Super Mario 64 was incredibly well designed, and more importantly, fun. I love that game, and it's also why I love Super Mario Odyssey because it feels like Super Mario 64.I consider Super Mario 64 timeless. Jumping running and dashing as Mario just feels as damn good as it always has done. There's something about the heaviness of the footstep sound effects and the skitting animations and the sheer gravitas of the jump. Just those kind of tactile joys is something that will never stop being fun to experience. Whereas mechanics like leveling up, or shooting demons with a gun that is fun at them moment but over time you notice that the gun lacks pressure and the feedback just isn't there, those things that feel satisfying on a more temporary level, are things that go out of time imo. Maybe I've derailed a bit from the OP that was more about artistic choices, but personally, I consider solid mechanics and thought-through design is t what makes games feel timeless.
And yeah, the main point here was that I feel a game is timeless when it's really fun, and what makes it fun are certain design choices that are themselves timeless.
For example, Doom is my favorite FPS series (except Doom 3), largely because every aspect of its design was well thought out, and it having guns that have massive impact is a huge thing for an FPS game for me.
Same with platformers really. A platformer with well thought out level design, snappy controls, and good tactile feedback as well as clear indications between safety zones and hazards really make those games fun for me. It's why I consistently praise Mario games because for 2D and 3D platformers, they're incredibly well designed and thought-out.
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