Whatever happened to games that look like they came out in the era of the N64 and PlayStation 2? We want more of them.
With the gaming market’s diminishing demand for AA games, it’s hard not to miss the ones that evoked a sense of nostalgia from the days of yore. Games from the Nintendo 64 and PlayStation 2, each with their own signature polygonal flair, were standout titles back then. We had games like Super Mario Sunshine, where we cleaned up Isle Delfino with our good ol’ F.L.U.D.D., or Metal Gear Solid, the first of Hideo Kojima’s tactical stealth espionage games—one that still holds up today despite its distinct polygonal visuals.
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+ 3Modern video games have now ascended to a whole new level of realism. While I do agree this is a nice touch, most AAA giants are making little effort to return to their roots with games that feel like they could have come straight from the N64 or PlayStation 2 era.
Thankfully, where the AAA market has largely ignored the appeal of these kinds of games, the indie market is all in, delivering an impressive lineup that takes us back to the golden age of retro gaming. Games like A Hat in Time capture the charm of Super Mario 64 and Banjo-Kazooie, while Crow Country harnesses the fixed-camera angles that were once a staple of classic Resident Evil titles.
The indie industry is constantly working to bring gamers back to their roots. While some games can be overly experimental, others break the mold, creating experiences that resemble the late ’90s and early 2000s but with their own modern twists.
click to enlarge + 3I miss games like Kingdom Hearts II, where my 3D character would become janky if I stood still for too long. I miss the feeling of being stuck, of not knowing where to go without markers, guides, or conveniently placed yellow paint showing me the way.
One game that recently captured that magic for me was Team Asobi’s Astro Bot. A game so rich and vibrant that it feels undeniably next-gen, yet its gameplay takes a page from the classics that came before it. It was the perfect blend of nostalgia and modernity, which is why Astro Bot was one of my favorite games of last year—a true celebration of the genre.
Now, games have become too graphically demanding. You need the latest hardware just to run them at the best settings; otherwise, you’re stuck playing something that looks like a PlayStation 1 game.
click to enlarge + 3Maybe I’m just being sentimental, but it’s refreshing to see games on Steam that still carry that energy I crave. Games like Signalis, 1000xResist, Sayonara Wild Hearts, Tunic, and more have captured that magic for me. (I'm also looking forward to Clover Studios' Okami Sequel.)
They don’t need to run on Unreal Engine 5. They don’t need a massive dev team with an inflated budget. They just need to be fun.
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