There are definitely "good for its time" games out there which aren't as fun as when they were released and we should not hold back on criticism of them. But that doesn't mean we can't recognize their significance within the context of their times or even allow the nostalgia to enhance our current time with games. At the end of the day, both nostalgia and criticism are two levels that we can't help but look at game from and would be foolish to ignore either one. We should recognize a game for what it is, but we should also recognize what a game means to us.

On the other hand, there are definitely games that stand the test of time and remain among the best even today. To me, Super Metroid is one of those games whose design brilliance has yet to be recreated fully. It's an open platforming game that has a clear "correct" line through the levels for a focused experience that scratches the exploration itch, but then there are so many ways you can break the sequence and plow through a different way. I have yet to play a game that even comes close to pulling this off so elegantly. It most definitely tops a lot of games that are released today as far as I'm concerned, which is something I could say for a good handful of "retro" games. I definitely think that, even if you take away nostalgia, many games from the 8 and 16-bit era hold up.

That doesn't mean I want there to be "sacred cows" in writing either. I want people to be honest with their opinions on games. Just because I think Super Metroid is pretty darn swell doesn't mean others can't feel differently. Subjectivity is something I want to see more of in games writing.

Greg, Greg, Greg.. Super Metroid was meant to be played if and when you were old enough to play it when it was released. I still enjoy the game, flaws and all, because I actually have muscle memory still stored from when I played it the first time. I fired it up on virtual console a few weeks back and still love it to death. Part of me wants to pull a fanboy move and rip on you because you don't feel the same way, but I can't. I too have played games late in the game that could never meet their overblown expectations. I'm just sorry Super Metroid had to be that game for you.

I think someone who visits an older game for the first time should try to appreciate the way the game was received in its time, but that doesn't mean they have to enjoy it. Likewise, people who played and loved a game when it first came out need to appreciate that it's unreasonable to expect people playing for the first time to enjoy the game in the same way.

Nintendo created the best Metroid game they could for 1994. Back then, as far as console action/adventure games go, it was as good as it got. I can't imagine someone playing it for the first time today in this console generation to have the same feelings as others did in 94. As long as you understand that people love to romanticize the past and you are willing to have patience and forgive the faults of older titles, nothing should keep you from enjoying an old classic.

@Antonio Don't know about that. I know a few people who just played the game for the first time within the last couple of years and they were blown away.

Right off the top of my head, here's a few games I think remain good over time.

 

Final Fantasy VII

Kirby's Adventure (NES)

Sonic & Knuckles

Ys 3 (Genesis)

Shinobi 3

Ninja Gaiden (NES)

World of Warcraft

 

These are all ancient games that, while obviously dated and corroded, will still either piss you off, make you cry or force a giggle regardless.

 

And yes, one of those games doesn't belong on the list.  Final Fantasy VII wasn't THAT good.

I guess if you enjoy it then you enjoy it, but if you you don't then you shouldn't feel bad about stopping. We've progressed a lot since then in making games and as adults we no longer have infinite time to waste on something that demands you spend hours developing skills that are only relevant to that game unless it really grabs us.

Other personal disappointments: The original FF1/FF2. Those are so hideously primitive now I couldn't stand to play them - the remakes keep the charming simplicity while updating the mechanics and graphics. Kid Icarus is just a horrible game. And I know I'll get plenty of crap for this, but I went back to Mario 64 after Super Mario Galaxy 2 and it wasn't nearly as good as I remembered it. In fact the best bits were the nostalgia of previously seen areas. But it was obviously early days and for all everyone remembers Mario controlling so tightly, he moves like a sluggish floppy noodle compared to later iterations. So I just stopped playing and I don't feel guilty about it.

The remakes seem to be a great way to go as long as they keep the best parts and modernize. The Final Fantasies are great examples, and I'm really enjoying the Scott Pilgrim game - which isn't technically a remake of anything, but it's a spiritual River City Ransom remake. And it's fairly tough, but I don't mind because I want to see more of the art. Then there was the Symphony of the Night remake, Bionic Commando, and the remake of Ocarina of Time coming up for the 3DS. Though not every game is lucky enough to get a good remake.

@Bryan Don't want to argue with your list, just a word choice: Ancient. Ancient?! FF7 was 1997! Since turning 30, I've felt old anyway, without you calling 1997 ancient and bitmob throwing erectile dysfunction ads at me all day.

@Ron - totally agree on Mario 64. Not fun anymore. I'd also say the same of Goldeneye. Brilliant for nostalgia, but that's all.

I played Super Metroid a bit recently, couldn't get back into it. I was so excited for the first 20 seconds, then i felt just like Greg: "Is this it?"

Zombies Ate My Neighbours, on the other hand, was ace.

Control wise, I think that the latter GBA games do a better job control wise.  The space jump works much better for one.  Though I think the sprites are still better in Super Metroid.  I started playing it after I got the GBA games.  I have to say, its not one of the greatest games ever anymore, but its still damn good.  Its one of the few SNES games that I still play.

some games are milestones in the evolution of gaming and deserve all the praise heaped on them. But here's a reason sequelitis can be a good thing in gaming: it may not add that much value within a year or an immediate successor but when you look back this far the appreciation takes on a different, more cerebral flavor.

I love games like double dragon, streets of rage and recently purchased final fight on XBLA. Unless I have a buddy to co-op with I quit after getting my fix of nostalgia (2 levels in at most). I can't believe how much fun I had with punch, kick and jump and one power move for so long and I don't expect them to hold the current generation's interest for much longer in.. 

@Ben: Hey, I'm as not thrilled as you.  Have to come to terms on the matter though: The game's over ten years old.  It existed before digits on hands were invented, remember?

Let me be the first to let you know that I'm on your side for this one, but I want my point more to be about the question itself.

 

I think "all-time" lists are absolutely impossible to create. However, I also believe that how games age over time is both important and completely irrelevant. For example, I believe that Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past hasn't aged a day, and is still the pinnacle of what a game should be at all costs. To me, this strengthens its spot as one of the best games of all time. On the flip side, there are games I played as a kid, have gone back to play and just wish I never had. I would still include these games on my list as the best of all time, though. I think nostalgia is impossible to break. While you can be disappointed in how a game has aged, it doesn't magically erase those positive memories you have of it. On the other hand, if a game HAS aged well enough, it should show.

 

Super Metroid is one of the most overrated games of all time, and I say this in 100% honesty, regardless of the flame suit I may have to wear. I barely played it when it came out - I can admit to that... but part of that reason is that I could just never get into it. Gamers who have been around since the NES days always have those "games of shame" that we missed out on. I still considered Super Metroid to be one of mine, and I've tried many times to play it. I just can't. I didn't find it engaging then and I feel exactly the same about it now. It's just flat-out boring. The weird part is that I can play other Metroid games just fine... same with Castlevania games. It's not the genre, it's just this specific title for me. I do not understand the obsession and I probably never will.

 

To answer the question directly - If it HAS stood the test of time, it'll still be fun regardless. I tend to jump into my "games of shame" list quite often and sometimes I come away with a game to add to my favorites list. That's how I know it's a good game, despite how ancient it might be. I'm lucky to have been around since the 8-bit days, so really, it comes down to how fun a game is. Graphics, play style, all of that stuff is completely irreleveant. A fun game will remain fun, the end.

@ Shawn Wedick:

After playing through Metroid Prime Trilogy, and then going through Super Metroid, in order to prep myself for the abysmal Metroid Other M, I have to agree with you.

Super Metroid's wall jump is a mess, not to mention the controls, even for it's time. And in continuity, it makes no sense. She destroyed Kraid, OH NOES! HE'S BIGGER NOW! TWIST! MOTHER BRAIN AGAIN, OH NO SHE'S A T-REX CREATURE!! GOTCHA! Heck, if you have enough missles half the bosses can be "missile spammed". 

The original Metroid and Metroid 2 were interesting games, the latter for it's different items that changed the gameplay. Metroid Prime was the best of the 3D games. And it pisses me off that Sakamoto literally ignores those games because it doesn't go with his vision of Samus being a angsty, whiney, maternally issued woman.

Thanks to Other M, and Sakamoto's obsession of story (if you could call it that), I view the Metroid series as a weak franchise for Nintendo. If he gets involved in Metroid Dread, consider me not interested.

And I agree with Shawn, if the game is fun, nothing else matters. There's been articles that try to say that games don't have to be fun, I honestly think that's ridiculous, why would I waste my money on it then? Unfortunately, this generation is obsessed with "pushing the bar", and it's gone nowhere. Graphics are still not doing anything to better the game, the physics haven't done anything but show how unrealistic games still are, and the stories in games have made LITTLE progression.

Little positive progression, you mean.  And I'm agreed.

 

As far as Metroid being a weak series, I think you should check out Metroid Fusion for the GBA.  There were a lot of haters, but for the life of me I cannot possibly fathom why.  An EXTREMELY light story (Bonus: It's fun to go through!), good base Metroid mechanics, minimum BS.  I've never been able to play through Super Metroid due to the fact that I just had no drive to do so, but Fusion (And Metroid Zero Mission) I've gone through a great many times, each as pleasant as the last.  Honestly, the GBA games made a Metroid fan out of me.

 

That and Super Smash Bros, cuz the screw attack's OP as hell.

@Bryan: Despite our disagreements on previous posts, your inclusion of Kirby's Adventure shows me we, perhaps, have much in common. It was exactly the game I thought of I was reading this article, haha!

@Greg: Great read! My little brother sent this to my Virtual Console two Christmases ago after he played and loved it. We never grew up on Metroid, but he had been working his way through the Prime trilogy as it was being released, and loved this throwback we had missed. And yes, I really enjoyed it. But it definitely has it flaws--yes, the wall jump is like asking for carpel tunnel, and trying to figure out/remember where you're supposed to go next when you're a grown-up with only weekends to play requires at least an hour to get your bearings.

But I worry about creating excuses for games such as "for their time." For one, we don't do that with other medium of art. No one says, "Yeah, Shakespeare was okay for his time, when people talked to that!" Or, "Dali was okay for his time, when everyone was tripping on acid and melting clocks was cool." Sure, some people say those things, but the real appreciators know that those works are made better by those faults. And if anything, faux-retro games like Mega Man 9 show us that yeah, some of those design choices are just ridiculous, but that's what made their predessessors great!

Secondly, if we make excuses for games like Super Metroid, we don't learn from them. We, in fact, make them more sacred that way.

@Ben: Evaluating works based on the standards of their time isn't making excuses for them. In fact, it's how EVERY medium is criticized. I don't think you're going to find any "real appreciators" of Shakespeare who fault him for writing in the style of his day as opposed to the style of theirs. Appreciating games shouldn't be any different. Of course Super Metroid is going to seem a little archaic by today's standards, but what sense does it make to judge it against standards that didn't exist when it was developed?

 

To answer Greg's question, I think standing the test of time means passing on ideas to future generations. Super Mario Bros. holds up because it introduced ideas that developers are still using. On the other hand, early '90s FMV games don't hold up because they offered a very limited experience that game designers ultimately rejected. Someone might still enjoy playing Night Trap, but that doesn't mean it has held up well.

@ Cameron: It may be hard to find it, but there were mixed feelings on Super Metroid as well. After trying to play through it again, and after really observing it, it's not the holy Grail of gaming as I thought it was.

Greg, I started replaying Super Metroid after all the criticism I read of Other M -- after a few hours, my forearms became sore! Any game that requires such intense focus and precise execution of control will always hold up to me.

 

You're right about the wall jump, but you really only ever need to use that in one section of the entire game. I wouldn't call it a deal breaker. Super Metroid (and even more so with the original NES game) holds up because of its focus on exploration, experimentation, and isolation.

 

Seriously, I think you should play Metroid before playing Super Metroid. It's the better of the two, anyway.

@Cameron: That's fair. Perhaps what I should have said is that "for it's time" shouldn't be used as an excuse.

I still think the appreciators accepting the faults of older works is key to their survival. Even the most staunch Shakespearen scholars would never argue his work as perfect, and most would identify his tragedies as his best works. But in their time, his comedies were far likely more popular for relating to the audience of the time. Blindly arguing, "Well, the comedies were most popular in his time, so those are clearly better than the tragedies," would have closed them to his true genius. Actually, an even better example would be the emphasis placed on his plays over his poetry. Some scholars don't even bother with the poetry.

I believe that playing this game before you became "critical" of video games is not the reason it is now "interesting but flawed", rather it is simply the passage of time and what 2D and 3D adventure/exploration games have become.  They do owe, in spirit at least, just as much to Super Metroid as does Castlevania: SOTN directly.  Although I think that there are gamers out there that could pick this game up today and be blown away, there are just as many that would dislike it either because of the lost time factor, or simply because they wouldn't have enjoyed it in 1994 at any age. 

 

Saying so with quite a bit of pride, I saved up my money when I was 13 for a new SNES game, picked out Super Metroid via gut-wrenching decision made at the store, and it has been hands-down my favorite game ever since.  Atmosphere, atmosphere, exploration, and atmosphere.  Yes, the play control with the space and wall jumps was difficult, but that made sense to me somehow: it sure didn't look easy to do.  :)

 

And I admit with even more pride that when I turned the page of my favorite gaming source at the time EGM and found my #1 at #1, it made me grin ear to ear.

 

Sorry that you had a less-than-stellar experience in 2010, but I hope that it doesn't discourage anyone else out there from at least giving this masterpiece a try.

I’m not able to check in on this story for a few days, and the comments blow up! Great discussion in here. I wanted to respond to a few of your thoughts, which may serve the dual role of qualifying as the longest string of @responses ever!

 

@Jeremy: Well said. And I like to think I do recognize Super Metroid’s significance, and in fact, it helps me appreciate Symphony of the Night more as well, seeing as how it built off of Super Metroid’s base.

 

@Patrick: I’m sorry as well. Of course, we all have a handful of games we miss, and since I was a Genesis guy, this was one of my blind spots.

 

@Chris: Well put. I do like to think I have developed an appreciation of the game even though I obviously missed out on the magic of it from way back when.

 

@Antonio: I agree this must have been amazing in ’94. And remember, I did enjoy my playthrough, but it was despite numerous faults that hurt the game.

 

@Bryan: I couldn’t even get through FF7!

 

@Ron: Yeah, I’m scared to go back to some of my early 3D faves like Mario 64 and some of the PlayStation stuff for that exact reason. And you’re right; we’ve had a number of great remakes lately, but of course, we’re more inclined to remember the good ones.

 

@Ben I: I love Zombies Ate My Neighbors! Thrilled to hear it holds up.

 

@Yann: Yeah, a lot of those brawlers don’t hold up. I was recently playing Turtles in Time solo, and that got old real fast.

 

@Shawn: Some real good points in there. I agree with you the Line to the Past holds up well, as does Wind Waker. Even Tetris. It’s funny how some games stand the test of time and others don’t, since it’s something you don’t necessarily ever care about at the time but proves oh so important five years down the road.

 

@Keenan: I wouldn’t classify “pushing the bar” as a bad thing. In the end, it leads to far better games. When you don’t push the bar, such as with Crackdown 2, the results tend to be disappointing.

 

@Ben V: Interesting point on Shakespeare. At least from my experience, I found reading his stuff to be almost impenetrable at first, but after sticking with it through a semester, I began to really enjoy it by the end. Yeah it would be far easier if it were in modern English, but that’d pretty much rip the soul out of his work.

 

@Cameron: Good point, and yes, I don’t think a generation will go by from this point on that doesn’t experience Super Mario Bros...and make its theme song their ring tone.

 

@Rob: And Nintendo Thumb returns!

 

@Tyler: Great story, and yes, atmosphere counts for so much! I agree that is one of Super Metroid’s strong points, and it’s one of the reasons I’m glad I did finally play it. I at least now know what the fuss is about.

Thanks Greg! It's nice to find out I sort of know what I'm talking about, haha!

Disclaimer: I played Super Metroid in 1994 with a buddy as 'navigator/witness' and it stands as one of my all-time favoritest games of all-time.  So I'm a bit biased.  I think it holds up.  Have been playing it this past week in preparation for Other M, and the music, level design, and sense of accomplishment and wonder still gets me all charged up. 

But.  If I hadn't played this as a kid, I'm sure I wouldn't care 1/2 as much about it. 

I played Kirby's Adventure for the first time on Virtual Console a couple years ago.  Everyone had given it such high reviews.  It's not nearly as "essential" a game in the communal mind of gamers as Super Metroid, but still, the high marks had me expecting blown minds.  I finished it.  And it was okay.

So I get your underwhelming experience, Greg.   I just don't share your opinion on the game in question.  If I played it now for the first time?  Impossible to know.  I'm just glad I don't have to think about such a nightmarish scenario.  I know I've missed barrels of gems the first time around and I'll never truly "get" them the way many do.   But I'll take a little retroactive disappointment if the reason is this: there's just too many great games to play.

Super Metroid is a classic game. It was also ahead of its time and it's evident by looking at the games it inspired. Symphony of the Night and its sequels are only the tip of the iceberg. Super Metroid was ahead of its time because, as an industry, we can't stop making it. From Shadow Complex to Batman: Arkham Asylum we're still perfecting what was set out in 1994.

 

For all its flaws it struck a chord with those that makes games now; in gameplay, pacing, and atmosphere. I bought this game 3 days ago at a flea market and spent the weekend playing it. This was my first experience with it as I was a Genesis kid too. After finishing it I can see that it deserves its status, not for being flawless but for being a backbone of gaming for 16 years and counting.

 

Like Greg I played this recently for the first time. I'm sorry that expectations magnified the mistakes. He's right about its flaws, the wall jump was awful, the space jump lacked consistency, and the grappling hook is best avoided if you can. But they weren't bad ideas. I didn't go into Super Metroid expecting perfection and what I found was a progenitor of modern game design.

Personally, it's all ways been REALLY hard for me to go back.  I'm such a graphics whore that I usually cannot stand to look at old game graphics without wanting to hurl.  But when I have I usualy am ok, as long as it isn't anythng from the Tomb Raider generation to around the 2nd Mortal Kombat.  Before Tomb Raider, I'm usually pretty good.  I love some old games...  But mostly for their purity of gameplay not for really any other reason.  Like Pac-Man, Dig Dug, Galaxian, etc...  But games like Tekken, Tomb Raider, Virtua Fighter, Gran Turismo 1 and 2, don't have too many redeemable qualities.

     So what I'm saying in a round about way, is that old games are good if they have excellent gameplay.  But I'm not going back for story or any feeling of nostalgia.  However, I do love watching others play these games.  Don't ask, I can't really explain it. LOL...

@Timothy: I'd agree that the main reason most of us go back is for the gameplay. If the gameplay ain't good, that nostalgic shine will wear off rather quickly. Unlike you, though, I get a kick out of the older graphics...usually. That retro charm, if done right, works on me far too often.