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My perfect games would have to be Half-Life 2 and Super Mario Galaxy.
HL2 is easily one of my favorite games of all time, and even though I really don't play that many first-person shooters (or first person anythings), it'll always be on the top of my list because of the storytelling, scope and setting. It just rules.
For a while I agreed with everyone that Mario64 would forever remain the greatest platforming game ever, and even though other games will be more fun, nothing would top it. Mario Galaxy was for me basically like Pink Floyd reforming with all its members and making an album that was objectively and nostalgically better than anything they'd done before. It's really hard for anything to take over nostalgia value for me, and Mario64 was one of the first video games I ever played.
Mario Galaxy was for me basically like Pink Floyd reforming with all its members and making an album that was objectively and nostalgically better than anything they'd done before.
I'd direct a response to you but your evidence for "Worse than all other FPSs this year", which I think is a list that you don't actually have any idea of the contained games, was to bring up 3 other solid games that are all about on the same level as CoD4, depending on personal opinion. Hell, I loved Bioshock's story, but I had to force myself to slog through the gameplay to watch it.
I've got no problem if you quantify COD4 as a perfect game. I simply stated the reasons why I don't, the simplest one being that it did not keep my interest enough to want to complete it.
Meiz on
0
DomhnallMinty D. Vision!ScotlandRegistered Userregular
Mario Galaxy was for me basically like Pink Floyd reforming with all its members and making an album that was objectively and nostalgically better than anything they'd done before.
That video really makes me want to play Super Mario Galaxy. Before it was a case of if the opportunity came up I'd play it but damn does that thing look really, really fun.
Domhnall on
Xbox Live - Minty D Vision Steam - Minty D. Vision! Origin/BF3 - MintyDVision
I'm not gonna lie, I got crushed by the SP of CoD4. This is why I will never join the infantry.
Also, I nominateBarkley: Shut Up and Jam, Gaiden
This game (available through google search) is the perfect parody game. Possessing a more well-thought out battle system than most 2d RPGs and good enough controls to allow for the execution thereof. Plus, unlike most collaborative fangames, it actually got made. While the soundtrack and graphical assets were almost entirely pilfered, they are used quite well. However, the real strength comes through in the writing and presentation of parody. A true parody, while humorous and jabbing at the source material (in this case JRPGs) also presents a compelling story in its own right. Barkley stands as both better written and more compelling than many JRPGs today as well as quite fun.
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.
Thank you. Finally, someone else with taste. I would want online multiplayer for the new version, of course.
I always thought the dizzy bug was intentional. The framerate does definitely hurt now, but I didn't notice it at the time. I agree 100%. No FPS has matched this calibre again.
It wasn't; Rare apologized for it in their Scribes column.
I wonder if it'd be possible to fix it via a GameShark code.. either forcibly set everyone's 'dizzy' value to zero or trigger a set-to-zero when they die.
That video really makes me want to play Super Mario Galaxy. Before it was a case of if the opportunity came up I'd play it but damn does that thing look really, really fun.
That video does pretty good justice to Galaxy.
Doesn't even manage to fit all the best moments in, though.
It seriously might be the best 3D platformer I've ever played.
Nah, scratch the might. It is. And it might be the best platformer in general I've ever played. It's close. Absolutely delightful, fun, and perfect game.
The controls and graphics prohibited me from enjoying SMG, in fact the whole game felt pretty brainless from what little I played of it before I couldn't stand it anymore. I do love the soundtrack though, and still listen to it quite often on my iPod, but that's it. Thinking about it now, I don't really seem to enjoy 3D platformers in general.* SMG did nothing to change that, maybe the genre just isn't for me. I really love 2D platforming though, New Super Mario Bros was amazing.
* (save for the Banjo series, I really liked that back in the day and am looking forward to the new one)
The controls and graphics prohibited me from enjoying SMG, in fact the whole game felt pretty brainless from what little I played of it before I couldn't stand it anymore. I do love the soundtrack though, and still listen to it quite often on my iPod, but that's it. Thinking about it now, I don't really seem to enjoy 3D platformers in general.* SMG did nothing to change that, maybe the genre just isn't for me. I really love 2D platforming though, New Super Mario Bros was amazing.
* (save for the Banjo series, I really liked that back in the day and am looking forward to the new one)
The only thing that saves him from succumbing to my blind rage is that he notes that he isn't a fan of the 3D platformers. Which I can understand. Definitely not for everybody.
The first videos of SMG gameplay convinced me that the Wii was a good idea. I was skeptical as to how you'd do a platformer with those controls, but it looked every bit as smooth as the others.
My only problem with SMG was that the waggle felt generally unnecessary. It didn't even interfere in the slightest, but it still bothered me that they're just using it as a glorified button press.
I loved Galaxy, but I feel like it lost a little something. It's hard to really pin it down to just one thing, but in Sunshine I could spend a pretty long time just parkouring around Delfino Plaza, and I didn't really get too much of that in Galaxy. I think it was the removal of diving that did it, I don't know... some move was taken away. OTOH, most of Galaxy felt like the "Secret Cave" levels from Sunshine, which were some of the best parts.
I also drastically preferred the manual C-stick camera from Sunshine. As I think about it, I don't think a manual camera like that could have worked out to well in Galaxy, so I understand why they did it that way (not to mention the Wii doesn't have two sticks). Still though, in SMS I used both sticks to control mario and was sad that I couldn't do it that way anymore.
My biggest problem with Galaxy was that there are a whole bunch of archaic design decisions that really sum up a lot of the ways that Nintendo are kind of stuck in the past. It really bugs me.
My only problem with SMG was that the waggle felt generally unnecessary. It didn't even interfere in the slightest, but it still bothered me that they're just using it as a glorified button press.
I actually found it gave a certain precision I wouldn;t have got from a button press, due to the exact timing of the motions involved.
Also, ball rolling and ray surfing levels.
My biggest problem with Galaxy was that there are a whole bunch of archaic design decisions that really sum up a lot of the ways that Nintendo are kind of stuck in the past. It really bugs me.
My biggest problem with Galaxy was that there are a whole bunch of archaic design decisions that really sum up a lot of the ways that Nintendo are kind of stuck in the past. It really bugs me.
Please, do expand on this.
The lives system. It is a broken antique from when you had to put coins in boxes to play with the interactive videoscreen.
The structure of the goals. It discourages you from exploring. If I am half way through a level, and I see an interesting room to explore, and I go and explore it, I may end up accidentally getting a secret star, and it then completely forgets how far into the current objective I was if I do get that hidden star. There is no reason to force me to repeat stuff by sucking me out of the level whenever I do complete a star.
I lost a race once. Me losing a race for some reason resulted in losing a life. Lord knows why this was the case.
The incessant beeping when you are at 1/3 health was ridiculous.
The repetition of bosses was a little insulting.
It was also far too easy to 100%, but that's entirely subjective. At least the difficulty curve was consistent, if a little too shallow for my liking.
None of these things make a it a bad game by any stretch of the imagination, I still love it to bits, but I would love to see what Nintendo could put out if they embraced some more modern design principals.
Edit: Some of the objectives were badly worded, and inconsistent. Sometimes "Collect all the coins" meant "Collect all the coins", sometimes "Collect all the coins" means "Collect all the coins and make it back to the star otherwise you die".
My biggest problem with Galaxy was that there are a whole bunch of archaic design decisions that really sum up a lot of the ways that Nintendo are kind of stuck in the past. It really bugs me.
Please, do expand on this.
The lives system. It is a broken antique from when you had to put coins in boxes to play with the interactive videoscreen.
The structure of the goals. It discourages you from exploring. If I am half way through a level, and I see an interesting room to explore, and I go and explore it, I may end up accidentally getting a secret star, and it then completely forgets how far into the current objective I was if I do get that hidden star. There is no reason to force me to repeat stuff by sucking me out of the level whenever I do complete a star.
I lost a race once. Me losing a race for some reason resulted in losing a life. Lord knows why this was the case.
The incessant beeping when you are at 1/3 health was ridiculous.
The repetition of bosses was a little insulting.
It was also far too easy to 100%, but that's entirely subjective. At least the difficulty curve was consistent, if a little too shallow for my liking.
None of these things make a it a bad game by any stretch of the imagination, I still love it to bits, but I would love to see what Nintendo could put out if they embraced some more modern design principals.
OK...
Lives? Would agree on the whole, but it's offset a little by the little bits of vicarious pleasure you get from getting more of the things.
Structure? Have to admit I never found that a problem, since exploring generally didn't find me secret stars, or if it did they didn't tend to be far into the regular level.
Races? A problem, yes, but the exact same problem as the life structure, rather than its own separate one.
Beeping? Granted.
Boss repetition? Done less than any previous Mario game (bar Yoshi's Island, of course), and in most cases was at least a significant variation on the older version. The second magikooper was a little lazy, granted.
Honestly, I'd say Gold Leaf Galaxy was a much bigger problem than any of these.
Didn't spoil the game for me, but that's just taste, again.
Also, all the above should be compensated for by the fact that Galaxy contains no QTEs. :P
Yeah, none of them are even close to game breaking, it's just, this thread is supposed to be about perfection, and those are the things that, for me, stopped Galaxy being perfect.
All the other games I would say have already been said.
Yeah, none of them are even close to game breaking, it's just, this thread is supposed to be about perfection, and those are the things that, for me, stopped Galaxy being perfect.
All the other games I would say have already been said.
Fair enough. It's why I wouldn't include RE4. Brilliant, but QTEs mar any game for me.
Yeah, none of them are even close to game breaking, it's just, this thread is supposed to be about perfection, and those are the things that, for me, stopped Galaxy being perfect.
All the other games I would say have already been said.
Fair enough. It's why I wouldn't include RE4. Brilliant, but QTEs mar any game for me.
I'm about to smack you.
PRESS B QUI...
Too late, I smacked you. You're dead from a smack.
-Tenchu: Fatal Shadows. Honestly, I like it better than Wrath of Heaven. The level designs aren't quite as good, but the graphics are much improved, the music is great, and the bosses, music and general art design is better. Love me some Tenchu.
-Hitman: Blood Money. Truly, the pinnacle of 47's career.
-Virtua Fighter 4, 4: Evo, and 5. The best fighting game there ever was. All 3 of 'em.
-Grand Theft Auto 4. Simply astounding.
-Portal.
Chance on
'Chance, you are the best kind of whore.' -Henroid
Yeah, none of them are even close to game breaking, it's just, this thread is supposed to be about perfection, and those are the things that, for me, stopped Galaxy being perfect.
All the other games I would say have already been said.
Fair enough. It's why I wouldn't include RE4. Brilliant, but QTEs mar any game for me.
I'm about to smack you.
PRESS B QUI...
Too late, I smacked you. You're dead from a smack.
QTEs are a bitch, but you have to admit the knife-fight in RE4 was amazing. Goddamn fantastic. But other than that, I do have a dislike for QTEs.
Yeah, none of them are even close to game breaking, it's just, this thread is supposed to be about perfection, and those are the things that, for me, stopped Galaxy being perfect.
All the other games I would say have already been said.
Fair enough. It's why I wouldn't include RE4. Brilliant, but QTEs mar any game for me.
I'm about to smack you.
PRESS B QUI...
Too late, I smacked you. You're dead from a smack.
QTEs are a bitch, but you have to admit the knife-fight in RE4 was amazing. Goddamn fantastic. But other than that, I do have a dislike for QTEs.
That knife fight was awful.
'Umbrella?..'
'Ohh...Almost let it slip..'
Domhnall on
Xbox Live - Minty D Vision Steam - Minty D. Vision! Origin/BF3 - MintyDVision
Are you insane and/or serious? That game was the low point of the FF franchise for me because that was when the games turned from the road of excellent characters and story telling to emotard moody heroes. Give me a wisecracking Locke or arrogant Edgar to any one of your Clouds and Squalls.
And on that note, Sephiroth was a pussy. Kefka for President. Bitches.
I've never had a problem with QTEs - I'd rather see cut-scenes done away with first in most games.
QTEs are one of the things keeping cut-scenes alive.
They're the same problem.
that's more or less my point - I consider cut-scenes to be the root of the problem. if there weren't any more cut-scenes, there would be less grounds for QTEs.
METAzraeL on
dream a little dream or you could live a little dream
sleep forever if you wish to be a dreamer
Cloud = emotard moody hero. Give me a wisecracking Locke or arrogant Edgar to any one of your Clouds and Squalls.
How about an underdeveloped Locke or a simple Edgar? There was little noteworthy character development in 6 beyond Terra. There were moments that were designed to be emotional, but fell completely flat due to the lack of character depth. It's not the game's fault; square was learning how to work in a meaningful narrative. They succeeded in 7.
Cloud isn't emo. Squall is emo. Cloud is more of a scarred ex-junkie than a bitch. It's not his fault he was completely overdosed with Mako, and it wasn't conscious of him to replace pieces of himself with pieces of his mentor while healing from the overdose. It was a coping mechanism. And that would be a little disturbing, so maybe that's why he's not wisecracking like Locke or sucking eagerness' dick like Tidus.
If you don't want a protagonist with semi-reasonable feelings, go jerk off to Zelda. FF6 is a cast of cardboard cut-outs as compared to 7.
But this debate stretches into infinity, and I'm quite certain anything said within the hallowed pages of PA won't be the last word.
And Sephiroth is undoubtedly cooler than a fucking sadistic clown.
I've never had a problem with QTEs - I'd rather see cut-scenes done away with first in most games.
QTEs are one of the things keeping cut-scenes alive.
They're the same problem.
that's more or less my point - I consider cut-scenes to be the root of the problem. if there weren't any more cut-scenes, there would be less grounds for QTEs.
The difference is that cutscenes arose out of hardware limitations.
They're simply outmoded and archaic.
QTEs are inexcusable.
Posts
HL2 is easily one of my favorite games of all time, and even though I really don't play that many first-person shooters (or first person anythings), it'll always be on the top of my list because of the storytelling, scope and setting. It just rules.
For a while I agreed with everyone that Mario64 would forever remain the greatest platforming game ever, and even though other games will be more fun, nothing would top it. Mario Galaxy was for me basically like Pink Floyd reforming with all its members and making an album that was objectively and nostalgically better than anything they'd done before. It's really hard for anything to take over nostalgia value for me, and Mario64 was one of the first video games I ever played.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOh968qao74
I've got no problem if you quantify COD4 as a perfect game. I simply stated the reasons why I don't, the simplest one being that it did not keep my interest enough to want to complete it.
Go Syd Barret, go Syd Barret, go!
That video really makes me want to play Super Mario Galaxy. Before it was a case of if the opportunity came up I'd play it but damn does that thing look really, really fun.
Steam - Minty D. Vision!
Origin/BF3 - MintyDVision
Also, I nominateBarkley: Shut Up and Jam, Gaiden
This game (available through google search) is the perfect parody game. Possessing a more well-thought out battle system than most 2d RPGs and good enough controls to allow for the execution thereof. Plus, unlike most collaborative fangames, it actually got made. While the soundtrack and graphical assets were almost entirely pilfered, they are used quite well. However, the real strength comes through in the writing and presentation of parody. A true parody, while humorous and jabbing at the source material (in this case JRPGs) also presents a compelling story in its own right. Barkley stands as both better written and more compelling than many JRPGs today as well as quite fun.
And it's still being played online! http://www.projectmagma.net/what/
Spoiled for largeness.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYjgE8NpPBk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYBNln7BE7M
It wasn't; Rare apologized for it in their Scribes column.
I wonder if it'd be possible to fix it via a GameShark code.. either forcibly set everyone's 'dizzy' value to zero or trigger a set-to-zero when they die.
That video does pretty good justice to Galaxy.
Doesn't even manage to fit all the best moments in, though.
It seriously might be the best 3D platformer I've ever played.
Nah, scratch the might. It is. And it might be the best platformer in general I've ever played. It's close. Absolutely delightful, fun, and perfect game.
* (save for the Banjo series, I really liked that back in the day and am looking forward to the new one)
but the controls were perfect
and the graphics are incredible
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxQ-Vu2zAHM
I'm still undecided. I just wanted an excuse to put up this fucking awesome song.
All the Galaxy comments make me want to nominate it as well, but I feel that game is too soon for me to list it.
I don't take my perfect list lightly.
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I also drastically preferred the manual C-stick camera from Sunshine. As I think about it, I don't think a manual camera like that could have worked out to well in Galaxy, so I understand why they did it that way (not to mention the Wii doesn't have two sticks). Still though, in SMS I used both sticks to control mario and was sad that I couldn't do it that way anymore.
I actually found it gave a certain precision I wouldn;t have got from a button press, due to the exact timing of the motions involved.
Also, ball rolling and ray surfing levels.
Please, do expand on this.
The lives system. It is a broken antique from when you had to put coins in boxes to play with the interactive videoscreen.
The structure of the goals. It discourages you from exploring. If I am half way through a level, and I see an interesting room to explore, and I go and explore it, I may end up accidentally getting a secret star, and it then completely forgets how far into the current objective I was if I do get that hidden star. There is no reason to force me to repeat stuff by sucking me out of the level whenever I do complete a star.
I lost a race once. Me losing a race for some reason resulted in losing a life. Lord knows why this was the case.
The incessant beeping when you are at 1/3 health was ridiculous.
The repetition of bosses was a little insulting.
It was also far too easy to 100%, but that's entirely subjective. At least the difficulty curve was consistent, if a little too shallow for my liking.
None of these things make a it a bad game by any stretch of the imagination, I still love it to bits, but I would love to see what Nintendo could put out if they embraced some more modern design principals.
Edit: Some of the objectives were badly worded, and inconsistent. Sometimes "Collect all the coins" meant "Collect all the coins", sometimes "Collect all the coins" means "Collect all the coins and make it back to the star otherwise you die".
Lives? Would agree on the whole, but it's offset a little by the little bits of vicarious pleasure you get from getting more of the things.
Structure? Have to admit I never found that a problem, since exploring generally didn't find me secret stars, or if it did they didn't tend to be far into the regular level.
Races? A problem, yes, but the exact same problem as the life structure, rather than its own separate one.
Beeping? Granted.
Boss repetition? Done less than any previous Mario game (bar Yoshi's Island, of course), and in most cases was at least a significant variation on the older version. The second magikooper was a little lazy, granted.
Honestly, I'd say Gold Leaf Galaxy was a much bigger problem than any of these.
Didn't spoil the game for me, but that's just taste, again.
Also, all the above should be compensated for by the fact that Galaxy contains no QTEs. :P
All the other games I would say have already been said.
http://www.remar.se/daniel/iji.php
Fair enough. It's why I wouldn't include RE4. Brilliant, but QTEs mar any game for me.
I'm about to smack you.
PRESS B QUI...
Too late, I smacked you. You're dead from a smack.
-Tenchu: Fatal Shadows. Honestly, I like it better than Wrath of Heaven. The level designs aren't quite as good, but the graphics are much improved, the music is great, and the bosses, music and general art design is better. Love me some Tenchu.
-Hitman: Blood Money. Truly, the pinnacle of 47's career.
-Virtua Fighter 4, 4: Evo, and 5. The best fighting game there ever was. All 3 of 'em.
-Grand Theft Auto 4. Simply astounding.
-Portal.
Fuck yeah!
QTEs are a bitch, but you have to admit the knife-fight in RE4 was amazing. Goddamn fantastic. But other than that, I do have a dislike for QTEs.
dream a little dream or you could live a little dream
sleep forever if you wish to be a dreamer
QTEs are one of the things keeping cut-scenes alive.
They're the same problem.
That knife fight was awful.
'Umbrella?..'
'Ohh...Almost let it slip..'
Steam - Minty D. Vision!
Origin/BF3 - MintyDVision
*awaits other FFVI fanboi soldiers*
*deep breath*
Are you insane and/or serious? That game was the low point of the FF franchise for me because that was when the games turned from the road of excellent characters and story telling to emotard moody heroes. Give me a wisecracking Locke or arrogant Edgar to any one of your Clouds and Squalls.
And on that note, Sephiroth was a pussy. Kefka for President. Bitches.
Battlenet: Judgement#1243
psn: KupoZero
dream a little dream or you could live a little dream
sleep forever if you wish to be a dreamer
How about an underdeveloped Locke or a simple Edgar? There was little noteworthy character development in 6 beyond Terra. There were moments that were designed to be emotional, but fell completely flat due to the lack of character depth. It's not the game's fault; square was learning how to work in a meaningful narrative. They succeeded in 7.
Cloud isn't emo. Squall is emo. Cloud is more of a scarred ex-junkie than a bitch. It's not his fault he was completely overdosed with Mako, and it wasn't conscious of him to replace pieces of himself with pieces of his mentor while healing from the overdose. It was a coping mechanism. And that would be a little disturbing, so maybe that's why he's not wisecracking like Locke or sucking eagerness' dick like Tidus.
If you don't want a protagonist with semi-reasonable feelings, go jerk off to Zelda. FF6 is a cast of cardboard cut-outs as compared to 7.
But this debate stretches into infinity, and I'm quite certain anything said within the hallowed pages of PA won't be the last word.
And Sephiroth is undoubtedly cooler than a fucking sadistic clown.
The difference is that cutscenes arose out of hardware limitations.
They're simply outmoded and archaic.
QTEs are inexcusable.