Game of the Year winner that aged badly

The title of Game of the Year is an honor that only a select few titles ever manage to achieve. Over the past few decades, countless exceptional games have been released in a variety of genres, but even across the seas of dozens, there is still only a short list that has been awarded the highest level of praise. But over time, games that were once considered the best in the genre can quickly fall out of favor with even the most adoring fans, quickly becoming obsolete due to new hardware, advances in technology, and sequels that manage to overshadow basically everything the original set out to do.

This is not to say that these games are bad by any means, more that they are products of their time, and probably best left as pieces of nostalgia rather than timeless masterpieces. Many of the problems come from the gameplay itself, as the stories can easily remain as exceptional for many decades, but the mechanics and design often suffer and feel dated due to innovation and improvements to the overall experience. It can be a nice trip down memory lane for some players looking to recapture some of the original joy, but in many cases it can feel more like they're fighting the game itself than the actual enemies and objectives within it.

GoldenEye 007

Caught in the days of the early shooters

Details:

• pioneered the FPS genre

• Outdated controls and feel

GoldenEye 007 was a landmark game that redefined how people saw shooters as a whole, and laid the foundation for countless console FPS titles that followed. At the time, the mission-based structure and split-screen multiplayer felt groundbreaking, especially on hardware not designed for FPS games, proving that shooters could thrive outside of the PC space. Because of the bold steps forward taken by the developers, the entire genre was moved forward by several years, allowing so many exceptional games to be released in such a short period of time.

Unfortunately, its control system is the biggest obstacle today. The single analog aiming feels clunky, imprecise and actively goes against many of the modern principles that govern today's FPS games. Also, the enemy AI is pretty basic, and the levels aren't very interesting overall, making the whole game feel more like a history lesson than a truly enjoyable experience.

Resident Evil

The beginning of a horror revolution

Details:

• Fantastic atmosphere and environment

• Tank controls make combat feel terrifying

The original Resident Evil is more than just a classic horror game, but a crucial springboard that paved the way for an entire genre to thrive in the 21st century. The fear factor was brought to the fore, as players are forced to navigate narrow corridors and dark rooms with a limited number of resources to help them fight back against the various monstrosities that await them.

But as impressive as the game was at launch, these days, many horror fans struggle to put up with the tanky controls and fixed camera angles. The criticism goes further, as people say the awkwardness and hassle make some encounters feel more annoying than scary, taking away from the otherwise incredibly polished core experience. There are certainly worse horror games from the early days out there, but considering how much praise it received, Resident Evil hasn't exactly entered the modern era with grace.

Grand Theft Auto 3

The basis for later open worlds

Details:

• Drawing level design that many games followed

• Dated driving and tough mission design

GTA 3 changed gaming forever by introducing a fully 3D open world city that players could freely explore in any way they chose. The sense of scale was far beyond anything else in the genre at the time, and players were given every tool to wreak havoc and destruction, setting the standard for modern sandbox design.

Now, more than two decades later, the game's age is glaringly obvious. The core mechanics of shooting and driving hold up in every respect, and the mission design is obscenely punishing, with players often having to replay large segments over and over due to the lack of checkpoints. While its influence is undeniable, actually playing it today highlights just how far open world design has evolved.

Assassin's Creed

Taking Stealth to a completely different period

Details:

• Striking visuals and satisfying movements

• Repetitive mission structure

The first one Assassin's Creed hugely impressed players when it was first released, with its engaging historical setting and satisfying parkour movement that fully immersed them in the world around them. Climbing massive cities and blending into crowds felt revolutionary, and it quickly made the series a household name that would branch out into countless sequels and spin-offs in the years to come.

The biggest problem now is repetition. The mission structure becomes very predictable in just a few hours, cycling through the same investigations and murders with minimal variation. Additionally, the combat lacks depth in many ways, and the stealth systems themselves feel underdeveloped compared to later entries, so despite kick-starting one of gaming's most beloved franchises, it's sadly nothing more than an ancient relic.

God of War (2005)

Drama about real subject

Details:

• Fantastic action sequences throughout

• Shallow combat depth by today's standards

God of war brought Kratos' brutality into the gaming world, giving players intense, cinematic-scale action sequences and an unnervingly absurd tone that would carry through to the following games in the trilogy. The unrelenting bladder became an instant icon, and players were quick to praise the game's representation of figures from mythology that had gone completely untouched in any form of media.

Over time, its shortcomings have become more apparent, with combat encounters relying heavily on button mashing, and the camera being as much of a challenge as any of the enemies. From a narrative perspective, the story lacks the emotional depth seen in later entries, while effective, leading many players to strongly recommend the more modern games over revisiting the dated original.

Uncharted: Drake's Fortune

Cinematic storytelling at its best

Details:

• Engaging level design right from the start

• Weak combat encounters

Uncharted: Drake's Fortune took the concept of an action-adventure game and took it to new heights in ways few had seen before. The main draw comes from the gorgeous set pieces that drew players into constant states of action that never strayed too far into the realm of the absurd, managing to maintain a grounded feel thanks to the writing of the characters.

But revisiting it today shows just how gross that first post was. The key word is polish, as everything from the gun battles to the platforming just doesn't come close to the standards set by the later games. An important component to the bigger hits of Nathan Drake's story, but much less enjoyable now in comparison.

Mario Kart Wii

Chaotic in both good and bad ways

Details:

• Casual multiplayer fun

• Poor balancing and track design

Mario Kart Wii became an instant overnight success, giving every Wii user an exceptional party game that basically everyone could play and enjoy. Several new systems were introduced, and online play became a much larger component than before, allowing players to connect with each other and compete on a global scale. Virtually every household had the game, and it would easily consume dozens of hours without ever feeling like a dull moment, bringing together families and friends of all stripes for an entire console generation.

Today, the game actually looks more like an unpolished mess in many respects than a full-fledged release that was once considered great. For starters, the track designs left a lot to be desired, being rather linear and uninspired compared to even previous entries in the franchise. But the bigger issues come from game performance and the integrity of competitive play. Rubber bands were and still are a huge problem, plaguing the lobbies and often ruining the outcome of otherwise winning races, and the randomness of the item system makes playing at a high level quite frustrating. Many of the issues were fixed in later posts, and many players will still have fond memories of the game, but for the most part, it should probably sit on a shelf and collect dust.