@Koffeeking0407 I think the game was very popular in its time, so games like the PS2's God of War, the PS3's Uncharted franchise, and others could run; games that could garner a good amount of voice talent (these games hired professional animation VO artists Tony Jay and Michael Bell, who had been working on it off and on since the 1980s), and streamlined loading processes to provide a nearly seamless “3D environment Metroidvania” experience that hadn't been achieved before.
I'll admit it feels dated now, but that's because it was one of the first to do what it did. Now that we're living in later times, we can look back at it and appreciate its beginnings, but it's hard to go back and play it afresh.
Like playing SMB1 after practicing SMB3 for 6 months, this is just a loose comparison that came to my mind.