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[jigglet]

I believe Mario 64 is the most revolutionary game of the 3D era, but would fully admit it doesn't hold a candle to today's games.

What games would still be GOTY contenders without you having to say things like "for it's time" or "if you consider this or that..." or "for the limited hardware".

What games just straight up transcend time?

I think a lot of first party SNES games make the list. What about you?

 

[EL BABE]

Tetris?

 

[Tiago Rodrigues]

Retro games that fit that criteria? Without nostalgia glasses none

 

[Guilty_AI]

Some old school RPGs still hold up today.

 

[.Pennywise]

I think a lot of first party SNES games make the list. What about you?

Ok, so, tell us

 

[kingfey]

So my favorite retro games would be motogp, and house of the dead.


They defined retro arcade gaming for me.

 

[HiScoreWL3]

Street Fighter 2

 

[ACESHIGH]

SF Zero 3 smokes all the latest 2D fighters released today but was a footnote in 1998 because the genre was at its absolute peak and it was the greatest year in gaming history.

MGS2 would be a legit Goty contender if released today, same as SH2. Look at indie games pumped up today even as goty contenders... lots of them don't hold a candle to what was done in the 90s

 

[Rykan]

It doesn't exist. The game industry continues to improve and move on.

A GOTY is always a snapshot of its period. That doesn't mean that some games don't age incredibly well, but there's a difference between: "This is still very good to play" and "This is clearly better than anything else released today".

 

[a multicultural team of v]

Realistically nothing could compare to the scope of something like Elden Ring, it just wouldn't have even been possible technically.

There are a lot of older games that are still fantastic games though and would absolutely compare to and surpass indie or low A tier games these days no problem. I've been playing a lot of old stuff lately and much of it still holds up, though I've definitely played a few that have aged poorly.

 

[Hollowpoint5557]

Super Metroid. Gorgeous pixel visuals, amazing soundtrack, great controls, exploration, everything is top tier timeless.

 

[Guilty_AI]

Realistically nothing could compare to the scope of something like Elden Ring, it just wouldn't have even been possible technically.

tbf lots of old school rpg actually had rather huge scopes. Theres still no rpg on the same scale of daggerfall to this day for example.

 

[intbal]

Only thing I can think of is Fallout 2.
The isometric nature would prevent immediate dismissals due to graphics, since it could be considered a stylistic choice.
It's huge in scope. Great writing. Fully realized world with tons of lore. A unique skill/attribute/perk system that sets it apart. And combat that leverages its tactical nature to deliver constant challenge.

Even with all that, it might still be overlooked. Especially by the "Gaming Media".

 

[arvfab]

Shadow of the Colossus

 

[CatLady]

TES Oblivion

 

[Magic Carpet]

Diablo 1&2, Neverwinter Nights.

 

[Handel]

Primarily it's going to be games that have compelling stories and/or have unique elements that weren't replicated by many games afterwards. The best Final Fantasy games, Chrono Trigger, Planescape : Torment, Majora's Mask, the original Deus Ex, etc. Also games like Super Metroid which perfected their style in 2D.

 

[blacktout]

Super Metroid. Gorgeous pixel visuals, amazing soundtrack, great controls, exploration, everything is top tier timeless.

Super Metroid makes sense, given that both Hollow Knight and Metroid Dread have been in the GotY conversation in recent years.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

GOTY. None.

But small scale 16-bit/32-bit era game categories I can see some old school classics like Castlevania SOTN, Contra 3, Super Mario World being best in category. Though that assumes no price consideration. Trying to sell those kinds of games at $60 wouldnt fly nowadays.

 

[Fredrik]

Super Metroid, I reevaluate my best game of all time list regularly and it’s still at the top. Zelda BOTW was ahead a short time but stumbled down because of low fps and I couldn’t see myself start over after I had done all shrines.

 

[ahtlas7]

A retro game as a modern day GOTY? It ain’t happen’n.

 

[jigglet]

Ok, so, tell us

Yoshi's Island

Every time I play it I'm still in awe.

 

[a multicultural team of v]

tbf lots of old school rpg actually had rather huge scopes. Theres still no rpg on the same scale of daggerfall to this day for example.

I need to get around to playing that... Is the map mostly empty though?

 

[brian0057]

RPGs still live in the shadow of the almighty Daggerfall.
Deus Ex is still blowing the minds of new players.
Thief is the greatest stealth series of all time.
Modern horror games wish they were a tenth as scary and atmospheric as System Shock 2 and Silent Hill 2.

BRB, gonna go replay Hitman: Blood Money.
I'm literally this meme:

 

[ManaByte]

Super Metroid
Super Mario 64
Ocarina of Time

 

[InfiniteCombo]

A Link to the Past.

It got re-released in the modern era as A Link Between Worlds, which was in fact Gamespot's Game of the Year in 2013.

 

[.Pennywise]

Yoshi's Island

Every time I play it I'm still in awe.

Nostalgia goggles. Not GOTY material in today's day.

Any other?

 

[nani17]

Super Mario Bros 3

 

[HYDE]

Super Metroid. Gorgeous pixel visuals, amazing soundtrack, great controls, exploration, everything is top tier timeless.

Super Mario Bros. 3, A Link to the Past, & Symphony of the Night also!

 

[Robb]

Are we talking about a modern take on the old games or just a straight up release of those original versions?

I could for example see a modern Super Metroid with Metroid Dread-like visuals, movement etc. get some GOTY:s. But just a release of Super Metroid in 16-bit today I can’t see get many awards.

 

[Handel]

Are we talking about a modern take on the old games or just a straight up release of those original versions?

I could for example see a modern Super Metroid with Metroid Dread-like visuals, movement etc. get some GOTY:s. But just a release of Super Metroid in 16-bit today I can’t see get many awards.

I always take this question as meaning that the game is released the same content-wise, but has modern day graphics/styles appropriate for it. So games like the SNES Final Fantasy's would be HD-2D similar to Octopath Traveler. PS1 Final Fantasy's is harder to gauge, but wouldn't be on the scale of FFVIIR in my mind, which creates new zones and a full scale city.

 

[tommib]

Metroid Prime, Quake

 

[Romulus]

Half Life 2 with the episodes. It holds up outside of a few quirky sections.

 

[Dr.Morris79]

A retro game as a modern day GOTY? It ain’t happen’n.

Lies!

Even if i'd played this for the first time now the story, atmosphere and gun play would hook me.

There are tons of retro games where the gameplay is so good it wouldnt matter what it looked like.

 

[Daneel Elijah]

Tetris and MGS2 being already here I propose the old pokemon games. But in the era of touchscreens...

 

[bender]

I guess it depends what you define "retro" as but I'm struggling to think of any game released in the last four years that would make my all time list. Lot's of retro games hold up well today and could easily compete with how homogenized most modern games are.

 

[DukeNukem00]

tbf lots of old school rpg actually had rather huge scopes. Theres still no rpg on the same scale of daggerfall to this day for example.

Yup. You play a game like Fallout 2 or Baldurs Gate and they're 200 hours epics, highly detailed in every possible area, rich quests, reactivity like no other. They're actually much, much richer experiences than Elden Ring and much broader in scope.

Also, Quake is much more revolutionary than mario 64.

 

[Davevil]

Suikoden 2 : the pinnacle of JRPG

 

[existensmaximum]

A Link to the Past, Super Mario Bros 3, Super Mario World, Super Metroid, Super Castlevania IV

For example. Super Mario 64 was shit though. It was shit back then and it is still shit, and has aged like sour milk.

 

[SSfox]

MGS1

 

[DukeNukem00]

A retro game as a modern day GOTY? It ain’t happen’n.

If you take FEAR from 2005 and release it today it would be better than each and every single fps already released or that will release. Countless other games. Fallout 1 and 2 shit on pretty much every modern rpg from the greatest of heights. Deus Ex 1 is better than every single imersive sim released after it, other than the normal technology being aged.

A shitload of old games are better than modern ones. Rise of Nations from 2003 just obliterates most RTS games in history. Age of Empires 4 just released feels retarded compared to it

 

[Calverz]

Silent Hill 2
Metal Gear Solid 2/3
Halo 3
Gears of War 1
Perfect Dark
Goldeneye
Tony Hawks Pro Skater 2

 

[Elysion]

Splinter Cell Chaos Theory and Double Agent (OG XBox version for the latter).

 

[cireza]

What games just straight up transcend time?

A ton of them, but they probably won't fit the (often ridiculous and not "game" oriented) criteria that define modern GOTY.

 

[Wohc]

1:1? None.
Remastered? A handful maybe.

 

[Bragr]

tbf lots of old school rpg actually had rather huge scopes. Theres still no rpg on the same scale of daggerfall to this day for example.

Daggerfall is just a giant number generator though with gameplay that was outdated in 1 year. Its just a giant plane with houses, i loved it at the time but the reason it had that scale, was because of its simplicity. I rather take one better designed area than the entirety of Daggerfall.

 

[thief183]

I think baldur's gate 2 could be Goty even now, the art style and graphic style can be made actual with some Simple steps and the gameplay is unmatched.

 

[Soodanim]

Silent Hill 2
Metal Gear Solid 2/3
Halo 3
Gears of War 1
Perfect Dark
Goldeneye
Tony Hawks Pro Skater 2

MGS2/3 were what came to mind for me, especially 3 with its CQC and greater freedom. Although 2 did mindfuck the world with its story, so there’s that.

Perfect Dark and Goldeneye have the difficulty based objective system that would appeal to so many people the same way it did back then and I’m baffled more haven’t copied, and on modern controllers either would be a winner. PD especially is full of content, like the shooting range. Don’t forget the many cheats they both had.

THPS2 is an interesting one, because the remake didn’t win any GOTYs but it was a redelivery of an old product in a time when skateboarding isn’t as hot as it was.

 

[anthony2690]

Sonic 3 & knuckles

 

[Dr.brain64]

Retro : super mario world 2

Not retro : picross