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Games that are, and will always be perfect.

Anyone say Robotron 2084? Only game where I wish I owned an original arcade cabinet of. The original (I think) and still best (as long as you're playing it with two arcade sticks as intended. It's not as good with analog sticks) dual-stick shooter out there.
 
Stun Car Racer.

Too easy.

award_stuntcarracer.jpg






​
 
My list:

+ Uncharted 2
+ God of War 2
+ ICO
+ Tetris
+ Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (Subsistence)
+ Zelda - A Link to the Past
+ Zelda - Links Awakening
 
Perfect is a slippery term, but the following are all 10/10 in my book:

Super Metroid

Galaga
Contra
Life Force
Super Mario Bros. 3
Ninja Gaiden 2
Sonic 2
Super Castlevania IV
Super Mario World
Link to the Past
Yoshi's Island
NiGHTS
Super Mario 64
Majora's Mask
Soul Calibur
Super Monkey Ball
REmake

I'm sure I'm forgetting some. Not sure if I'd count any games from this generation yet. Only time will tell what has the longevity.
 
FreeMufasa said:
I need to get into this series. Where's the best place to start?
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Well they're all basically the same game, the later iterations adding a couple new modes to the mix, so the order is not really relevant. At the end of the day it's more a matter of what device you're more comfortable playing on.

I would simply start with the first Lumines for PSP. If you enjoy that one and want more skins (background graphics and music) you can give Lumines II a go (also for PSP). Its skins use some licensed, more mainstream music.

I haven't personally played the XBLA Lumines but I did play Lumines Supernova for PS3 and it looks and sounds gorgeous on the big screen! It has all the features from both PSP Lumines plus a new mode and, of course, new skins.

So yeah, as I said it's more a matter of what device you'd rather play it on. My personal opinion is that Lumines is best played on a portable, though. :)
 
Ducky_McGee said:
I feel I should step in and straighten you all out about Metal Gear Solid.

The acting sucks. The story sucks.

To better understand this criticism first let me explain how every story in every game is shit. There are no exceptions. The more the game places emphasis on the story the more shit said game is. Arguing over the acting in a Metal Gear Solid game is like arguing over the acting in a really shitty soap opera. It might be alright for a game but held up next to any other form of media (TV/Movies) it's shit.

It just takes itself sooooo freaking seriously.

IMO the games with the best stories are the games without stories. Very little va/exposition. You discover everything for yourself through interaction with the world.
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As much as I love the MGS franchise, I actually have to admit I agree. The cheesiness and overly convoluted plots are part of why I find it charming though...regardless of whether it's actually terrible or not. That certainly doesn't make it perfect, I know, and it's also got a fair share of other issues too (like crappy camera work). I probably wouldn't have it listed as perfect or best ever, but I did enjoy the hell out of it.
 
There are no perfect games, and there never will be.

(1) As quality and game preferences are subjective; a blanket term of "perfect" (suggesting universal, inarguable merit) is wholly inapplicable.

(2) There has never been a game in the industry that could not be improved in some way.

(3) Games are products of their time, and as innovations and improvements proceed there will inevitably be a point at which the perfect game will show its age.

Take for example, Tetris on the Gameboy. A simple, finely-tuned game with a deceptive layer of depth. Its exceptional, and outstandingly playable to this day but consider the three arguments above and how they can apply to it:

(1) The player may simply dislike puzzle games.

(2) If the game had colour, it would be more accessible and aesthetically pleasing.

(3) Tetris DS has outclassed it in some ways (far more of a range of playstyles, better music and visuals).

I can't think of any game in the entire history of the industry for which the three rules above do not apply. Even Super Metroid, Yoshi's Island, Sonic 3 and Knuckles, Portal and Curse of Monkey Island, self-contained masterpieces of the industry.

The word "perfect" means zero flaws, zero drawbacks, zero areas of improvement, and will stand alongside all games that will every be released as an unageing, untarnished pinnacle of the medium. Its an impossible dream. It should however, always been aimed for.
 
Ducky_McGee said:
I feel I should step in and straighten you all out about Metal Gear Solid.

The acting sucks. The story sucks.

To better understand this criticism first let me explain how every story in every game is shit. There are no exceptions. The more the game places emphasis on the story the more shit said game is. Arguing over the acting in a Metal Gear Solid game is like arguing over the acting in a really shitty soap opera. It might be alright for a game but held up next to any other form of media (TV/Movies) it's shit.

It just takes itself sooooo freaking seriously.

IMO the games with the best stories are the games without stories. Very little va/exposition. You discover everything for yourself through interaction with the world.
Click to expand...

Please tell me you're trolling. Either that, or you're incredibly close minded.
 
Perfect games? Yeah, I agree with the people who say that no games are absolutely perfect in every way. However, there are games which you consider perfect, because you don't care at all about any of the game's flaws, which are, hopefully, minor, while you love everything it does right. That's what I'd mean when I'd say "perfect", essentially.


On that note, in my opinion Civilization II is with little question the most perfect game ever. It's not my favorite game ever (though it is very high on the list), but somehow when I think about perfect games, this one's been at the very top of my list for a very long time. Sure, if I really wanted to I could complain about a few things (I wish it marked boundaries on the map), but they're pretty much irrelevant really, so I consider it perfect regardless. Everything about the game is exceptional across the board, and it's not missing anything of note. And it's not just the gameplay, either -- everything from the box to the intro to the interface to the graphics to the music are all pretty much perfect too.

Starcraft is very, very close behind it, and probably would be in second place. As for console games, I'm not sure, really. For racing games I'm thinking about going with my favorite racing game, Rush 2049. It's not entirely perfect, and is more flawed than either of the games mentioned above, but it's about as close as anything in the genre gets to it I think.
 
Mama Robotnik said:
There are no perfect games, and there never will be.

(1) As quality and game preferences are subjective; a blanket term of "perfect" (suggesting universal, inarguable merit) is wholly inapplicable.

(2) There has never been a game in the industry that could not be improved in some way.

(3) Games are products of their time, and as innovations and improvements proceed there will inevitably be a point at which the perfect game will show its age.

Take for example, Tetris on the Gameboy. A simple, finely-tuned game with a deceptive layer of depth. Its exceptional, and outstandingly playable to this day but consider the three arguments above and how they can apply to it:

(1) The player may simply dislike puzzle games.

(2) If the game had colour, it would be more accessible and aesthetically pleasing.

(3) Tetris DS has outclassed it in some ways (far more of a range of playstyles, better music and visuals).

I can't think of any game in the entire history of the industry for which the three rules above do not apply. Even Super Metroid, Yoshi's Island, Sonic 3 and Knuckles, Portal and Curse of Monkey Island, self-contained masterpieces of the industry.

The word "perfect" means zero flaws, zero drawbacks, zero areas of improvement, and will stand alongside all games that will every be released as an unageing, untarnished pinnacle of the medium. Its an impossible dream. It should however, always been aimed for.
Click to expand...
The only one suggesting this universal (or should I say "perfectly universal") meaning of the word is you. Unless you want to argue that the word has no meaning or that it signifies a set of individually real qualities that are never realized by a single real significate (or only for a negligible amount of time) and should therefore somehow not be used and removed from all dictionaries, you could have shortened your arguendo to "lol".

Language is too beautiful and agile to be considered by pettiness. Yes, people will have different ideas of what certain words mean in time to come and they did so in the years that came before. As long as the words are used and understood, however, they're real and applicable in whatever fashion people or individuals desiring to be understood see fit.
 
rCIZZLE said:
This game still gets more of an emotional reaction from me than almost any modern games. A lot of "oh shits!" to be had in Doom.
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Amen to that.

I see an interview with Romero, and I feel like a 13 year old again. He was my God - gaming's first real rockstar. And, in a weird kind of way, he was one of us. I haven't felt like that about many people involved with the industry since.
 
For the sake of avoiding nostalgia claims, I'll go with the only game this gen that comes close to total perfection:

Super_Mario_Galaxy_2_Box_Art.jpg


I really can't find fault with this game. Its presentation is magical, its levels are imaginative and numerous, its gameplay is as tight/measured/fun as ever, and it has the perfect difficulty curve for a 3D platformer. Simply the best.
 
These are the games i (personally) consider perfect. I know there's a lot.

Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne
Super Mario Brothers 3
Pokemon Crystal
Yoshi's Island
Ever 17
Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4
Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition
The World Ends With You
Demon's Souls
Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors

Some of the above have been remaked, but the original version is the best in every case, i think. I would have no problems going back to either of the above in 20 years and play them again.


And here's those that almost makes the above list, along with the reasons why they don't:

Rayman - Would be perfect if it didn't have the huge fetch quest to open up the final levels
Tyrian - Balance issues (plasma storm, laser)
Sonic CD - Physics are too wacky
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 - Bad final zone
Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 FES - No party control, bad main dungeon
Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga - Very Boring skill upgrade system, difficulty spikes
Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga 2 - Boring skill upgrade system, difficulty spikes
Heroes of Might and Magic 3 - Balance issues (Necropolis, Conflux)
Tekken 5 - Balance issues


sorry for the long post
 
ScOULaris said:
For the sake of avoiding nostalgia claims, I'll go with the only game this gen that comes close to total perfection:

Super_Mario_Galaxy_2_Box_Art.jpg


I really can't find fault with this game. Its presentation is magical, its levels are imaginative and numerous, its gameplay is as tight/measured/fun as ever, and it has the perfect difficulty curve for a 3D platformer. Simply the best.
Click to expand...

I agree with this, best game I've ever played, possibly the best thing I've ever... thinged around with.
 
AwRy108 said:
I'm about half way through MGS2 via the MGS HD Collection, and I can think of two major things that are wrong with it: Raiden and the setting. I'm finding the experience to be incredibly boring, esp. after replaying the first MGS and being reminded of how great the original still is.
Click to expand...
MGS1 is the only good game in the franchise, they started falling of a cliff after that, culminating in the almighty clusterfuck that is MGS4. MGS5 will be a pretentious 10 hour movie that asks you to press "x" occasionally.
 
Contra
Ocarina of Time
Halo: Combat Evolved
Half Life 2: Episode 2
Shadow of the Colossus

That's every perfect game ever.
 
Count of Monte Sawed-Off said:
Toejam and Earl.
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This.

Almost all games already cited in this topic have an improved sequel, but not even Toejam & Earl 2 or 3 could match the brilliance of the first one. It's as perfect as it can get.

I agree that all games could be improved etc - but 20 years later, there is nothing like the first Toejam & Earl. A truly unique game.
 
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