Too often the concise framework and trappings of a great 2D title gets lost expanding it with a Z-axis, or the end result becomes retooled enough that the original charm is flat-lined, or perhaps the struggle of a functioning camera in 3D space is too much of a hassle (the latter issue still plaguing video games to this day). It wasn’t just due to aesthetics (though 3D prowess of the time may have left something to be desired compared to sprite art of the later 16-bit variety), but issues with converting a game franchise’s gameplay to that new open dimensionality. Regrettably, much like many actors from the silent film era after the advent of “talkies”, few could survive that transition.
Suddenly every classic franchise had to make the jump to the third dimension in order to stay relevant. Once the landmark title Super Mario 64 shook the gaming public at large, 2D and sprites in general became passé.
For years leading up to the 32- and 64-bit age, technological advancement and programming know-how had strove to shift games past a plane consisting of merely two axses, and by the end of 1996 every major platform had a polygonal title to showcase how 3D gameplay can be done. The 5th generation of video games was a transitional period for the medium.
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