10 Awful 3D Video Games That Should Have Stayed 2D

Released in 1997, Sonic R – the first 3D instalment in the franchise – was a racing game, presumably set in a universe in which Sonic isn't way faster than all his anthropomorphic friends. Praised for its visuals – which now appear dated, but were reasonably innovative for the time – the game was lambasted for its gameplay. In particular, the controls were a constant source of frustration for players, lacking any semblance of accuracy, seemingly whatsoever.

The core appeal of the series is speed – which distinguishes it from similar platformers – only speed doesn’t translate into three dimensions, what with third-person perspectives preventing players from seeing what's ahead of them. In the game, the 3D is a constant source of frustration, causing players to crash into walls, or fall straight off the side of the map – plus, there are only five levels in the entire game, which is pretty limiting.

Later in life, Sonic the Hedgehog would achieve a relative amount of success outside the limitations of two dimensions – Sonic Heroes is particularly noteworthy, as well as Sonic Generations – but there’s a reason his games are nearly always such a mixed bag: the core concept just wasn’t made with 3D in mind, and he suffers for it constantly.