Actually that reminds me, I think I'd put Meteos up there as well. It has a fairly simple gameplay mechanic, with extremely well integrated audio, nice looking graphics and art, as well as a large amount of variations on them all to keep you interested. If not perfect, I at least think it's the best puzzle game ever made.
Actually that reminds me, I think I'd put Meteos up there as well. It has a fairly simple gameplay mechanic, with extremely well integrated audio, nice looking graphics and art, as well as a large amount of variations on them all to keep you interested. If not perfect, I at least think it's the best puzzle game ever made.
I've heard this from a lot of people. I need to check it out.
Actually that reminds me, I think I'd put Meteos up there as well. It has a fairly simple gameplay mechanic, with extremely well integrated audio, nice looking graphics and art, as well as a large amount of variations on them all to keep you interested. If not perfect, I at least think it's the best puzzle game ever made.
I've heard this from a lot of people. I need to check it out.
I wouldn't be surprised if it was all me. :P Pretty much every 'which ds game should I pick' thread, I jump in with FUCK THAT SHIT, METEOS!
SHADOW OF THE COLOSSUS
Games as art. Beautiful, simple, and emotionally compelling. What I wouldn't give to see this on the 360.
I'm going to fifth this or whatever. This game deserves every mention it gets.
See that huge lumbering creature? After searching for it across a lonely wind-swept world with only your sword to guide you, you will cling to it's fur, scale it like a mountain while it tries to shake you off, and then stab it to death with a sword. All on a PS2 in wide-screen and progressive scan.
The Ico team will do amazing things with the PS3. For the first time they will be nearly un-hindered by technology.
How do you say this deserves the label of "Perfect Game"? I understand loving it (sort of) for the artstyle and story but the camera is fucked and the framerate is terrible. When you wish the game would appear on a different console presumably to iron out the technical issues it has, then it isn't a Perfect Game.
OMG OPINIONS ARE MADNESS
No - that's not an acceptible answer, if I can't question someone's choices then it becomes nothing but a poll thread and those are dull (and not allowed). There are a ton of games that I love and consider must own games, but cannot be called perfect because they have very easily noticed issues/flaws.
SOTC cannot be labelled perfect because it has huge flaws in the camera and framerate. If I suggested Mario Sunshine, I'm sure a ton of people would point out that the camera in that game would immediately make it not earn a "perfect" label (among other reasons). I'm not saying SOTC isn't a great game, I'm saying it can't be considered in a list of gaming perfection because it has flaws that many other games during the same console cycle didn't have.
Well, if you're determined to question it, then you're doing so for a stupid reason. Also, you spelled acceptable wrong. But I think you're missing the point of the thread - it's not here so we can argue about how MY GAME IS MORE BEST or PFFT THAT GAME SUCKS ASS, but instead so that we can talk about what was awesome about the games we loved the most.
I'd say that for a lot of people, framerate doesn't even come into consideration as to whether or not a game can be considered perfect. I know for me it certainly doesn't. Besides, SOTC is in my list of favorite games and I honestly never noticed the camera/framerate issues you mention. I was too immersed in the amazing game world to notice or care. But yes, OMG OPINIONS is an acceptable answer, and the only one that really counts, because that's what this damn thread is about. Your qualifications are not the same as everyone else's.
Also, your username is Lindsey Lohan, and therefore I don't have to listen to anything you say.
edit: and to quote the OP:
Keep in mind that your choices don't necessarily have to be toward games that are flawless in every conceivable way, just close enough to perfect that you have no real complaints about it, and can't imagine anything that could have been added or modified to make it better.
Your quote of the original post is exactly my compaint about the labelling of SOTC as perfect. You CAN think of things that would be added or modified to make it better - someone already said they wish it were available on the 360 - that's obviously based on things they feel would make it better.
If this is just OMG I loved this game than the thread is pointless and nothing but a poll thread.
Oh, and my username is Lindsey Lohan due to an unfortunate tails in the "Name Change" thread awhile back.
I'm not just picking on SOTC, I just remember being very disappointed in it after reading unanimous praise for it in this forum and loving Ico as much as I did.
Apparently nobody has mentioned this one yet so I will:
The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion
In terms of sheer content, gameplay possibilities, and personality, (each of those enhanced by the expansions) it's one of my all-time faves. I know it's been nitpicked to death a thousand times in every corner of the Internet, but I love it and am still amazed by it every time I put it in.
Since I can't think of a game that you can't imagine improvements for, that's my pick.
So is this a circlejerk thread, or a discussion thread?
There's way more problems with SoTC than the framerate anyway.
I would agree; having played through it recently, some of the colossi are profoundly irritating (although on the first play through this is generally muted by HOLY SHIT THIS IS AWESOME).
The fourth colossus is a little bitchy, but it's not too bad.
The seventh colossus is mostly waiting. It's a pain in the ass.
The ninth colossus is a bit of a dick as well.
The stunlocks you can be trapped in for 11 and 14 are pointless, IMO. It's usually possible to dodge out of the way with a roll but why make the player sit there while his character lies stunned on the ground for a whole ten seconds? 14 is still absolutely fantastic though.
16 is just fucking irritating. It's not hard to fall off the hand and just plummet, then do the boring climb up again. I was cursing a lot even this time, which is my third or fourth play through.
The camera had issues, as well, but that is a flaw with third person action games as a genre, I think.
In sum, SOTC was imperfect in gameplay, but not dramatically so.
When it comes to fulfilling its intent as an experience, it is perfect. The sense of loneliness and isolation is perfect. The vague, half-filled story that hints at a broken civilization and a history that you don't know is perfect. The sense of awe at each colossus is perfect, even the second or third time through. The fact that you begin to feel guilty as you empty out the last remaining sources of life and vital, natural energy by killing these giants, the fact that you are twisted by your mission as you slay creatures that don't even attack you half the time, the fact that the serene, empty, post-historic world is brutally disrupted by sprays of gore and ichor every time you strike, the fact that the last colossus seems to be the end result of your own corruption and obsession, the fact that your guilt might drive you to stop killing but the very emptiness of the world drives you back and you are left only with a sense of crushing inevitability as you are caught between the love for this woman, the manipulation of a mysterious entity, and the shame and guilt of what is essentially murder - that is profoundly perfect.
Shadow of the Colossus is so far the best demonstration of how video games, as a medium, can affect the player through experience rather than through observation or narrative.
Baldur's Gate 2, Portal, Mario Galaxy, Rez, God Hand and Yoshi's Island are perfect games, and Sonic 3 and Knuckles just about squeezes in.
Great though SotC and Planescape are, they're flawed.
Baldur's Gate 2, Portal, Mario Galaxy, Rez, God Hand and Yoshi's Island are perfect games, and Sonic 3 and Knuckles just about squeezes in.
Great though SotC and Planescape are, they're flawed.
Oh man, there are couple in there I forgot. I definitely agree on BG2 and Mario Galaxy.
So I've been on the fence for a long time about trying out God Hand. Elaborate and convince me! I generally trust your taste in games, as it seems to be fairly similar to mine.
Baldur's Gate 2, Portal, Mario Galaxy, Rez, God Hand and Yoshi's Island are perfect games, and Sonic 3 and Knuckles just about squeezes in.
Great though SotC and Planescape are, they're flawed.
Oh man, there are couple in there I forgot. I definitely agree on BG2 and Mario Galaxy.
So I've been on the fence for a long time about trying out God Hand. Elaborate and convince me! I generally trust your taste in games, as it seems to be fairly similar to mine.
Just be prepared to be thrown in at the deep end ^^
God Hand is both the best game ever made in the brawler genre and a perfect satire on it. By giving you the ability to create and customise your entire move and combo set, and combining it with a perfect difficulty curve aside from the initial jump, the game manages to easily outdo every other fighting engine I've ever tried. It combines this with a ludicrously over-the-top world filled with poison chihuahuas, overweight mexican elvis impersonators, midget power rangers and kicking people into space.
The one criticism that could be made of the game is that it offers the player no charity whatsoever, throwing you straight into the thick of the fighting without a tutorial or even a chance to get used to the controls. Given the general tone of the rest, however, this was obviously a deliberate design decision, and it helps the game in the long run.
The other main virtue of God Hand is that it is completely, utterly fair. Every enemy attack is telegraphed and avoidable, every encounter carefully judged. Like the finest of the old 2d games, every time you die is quite definitely your fault.
Think of it as a cross between Streets of Rage in 3D and the game version of Kung Fu Hustle. The difficulty means it's certainly not for everyone, but it has a fanatical following on these boards for a reason.
Super Metroid: This game perfected the atmosphere that the original NES game was trying to create - a lone bounty hunter in the depths of a hostile, ruined alien world where pretty much every living organism is out to get you. The soundtrack lends to this perfectly. It's very ambient, sorrowful, and chilling in places, and the area of the game where this best applies is probably Maridia.
There's also more than one way to go through the game, if you really hate yourself.
Shadow of the Colossus: For the love of God, there are vast, open plains, forests and swamps that serve no purpose at all. Areas that don't lead to a Colossus; areas you will never have to set foot on in the entire game. They're just there on the off chance that you may want to break what little convention this game happens to have and go explore them. Maybe there's a white-tailed lizard out there in the southern prairie (read: there is. Go look) or a lone, gnarled fruit tree on the other side of those cliffs.
Also, I never seemed to have framerate issues.
Cave Story: See entire game.
Super Mario RPG: When I leave Mario's house and set off along Mushroom Way, that tune starts playing and I get a stirring in my heart. Paper Mario and Superstar Saga get a thumbs-up from me for being similar to this game but still unique - but honestly, nothing compares to this.
Half-Life 2: A beautiful game in every way. From City 17 to the canals to Black Mesa to Ravenholm to Highway 17 to Nova Prospekt, this is a world that feels more there than any other game I've yet to encounter.
The operant definitions of "perfect" here are interesting.
They don't necessarily correlate to the quality of the game, but rather its...completeness, or success, in what it does or attempts to do?
For example, I would say that by most metrics of perfection in this thread, Pong is a perfect game. I would posit that Go is also a perfect game, if we go beyond video games.
Also, Curse of Monkey Island, The Longest Journey, Zelda's LTTP and OoT, Mayhem in Monsterland, X-Wing Alliance, Jedi Knight, Total War series (all of them)... probably more I'm not thinking of.
Rohan on
...and I thought of how all those people died, and what a good death that is. That nobody can blame you for it, because everyone else died along with you, and it is the fault of none, save those who did the killing.
I've mentioned this here before, but the original Relenteless (Little Big Adventure) was so different, fun and well crafted throughout that I still think about it today when people mention beloved games. If I think about it I can still pretty clearly recall sound effects, voices, images and details of the game that normally get lost in the blur of other simmilar games. With Relentless, it was pretty much a work of art of a different stripe. Even the music was really good. I still have the original CD (and the sequel: Twinsen's Oddysey) and have the MP3's on my hard drive.
Shadow of the Colossus: I never once was bothered by the framerate or camera. Everything else: the music, atmosphere, world and boss design, set up and minimalist yet powerful plot, the way you travel throughout the world and can enjoy enjoy simply riding around.
ICO: Basically everything I loved about Shadow of the Colossus on a smaller scale, but with an additional human connection element with the protagonist and Yorda. Wonderful puzzle and world design, everything feels a lot more organic than, say, the dungeons in a Zelda game.
Metroid Prime: First person exploration of intricately constructed worlds, plenty of contextual backstory to read as you go along. Like ICO, the combat is overly simplistic, but ultimately unimportant in the scheme of things.
Deus Ex: The music, the story, and the blessed Dragon Tooth sword.
Thief 2: Loved the original, but this one took it over the top. Absolutely huge levels, interesting atmosphere, and stealth gameplay years ahead of its time. Some people might bitch about the graphics, but those people are soulless morons who'd rather play a "pretty" shitty game than an "ugly" masterpiece.
For reasons previously discussed,
Portal, SotC, God of War 1&2, Half-Life, Max Payne 1&2
For the record, I've only played SotC on a PS3, and I've never run into technical issues other than the game being way too bright at times.
Games that would have made the list but had "just one thing" that kept them out of the perfect list:
Beyond Good and Evil: Everything was going so well, and then the fuckers had to screw with the controls for the last battle. Never finished it because of this.
Call of Duty 4: This game blew me away. The sniper sequence was the most intense gaming experience of my life. Then they had to ruin it with infinitely respawning enemies.
nosnibor on
When you're a spy, it's a good idea to give away your trade secrets in a voiceover on a TV show.
Perfect Dark. It's one of those games that are so awesome, and then you sit there perplexed as to why no other developer can replicate it's magic.
It had a fully functional co-op with a seperate character for the 2nd player, something Halo didn't do until 3. It had counter-op mode, which no FPS has done since and makes me sad. The weapon selection was gigantic and no weapon felt redundant. The bots... oh man, the bots. They actually had personality, intelligence, they were legitimately fun to play against. There wasn't any stinker of a map (except Car Park, maybe). The Challenge mode was fucking awesome and no game has replicated that, either. Player customization, from appearance to how the game behaved - and this was on a split screen game. Each player could individually decide if they wanted teammates highlighted, autoaim, what have you. Oh, and a pretty nifty rank system.
If only we could get a new version with a solid framerate and the still-dizzy-even-after-you-die bug fixed.
I'm going to suggest a series rather than just one game. The Legacy of Kain series was always one of my favorite. The very original I don't really count since its so different, but it was still good.
The first Soul Reaver, made me forget how repatative it was because all I wanted to do was get to the next boss to hear more of the story. Soul Reaver 2 was significantly better on gameplay and even more gripping. And the last Legacy was probably the most climactic finish to a game I've ever experienced.
I have yet to have a videogame story pull me in the same way this series did. Its writing, voice acting, and art design has yet to find an equal to me.
The bots... oh man, the bots. They actually had personality, intelligence, they were legitimately fun to play against.
Oh God yes. I absolutely HATE the rising trend of not bothering to put bots in games. Imagine if they had been a gaming focus ever since Perfect Dark, where we would be...
I don't always have my Gold LIVE account paid up. I don't always have a connection to the internet. My friends aren't always over to play split-screen. And most of all, I don't always feel like playing random asshats online.Where are the bots nowadays.
Baldur's Gate 2, Portal, Mario Galaxy, Rez, God Hand and Yoshi's Island are perfect games, and Sonic 3 and Knuckles just about squeezes in.
Great though SotC and Planescape are, they're flawed.
Oh man, there are couple in there I forgot. I definitely agree on BG2 and Mario Galaxy.
So I've been on the fence for a long time about trying out God Hand. Elaborate and convince me! I generally trust your taste in games, as it seems to be fairly similar to mine.
Just be prepared to be thrown in at the deep end ^^
God Hand is both the best game ever made in the brawler genre and a perfect satire on it. By giving you the ability to create and customise your entire move and combo set, and combining it with a perfect difficulty curve aside from the initial jump, the game manages to easily outdo every other fighting engine I've ever tried. It combines this with a ludicrously over-the-top world filled with poison chihuahuas, overweight mexican elvis impersonators, midget power rangers and kicking people into space.
The one criticism that could be made of the game is that it offers the player no charity whatsoever, throwing you straight into the thick of the fighting without a tutorial or even a chance to get used to the controls. Given the general tone of the rest, however, this was obviously a deliberate design decision, and it helps the game in the long run.
The other main virtue of God Hand is that it is completely, utterly fair. Every enemy attack is telegraphed and avoidable, every encounter carefully judged. Like the finest of the old 2d games, every time you die is quite definitely your fault.
Think of it as a cross between Streets of Rage in 3D and the game version of Kung Fu Hustle. The difficulty means it's certainly not for everyone, but it has a fanatical following on these boards for a reason.
You pretty much sold me at poison chihuahuas. I'll be getting this as soon as I can find it.
I'm gonna take a dark horse pick - Ocarina of Time. The game was so mindblowing at the time. First time in Hyrule field, just knowing you had the whole thing to explore...awesome.
The operant definitions of "perfect" here are interesting.
They don't necessarily correlate to the quality of the game, but rather its...completeness, or success, in what it does or attempts to do?
For example, I would say that by most metrics of perfection in this thread, Pong is a perfect game. I would posit that Go is also a perfect game, if we go beyond video games.
I'd agree that that's a much better way of putting perfect game than 'has nothing to improve upon'. Games that try to do everything and succeed at only some of them are usually seen as more flawed than those that try to do one thing and do it very well. I think that's why so many people would place Portal on this list, it's extremely short and focused on one type of gameplay. It attempts nothing else.
And ugh, God Hand? I keep hearing people raving about it, but...I don't know if I have it in me to get used to the controls. It throws you into the deep end more than just about any game I've played in the last few years. I spent an hour or two playing on the easiest level and didn't make it past the first area.
Call of Duty 4 was good, not great. They did absofuckinglutely nothing new in terms of gameplay. Yes, the set pieces were very well executed and intense, but I've always been fucking annoyed at the number of enemies shooting me in the head at once, 100 yard nade throws, and the half magazine of rounds baddies take to go down.
The C130 TV operator sequence however, was the best on rails shooting of the series simply because of it's eerie realism. Watch real clips with audio, and it's very disturbing.
Bashing a game isn't in the spirit of this thread, and I'd like to suggest
Mario Kart DS
as the finest iteration of kart gaming mankind has seen.
I really don't know if I could name a perfect game, honestly. There have been many games I've bought over and over again from my childhood to present. A few come to mind as truly great games:
Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
Super Mario World
Super Mario RPG
Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Shit. I was seriously sitting here for 10 minutes trying to come up with some Non-Nintendo games, but I couldn't think of any off hand.
Perfect games, to me are ones I could pick up years from now and play, regardless of depth/graphics/things that get improved over time. Super Mario Bros. and Metroid (in GBA Classics form) are games like that. As great as Ocarina was I doubt I could handle going over the same story again and again. Especially, completeist that I am, a collecting game (skulltulas, gems, jiggies, etc.).
I'd probably list Kirby Super Star if it were not for that fact Kirby Super Star Ultra comes out in less than a week.
Also, the ungame Animal Crossing WW. Whenever I have a lunch break I can't not pick fruit. If there were never another portable Animal Crossing I could see myself still playing years down the line.
darunia106J-bob in gamesDeath MountainRegistered Userregular
edited September 2008
Has Super Metroid been mentioned? If not, wth. The game had a story that was on par with most science fiction movies, graphics that had no equal on the Super Nintendo, a creepy atmosphere that was only amplified by the awesome soundtrack, and bosses so big they couldn't fill the entire screen. If not for the minor control issues (manually selecting missles can get annoying) if would be the perfect game. Instead, it is a perfect game.
Taking into account the idea of competing/emerging technologies, a lot of what seems to be considered 'perfect' games go back to earlier consoles. Super Metroid, Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, Secret of Mana, people didn't play these games because of the sweet ass graphics, but the storyline and the game mechanics. Easy to pick up and run with, the kind of game that really sucks you in to its world and keeps you there until your thumbs beg for mercy.
Have consoles like the PS3 with 8 cores spoiled us? So much more 'ooo shiny' not so much 'I had an experience'. It still happens, and a lot of these games that have been mentioned cross this generational gap (console and age).
When I think of the 'perfect' game, I think of the kinds of games that made my eyes light up as a kid, the kind of games i can put my 8 year old little sister in front of and watch her eyes light up the same way.
Isn't the idea of a perfect game too dependent on opinion? What seems perfect to one person i shorrible to the next. Did anyone lay out guidelines or rules for this?
Anyway, I say that the perfect game is one you can't put down. Not because of blind game addiction or shiny lights, or lots of friends urging you to play more, but the ones where you just don't want to stop playing because you have to know whats next.
Posts
A lot of people are crazy for SMB3, but I think it was topped by Super Mario World, if only because of the hidden alternate exits in the red stages.
I think the perfect video game would have to be Tetris. So simple, and so brilliant.
3ds friend code: 2981-6032-4118
Woah man, are you trying to make me love you a little bit?
I've heard this from a lot of people. I need to check it out.
I always thought the general consensus was that Super Mario World was the best Mario game (or, at the very least, the best 2D Mario game).
I guess I was wrong?
But yeah, I personally much prefer it over SMB3, which I wasn't a big fan of.
I wouldn't be surprised if it was all me. :P Pretty much every 'which ds game should I pick' thread, I jump in with FUCK THAT SHIT, METEOS!
For this, I call it perfect.
That game would be perfect, if not for that god-awful crying.
I love that game.
My thoughts exactly.
3DS FC: 5343-7720-0490
Your quote of the original post is exactly my compaint about the labelling of SOTC as perfect. You CAN think of things that would be added or modified to make it better - someone already said they wish it were available on the 360 - that's obviously based on things they feel would make it better.
If this is just OMG I loved this game than the thread is pointless and nothing but a poll thread.
Oh, and my username is Lindsey Lohan due to an unfortunate tails in the "Name Change" thread awhile back.
I'm not just picking on SOTC, I just remember being very disappointed in it after reading unanimous praise for it in this forum and loving Ico as much as I did.
The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion
In terms of sheer content, gameplay possibilities, and personality, (each of those enhanced by the expansions) it's one of my all-time faves. I know it's been nitpicked to death a thousand times in every corner of the Internet, but I love it and am still amazed by it every time I put it in.
Since I can't think of a game that you can't imagine improvements for, that's my pick.
fix'd
I would agree; having played through it recently, some of the colossi are profoundly irritating (although on the first play through this is generally muted by HOLY SHIT THIS IS AWESOME).
The fourth colossus is a little bitchy, but it's not too bad.
The seventh colossus is mostly waiting. It's a pain in the ass.
The ninth colossus is a bit of a dick as well.
The stunlocks you can be trapped in for 11 and 14 are pointless, IMO. It's usually possible to dodge out of the way with a roll but why make the player sit there while his character lies stunned on the ground for a whole ten seconds? 14 is still absolutely fantastic though.
16 is just fucking irritating. It's not hard to fall off the hand and just plummet, then do the boring climb up again. I was cursing a lot even this time, which is my third or fourth play through.
The camera had issues, as well, but that is a flaw with third person action games as a genre, I think.
In sum, SOTC was imperfect in gameplay, but not dramatically so.
When it comes to fulfilling its intent as an experience, it is perfect. The sense of loneliness and isolation is perfect. The vague, half-filled story that hints at a broken civilization and a history that you don't know is perfect. The sense of awe at each colossus is perfect, even the second or third time through. The fact that you begin to feel guilty as you empty out the last remaining sources of life and vital, natural energy by killing these giants, the fact that you are twisted by your mission as you slay creatures that don't even attack you half the time, the fact that the serene, empty, post-historic world is brutally disrupted by sprays of gore and ichor every time you strike, the fact that the last colossus seems to be the end result of your own corruption and obsession, the fact that your guilt might drive you to stop killing but the very emptiness of the world drives you back and you are left only with a sense of crushing inevitability as you are caught between the love for this woman, the manipulation of a mysterious entity, and the shame and guilt of what is essentially murder - that is profoundly perfect.
Shadow of the Colossus is so far the best demonstration of how video games, as a medium, can affect the player through experience rather than through observation or narrative.
Damnit you're doing it wrong.
Great though SotC and Planescape are, they're flawed.
Oh man, there are couple in there I forgot. I definitely agree on BG2 and Mario Galaxy.
So I've been on the fence for a long time about trying out God Hand. Elaborate and convince me! I generally trust your taste in games, as it seems to be fairly similar to mine.
Just be prepared to be thrown in at the deep end ^^
God Hand is both the best game ever made in the brawler genre and a perfect satire on it. By giving you the ability to create and customise your entire move and combo set, and combining it with a perfect difficulty curve aside from the initial jump, the game manages to easily outdo every other fighting engine I've ever tried. It combines this with a ludicrously over-the-top world filled with poison chihuahuas, overweight mexican elvis impersonators, midget power rangers and kicking people into space.
The one criticism that could be made of the game is that it offers the player no charity whatsoever, throwing you straight into the thick of the fighting without a tutorial or even a chance to get used to the controls. Given the general tone of the rest, however, this was obviously a deliberate design decision, and it helps the game in the long run.
The other main virtue of God Hand is that it is completely, utterly fair. Every enemy attack is telegraphed and avoidable, every encounter carefully judged. Like the finest of the old 2d games, every time you die is quite definitely your fault.
Think of it as a cross between Streets of Rage in 3D and the game version of Kung Fu Hustle. The difficulty means it's certainly not for everyone, but it has a fanatical following on these boards for a reason.
There's also more than one way to go through the game, if you really hate yourself.
Shadow of the Colossus: For the love of God, there are vast, open plains, forests and swamps that serve no purpose at all. Areas that don't lead to a Colossus; areas you will never have to set foot on in the entire game. They're just there on the off chance that you may want to break what little convention this game happens to have and go explore them. Maybe there's a white-tailed lizard out there in the southern prairie (read: there is. Go look) or a lone, gnarled fruit tree on the other side of those cliffs.
Also, I never seemed to have framerate issues.
Cave Story: See entire game.
Super Mario RPG: When I leave Mario's house and set off along Mushroom Way, that tune starts playing and I get a stirring in my heart. Paper Mario and Superstar Saga get a thumbs-up from me for being similar to this game but still unique - but honestly, nothing compares to this.
Half-Life 2: A beautiful game in every way. From City 17 to the canals to Black Mesa to Ravenholm to Highway 17 to Nova Prospekt, this is a world that feels more there than any other game I've yet to encounter.
They don't necessarily correlate to the quality of the game, but rather its...completeness, or success, in what it does or attempts to do?
For example, I would say that by most metrics of perfection in this thread, Pong is a perfect game. I would posit that Go is also a perfect game, if we go beyond video games.
Yes!
Also, Curse of Monkey Island, The Longest Journey, Zelda's LTTP and OoT, Mayhem in Monsterland, X-Wing Alliance, Jedi Knight, Total War series (all of them)... probably more I'm not thinking of.
Nothing's forgotten, nothing is ever forgotten
I love LBA and LBA2
ICO: Basically everything I loved about Shadow of the Colossus on a smaller scale, but with an additional human connection element with the protagonist and Yorda. Wonderful puzzle and world design, everything feels a lot more organic than, say, the dungeons in a Zelda game.
Metroid Prime: First person exploration of intricately constructed worlds, plenty of contextual backstory to read as you go along. Like ICO, the combat is overly simplistic, but ultimately unimportant in the scheme of things.
Thief 2: Loved the original, but this one took it over the top. Absolutely huge levels, interesting atmosphere, and stealth gameplay years ahead of its time. Some people might bitch about the graphics, but those people are soulless morons who'd rather play a "pretty" shitty game than an "ugly" masterpiece.
For reasons previously discussed,
Portal, SotC, God of War 1&2, Half-Life, Max Payne 1&2
For the record, I've only played SotC on a PS3, and I've never run into technical issues other than the game being way too bright at times.
Games that would have made the list but had "just one thing" that kept them out of the perfect list:
Beyond Good and Evil: Everything was going so well, and then the fuckers had to screw with the controls for the last battle. Never finished it because of this.
Call of Duty 4: This game blew me away. The sniper sequence was the most intense gaming experience of my life. Then they had to ruin it with infinitely respawning enemies.
It had a fully functional co-op with a seperate character for the 2nd player, something Halo didn't do until 3. It had counter-op mode, which no FPS has done since and makes me sad. The weapon selection was gigantic and no weapon felt redundant. The bots... oh man, the bots. They actually had personality, intelligence, they were legitimately fun to play against. There wasn't any stinker of a map (except Car Park, maybe). The Challenge mode was fucking awesome and no game has replicated that, either. Player customization, from appearance to how the game behaved - and this was on a split screen game. Each player could individually decide if they wanted teammates highlighted, autoaim, what have you. Oh, and a pretty nifty rank system.
If only we could get a new version with a solid framerate and the still-dizzy-even-after-you-die bug fixed.
The first Soul Reaver, made me forget how repatative it was because all I wanted to do was get to the next boss to hear more of the story. Soul Reaver 2 was significantly better on gameplay and even more gripping. And the last Legacy was probably the most climactic finish to a game I've ever experienced.
I have yet to have a videogame story pull me in the same way this series did. Its writing, voice acting, and art design has yet to find an equal to me.
I don't always have my Gold LIVE account paid up. I don't always have a connection to the internet. My friends aren't always over to play split-screen. And most of all, I don't always feel like playing random asshats online.Where are the bots nowadays.
You pretty much sold me at poison chihuahuas. I'll be getting this as soon as I can find it.
I'd agree that that's a much better way of putting perfect game than 'has nothing to improve upon'. Games that try to do everything and succeed at only some of them are usually seen as more flawed than those that try to do one thing and do it very well. I think that's why so many people would place Portal on this list, it's extremely short and focused on one type of gameplay. It attempts nothing else.
And ugh, God Hand? I keep hearing people raving about it, but...I don't know if I have it in me to get used to the controls. It throws you into the deep end more than just about any game I've played in the last few years. I spent an hour or two playing on the easiest level and didn't make it past the first area.
The C130 TV operator sequence however, was the best on rails shooting of the series simply because of it's eerie realism. Watch real clips with audio, and it's very disturbing.
Bashing a game isn't in the spirit of this thread, and I'd like to suggest
Mario Kart DS
as the finest iteration of kart gaming mankind has seen.
Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
Super Mario World
Super Mario RPG
Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Shit. I was seriously sitting here for 10 minutes trying to come up with some Non-Nintendo games, but I couldn't think of any off hand.
I'd probably list Kirby Super Star if it were not for that fact Kirby Super Star Ultra comes out in less than a week.
Also, the ungame Animal Crossing WW. Whenever I have a lunch break I can't not pick fruit. If there were never another portable Animal Crossing I could see myself still playing years down the line.
Also, Final Fantasy IX.
Have consoles like the PS3 with 8 cores spoiled us? So much more 'ooo shiny' not so much 'I had an experience'. It still happens, and a lot of these games that have been mentioned cross this generational gap (console and age).
When I think of the 'perfect' game, I think of the kinds of games that made my eyes light up as a kid, the kind of games i can put my 8 year old little sister in front of and watch her eyes light up the same way.
Isn't the idea of a perfect game too dependent on opinion? What seems perfect to one person i shorrible to the next. Did anyone lay out guidelines or rules for this?
Anyway, I say that the perfect game is one you can't put down. Not because of blind game addiction or shiny lights, or lots of friends urging you to play more, but the ones where you just don't want to stop playing because you have to know whats next.