Not that old, but Prince of Persia: Warrior Within (2004).
I have not played that many games, but I have yet to find such an amazing action adventure combat mechanics.
There is a trailer on Youtube that does the system justice - everything can be done in-game, at your will, and it's not even that hard. Context matters, and it's so rewarding chaining different combos to plow through them like butter.
Those basic enemies are meant to be fucked up in every possible way, the environments often provide ample varieties of opportunities.
Then there are stronger enemies and bosses, which don't let you mop them around, so you have to fight them face to face.
The game itself is decent, there are some bad platforming parts, but thanks to time rewind they can be beaten.
The biggest issue is very low native resolution, and the game kept crashing on my Steam Deck. I will try it again, because I want to relive that combat again.
All three Prince of Persia games in this trilogy: The Sands of Time, Warrior Within, and The Two Thrones are some of my fondest memories with my original Xbox. Amazing games and I finished all three, but I've never been able to get into another PoP title since.