2D games were a relatively mature medium by the 90s, so the games people were making by then were just good. It took a long time before people developed a set

2D games were a relatively mature medium by the 90s, so the games people were making by then were just good. It took a long time before people developed a set of conventions after the general switch to 3D games. So a lot of the games from the late 90s - early 2000s period might have been really innovative and sold well, but often aren't very fun to play today unless you are a connoisseur of weird old games. it's almost like the slow shift away from silent film -- studios invested in it hugely and there were blockbuster talking pictures, but it took a while before people really figured out how to handle it artistically.