thatJohann
Member
Tomb Raider (2013)
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The most polished games you've played
- Thread starter Creamium
- Start date
Triggerhappytel
Member
I played GTAV recently for the first time, and I would actually agree with you. Its detail and polish is so amazing that no other game in the genre comes close. It's things like the animations, the incredible lighting, the way the physics react on everything (especially the vehicles) are so detailed, the ocean with its proper waves and detail under the surface, and so on. It really is the most amazing game world ever created.
Elsewhere, I would generally suggest Nintendo and Naughty Dog games as some of the most polished in the industry. I also found Guacamelee! to be wonderfully, amazingly polished.
User 73706
Banned
Halo Reach for sure. You can question the actual gameplay all you want, but there's no doubt they poured their hearts and souls into it.
By comparison, Halo 2 was pretty unanimously the most hated game for the Bungie devs because of what the perma-crunchtime schedule did to the devs.
By comparison, Halo 2 was pretty unanimously the most hated game for the Bungie devs because of what the perma-crunchtime schedule did to the devs.
Guardian Monkey
Member
It means it's not done.
VFX_Veteran
Banned
LEGO Marvel Superheroes.. extremely polished game and GOTY contender this year for PC (for me).
Some great posts in this thread (Nintendo anything, RE4, MGS 2, Hearthstone, Gran Turismo)
and some really dumb ones... GTAV.....
great choice, a really tight polished experience
and some really dumb ones... GTAV.....
great choice, a really tight polished experience
scoobidoo112
Member
Replayed it at least twenty times now, loved the shit out of it every time. The various team members with their own friends/enemies, fully voiced btw, the size of the map, the amount of weapons and armour, the various people you can meet and the way it can affect a playthrough, different kinds of quests that can be completed in multiple ways, the way you can create your own character through this hilarious website and how the entire game takes place on this "laptop".
I just cannot imagine a more well polished game of its kind. God I freaking love it!
You can get it on Steam for $4:
http://store.steampowered.com/app/1620/
TheAdmiester
Member
Wait a minute.
Gran Turismo of all things is polished, while GTA V is a dumb answer? Gran Turismo has always been plagued with bugs. As fantastic a game as it is, it is by no means a consistent experience. It's fun but has very rough edges, I would never ever call it polished.
Just to jog your memory.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zmj6uYJF94I#t=68
The guy doesn't blame it on the physics, saying that it doesn't happen all the time, but it really does.
I should have clarified GT2, I never played 6
Lord Thrappleper The 49th
Member
That old Xbox game Yager, flying action game. As a young master I played this a reasonable amount more than anything else. It was amazing for me. The explosions, the fluidity, could even be challenging, the art, the music, and the one liners. They topped RE4 in terms of cheesy one liners. Everything about that game was cared for and loved prior to being released, and it worked wonders when it came. Every time I downed an enemy ship my butler would give me a pat on the back, and everytime I destroyed the huge enemy ships my father would buy land. T'was a young Lord's dream.
veloxStrix
Banned
The Witcher series seems pretty Polish to me.
Coffeeling
Member
SF4 isn't polished. Some parts of it, yes. But the system design is frankly ugly, and Ultra only made it worse. There's a ton of weird glitches because the game was made so sloppily.
What IS amazing about the game are some stages which just look like paintings, the animation is for the most part excellent with a nice sense of weight to it (something which MK9 for example completely lacks) and (at least pre-Ultra) a nice soundtrack. Much of the new music in Ultra is just made of bleh.
For me, hm.
KOF13 is pretty rad. It's one of the best-polished system designs I've ever seen and is nicely animated. The soundtrack is made of kickass, and the characters are strong and fun as hell. Some of the explosion effects are pretty meh, though.
Metroid Prime, Mario Galaxy 1, Sonic 3&K, Xenoblade are some standouts for me as well.
...almost forgot Golden Sun. Golden Sun is too amazing.
Says so right on the disc:
"Panzer Dragoon Zwei is one of the best 3D shooting games available. Presented for your pleasure."
Definitely can't argue with that. Panzer Dragoon Zwei was and still an immensely incredible game to play and experience.
left-handedGAF will strongly disagree with you.
Yeah, nobody can top Nintendo when it comes to the level of polish that is consistent across almost their entire library. Some developers like Blizzard and Valve are equally consistent but don't have nearly as large a library to compare.
Nintendo games are beautiful, perform exceedingly well on their hardware, and rarely have any notable glitches worth mentioning. You can just feel that Nintendo quality when you dive into a new Mario or Zelda game.
Nintendo games are beautiful, perform exceedingly well on their hardware, and rarely have any notable glitches worth mentioning. You can just feel that Nintendo quality when you dive into a new Mario or Zelda game.
LurkerPrime
Member
Resident Evil 4 (Gamecube), Super Smash Bros Melee (also Gamecube) and Civilization V (PC) are the standouts for me.
The first two are whole and complete - not a single aspect of them feels rushed or incomplete - and with Civ5 a great deal of work went into making it a smooth and intuitive game to play. All of them are incredible games with immense polish.
If I had to choose one of these three, I'd go with Resident Evil 4 - that game is just so masterfully designed. Everything about it is incrediblely detailed and absolutely perfect - EVEN THE QUICK TIME EVENTS! (The QTEs are actually gameplay relevent, especially in the later parts of the game.)
The first two are whole and complete - not a single aspect of them feels rushed or incomplete - and with Civ5 a great deal of work went into making it a smooth and intuitive game to play. All of them are incredible games with immense polish.
If I had to choose one of these three, I'd go with Resident Evil 4 - that game is just so masterfully designed. Everything about it is incrediblely detailed and absolutely perfect - EVEN THE QUICK TIME EVENTS! (The QTEs are actually gameplay relevent, especially in the later parts of the game.)
BlackRainbowFT
Member
AAA titles: any Nintento title...
Indies: the Joe Danger series. I think that In my Steam review I said that there is a "stupid amount of polish".
Indies: the Joe Danger series. I think that In my Steam review I said that there is a "stupid amount of polish".
Super Metroid. The amount of subtlety and secrets baked into this game is mind blowing.
It's hard to compare new games to classics like this in terms of polish. In 1994, they released a game once. Once. It had to be perfect from the moment it ships. Nothing is like that now. Nothing.
It's hard to compare new games to classics like this in terms of polish. In 1994, they released a game once. Once. It had to be perfect from the moment it ships. Nothing is like that now. Nothing.
Solitaire - Windows games edition.
I can even see my face in all that polish.
depending on the version you're playing, this can have bugs ranging from impossible to complete games because certain cards won't be generated, duplicate cards being generated, no cards being generated, and refresh problems.
Street Fighter 4 series someone mentioned too and I agree with that.
I don't know why ppl are saying Naughty Dog games. Maybe the graphics and sound are good but honnestly I can't stand controlling them (especially with a dual shock 3) and the AI is usually retarded. I get so frustrated playing ND games it's ridiculous.
And lol to ppl saying GTA.
BruiserBear
Banned
Burnout Paradise. Everything was so well executed at launch. Super smooth framerate, menus, awesome introduction with good voice over. It was just so well put together.
jimmypython
Member
FINAL FANTASY XII INTERNATIONAL ZODIAC JOB SYSTEM
That's a good example - everything was really high quality in all areas; hell I'm pretty sure I remember it being one of the few games to actually have custom soundtracks on the PS3.
I really wish more games were as well polished as this, most Nintendo 1st party, most Valve titles, etc. It's a shame that the majority of games, for a variety of reasons, just don't hit that high level of quality finish.
mcz117chief
Member
Lately I have to say it is Ace Combat Infinity. It plays like a dream and so far I had no crashes or bugs (some tiny things maybe but I don't remember any of them)
I suppose you're right. lol Vanilla left a little to be desired, at the start, but the issues were ironed out pretty quickly. Almost 10 years, man. Crazy.
Lord_Balkan
Member
My vote goes to Nintendo and Valve games, and a special nod to Blizzard despite couple missteps in polish concerning their more recent games.
I'd have to think long and hard about this one. There are quite a few candidates. Polished means flawless frame-rate, no hitches, no skips. Menus need to be fast and smooth while transitions should all be perfect. There's a lot of games listed here that simply can't fulfill those requirements.
Super Mario 3D World is more polished overall.
Err, the thread is about polish not scale. It doesn't matter how simple or complex a game is. GTA V has a lot of technical problems that eliminate it.
It's quite polished but I actually think it falls short of being one of the "most polished" simply due to the loading times and skipping that occurs during loading screens. While not a huge deal in the end it does prevent it from standing out as THE most polished.
Super Mario 3D World is more polished overall.
I'd be really interested to see what games you would pick. I think you obviously have a unique perspective on this sort of thing.
mcz117chief
Member
What ? Lol no ! I was trying to make the game run for half a day and after that I gave up and got it on the xbox...returned both the other day
I'm not sure if someone with a better understanding of the term has chimed in yet, as I confess to not reading through the thread, but here is how I personally define a polished game: one where everything the player experiences is as the developers intended it to be. To explicate, meaning a game where features that are not complementary, sufficiently refined, necessary, or beneficial are abandoned, while the features that complement the game's overall direction, are accessible to the degree intended, and play a sufficiently important role in delivering an intended experience remain implemented. This also translates to visual, audio, and interface design; it is doubtful that sub-par visuals, low quality audio, or cluttered UI are purposefully implemented or intended by the developers, except in a few unique cases.
The basic point of my definition being that the game, when in the hands of the player, is one that had a clear direction and succeeded in meeting this, rather than being a mish-mash of ideas that are either disconnected, inchoate, or collectively add to the game feeling bloated. Needless to say, based on my definition of a "polished game", most of the games in my list are small but focused games that employ simple mechanics, methods of presentation, and/or thematic design, and keep their scope somewhat limited to accommodate their vision being delivered. Limbo, Bastion, Super Meat Boy, Little Inferno, Toki Tori 2+, World of Goo, and many more come to mind. The list is quite endless, for me. Mind you, I have my own quibbles with each of them, but I feel that they are far more polished than other, more ambitious games.
The basic point of my definition being that the game, when in the hands of the player, is one that had a clear direction and succeeded in meeting this, rather than being a mish-mash of ideas that are either disconnected, inchoate, or collectively add to the game feeling bloated. Needless to say, based on my definition of a "polished game", most of the games in my list are small but focused games that employ simple mechanics, methods of presentation, and/or thematic design, and keep their scope somewhat limited to accommodate their vision being delivered. Limbo, Bastion, Super Meat Boy, Little Inferno, Toki Tori 2+, World of Goo, and many more come to mind. The list is quite endless, for me. Mind you, I have my own quibbles with each of them, but I feel that they are far more polished than other, more ambitious games.
Besides the usual Valve and Nintendo games...
Burnout 3 (probably first on my list. The polish value on this game was off the charts)
Mirror's Edge (because the game literally looked like it was polished haha)
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Resident Evil 4
Ridge Racer 4, Forza 3, and Gran Turismo 3
Burnout 3 (probably first on my list. The polish value on this game was off the charts)
Mirror's Edge (because the game literally looked like it was polished haha)
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Resident Evil 4
Ridge Racer 4, Forza 3, and Gran Turismo 3
Azure Wolf
Banned
Most Nintendo games ever made obviously, but as for a few others from varied sources judged at their time of release.
Shenmue: DC - Once they commited to letting you explore drawers, etc, they were truly in it for the long haul. Definitely more polished overall than Shenmue 2, which is still the better game overall IMO.
Sonic All Stars Racing 2: PC - Maybe the greatest PC console port of all time, made with true love and affection, possibly even ties with MK8 for best kart racer of all time
Barbarian: C64 - Big tits, decapitations, visceral highly detailed combat. Was hugely impressive at the time.
Neo Turf Masters: Neo Geo - Sparkling presentation from start to finish. Arguably the most immediately playable golf game of all time.
Splatterhouse: Arcade - Insane level of varied, gory detail with amazing graphics and sound design in a truly 'mature' setting.
Aliens (Konami): Arcade: Incredible fan service from Konami in a superbly detailed side scrolling shooter, lives up to the movie and more, gives everything that was needed to fulfil lot of 80's kid's dreams in 2 player co-op to boot.
Looking back on it many arcade games will take some rivaling in terms of polish if at least judged how they were perceived at the time of release.
Shenmue: DC - Once they commited to letting you explore drawers, etc, they were truly in it for the long haul. Definitely more polished overall than Shenmue 2, which is still the better game overall IMO.
Sonic All Stars Racing 2: PC - Maybe the greatest PC console port of all time, made with true love and affection, possibly even ties with MK8 for best kart racer of all time
Barbarian: C64 - Big tits, decapitations, visceral highly detailed combat. Was hugely impressive at the time.
Neo Turf Masters: Neo Geo - Sparkling presentation from start to finish. Arguably the most immediately playable golf game of all time.
Splatterhouse: Arcade - Insane level of varied, gory detail with amazing graphics and sound design in a truly 'mature' setting.
Aliens (Konami): Arcade: Incredible fan service from Konami in a superbly detailed side scrolling shooter, lives up to the movie and more, gives everything that was needed to fulfil lot of 80's kid's dreams in 2 player co-op to boot.
Looking back on it many arcade games will take some rivaling in terms of polish if at least judged how they were perceived at the time of release.
Nostremitus
Member
Hmm...
NSMBU, Mario Kart 8, Gianna (s/p) Sisters (Haven't beaten it yet, but from what I've played it looks like a polished 2D sidescoller), Legend of Zelda: Windwaker HD, Xenoblade, Portal, Resident Evil 4, Super Mario World, F-Zero GX, Heavy Rain...
I'm sure there are more... There are some that were well polished for their time but didn't hold up as well as others. These would be games like Final Fantasy VII, Skies of Arcadia, and Conker's Bad Fur Day (N64)
Edit:
Need for Speed: Most Wanted U, Gran Turismo(all of them), Project Gotham Racing (OG Xbox), Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay, Doom 3 (OG Xbox)
NSMBU, Mario Kart 8, Gianna (s/p) Sisters (Haven't beaten it yet, but from what I've played it looks like a polished 2D sidescoller), Legend of Zelda: Windwaker HD, Xenoblade, Portal, Resident Evil 4, Super Mario World, F-Zero GX, Heavy Rain...
I'm sure there are more... There are some that were well polished for their time but didn't hold up as well as others. These would be games like Final Fantasy VII, Skies of Arcadia, and Conker's Bad Fur Day (N64)
Edit:
Need for Speed: Most Wanted U, Gran Turismo(all of them), Project Gotham Racing (OG Xbox), Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay, Doom 3 (OG Xbox)
SniperHunter
Banned
a lot of Japanese games during the PS2 era:
Final Fantasy X
Metal Gear Solid 2
Metal Gear Solid 3
Ace Combat 4
Ico
Jak n Daxter 2
Jak n Daxter 3
etc
Final Fantasy X
Metal Gear Solid 2
Metal Gear Solid 3
Ace Combat 4
Ico
Jak n Daxter 2
Jak n Daxter 3
etc
Nostremitus
Member
Thanks for the reminder. That was a great game...