no they werent, the issue is they didnt match the first 3. The problem is CGI effects vs old tech. If the old movies were remade using the new CGI effects everything would be fit perfectly well.

Episode one is probably the worst star wars anything ever conceived. Everything was terrible. Then the second movie just had shitty directing, dialogue and CGI, which was a big step up from shitty everything. Then the third movie only had some bad acting holding it back, so it wasn't terrible, but it wasn't on par with the classics.

Personally, I think the CGI effects from the prequels look more dated and bad than the classic effects from the (non-special edition) original trillogy; and I believe that one of the primary reasons why most actors seem so wooden in big-budget blockbusters is because the over-use of CGI effects gives them nothing to focus on and interact with.

With that said, the special effects are not the only things that don't match up between the two series ...

The original movies have an underlying mysteriousness about all of the characters which allows plot twists like Darth Vader being Luke’s father, and Luke and Leia being twins to be a surprise.

Several of the exchanges between characters no longer make any sense, consider the following exchange between Luke and Leia

There is talk in episode 1 about how there will only ever be a master and an aprentice within the sith, yet in episode 5 and 6 the emperor and Darth Vader seem to be looking to recruit Luke Skywalker with no indication that the Emperor or Darth Vader has to be replaced. At the same time, the nature of how someone is turned to the dark side of the force seems to be very different between the prequels and the original movies; in the prequels Anakin is slowly seduced to the darkside and makes (moronic) comments like "From my perspective the Jedi are evil" while in episode 6 Luke Skywalker is forceably put into the position where he embraces the dark side to kill Darth Vader or The Emperor, or he dies.

...

If it was only a couple of things that could be excused, but in every one of the prequels you could list dozens of differences in the style and substance of the characters and the universe as a whole which do not match up well. About the only thing done well in all of the prequels which does match up adequately with the original movies is Ewen Mcgregor's portrail of Obi Wan Kenobi

Good points, I just have a couple of thoughts:

1. Regarding the 'one master, one apprentice' rule, you've got to remember that both Palpatine and Vader were planning to betray the other and have Luke for themselves.  In Episode 5, he tries to get Luke to join him by saying they'd overthrow Palpatine and rule as father and son, and when Luke defeats Vader in Episode 6, the Emperor tries to get him to kill him.  So, either way, the rule would still have been enforced.

2. Don't you remember your first twelve seconds of life?  What's wrong with you?   

3. Luke embraces the dark side to save his friends who he thought were going to die in that space battle, and Anakin embraces it to save Padme who he thought was going to die as well.

4. A few more discrepancies between the prequels and originals:

- In Episode 4, when Obi-Wan gives Luke his lightsaber, he said that Anakin wanted him to have it when he was old enough.  However, Anakin never even mentioned Padme was pregnant to Obi-Wan, who took the lightsaber from Ani's dying corpse.

- Midi-chlorions Way to remove all the mystery from the Force... energy field that surrounds us and binds us, my ass...

5.

The love story was just cringe worthy in the prequels as well. Come on, when Princess Leia said, "I love you" to Han Solo, and he replied, "I know"; that was just pimp. They had chemistry on screen, unlike Padme whatever her name was and Anakin Skywalker.

Um, Star Wars is the Star Wars of our generation. Halo is a video game. Two different experiences.

well if halos our generation's star wars then im leaving

I'm not surprised that the screenwriter behind shitty films with shitty stories would absolutely worship a shitty story.

Our generation's Star Wars is obviously The Matrix, unfortunately. It's got an evil empire, a resistance, a prophecy, a savior, and its own version of magic that only a few people are really good at.

... leaving your generation? Are you going to travel at relativistic speeds or something?

Spoiled Sport