• Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!

The True Masterpieces of Our Industry?

original.jpg


I can honestly say I think this game is utterly perfect and there is nothing you could change to improve it.
 
Quake 3: Arena is the greatest piece of Video Game Software ever created. In a medium where the act of play is paramount to the experience, no engine or game allows for user interaction and expression quite like the Quake 3 engine does. It's one of the best playing games ever created, with an engine to match. Plenty of people can argue traditional artistic merit and value all they want, fuck that, the act of gameplay and the game engines created to support it are the true masterpieces of this medium.

Quake 3: Arena is a prime example of this.
 
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is, to date, the only game I dare call "masterpiece". Unmatched in quality, and ridiculously ahead of its time.

Tetris and Super Mario Bros. may qualify, though (at least concerning SMB) I consider them more pioneers in game design more than, quality-wise, being on the same level as OoT. OoT is both groundbreaking and a masterwork in every aspect.
 
Imagine referring to everything you've ever purchased as a consumer as "Our Industry".

These are the greatest tomatoes in the history of our industry.

It'll be some time before our industry sees hardwood floors like these.
 
I guess I can cosign stuff like Shadow of the Colossus, Portal and Journey. I'd throw Stanley Parable alongside those.

Tetris as well. I feel like Quake III should be held up alongside stuff like Street Fighter II.

I want to represent games like Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Metal Slug, Yoshi's Island and Chrono Trigger too, but I don't feel like putting much thought behind it right now.

I'm of two minds here tbh.
 
These are my choices-

Chrono Trigger
Mario 64
Metal Gear Solid
Grand Thief Auto: Vice City/San Andreas
Gran Turismo 3
Halo: CE
Street Fighter III: 3S
 
foolishoptimist said:
Pretty much every part of that game was executed at the same excellent level.
The story and pacing goes hand in hand with the gameplay, they aren't separate, distinct parts of the game. As the story unfolds, the gameplay changes, keeping things interesting.

But being a Masterpiece doesn't mean that everyone has to like it.
Click to expand...

That's a neat process, but the end result isn't as extraordinary as the process make it sound like.

Player only sees another cover shooting/exploration section.
 
To me, a masterpiece is something that can stand the test of time and be appreciated for years and years to come. There's only a few that come to mind. They are:

Tetris
Pac-Man
Super Mario Bros.
Chrono Trigger
Geometry Wars 2

Why? They are all masterclass in game design. Graphical, design, and technical advances over the years do not negatively affect the perception of them at all. One could play these is a vaccum and still think they are incredible. One could place then in comparison to modern gaming and still think they are incredible. It does not matter.

Honorable mentions:
Metroid Prime
Super Mario World
Ocarina of Time
Metal Gear Solid 3
Super Smash Bros. Melee
 
Knights of the Old Republic
Mario 64
Ocarina of Time
Bioshock
The Last of Us
Shadow of the Colossus
RE4
Metroid Prime
 
I personally would vouch for SotC above Journey. That's not to say Journey wasn't great, I just think Journey took some cues from SotC/ICO.

SotC made a world where the atmosphere is this fantastic, vast, and lonely landscape. The contextual music in that game is also a masterpiece.

Kama_1082 said:
Because if you're old enough you'd know that journey wouldn't be on the radar as other titles from the 80s and 90s.
Click to expand...
What a strange thing to say. Are you suggesting there is a downwards trend in games or something? Or are you suggesting there were very similar games in those decades?
 
Half Life 2. No game that I have played has the pacing and atmosphere like that game. It like the level design was amazing and I intuitively knew where to go without handholding or some video game arrow pointing me in the right direction. The action was intelligent and amazing. It had everything you could want in a game.

Mass Effect 2 for it's amazing characters and improved combat over 1. Not many games gave me the feeling of really being on a dangerous mission like ME2. With the added DLC the game is near perfect. One of the greatest games of all time

Fallout3. One of the most immersive games eve created, and one of the best worlds to explore. The feeling of not knowing what you will come across next is simply amazing, from vampires, to zombies, to mutants, and gangs. The game kept me hooked for over 90 hours.

That is just to name a few.
 
Rather than just list my all time faves ill do my best to be objective as possible about this.

Halo CE
Punch Out!
Daytona USA
Street Fighter 2
Ocarina of Time
Metroid Prime
 
Super Mario World
Resident Evil 4
Mario 64
Half-Life 2
Galactic Civilization 2
Tetris
Final Fantasy 6
Chrono Trigger
Saint's Row 3
Just Cause 2
Dota
OG Counterstrike
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
World of Warcraft
Civilization 4
 
There were so many..
Just a few on the top of my head:
- Portal
- HalfLife2
- TLoU
- Uncharted 2
- Red Dead Redemption
- GTAV
- Resident Evil 4
- Ocarina of Time
- Marioworld 4
- Mario Galaxy
- Super Metroid
- Metroid Prime
- CoD MW
- Wolfenstein :TO
- Demon's Souls
 
Took until post 31 to say Shadow of the Colossus.

I am weirdly disappointed. There's very little I actually consider a masterpiece outside of that.
 
WarioWare Twisted. The game is essentially perfect in my eyes. It's so incredibly well made and endlessly fun, no matter how many times I play it. It's not my favorite game of all time but it's the first game that comes to mind that I would call a definitive masterpiece (that hasn't been mentioned in this thread, anyway).
 
Wonderful 101. If you had asked me before I had played it then I might have said Doom 2, Metal Gear Solid, Super Mario 64, Ocarina of Time, etc. But unfortunately none of those games even come close to the 101.
 
bigace33 said:
Fallout3. One of the most immersive games eve created, and one of the best worlds to explore. The feeling of not knowing what you will come across next is simply amazing, from vampires, to zombies, to mutants, and gangs. The game kept me hooked for over 90 hours.

That is just to name a few.
Click to expand...
I love Fallout3 too, but let's be honest, if you had to guess what would be around the corner in a game last gen, any combination of 'gang of' 'mutants' and 'zombies' would be pretty high on my list :D

I think my favourite Fallout moment was the NV DLC, Old World Blues. I loved all the 50s sci-fi references.
 
Booshka said:
Quake 3: Arena is the greatest piece of Video Game Software ever created. In a medium where the act of play is paramount to the experience, no engine or game allows for user interaction and expression quite like the Quake 3 engine does. It's one of the best playing games ever created, with an engine to match. Plenty of people can argue traditional artistic merit and value all they want, fuck that, the act of gameplay and the game engines created to support it are the true masterpieces of this medium.

Quake 3: Arena is a prime example of this.
Click to expand...

Together with QW, I can't think of any games that come as close to perfection in what they were trying to do.
So, yep. Definitely the most obvious choice(s).
 
Ghost_Trick_Phantom_Detective_cover_art.jpg


My favorite DS game. Incredible story and great puzzles. Lovely characters and animation was godlike for DS.

Also a shoutout to Crysis. Truly amazing open world gameplay and graphics. Way ahead of its time. Shame for the sequels though.
 
Stalker: Shadow of Chernobyl and its sequels, Clear Sky and Call of Pripyat.

An open world survival game that didn't feel the need to shove collectibles, side quests, random rpg elements, and activities in your face every 10 feet/seconds. It simply dropped you into a detailed world and had the confidence in you to figure out what to do next.

We'll never see another game like them.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Dear Publishers (Health of the Industry - 2026)
2
90
728
archangelmorph replied
[IGN] 30 Horror Game Masterpieces
12
539
LordOcidax replied
GDC 2026 State of the Game Industry
28
2K
Dacvak replied
The Industry Runs on GaaS
5 6 7 8 9
427
3K
Felessan replied
Our girl is on the BBC!
2 3
128
810
Dirk Benedict replied
Top Bottom