The old saying goes, "time makes fools of us all." Gamers may not be the same people they were decades ago, and tastes can change considerably in that time. As a result, some aspects of a title that were regarded as a strength might be seen as a weakness with more mature eyes.
It should be noted that just because a game's shine gets taken out in later years doesn't mean it's not worth a look. The PlayStation brand has persisted throughout several console generations, and Sony's history sports many classics that gamers of all shapes and sizes should check out. They just need to adjust their expectations accordingly.
10 Jak II Made Some Controversial Changes
Jak II improved upon many of the original's strengths, expanded the lore, and introduced some new gameplay elements to the series. Despite all this, it's probably the most polarizing entry in the original trilogy. While not nearly as embarrassing as Prince of Persia Warrior Within or Shadow the Hedgehog, the sequel's grittier makeover was pretty jarring.
The third-person gunplay is pretty weak, as players can't lock onto enemies or even strafe. In addition, its lack of any mid-mission checkpoints makes it really hard to go back to. It is by no means a bad game, but it's clear things would have turned out differently had GTA III not blown up.
9 God Of War III Sees The Ghost Of Sparta At His Most Vile
Before his PlayStation 4 Norse reboot, the original title on the PlayStation 2 depicted Kratos at his most sympathetic. Out of all the titles in the original trilogy, it's the one installment where the Ghost of Sparta shows the most remorse for his vile acts and a genuine desire to atone.
The sequel sees Kratos stripped of his godhood because the Olympians are just tired of his nonsense, prompting a bloody quest for revenge against something that he brought entirely on himself. This is further exacerbated in the third title, where his cruelty is taken to absolute absurd extremes.
8 Twisted Metal's Edge Was Dulled Over Time
Twisted Metal's vehicular combat formula helped form the blueprint for a brand-new genre and planted the seeds for what may be Sony's longest-running Western gaming franchise. It was very much a product of its time, feeling like a comic from the era of Todd McFarlane and Rob Leifeld while still maintaining that crucial Teen rating.
Later entries would attempt a more mature tone, which was at odds with the franchise's ridiculous premise and exaggerated mayhem. While the gameplay and some of the combatants' endings still prove to be somewhat amusing, its attempts to be edgy are a bit quaint in a post-Grand Theft Auto world.
7 Pandemonium's Novelty Has Largely Worn Off
A certain strange appeal of 2.5D titles such as Bug!, Klonoa, or Pandemonium evoked the more modern polygonal visuals of 3D games while retaining classic 2D gameplay. During its initial release, Pandemonium's twisting, turning perspective and visual presentation made up for the game's ho-hum mechanics.
Unfortunately, in the years that have passed, Pandemonium's 2.5D visuals just aren't that novel anymore, and it's hard to justify the purchase in light of better titles of this ilk, such as the aforementioned Klonoa. It might have had a shot at the best 2.5D title starring a jester if it weren't for Nights into Dreams.
6 Gex's Wisecracks Hold Back What Are Otherwise Pretty Solid Titles
Gex was Crystal Dynamics' attempt at a mascot platformer akin to titles such as Sonic the Hedgehog and Earthworm Jim. To make him stand out from the competition, comedian Dana Gould was enlisted to write and perform the character's many jokes.
Granted, younger players may not have understood the loquacious gecko's pop-culture references, but the TV-themed worlds were so lively, and the mechanics were polished enough that they wouldn't really care. In later years, Gex's quips irritate far more than they amuse. Fortunately, players can disable his in-game speech if they're so inclined.
5 Killzone Never Really Stood With The FPS Giants
The original Killzone for the PlayStation 2 wasn't exactly the "Halo Killer" that gamers and the press anticipated. Still, it sported enough visual flair and sound mechanics to justify a few follow-ups. Killzone 2 had the benefit of being on hardware that could do the franchise's cinematic aspirations justice, but even the added horsepower of the PlayStation 3 couldn't fix the game's clichéd writing.
Killzone 3 added some 3D, big-name actors like Ray Winstone, and even some optional motion controls from the Move peripheral, but even those weren't enough to make it stand toe-to-toe with the more prominent FPS franchises.
4 The Last Guardian Missed The PlayStation 3 Boat
Fumito Ueda's long-awaited spiritual successor had some colossal boots to fill, and players were very curious about what the gaming auteur could accomplish with the improved horsepower of the PlayStation 3. But unfortunately, The Last Guardian faced a troubled development, eventually getting delayed to the PlayStation 4.
While it's great that this title managed to avoid cancellation, one can't help but feel that it might have missed its best shot at success, as many emotionally resonant titles filled the niche that it would have satiated during its intended release date. In addition, many of its mechanical shortcomings seemed more glaring to 2016 players.
3 Grand Theft Auto III Has Been Largely Outclassed By Better Sandbox Titles.
The third iteration of Rockstar's open-world crime franchise really put the series on the map with the formula's successful transition into the third dimension. Unfortunately, though massively acclaimed in its initial release, its awkward gunplay, outdated mechanics, and blocky visuals make it very hard to go back.
However, the lack of mid-mission checkpoints really kills this game. As gamers get older, they might not have as much time to devote to play and may not be happy with the prospect of having to redo an entire mission from the very start just because of a simple mistake or a bug.
2 Loaded's Sharpshooting Could Use Some Work
Loaded was one of those titles that gleefully embraced the shock value appeal of titles such as Mortal Kombat and Splatterhouse without succumbing to the pretentious and didactic nature of titles such as Harvester and Postal. Players took on the role of several exaggerated oddballs and tasked them with gunning their way through several goons and hostiles.
A title like this is pretty much begging for a dual-stick control method. Unfortunately, players can strafe with the shoulder buttons, which proves woefully inadequate for what the game throws at them. Its sequel, Re-Loaded, utterly failed to address the original's problems.
1 The Last of Us Shortchanges The Interactive Medium Of Gaming
The Last of Us set a disconcerting precedent of games trying to ape linear mediums such as films when they've demonstrated to be capable of so much more. Instead of weaving the game's mechanics with the storytelling, much of the narrative occurs through the game's gorgeous, but non-interactive cinematics.
In contrast to brilliantly written games such as Undertale and Paper's Please, all the important plot decisions are made for the players, not by them. So it makes sense that this series is seeing an HBO adaption because it doesn't seem like anything will be sacrificed in the transition to a non-interactive format.