good game. So... You're just wrong. On the opposite side of the coin however, I still go back and play Sonic 3 and Knuckles in it's entirety at least once a year because I get the random urge to. And I still think it's a great game. It has a few quirks. But overall, I'd say it's held up. I played a translated version Final Fantasy 3 on NES in the year 2013, and it's my favorite Final Fantasy game on NES, and one of my favorite games on that system in general. I finally played Tetris on Game Boy for the first time at least two decades after it's initial release, and it's still a good time. I had never played A Link to the Past until at least 2005, and it's my favorite Zelda game. I had never played Final Fantasy 3 (6) on SNES until 2005, and that's my favorite Final Fantasy game. I could keep going. But I'll just say this. You're wrong in your statement that games from the 8 and 16 bit era have only "held up" in people's eyes because they are blinded by nostalgia. As well as you saying that all games from the 8 and 16 bit era have aged poorly. Because I never played a top down adventure game like LoZ on my Genesis growing up. I didn't get into block falling puzzle games until I played a garbage version of Tetris on my old cell phone in 2004ish. And Turn Based JRPG's wouldn't click with me (other than Pokemon) until Final Fantasy 1 & 2 on the GBA. So you can't even say that the play styles are what I'm nostalgic for. While I can list a thing from every game I listed that I'm not fond of. That doesn't make it bad. And funnily enough, I know that for two of those games, the parts I dislike, are favorites for others. No game is perfect. But just because a game has flaws, doesn't mean it's a bad game. If that era isn't your thing, that's understandable. But saying that not a single game from that era has aged well, and that nostalgia is what makes people play these games today is incorrect. TL;DR: You're just wrong. Some games hold up better than others. But claiming nostalgia is the only force perpetuating the idea that 8, and 16 bit era games have held up is incorrect. BONUS! Here are the flaws I find in the games listed above, yet I still love them. FF3 (nes): Crystal Tower Tetris GB 89: The stiffer controls FF3(6) SNES: The world of ruin LttP: The dark world Sonic 3 and Knuckles: The abundance of spikes in Knuckles's paths. Ecco the Dolphin: Tides of Time: The controls, and the password system.
Sonic Adventure might be my favorite 3D platformer ever. I enjoy playing it today. Has nothing to do with nostalgia either since I never had a Dreamcast or any other console since the 80's. Picked it up on Steam a few years ago and absolutely love it.
Don't let anyone say it's bad because it's the Steam version. These Sonic fans are so disconnected when it comes to what *they* like vs what others like. I still don't like Sonic in any capacity, but these gatekeepers are only part of the reason why. It's finally refreshing to hear an actual opinion for once.
@@solarflare9078 Even the original DC version has issues. Still good, but you might as well get the PC version so you can go insane with mods. Graphically, modelling and texturing are largely matters of taste, but for the love of Chaos, PLEASE get the lighting and transparency fixes. The big bugfix mod is a must, too. Now if only there were something to make those damned cutscenes flow better and give Tails back the Weasel Ball effect on his spins…
The platforming segments in the first three Sonic games break up the "going fast" segments, which are, if we're honest, holding the right arrow and periodically jumping whilest taking in the BLAST PROCESSING.
You hit the nail on the head with Double Dragon, it was fun for a few minutes in the arcade because the concept to many was new, but man going back to play it now NO THANK YOU!!!
you have to get the rose tinted nostalgic glasses out when you play it lol the slowdown is unreal but the memories of that game and the music still rocks!
@@Harp00nX I'll give you the music is still really cool, but man it's so hard to go back to that sluggish game play. If I'm going to play any version Double Dragon, it's gonna be the NES port, which is what the arcade game should have been in the first place with better graphics.
@@CommodoreFan64 Some games just get a free pass at times....I went to NERG a few years ago (gaming con) and two guys in their 40's had killed the end boss and were fighting to the death for the girl having a goog laugh about it..... now that is what i call memories from my childhood :D
Yeah Crash was a great game and STILL IS. You are so off on this one. Huge thumbs down for getting this one so wrong...music is amazing as well as level design. Also Adventures of Bayou Billy was never a good game.
@@dc6576 Lot of this can still be attributed to nostalgia. I grew up with trash games like Zool and Bubsy and when I see people complain about them I still think they're pretty good. I didnt grow up with the PS1 and I played the crash collection on PC. The first one really didnt hold up at all, where Spyro is still a blast, Crash aged poorely.
@@xm1808 You can attribute anything to nostalgia, but that doesn't make it so. Experiencing the game later doesn't make your opinion any better either.
The black frames in the dunking cinematics is a way to trick your brain to fill in the blanks between screens. It gives the perception of smoother animation.
I'm not sure. Sonic Adventure was one of the first games released for the Dreamcast. It was enjoyed partly for the graphics at the time so its obviously not relatively as good now. Then the game just wasn't that great. The reviews for the DX version on the Gamecube point out some of the many flaws. However, he did ruffle some feathers lumping Sonic Adventure 2 in with the first game. Well, my feathers were ruffled at least. Sonic Adventure 2 Battle (GC version) has a 73 metacritic score with an 85 user score. Sonic is tricky to bring into the 3D world. Sonic Team at least made a memorable 3D game with Sonic Adventure 2. It's remembered for being loved and hated. I really enjoyed searching for master emerald fragments with Knuckles and Rouge. Some people really hated those parts. I would argue Sonic Adventure 2 was a high point for the series because it was at least itself. While some hated it, at least some people loved it. In my own opinion, Sonic went downhill from there with Sonic Heroes and Shadow the Hedgehog.
Regarding Robo Aleste it's my understanding that by 1993 many of the key staff members of Compile had left the company which would explain why the game is a little medicore compared to what came before it.
Thank you. I felt the same way about ALL of the titles you shared! I remember being bored with them back then. A lot of these games' issues were fortunately fixed in their sequels which I play much more often. "A lot" but not all could be fixed or even had a sequel worth mentioning.
I actually had the opposite reaction firing up Sonic Adventure on my DC again recently. Always remembering the janky controls and camera I was actually blown away forgetting about all the variety and content. Since I went in remembering its flaws but forgetting its depth I actually had way more fun than I expected! Being patient is super rewarding! For example the Casino level is a ton of fun, especially if you like Sonic Pinball madness and nods to NiGHTS Into Dreams which was great!!
Even so, you still kind of have to put up with the stilted cutscenes and the inconsistent-though-not-unbearable early game & Knuckles voice acting, especially since the DC version has no cutscene skipping. The story itself is good, though; a great followup to the Genesis games. And it's told in neat ways outside the cutscenes as well.
@@CarbonRollerCaco yeah of note is I got the Japanese version DC and game this time, making it a slightly different experience to what I had back in the day, so that must have helped my impression too!
@@SharifSourour So? You can turn on Japanese voices and text in the Western release, too. Heck, that version got released in Japan as Sonic Adventure International.
I played Hunter: The Reckoning the other day and while I remember it fondly for it's amazing soundtrack while killing zombies.... I found that the music is pretty much on mute. At first I thought my copy of the game was broken or something but I looked at videos online and it's the same thing there. The music seems to only kick in when there are a ton of enemies onscreen but as soon as you start taking them down the music fades away. Not only that but if you pause while the music is playing it has that common issue with older games where the music will stop completely and be gone even after unpausing. Still a great game but just wish that the music more present so you aren't stuck with silence.
I think that was a very solid port of the arcade game, and while you would likely just play a mame version of the arcade, the nes version is still fun. Honestly, the orig super mario bros. isn't terribly fun to play anymore unlike say Mario 3.
Are there any games that you feel are worse than you remember?
Pretty much any game that had some weird controls for a first-person shooter type of game.
I'm talking about is right now there's a standard to what controls should be in the first-person shooter and going back and plain old games that do the complete opposite just feels wrong.
They are as worse as i remember haha
As Sonic as you mentioned, it is just not as good as other Plattformers or following Sonic Titles (CD and even 3D Blast)
I also disliked many of the early 3D Games, clunky, slow and ugly, just not as fun as a polished 2D TItle.
Gex! On PS1, poor controls and camera angles. Also, Rumble Racing on PS2, the graphics make my eyes bleed
@@Shendowx Try to play any FPS and certain third person shooters on the PSP is such a pain. No right analogue stick, but it clearly needs one
@@Marthastewart209. I haven't and never again lol.
I hope people playing the games in the future understand the historical context, how some of them like Double Dragon was a genre defining title of its time. Inspiring games like Golden Axe to develop the concept further.
Yes double dragon really helped to move the beat em up games forward. There were few before it but it’s popularity at the time inspired many other great games such as golden axe, final fight, teenage mutant ninja turtles and others.
Double Dragon still is a fun game to play today. It needs a proper CRT to look right because of the extremely low res. It was the first game I could 1CC at the Arcades. Not a game for two players, because the people who were skilled at the game would usually kill off a second player if they tried to join. The short game time is actually perfect for the arcade, giving someone else a chance to play and the other player to move on to the next game.
@Pro Tengu Yep, like Operation Barbarossa. ;)))
Yep. Calling it a good attempt back in the days, suggests it was a failure. Poor choice of words.
Some games are only good in a historical context but they're not really worth playing otherwise I think new super Mario Bros 1 isn't the best new super Mario Bros game however if you look at it knowing it's the first game in the series then it becomes better to play through personally I'd recommend U then Wii then 1 (ds) then 2 (3ds) from best to worst and I played 2 second (wii first) so i was not burned out on the series when I got to it.
The obsolete Republican and Democratic parties were replaced by the Dude and Ninja parties.
That would rule.
@@GameSack and at least we'd know where they really stood instead of pretending
Bad Dudes
@@krisfrederick5001 yep, they have to be if they're gonna take on ninjas led by a Dragon Ninja :)
I'm voting Ninja party.
I am surprise you didn't mention a part of Crash Bandicoot that really aged: The save system. You had to get three tokens in a stage to enter the bonus stage and had to speak to your girlfriend to save on your memory card.
To be fair the tokens weren't all that difficult to miss, you just had to break every box you came across.
I love this channel.
At least it was improved in the sequels and in N. Sane Trilogy
I remember first playing it without a memory card, and had to write down the passwords, lol.
@@Andres33AU facts.
Alot of 16 bit games have aged extremely well, especially the music
They are pretty much timeless because those types of games didn't need powerful machines to be enjoyable. It's games that try to push the envelope that kind of aged poorly
Yeah, the 16 bit era was when 2D games started to really *get* what worked and what didn't, and weren't as constrained by the limits of the hardware.
Of course, then 3D came in and devs had to learn how to make games in a whole new dimension, so we kinda regressed for awhile there.
Cause 16bit games had great controls and 2d graphics don't age unlike 3d grapgics did
Complains about how slow Sonic was on the Mega Drive while over in the UK we had 50hz Sonic, now that is slow
@Benjamin Owuye Jagun so do I, the 60hz version sounds weird to me
Master system sonic was better anyway.
@Benjamin Owuye Jagun I still have my original copy, still has the poster folded up inside the case and everything
The other funny thing, they didn't change the input for the demos, so you'd watch sonic slowly walk into a wall, then die to a robo-crab.
Sonic dying while jumping in water at 50hz... nightmares.
I have to say, that was a pretty good impression of HAL-9000 at the end there. Almost sounded like the original voice.
Spoilers!!
I agree but it would be hard to get the original actor (Doug Rain) since he dead.
Yea, he definitely gave it that eerie AI feeling.
Hey, we have the same picture! Hello, friend!
@@Silvergun_Raven Well, hello there to you too. Always happy to meet a fellow fan of Chrono Trigger. 🙂
So glad you've mentioned Double Dragon. Decent game at the time, but I feel like I'm going mental when I see people say it's aged better than Streets of Rage 2.
Also, side note, Tony Harnell who sang It Doesn't Matter on Sonic Adventure used to be my vocal coach!
The original NES Metroid is hard to go back to, but I loved the sense of exploration back in the day and appreciate the foundation it laid for what remains one of my favorite series today
i still stand by the fact that drawing your own map of an alien planet is infinitely more fun than pressing the select button.
I'm glad I got to experience what it felt like to play many of these games when they were at their best. It's like that old story of the audience reaction to the short film "Train Pulling into a Station" in 1895. I was born at just the right time that I got to be "shocked by the train," so to speak.
Great analogy lol
Yeah I think the same way.
Yeah while there are many old games that are still fun to play there are also many that were novel or innovative at the time but uninteresting or a chore to play now
Good analogy although I think some enjoyment can still be had if you go into older games with an open mind.
I'd also like to add that some games really age like wine so to speak. My favorite game of all time is an RPG from the 90's and I only got to play it around 2010-2011. You can get to experience things like that with old games, it all comes down to your taste and the game itself.
Two words: WALK button. I haven't seen it used once in the Tomb Raider segment, and it's a gamechanger.
I was about to say that. I don't have nearly as much trouble picking up items and flipping switches to the extent seen in this video.
Yeah, the walk button is a must have for anyone playing Tomb Raider seriously and correctly.
One of the mechanics that made the game what it was for sure
Or just play Tomb Raider Anniversary instead. Much better game.
@@Crazy_Gamer_OG It is but you must understand that there will be always those who like the original, some even more then the Remake which is absolutely normal. I like both, I play the original on my Xbox and Anniversary on PC.
I loved playing tomb raider at night. The absence of music made it realy cool when i was alone in the dark.
Exactly!
Sorry to be that guy, but the ninjas in Bad Dudes are neither democrat not republican. They are supporters of Omicron Persei 8.
THANK YOU
So you're saying they're {political party I don't like}. Got it!
The game would still be good if they were Republicans.
I think this revisit to the game was definitely done through a modern lens where everything seems to be hyper-partisan. Back when I played the game originally, I really liked it, but never thought of the enemies as either Republican or Democrat. Ha ha!
Don't tell them about my Poppler addiction.
2:30 I'll push back, even if you don't care. I loved exploring the jungle hub area. It was kind of interesting, and expanded as you unlocked more abilities.
A reverse of this would be awesome as well. Games that are better than we remember
Gate Of Thunder
It would be as that’s much rarer, or at least from what I’ve noticed
Better than I remember? Shadow Dancer on the Genesis. It's practically flawless, especially for an earlier game on the system.
Word!
Yeah, as much as I adore Revenge of Shinobi…Shadow Dancer is so damn tight and polished. Fine wine.
The arcade version of Bad Dudes still holds up.
yeah bald dudes rulez
Not really man it’s better though
I love the most Data East games I've played. I know they aren't the best but I have always really enjoyed them
@@asadavis9532 Loved Captain America and the Avengers in the arcades.
@@CAPCOM784 somehow I haven't heard of that. Thanks for sharing I'll def check it out tonight.
Sonic 1 is a fantastic game. The thing is people are usually hung up on the "speed" of the game and the marketing associated with it. Going fast the entire game would be boring as sin and everyone would complain. Going fast in good 2D Sonic games is the player's reward for lite level memorization and making it through precise platforming. Sonic is unfortunately a series that is weighed down by people's skewed perception of what they're "supposed to be." If Sonic 1 had zero "speed" marketing and fell under the cracks it'd absolutely be held in extremely high regard by collectors for being a solid platformer.
No, it wouldn't
Exactly. I blame the "marketing" and the modern boost games for memeing Sonic being all about GOTTA GO FAST and nothing else.
The speed isn't the point, it's the reward for the platforming and navigation of the levels where the enemies, layouts, and the physics are your obstacles.
@@garaschneider4808 I felt at first that if I wasn't going fast in a Sonic game, I was playing it the wrong way. I adjusted though and realized the games didn't always have to be played fast.
Preach. they forget that the physics used to control sonic is what makes sonic a sonic game.
The level design is incredibly bad and it punishes you for trying to speedrun it until you memorize everything. Game sucks, dude.
Tomb Raider definitely feels outdated but some of those actions shown in the video aren’t that hard if you correctly use the controls 😄
I was gonna say, he need to get gud!
I can say the same with crash bandicoot. I agree that those games didn't age well. But you can still make some flawless playthroughs. Crash 2+3 are games that started to shine
Yeah, you really have to think of the original Tomb Raider games as working on a grid, step back a square, run and hold jump... boom, done! Plus, walking and strafing are your friends.
@@dcashley303 yeah I remember that. You could count tiles on the floor to time jumps.
Came here for this, not saying controls are the greatest but man this is some serious noob gameplay
"there was a chip shortage, anyone remember that?"
uhhhhh yeah, and we're still remembering it today
I played the PC version of Tomb Raider in software mode back in the day, just tried it a few weeks ago with an old 3Dfx card and although the graphics were "great", it took a while to get used to the tank controls again, but eventually it becomes second nature. OK, third nature, but still quite playable and enjoyable even for such an old game, specially with the "upgraded" graphics.
I played the PC version back in the day, accelerated by an Nvidia Riva 128, and have played both the Playstation and Saturn versions quite a bit over the years. IMO, the graphics were never the problem, even though the PC version looked a lot cleaner. The problem on any version was the controls, specifically jumping and grabbing ledges, and aligning the character for things like switches. Tank controls aren't terrible, but they're not nearly as well-suited to a game like this, especially if you're used to decades of standardized control schemes and you try to go back and play it without any practice. They made sense at the time, and the games ARE playable if you take the time to re-learn them, but it can be pretty frustrating at times, when you have a series of careful jumps to make and you keep missing one of them.
I agree though, even the Saturn version is both playable and enjoyable. It's a very barren game (including the lack of music), but to me that just adds to the atmosphere, and makes it feel like you're actually, you know, raiding tombs.
@@rars0n Yep that's exactly the intended feeling, all alone without any background music. I played it all the way to the end. The PC version was better because it allowed to save at any point and redo the difficult jumps if needed, unlike the PSX version.
@@wettuga2762 Yeah, I agree. The game does an incredible job of putting you into that setting. I love the echo of the sound effects and the otherwise quiet nature of the game. Then something comes out and starts attacking you and you have to scramble to kill it before it kills you.
All of that would be ruined with music in the background. And honestly, I'd much rather have no music in most games than licensed songs playing in the background (one of the first things I do in most EA games today is disable the music).
@Channel Zero There is no "walk button," Joe is simply having the same problems everyone have after playing nearly 3 decades of more modern games and then going back to this one without any practice of the controls. Because why would Joe spend any amount of time re-learning the controls just to get 2 minutes of gameplay footage for a video?
Tomb Raider 1 great atmosphere and great visuals, the gameplay however It sucks, aged poorly, unplayable now.
Props to Joe for putting sponsor ads at the end of the video, not the beginning or middle.
The real question is whether Joe uses Keeps. :P
of course he uses, look that sexy hair
Everytime time Joe sayz "thank u fo watchin Gamesack" @ thee end i always say thank u fo makin gamesack......Fo yearz now 😂
Are you still doing it?
Interesting that you prefer the first level of Sonic because it fast, I’ve always dismissed Sonic as boring as I felt it was just “push right and press jump lots”. It was only recently that I gave it a chance and played through it .......and I now love it!I feel the later levels require more skill which I think it better.
I love sonic adventure and crash 1. Sometimes games became archaic, but the important thing is having fun and those games are fun to play
I still enjoy the original Sonic the Hedgehog for Sega Genesis. I understand that Sonic was marketed as fast, but I ultimately just prefer the original Sonic the Hedgehog game for its flow and how every set of levels feels different from the previous one (until closer to the end, anyway). I've never really cared as much for the other Sonic games, though.
Same I love the deliberate nature of Sonic 1. It would lack variety if every level was designed exactly the same
I still think 2 is the pinnacle but just because 1 is slower doesn't mean it's bad. The music alone is enough to get me playing it again and again. Still holds up.
I still love Sonic 1 as much as I did in '91 - it's got the best music and artstyle. Gameplay is slow at times, but even then it's a good platformer. I'm also nostalgic for it.
my favourite Sonic just behind Mania and 3 Complete. For many people is too slow and doesn't have that Sonic vibe besides the fist stages, but for me it has better platforming than most other releases and much better level and game design than CD, for example, a game designed to be fast, but then you have to memorice where the teleporters are to be sure you go to the past first, and backtrack in case you accidentally go to the future instead (really annoying).
The Labyrinth Zone is just too sadistic. And then, on the final level, they throw another water section again. WHY?!!! But it's still my favourite 16 bit Sonic game. Although, it's far from being on my top 10 plaformers, to be honest.
16:54 Speaking of Karnov, that's a game that should be on this list
Karnov has charm
Na dag. 9 levels of awesome ness
At least Karnov got a good port on the NES and was even better on arcades
I thought Sonic 3d Blast was the first time the homing attack was in a game... I remember it being a shield ability, yellow if I am not mistaken?
Yea technically it was, but only a shield ability and it only worked against badniks.
Tomb Raider is one of those games that we remember fondly because we had a lot more patience back in the day.
Yep. I think that's the key. Having enough patience, amost all these games, then good now not so good games, they become good again!
Crash being "just ok" is actually a monumental achievement. It was an early 3D platformer. I cant name any that still hold up besides mario and crash
Banjo Kazooie, Spyro the Dragon
@@polycube868 collectathons moreso than platformers.
Regarding Tomb Raider, I think the controls is just something you have to adapt to. For me I have no issue playing the older TR games but I've played them to death so to me the controls are second nature.
I also think Tomb Raider shouldn't be on this list. Once you get over the visuals and controls, games like this are just as immersive today as they were on release. Of course it helps if you played and liked it back in the '90s.
@@64-Bit-Gamer Definitely. I think people who didn't grow up with Tomb Raider will always have a hard time adapting to the controls. I just think it is unfair to judge the game by comparing it to other games. The classic Tomb Raider games hold up pretty well in my humble opinion.
@@AlyxxTheRat i think the old TR games have more replay value and challenge than the new ones, i still love them.
To be honest, I never liked Tomb Raider, but the thing Joe neglected to mention is that the original PSX controllers didn't have an analogue stick (analogue controllers weren't a thing until the N64 was released), so the tank controls were necessary at the time games such as Tomb Raider and Resident Evil were released.
@@ricsnakes I think the new ones are good too to be honest. But they are very different games compared to the classics.
Joe how DARE you imply these cherished games of my childhood are bad! I haven't read the title of the video and my audio kept cutting out at specific points throughout and I am FURIOUS that you haven't clarified your position on whether these games are bad, or rather just not as good as I remember.
I played the original sonic last month, I still love it
Wait... Did I just see Sonic on the thumbnail!!!
Up early today DJ Slopes? 🕹😂
We're smoking the same strain duuuuude I saw him too heheheheh!
@@GODCONVOYPRIME now we just need a larry bundy post...
Audibly sighed when I saw, but watched anyway because Game Sack is rad. I GUESS.
yes
13:00 chip shortage? Something like that could never happen again right?
It was a pretty interesting event at the time. I recommend hitting up a google search to get some groundwork to hit up archive.org's magazine and newspapers to get a sense of the computer markets, as the US was entirely tryi ng to make the shortage out to be Japan's Prime Minister enforcing unofficial sanctions on the US technology market in a very xenophobic way. The cause was a lot less sinister, though...I mean, if that was the case, then there would have been plenty of chips available in Japan but nope....they had issues too, but they made them and so obviously, they're first in line to get whatever was available.
@@heavysystemsinc. Wasnt that due to an earthquake putting a chip factory out of action for a bit or was that another incident?
I remember believing the myth (propagated by I think some retrospective article in EGM, or maybe an early NES fan site - I was only born in 1987) that the chip shortage story was made up by Nintendo to artificially increase demand for their games.
I think I eventually discovered (possibly from a Gaming Historian video?) that this line originally came from the head of Tengen, who said plenty of anti-Nintendo stuff at the time of the shortage (totally not surprising that he would, since it coincided with their feud with Nintendo and venture into unlicensed publishing).
@@meetoo594 I don't recall specifically but it was sold in the US that Japan was 'sanctioning' the US cause they hated us or whatever...
@@meetoo594 There was no earthquake, demand just outstripped supply. Simple as that.
Technical info: the black screen flashes in Double Dribble are the NES' fault, you can't update that much background graphics from one frame to the other, so the screen must be turned off and then on again 2 frames later.
I've always hated that perception about Sonic. It's not just Joe either and he's right in that the ads are to blame for it. Sonic 1 was a great platformer (Still is IMO). The problem is the ads promised SPEED SPEED SPEED and it's all people cared about because of it. I personally love Sonic 1 FOR it's platforming. 2 and 3/Knux are great games, but they removed a lot of the platforming and it really made them games mostly about just keep running and anticipating/memorizing what was coming up next.
Sega Lord X also bashed Sonic 1 a lot on his review. I know that Sonic 1 isn't the SPEED based game that was advertised, but it's one of the finest Sega Genesis platformers and a huge classic on this console library. Sonic 2 was great too, and this time more focused on speed. But my favorite is Sonic 3/Knuckles: they had a very good mix of platforming and speed.
Short answer: All 3 main Sonic games are good. And both Joe and Sega Lord X bashed way too much Sonic 1 IMO.
I think Sonic 3 had a fine mix of speed and platforming on most levels, and most of them are really fun to play. Sonic 2 on the other hand is just boring, it has a couple of really good zones, but most of the others are either just holding right and jumping ocasionally or very tedious platforming (much more so than Sonic 1's slowest zones), also, sky chase zone is pure boredom.
@Channel Zero There is a long distance between speed and snail-motion. And Sonic 1 has too many snail-motion levels and sections. In lots of occasions you actually have to literally WAIT, before being able to move on. That's simply boring.
@Channel Zero I finished the game, but those sections are awful. Sure, I play platformers.
Nah. Marketing has nothing to with it. Its just a very mediocre-playing game with fun character designs and nice graphics. Sonic 2 was a MUCH better game.
Renting Bayou Billy back when it came out let me know not to buy it. So disappointed. I’d still love a Double Dragon arcade port that fixes the frame rate and adds moves and levels.
Try the GBA version.
@@nickberthiaume3328 Yes, it’s really good. There’s just something about the arcade though.
Got BB for Christmas and it was hard as nails, but I'd try and try for years never beating it. I think I made it to the bourbon street level once.
Whole heartedly agree with you on Double Dragon.
Man the graphics of Sonic Adventure 1 never gets old, it always pleases my eyes!
@matt alan Different people, different tastes. For me it is just like when I got It for my Dreamcast i January 2000, beautiful in every way possible.
Imagine how amazing they would look in HD! Just look at how awesome they made Perfect Chaos looked in Generations as a starting point.
@@benmalsky9834 There is the stage too, Speed Highway, it's a glimpse of what could be on the 7th Gen. Sadly we never got a Generations 2, which if I'm not mistaken was the desire of the fans at the time.
@matt alan It's your problem dude, not mine If you think this way. And why are you bothering trying to change my opinion? Do you think the world turns around you?
It's hard to judge where you're jumping in crash bandicoot but somehow even though it's just as hard to judge where you're jumping in Pac-Man world they put stuff on the ground to tell you where to jump and other similar things to that so that you know where you're jumping even though your depth perception isn't working.
"speaking of sonic, sonic genesis..." Inner fanboy intensifies
You mean because he called Sonic 1 FOR the Genesis Sonic Genesis?
@@Carsonj13 I mean because that game is still fun to play to this day! It's aged great in my opinion
@@dazzio187 Well, to each his own, but Sonic Genesis was an atrocious port that wasn't any good to begin with. I can absolutely see why someone would be mad over that.
For me Street Skater on the PlayStation is really hard to get back to nowadays. Great memories with this game but some memories should always be, well.. just memories.
Tony hawk pro skater, ruined any other PS1 skating games that predates it ...man I thought thrasher skate and destroy , and top skater was good ..until I played thps...
The line about "half the country wants you dead based on who is president" is the funniest thing I've ever heard you say.Well done.
For Tomb Raider you just need to walk. Hold R1 and you will not fall, walk to the edge. Push back to make Lara hop backwards, you are now the perfect distance to run up and jump to the platform you need. It's really simple.
"Nobody ever fired this game up to experience that sweet Sonic Adventure hubworld".
Well, I guess my name is nobody then ;)
woah, my name is nobody too! nice to meet you.
same, the music is really comfy
That makes me nobody four.
i loved the hubworld, was disappointed with its removal in SA2
We must be distant family, my name is nobody too!
thankfully, gamesack is never worse than I remeber
I agree that the first crash game is like controlling a bowling ball on legs, but when it was alone, there was nothing to compare it to. When crash 2 was released, crash's movements were dramatically improved you could tell that the first was already heavy as a big pile of floating, yet heavy, bricks
8 years watching Game Sack! Luv it so much!🙌👏
I have a serious soft spot for Tomb Raider, particularly the Saturn version. In the UK, we got it 6 weeks before PlayStation owners. What a time to have been a Saturn owner!
I had the 3Dfx PC version. I still think it holds up. If you never played anything with tank controls I am pretty sure you'll hate it though...
@@joe--cool yeah, I replayed the Saturn version a couple of years ago. All the way through, because it was fun.
Joe's criticism of the lack of sound is a strength for me. It makes you more immersed and you really feel like you're in a desolate abandoned tomb
@@cooppp I absolutely agree with you, such an atmospheric game thanks to the little musical “reveals” when something is about to happen, and silence the rest of the time.
When the music kicks in just before the T-Rex, you know something is gonna happen, but holy crap you don’t expect that!!!
I have played everyone of these games while they were new I'm 41 literally only spot I disagree is the original crash bandicoot I don't think 90's marketing was as potent as you recall atkeast not anywhere near us but good list sir 👍
You don't think 90's marketing was that potent? What about the Genesis? Blast processing? Genesis does what Nintendon't? I think you have forgotten how ubiquitous the Crash ads were, and how Sony's marketing was at its absolute best during that time. Remember how early Playstation ads had cheat codes hidden in them? Sony had already gained a chunk of the market by targeting older gamers when they started using the Crash ads to not only position him as the console's mascot, but also send the message that they were challenging Nintendo directly with this particular game. And they were doing it by taunting Nintendo on TV. Even as a non-Playstation owner I wanted to play that game. Those ads were super effective.
I played the remake on switch, having never played the original. I enjoyed that version, despite the first one being pretty hard at spots
@@herecomesthescience Your mom was living under a rock. And that's just your opinion. Mario 64 is a far better game IMO.
Crash Bandicoot has flaws, but it’s the single game in this video where I’d argue may not belong on the list. (I know, it’s Joe’s list.)
It provides a great challenge to complete. Way harder than comparable games of the time (like Mario 64).
@@herecomesthescience I never said that anyone was being brainwashed. I simply said that the commercials were ubiquitous and effective. Case in point, I didn't even have cable back then (all of our TV was over the air, so we had about 5 channels to watch) and I still saw a lot of them. Sony spent a lot of money to advertise that game and the ads worked. There's no doubt about that.
My statement that your mom was living under a rock was hyperbole. I lived in a rural area with no cable and still saw lots of those ads. If your mom really didn't see those ads back then, perhaps she really was in a rather remote location where those ads weren't being shown. Or maybe she just doesn't remember them because she wasn't interested in gaming? I can tell you right now that most of my family members probably don't remember them either, because they weren't into gaming like I was.
The point is that obviously you weren't there, and your one piece of anecdotal evidence doesn't disprove all of the others, like mine and Joe's considering we were actually alive and actively gaming at the time.
17:25 THAT WAS SO SUDDEN IT ALMOST SCARED THE LIFE OUT OF ME. HOLY
Crash Bandicoot haven't aged a minute!
The level design and controls sure have, though!
@@Jordan3DS Not a minute.
Sorry, but Crash 1 is a fundamentally rubbish game. I used to swear by it being good, but the the bland and monotonous design and bad camera made for a thoroughly unenjoyable experience.
Crash did eventually become good by the time Warped came out, but that high quality was unfortunately short lived.
@@ultrairrelevantnobody1862 get gud...
@@kevintappminville195
Not going to work, bud. Not helped by Super Magnetic Neo being both harder and better designed than Crash 1 & 2.
I played and beat tomb raider 1-3 again in the last few months and had a blast. The first Tomb Raider is still amazing
While I definitely agree that the first Sonic has aged rather poorly, I definitely have to disagree with your general lack of interest in the 2D Sonic games in general. I was a HUGE fan of the Genesis games back in the day & played the living HELL out of them! No, I don't have quite the hype for them these days but I still enjoy them immensely. The first Sonic was always my least favorite though, I'll give ya that.
I still play sonic 2 about once a year and enjoy it.
@@benevans7564 Am actually playing Sonic 2 for the Master System as we speak. Fantastic game, often trashed by those who think it's too hard.
Being hard is not at all a good reason to say a game is bad. Sonic 2 for the SMS/GG is in no way a bad game. It is challenging, but I very much like it that way. The controls, graphics & music are all great.
"Whoaaaaa, this hall is DANGEROUS!" And it's the safest place in the game...however, nostalgia is a powerful drug.
Am I the only one who really enjoys the silence of the first tomb raider games? Makes every incident when music actually plays really special.
Exactly Tomb Raider was all about the ambience of the level. Then the music kicks in when you've reached a milestone in the level. Always love the bit in TR2 when you get on the skidoo
I remember playing the original Sonic a while ago and I was like, "This isn't as good as I remember it." Sonic 2 however is somehow better than I remember it. I believe that's what Joe means. Also, I played Sonic 2 WAAAAAY more than Sonic 1. People have sentimental attachments to things and sometimes they don't realize how much, even at a subconscious level, that influences their opinions.
Right. If something's shockingly new, the early feelings can imprint on you like a mother bird and be overblown in your mind when thinking about ANY aspect of said thing. Also, things can be judged differently depending on what one can imagine and values. Sonic Adventure 2 is a VERY controversial game in no small part due to those two phenomena considering how much it changed things for Sonic and how many of those that experienced it in its day were new to the franchise because of the circumstances of its release.
This channel is strange in that it clearly is the greatest general gaming channel on RUclips but its subscriber count doesn't reflect that. Thanks for all that you do Joe.
Cheers from Toronto
Lol it's nowhere near the greatest general gaming channel on RUclips. It's one dude with opinions .. Like everyone else.
Name a better one 🤷♂️
Well, millions upon hundreds of millions love GTA games, even though these games are just "well made" casual garbage. So don't be surprised if Gamesack doesn't get the subs it deserves.
@@nashismox3 Hard not to be in my case. I like the bitesized snips of games with just the right amount of info. I also appreciate the extra dive into sound channels and little extra tidbits here and there.
Hundreds of millions like Celine Dion; dont make it right tho. :D
I lived in the Middle East back in the day, so we didn't really get commercials showcasing Sonic as "speed and nothing else." As a result, I went into it just like I would any other platformer. Some stages were made with speed, some weren't, but that didn't make any difference to me as Sonic was just "that mascot with the attitude" as opposed to "that SPEEDY mascot with the attitude."
It's also because of this mindset that I discovered the Perfect Bonus scores in Sonic 2--that is, when you get ALL the rings in a stage, you get a Perfect Bonus worth 50,000 points. I remember weekends when I would just try my darndest to "perfect" as many stages as possible. And to this day, I still remember how to perfect both acts of Emerald Hill as well as Act 1 of Mystic Cave.
As someone who was born in 97, and didnt start playing games until 2001, I remember going back to all these games people would say were the "best games ever" and always being confused as to why I wasnt haveing fun. I tried so hard to enjoy the first Crash but never had the patients to get past the first Island, even when I was in High School; same thing with Tomb Raider and 2D Sonic.
I'm glad I'm not crazy. I think growing up with the PS2 and PS3 spoiled my enjoyment for a lot of old games. Although as a teenager I got a Genesis and og PlayStation, and fell in love with Rayman 2 and Gunstar Heroes!
Joe says "honestly" a lot. Does that mean he's lying the rest of the time?
It means he's being brutally honest with you and gives zero fucks about your feelings. Fine by me.
It most certainly does
Honestly I think so yes,
@@kekeke8988 he's so brave with his opinions on gaming 😍😍😍😍
The amount of effort and the professionalism of these videos is unparalleled on RUclips. Hats off to you sir, your work is brilliant!
You skipped a big elephant in the room with Double Dribble. The one thing everybody remembers about it: "Dubble dibble!"
This video has validated all my misgivings about Tomb Raider
X-men on Genesis was what sold me on the system. Looking back I can’t believe how much time I spent playing that turd. To be fair though it felt epic at the time.
I guess you mean the first one and not clone wars right?
@@lvag741 yeah the first one. That promo commercial had me hooked on getting a Genesis. That’s all I talked about, all my friends told me I was dumb and should get a SNES. In hindsight yes but the Genesis had me.
@@sir_cumfrence824 have you played spiderman vs the kingpin (genesis) I heard it's really descent and I'm looking forward to play it since spiderman x-men arcade's revenge was a huge disappointment lol.
@@lvag741 just wanna say spiderman vs kingpin is a good game,I got it back in the day and loved it ,it stay true to the comics of that era to, probably best 16bit superhero game
@@lvag741 arcades revenge is a bigger turd than the original X Men
IIRC in the arcade version of Bad Dudes the President is outright named "President Ronnie"
Correct
This applies to many video games and movies I enjoyed back in the day. I truely learned the meaning behind the phrase. "Some things are better remembered than relived"
You know what game gets better with age?
Cyborg Hunter on the Sega Master System.
Boy, could you imagine living through a chip shortage _these_ days?
That sure would suck... sigh.
Luckily there are no good games exclusive to the new consoles. The big PS5 game is a remake!
@@Casanuda The new Ratchet is very fun
Fear Effect on the PS1. I still had fun going back to it but it was a bit of a bugger to play. I say that its worth revisiting old games the same way as revisiting old films, to appreciate what was accomplished at the time with what they had. In fact, it's worth playing old games if you want to experience a different vibe, which I'd put up there with gameplay on equal footing any day
Well done for resisting the temptation to mention BLASTPROCESSING in the Sonic segment ;-)
There are some good points in this video. The controls in Tomb Raider can be a problem.
Spot-on video. When I first saw MUSHA appear I was like, "Wait, What!?" But then I realized that you were actually a fan of that game instead and not insane, lol. Agree with all of these picks.
C'mon now, Mark Mothersbaugh's Crash Bandicoot soundtrack is still amazing... oh well!
Wait... he did the soundtrack?!? I had no idea
@@4504595 Yep, him, Josh Mancell and Mark's company Mutato Muzika. They did all the Crash games, Sims, Jak & Daxter etc.
I forgot Mothersbaugh did that soundtrack. That explains why I've never really cared for it at all.
@@JSchaffer214 Haha! Just to get a yardstick, what is a soundtrack you do care for!?
I personally can't think of a single memorable song in the whole trilogy
"It's interesting trying to analyze something from the past, when the excitement of a game is solely based off of newness and graphics and analyzing it through modern game abilities. 🤔 I've gone back and played many games, and they're just as enjoyable. I guess perspective really dictates observation. 🤷🏽♂️" (-James)
I vividly remember myself and all my friends waiting for Bayou Billy to release. I snapped up a copy as soon as it was available. It quickly wound up in the “do not play pile” because of its insane difficulty.. (the first stage alone was brutal)
Ecco the Dolphin: Tides of Time is a game I feel has aged poorly.
@Jabroni Destroyer Not true at all.
Tides of Time can be tedious when collecting the globes, but the game is pretty awesome overall.
@Jabroni Destroyer I disagree heavily.
Does nostalgia exist? 100%
Can it make you love a poorly aged, or bad game? Absolutely.
But I don't think I have the mental capacity to fool myself into saying something is good now, because I liked it then. I LOVE Ecco Tides of Time. But! I know it's aged poorly. Hence my original comment. And I can't see myself calling it a great game, or even a good game. So... You're just wrong.
On the opposite side of the coin however, I still go back and play Sonic 3 and Knuckles in it's entirety at least once a year because I get the random urge to. And I still think it's a great game. It has a few quirks. But overall, I'd say it's held up.
I played a translated version Final Fantasy 3 on NES in the year 2013, and it's my favorite Final Fantasy game on NES, and one of my favorite games on that system in general.
I finally played Tetris on Game Boy for the first time at least two decades after it's initial release, and it's still a good time.
I had never played A Link to the Past until at least 2005, and it's my favorite Zelda game.
I had never played Final Fantasy 3 (6) on SNES until 2005, and that's my favorite Final Fantasy game.
I could keep going. But I'll just say this. You're wrong in your statement that games from the 8 and 16 bit era have only "held up" in people's eyes because they are blinded by nostalgia. As well as you saying that all games from the 8 and 16 bit era have aged poorly. Because I never played a top down adventure game like LoZ on my Genesis growing up. I didn't get into block falling puzzle games until I played a garbage version of Tetris on my old cell phone in 2004ish. And Turn Based JRPG's wouldn't click with me (other than Pokemon) until Final Fantasy 1 & 2 on the GBA. So you can't even say that the play styles are what I'm nostalgic for. While I can list a thing from every game I listed that I'm not fond of. That doesn't make it bad. And funnily enough, I know that for two of those games, the parts I dislike, are favorites for others. No game is perfect. But just because a game has flaws, doesn't mean it's a bad game.
If that era isn't your thing, that's understandable. But saying that not a single game from that era has aged well, and that nostalgia is what makes people play these games today is incorrect.
TL;DR: You're just wrong. Some games hold up better than others. But claiming nostalgia is the only force perpetuating the idea that 8, and 16 bit era games have held up is incorrect.
BONUS!
Here are the flaws I find in the games listed above, yet I still love them.
FF3 (nes): Crystal Tower
Tetris GB 89: The stiffer controls
FF3(6) SNES: The world of ruin
LttP: The dark world
Sonic 3 and Knuckles: The abundance of spikes in Knuckles's paths.
Ecco the Dolphin: Tides of Time: The controls, and the password system.
@@Monacomaverick I agree somewhat. I still love that game. And I still play it today. But I still feel it's aged poorly.
Loved it when I was younger. I mostly appreciate if for its music and art more these days.
Sonic Adventure might be my favorite 3D platformer ever. I enjoy playing it today. Has nothing to do with nostalgia either since I never had a Dreamcast or any other console since the 80's. Picked it up on Steam a few years ago and absolutely love it.
Still love NES Double Dragon to this day also.
@@AngryCalvin Well, he was laying into every version of Double Dragon EXCEPT the NES version, so you're no dissenter there.
Don't let anyone say it's bad because it's the Steam version. These Sonic fans are so disconnected when it comes to what *they* like vs what others like. I still don't like Sonic in any capacity, but these gatekeepers are only part of the reason why. It's finally refreshing to hear an actual opinion for once.
@@solarflare9078 Even the original DC version has issues. Still good, but you might as well get the PC version so you can go insane with mods. Graphically, modelling and texturing are largely matters of taste, but for the love of Chaos, PLEASE get the lighting and transparency fixes. The big bugfix mod is a must, too. Now if only there were something to make those damned cutscenes flow better and give Tails back the Weasel Ball effect on his spins…
The Dreamcast version has aged reasonably well, the ports are all pretty bad though.
Sonic Adventure is still fun even 22 years later. I don't know why people rip on it.
The platforming segments in the first three Sonic games break up the "going fast" segments, which are, if we're honest, holding the right arrow and periodically jumping whilest taking in the BLAST PROCESSING.
You hit the nail on the head with Double Dragon, it was fun for a few minutes in the arcade because the concept to many was new, but man going back to play it now NO THANK YOU!!!
you have to get the rose tinted nostalgic glasses out when you play it lol the slowdown is unreal but the memories of that game and the music still rocks!
@@Harp00nX I'll give you the music is still really cool, but man it's so hard to go back to that sluggish game play. If I'm going to play any version Double Dragon, it's gonna be the NES port, which is what the arcade game should have been in the first place with better graphics.
@@CommodoreFan64 Some games just get a free pass at times....I went to NERG a few years ago (gaming con) and two guys in their 40's had killed the end boss and were fighting to the death for the girl having a goog laugh about it..... now that is what i call memories from my childhood :D
Crash1, still love it.
Yeah Crash was a great game and STILL IS. You are so off on this one. Huge thumbs down for getting this one so wrong...music is amazing as well as level design. Also Adventures of Bayou Billy was never a good game.
Still my favourite actually
@@dc6576 Lot of this can still be attributed to nostalgia. I grew up with trash games like Zool and Bubsy and when I see people complain about them I still think they're pretty good.
I didnt grow up with the PS1 and I played the crash collection on PC. The first one really didnt hold up at all, where Spyro is still a blast, Crash aged poorely.
@@xm1808 You can attribute anything to nostalgia, but that doesn't make it so. Experiencing the game later doesn't make your opinion any better either.
I played the remaster & hated it. No nostalgia since I didn't have a ps1 growing up.
25:13 I can't believe that Joe got the late Douglas Rain to voice HAL 9000 on the show.
The black frames in the dunking cinematics is a way to trick your brain to fill in the blanks between screens. It gives the perception of smoother animation.
About to go to bed, one more refresh. Boom! Joe comes thru again! 👍🏻🔥
Been there lol.
*starts with Sonic Adventure*
Phew boy...you're not wrong but you'll definitely be ruffling some feathers.
I'm a sonic fan, people can have any opinions they want no matter how horribly wrong they are 😉
Then goes onto slate OG sonic, saying Mario is better. Defo not a vid for sonic fans.
I'm not sure. Sonic Adventure was one of the first games released for the Dreamcast. It was enjoyed partly for the graphics at the time so its obviously not relatively as good now. Then the game just wasn't that great. The reviews for the DX version on the Gamecube point out some of the many flaws. However, he did ruffle some feathers lumping Sonic Adventure 2 in with the first game. Well, my feathers were ruffled at least. Sonic Adventure 2 Battle (GC version) has a 73 metacritic score with an 85 user score. Sonic is tricky to bring into the 3D world. Sonic Team at least made a memorable 3D game with Sonic Adventure 2. It's remembered for being loved and hated. I really enjoyed searching for master emerald fragments with Knuckles and Rouge. Some people really hated those parts. I would argue Sonic Adventure 2 was a high point for the series because it was at least itself. While some hated it, at least some people loved it. In my own opinion, Sonic went downhill from there with Sonic Heroes and Shadow the Hedgehog.
@@cameron6262 Twitter would have a stroke over that take
@Benjamin Owuye Jagun I agree. People act like that's the only thing they made. Personally, I love Ristar and Vectorman just as much as Sonic. *shrug*
Regarding Robo Aleste it's my understanding that by 1993 many of the key staff members of Compile had left the company which would explain why the game is a little medicore compared to what came before it.
Thank you. I felt the same way about ALL of the titles you shared!
I remember being bored with them back then. A lot of these games' issues were fortunately fixed in their sequels which I play much more often. "A lot" but not all could be fixed or even had a sequel worth mentioning.
"Due to your limited intelligence". Oh shit. What a great line. 👍
I actually had the opposite reaction firing up Sonic Adventure on my DC again recently. Always remembering the janky controls and camera I was actually blown away forgetting about all the variety and content. Since I went in remembering its flaws but forgetting its depth I actually had way more fun than I expected! Being patient is super rewarding! For example the Casino level is a ton of fun, especially if you like Sonic Pinball madness and nods to NiGHTS Into Dreams which was great!!
Even so, you still kind of have to put up with the stilted cutscenes and the inconsistent-though-not-unbearable early game & Knuckles voice acting, especially since the DC version has no cutscene skipping. The story itself is good, though; a great followup to the Genesis games. And it's told in neat ways outside the cutscenes as well.
@@CarbonRollerCaco yeah of note is I got the Japanese version DC and game this time, making it a slightly different experience to what I had back in the day, so that must have helped my impression too!
@@SharifSourour So? You can turn on Japanese voices and text in the Western release, too. Heck, that version got released in Japan as Sonic Adventure International.
@@CarbonRollerCaco yes I don't think that's the standard one we got out her win Canada
Love the beep from the Dreamcast, just so we know it's authentic.
I love the plot of Bad Dudes! Hahaha! I want to pitch it to Hollywood as a movie starring the Rock
Thank YOU for creating Game Sack!
Even though some sonic games were not good but sonic always try new things and I always respected sonic
Never respected that hedgehog. He's got an attitude.
@@cheatsheet3325 I mean the games
I played Hunter: The Reckoning the other day and while I remember it fondly for it's amazing soundtrack while killing zombies.... I found that the music is pretty much on mute. At first I thought my copy of the game was broken or something but I looked at videos online and it's the same thing there. The music seems to only kick in when there are a ton of enemies onscreen but as soon as you start taking them down the music fades away. Not only that but if you pause while the music is playing it has that common issue with older games where the music will stop completely and be gone even after unpausing. Still a great game but just wish that the music more present so you aren't stuck with silence.
This video made sense all the way up until Bad Dudes. That game will forever be badass!
Without even watching the eps, TMNT II: The Arcade Game on NES.
I think that was a very solid port of the arcade game, and while you would likely just play a mame version of the arcade, the nes version is still fun. Honestly, the orig super mario bros. isn't terribly fun to play anymore unlike say Mario 3.
That was one of the best ending skits I have seen in a while! Excellent work.
Meeting the T Rex in Tomb Raider for the first time was one of those iconic gaming moments!