Old Anime Isn't Always as Good as You Remember | Trash Taste #317

"Kill la Kill would be the most controversial thing about it," one host says, and that tension between a show's artistic intent and the discourse it would generate today runs through this entire episode of Trash Taste. The hosts—Joey, Conor, and Garnt—pull items from a box and ask a deceptively simple question: if this piece of media came out today with no prior knowledge or nostalgia, would it still be considered good? The conversation becomes a practical lesson in how time changes not just graphics and gameplay, but cultural context, genre saturation, and what audiences are willing to forgive.

The N64 Problem and the 2D Advantage

The discussion starts with the newly announced Ocarina of Time remake and immediately hits on a core insight: 3D games from the N64 and PS1 era have aged far worse than their 2D predecessors. The hosts point out that SNES-era sprite work—games like Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy VI—still looks fantastic because 2D pixel art was essentially perfected by the mid-90s. But the jump to early 3D meant developers were learning from scratch. "N64 is like a couple of triangles," one host says, and the camera controls were "horrific." The auto-jump in Ocarina of Time and the frustrating camera positioning make it feel like an old game to play today, even if the atmosphere and story remain strong. By contrast, A Link to the Past doesn't feel o