Summary
It seems to be a fact of life for gamers these days, that just because an AAA title spent a decade or more in development, doesn’t mean it is going to be good. Nothing is more disappointing than following the development of a game, only to play it on release and find it lacking. How many modern games will still have a following in 10, or even 20 years? Is that even possible? Are there actually 20-year-old games that people still play? Yes, there are many. These games span multiple genres, and some are seen as milestones in game development.
What do all 20-year-old games that are still popular, have in common? Excellent gameplay for one. But there is often ahidden depth to these older gamesthat modern games can lack. A hidden depth that doesn’t become apparent until the game has matured, and players find themselves returning to it again and again, for one more playthrough.
The originalHalf-Lifewas released by Valve in 1998. Although well-received, it relied on older game engine technology. It wasn’t untilHalf-Life 2was released in 2004 that Valve switched to the now well-known GoldSrc engine.
Usually now just termed the source engine, this represented a major step forward in 3D graphics for the PC. When combined with the exceptionally well-scripted plot, and some fun callbacks to the original Half-Life game and its spinoffs, Valve had a hit on its hands. The game still holds up well today.
Far Cryis one of the larger game franchises, and it all began with the originalFar Crygame which was released in 2004. Developed using CryEngine1,Ubisoft Montreal stunned the world with what was the firstopen-world shooter, that allowed the player to explore a single large map.
The storyline was well put together, but this wasn’t what made the originalFar Crysuch a success. It was fun to explore the strange island in the Archipelago of Micronesiathat the player found themselves stranded on at the start of the game. Today,Far Cryis well worth a playthrough.
Developed by EA Black Box and released in 2004, many players still seeUnderground 2as the definitive game of the entireNeed For Speedfranchise. There is a good reason for this.Underground 2was the last of theNeed for Speedgames that used a more arcade-like driving model. Later games in the franchise shifted over to a physics-based driving simulation.
The storyline was fun from the very moment the player picks up the Nissan 350Z in the airport parking lot, right up until the very final encounters with The Wraiths, a rival street racing gang. Anyone looking for a funopen-world driving game, with some challenging racing, could do worse than checking outUnderground 2.
What can be said here? Blizzard releasedWorld of Warcraftto an eagerly awaiting world in 2004. The rest, as they say, is history. In a market previously occupied by MMORPG such asUltima OnlineandDark Ages of Camelot,WoWcompletely redefined the genre.
To this day it still ranks as one of, if not themost successful MMORPGof all time. Following nine separate expansions, and a resurgence of “classic” servers as well. IsWorld of Warcraftworth playing 20 years after release? Many people say yes.
One of the very first action role-playing games,Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlineswas developed byTroika Gamesand published byActivisionin 2004. Featuring both first-person and third-person gameplay modes, this is a game that demonstrates how role-playing games could break out of the slow, turn-based systems used by prior games.
It wasn’t just the gameplay that made Bloodlines fun to play through. There was an excellent plot and storyline, that immersed the player into the role of a young vampire in modern-day Los Angeles, based on the World of Darkness. Bloodlines is still worth playing today for the storyline aspect alone.
Driver 3, orDriv3ras it was cleverly named, was the third installment in theDriverseries, published by Atari in 2004. The most notable aspect ofDriv3rwas the deep, immersive storyline. Playing an FBI agent investigating a smuggling cartel, the story takes the player across multiple countries.
And of course, the driving aspect of the game has to be mentioned as well. Few games have managed to pull off anything other than foot-based action in the shooter genre.Driv3ris one of them. Some of the car chase scenes are truly epic. Driv3r is arguably one of thebest driving gamesever published.
TheGrand Theft Autofranchise is one of the most beloved by gamers. WithGTA 5being among the most successful games of all time. However, Rockstar Gamesperfected theGTAfranchise acrossmultiple game releases, includingGTA San Andreasin 2004.
Although the story mode was great,GTA San Andreasis better known for its free-roam mode. The same game mode that mostGTA 5players invest hundreds of hours into. Indeed, this is what theGTAfranchise is all about.GTA San Andreasmight lack the graphical quality of later releases in the franchise, but it has the same solid gameplay.
Developed by Obsidian Entertainment and published by LucasArts, TheSith Lordswas the follow-up to the very successfulKnights of the Old Republic(KOTOR). And whilst, in general, it simply extended the story and added a few more features, it is considered a must-play by fans of theStar Warsfranchise.
KOTORwas a fantastic game.KOTORThe Sith Lords was more of the same. Graphically it looks a little dated these days. But if new players can look past that, they will find a deep role-playing experience. And of course, it has lightsabers!
Going back two or three decades, there were a number of great Real Time Strategy (RTS) franchises still going strong.Command and ConquerandRed Alertfor example. However, Relic Entertainment came up with a slightly different take on RTS.Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of Warwas developed based on theWarhammer 40,000tabletop war game.
Rather than relying on the player producing dozens of units to accomplish story goals,Dawn of Warfocuses more on several core hero units. Making the gameplay familiar to RTS fans, but with a subtle twist to keep them interested.
Based on the same technology used to develop the originalHalo: Combat Evolved, the developers, Bungie, decided that what the world needed was more of the same. And this is exactly whatHalo 2delivered when it was released by Microsoft Game Studios in 2004.
New weapons, vehicles, and non-player enemies were included, and theHalostoryline progressed. But in general,Halo 2is worth playing simply because it does the First Person Shooter (FPS) gameplay so well. Few games have a solid following 20 years after they were launched, butHalo 2is one of them. Indeed,the Halo franchise is one ofthe most beloved in the shooter genre.
