Open-world games are meant to be timeless sandboxes you can revisit time and time again, but not all of these “classic” titles have aged well. Sure, they are responsible for shaping the gaming industry,but these same games that delivered us mind-blowing concepts now feel clunky or even frustrating compared to modern standards.
Games like Assassin’s Creed and Crysis were stunning back when they launched, but over time, their good aspects were quickly overshadowed by the bad ones, and the only reason games like these stay on a gamer’s mind is because of the others in the series, or by simply how spoiled they felt when they first experienced them.
Some of these games could’ve also become timeless classics, like GTA: San Andreas or Max Payne, but their narrow design and outdated mechanics kept them from aging gracefully. Let’s take a look at ten open world games that might’ve been great at the time, but don’t hold up in the modern era.
10Grand Theft Auto III
Clunky Classic
Grand Theft Auto 3
When it came out, without a doubt,GTA IIIwas groundbreaking. Hardly any games at the time could come close to it. Having your own destructive playground and the freedom to do anything was what made everyone love it.
Although it’s a classic, the stiff driving, awkward control scheme, and an empty city make it hard to go back to. Not having features like waypoints or proper checkpoints makes missions annoying, and the silent protagonist, Claude, can feel pale by today’s standards, where character-driven narratives are the norm.
It was amazing at launch, but failed to make an era like the other titles did. Only a year later, Vice City was released, which perfected every good aspect of GTA III.
9Assassin’s Creed
Historic But Hollow
Assassin’s Creed
Don’t get me wrong,Assassin’s Creedwas revolutionary. A living city with hundreds of NPCs, and being able to parkour was stunning in 2007, not to mentionit had one of the most iconic protagonists in gaming.
While the protagonist is still one of the all-time greats, the game itself didn’t age well.The game followed the same loop of ‘start a mission, investigate, assassinate, and repeat’.It quickly becomes repetitive and shallow compared to games today, and the combat feels sluggish and overly simple.
While it did feature parkour, which was great at the time, it still lacked the fluidity that the later entries refined.
8Far Cry 2
Immersion Turned Chore
In 2008, the amount of detail and realism inFar Cry 2made it one of the most unique shooters of the time,as well as graphically impressive. The realistic guns, Open-World Africa, and the ability to explore the entire map in cars certainly made it more immersive than other games.
But sadly, those very things that were considered unique are now seen as nothing more than chores. The frequent gun jams quickly became annoying, malaria attacks interrupted gameplay at the worst times, and the worst were outposts that would respawn enemies every time you passed the area, no matter how many times you cleared it.
It certainly was great at the time, but is now mostly remembered for its annoying mechanics.
Mafia 2is one of my favorite games. It had good writing, amazing voice acting, and a rich 1940s-50s atmosphere that goes hand in hand withthe beautiful Mob story.
However, it pains me to say that even with its good story, the game failed to agewell, mainly because of its open world. Despite being an open vast world, there is nothing else to do besides the main missions. There is almost no side content and interaction in the world, other than the Point A to B driving, which wouldn’t sit well with gamers today.
The driving itself can also feel slow at times, which is a problem given that there is way too much driving in this game.
6Just Cause
Chaos Without Depth
Just Cause
Over-the-top Hollywood-style action and one of the largest open worlds at the time madeJust Causestand out among the more grounded games. The ways to cause chaos gave players more freedom than any game at the time.
Although the game did set up a foundation for later titles, as a standalone, Just Cause couldn’t age well. The gameplay now feels repetitive with the same structure of ‘go here, blow this up’ style, andthe once-loved map feels empty compared to open-world games that managed to have a more graceful transition to the modern era.
Even now, the game is plagued with bugs and glitches, which makes its case even worse.
5L.A. Noire
Lost Its Shine With Time
L.A. Noire
L.A. Noireadded facial motion capture, which was unlike anything seen before. Being able to read expressions during interrogations was a leap in realism and made the crime investigation gameplay much more immersive.
But naturally,that spark of the game hasn’t aged welldue to the obvious reason of the graphical improvements of modern games.Expressions that were seen as something new now look more awkward than amazing, many times mislead, not even matching the three possible outcomes of an encounter.
But even if we ignore that aspect, the slow pacing of each case makes it hard to play, and the open world itself has nothing to do besides the main missions.
4Saints Row 2
Humor That Doesn’t Land Anymore
Saints Row 2
At one time,Saints Row 2was wild, chaotic, and a great alternative to GTA. Its over-the-top chaos, freedom given to players in an open sandbox, and outrageous side activities made it one of the all-time greats for its time.
But from today’s perspective, the cracks are visible. Despite the funny writing, it’s hard to get past the clunky gunplay, variety-less missions, and being forced to play side-missions to be able to continue the campaign. Moreover,the feedback when shooting and driving can feel delayed or sluggish at times.
Its charm as a chaotic playground is there, but not enough to carry the game through age.
Looks Aged, Feels Too
Crysislooked visually stunning at the time. It would push PCs to the limit due to how visually impressive it was,which gave birth to the famous “Can it run Crysis” Meme.The nanosuit, back then, was unique, and the map and destructible environment set the bar higher than ever before.
But the game lost its charm over time. Firstly, the AI is broken, enemies can’t even make it past doorways or patrol effectively, along with having a bad encounter design. Secondly, the campaign is boring, and the guns feel like they have no impact or weight. Lastly, the movement feels sluggish and has no fluidity, unlike games today or even from those times.
2Crackdown
Super Cop, Super Repetitive
Crackdownwas something new from Saints Row and GTA at the time. It featured a super cop who could leap across skyscrapers and toss cars with strength and speed, which made it addictive at the time.
But what once was addictive is now highly repetitive;the missions have no variety, and there is little to no life in the city besides orb collecting and fighting enemy gangs. The enemy encounters can feel the same, and the entire structure of collecting orbs to become stronger and hunt bosses is mind-numbing by today’s standards.
Sure, it was fresh, but now it’s mostly remembered for being bundled with the Halo 3 beta andunfortunately aging poorly.
1The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Dated Fantasy
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
This will piss off a lot of people, given thatOblivionwas a landmark in open-world RPG design. Its massive map, customization, and full-of-life NPCs made it the best RPG game at the time.
But it’s hard to revisit the game today.The potato-faced NPCs may be good nostalgia, but it makes listening to dialogue grim and sometimes even laughable.The combat is clunky and awkward at times, with animations that didn’t age gracefully, but what truly makes it hard to go back are the numerous number of bugs and ugly textures.
It also failed to create a legacy like Skyrim, which was better in almost all aspects, and the only way to enjoy Oblivion is with the help of mods or by playingthe remastered version, which has gotten much praise.
