The List of "Masterpieces"

I thought it might be fun to try and get together a list of games that are widely considered masterpieces.

These are games that did far more than they needed to to please players and did so with as much polish as is possible at the time of release as well as having maticulous attention to excellent game design. I also believe a masterpiece must stand the test of time so I will not list any game that was released in the past four years or so.

I will listsome obvious choices and I want you to make cases for the games you believe should be included. I will update the list accordingly

-Super Mario Bros. 3

-Tetris

-Chrono Trigger

-Super Metroid

-Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

-The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of time

-Half Life

-Metroid Prime

-Shenmue

-Metal Gear Solid

-Starcraft

-Resident Evil 4

Shenmue or Parasite eve 2

I thought it might be fun to try and get together a list of games that are widely considered masterpieces.

These are games that did far more than they needed to to please players and did so with as much polish as is possible at the time of release as well as having maticulous attention to excellent game design. I also believe a masterpiece must stand the test of time so I will not list any game that was released in the past four years or so.

I will listsome obvious choices and I want you to make cases for the games you believe should be included. I will update the list accordingly

-Super Mario Bros. 3

-Chrono Trigger

-Super Metroid

-Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

-The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of time

-Half Life

-Metroid Prime

Pikminmaniac

I will try to make my case for my fav games to be called masterpieces later maybe but what is your opinion on Gamespot's list (assuming 10 is masterpiece)

Super Mario Galaxy 2

Metal Gear Solid 4

Grand Theft Auto IV

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3

Chrono Cross

Soul Calibur

and OoT (though you probably agree with that one)

I thought it might be fun to try and get together a list of games that are widely considered masterpieces.

These are games that did far more than they needed to to please players and did so with as much polish as is possible at the time of release as well as having maticulous attention to excellent game design. I also believe a masterpiece must stand the test of time so I will not list any game that was released in the past four years or so.

I will listsome obvious choices and I want you to make cases for the games you believe should be included. I will update the list accordingly

-Super Mario Bros. 3

-Chrono Trigger

-Super Metroid

-Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

-The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of time

-Half Life

-Metroid Prime

Pikminmaniac

Final Fantasy 7, Tales of Symphonia, World of Warcraft, Diablo 2, Star Craft, Deus Ex

Also:

Shadow of the Colossus

Inb4 some idiot puts halo, half-life, metroid prime, goldeneye, gears of war, resident evil 4, gta, metal gear solid, or Braid.SteverXIII

Haha, too late. Go troll somewhere else. :roll:

My personal list:

- Super Mario Bros. 3
- Zelda: Link to the Past
- Secret of Mana
- Doom II
- Perfect Dark
- Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2
- RollerCoaster Tycoon
- Homeworld
- Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri
- Age of Empires II
- Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
- Gran Turismo 2
- Burnout 3: Takedown
- Tales of the Abyss

That's about as recent as I'll go.

REAL masterpieces. DOOM Wolfenstein 3D Tekken 3 Tetris Super Mario 64 Duke Nukem 3DSteverXIII

Where is Resident Evil 4 and why is it not a masterpeace?

• Heroes of Might & Magic III
• GTA: San Andreas
  
• Might & Magic VI: The Mandate of Heaven
• Diablo
• Commandos 2
  

[QUOTE="SteverXIII"]REAL masterpieces. DOOM Wolfenstein 3D Tekken 3 Tetris Super Mario 64 Duke Nukem 3DBanjo_Kongfooie

Where is Resident Evil 4 and why is it not a masterpeace?

I think Resident Evil 4 is great, but not a masterpiece. If any RES games deserve a masterpiece title I think it would be Code: Veronica. Just my opinion though.

Games I'd consider masterpieces based on their influence

Tetris: The original puzzle game, there are literally thousands of clones of this game
Super Mario Bros: Popularized nearly every convention of 2d sidescrollers
The Legend of Zelda: People who think GTA3 was the "original" open-world action game need to play this first
Street Fighter 2: Any fighting game you've ever played needs to thank SF2 for establishing the conventions of this genre
Doom: The first fps to gain mainstream popularity
Super Mario Kart: The original "split-screen" multiplayer game
Super Mario 64: Ever played a 3rd-person action game? Here's the reason it controls and camera work so well in it.
Final Fantasy 7: This game is the sole reason rpgs gained mainstream popularity in the U.S.
GTA3: Rewrote the rules on what it means to "go anywhere and do anything"
Gears of War: No game ever really did the cover mechanic in any sort of intuitive or believable way before Gears. It only came out 4 years ago and has already spawned countless clones and influenced many others. Try playing any modern third-person action game that involves shooting and tell me you can't see any influence from Gears of War.

[QUOTE="Banjo_Kongfooie"]

REAL masterpieces. DOOM Wolfenstein 3D Tekken 3 Tetris Super Mario 64 Duke Nukem 3DSteverXIII

Where is Resident Evil 4 and why is it not a masterpeace?

I think Resident Evil 4 is great, but not a masterpiece. If any RES games deserve a masterpiece title I think it would be Code: Veronica. Just my opinion though.

Final Fantasy VI, more so than any other games in the series, including VII

Suikoden II

Mother 3

Planescape Torment

Baldur's Gate II

Mass Effect series

Ultima IV-VII

Bioshock series

The Witcher

Forgot

[QUOTE="IU_Stizzal"]

[QUOTE="Banjo_Kongfooie"]

Where is Resident Evil 4 and why is it not a masterpeace?

UT_Wrestler

I think Resident Evil 4 is great, but not a masterpiece. If any RES games deserve a masterpiece title I think it would be Code: Veronica. Just my opinion though.

Excellent point. I REALLY enjoyed the game, and no doubt it was influential. However, it just didn't strike me as a masterpiece. In the same way, alot of people feel Half-Life was a "masterpiece" because it was influential. BOTH are great games and MUST plays, but I just don't think this title should be given so easly. In fact as I write this I'm having a hard time even thinking of games that should be given that title.

I guess, for me at least, a masterpiece should be a game I liked in everyway. The only two games I can think of right now that fit the bill would be Final Fantasy 9 and Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past.I liked every part of those two games. They felt like they were tailored to me.

Games I'd consider masterpieces based on their influence

Tetris: The original puzzle game, there are literally thousands of clones of this game
Super Mario Bros: Popularized nearly every convention of 2d sidescrollers
The Legend of Zelda: People who think GTA3 was the "original" open-world action game need to play this first
Street Fighter 2: Any fighting game you've ever played needs to thank SF2 for establishing the conventions of this genre
Doom: The first fps to gain mainstream popularity
Super Mario Kart: The original "split-screen" multiplayer game
Super Mario 64: Ever played a 3rd-person action game? Here's the reason it controls and camera work so well in it.
Final Fantasy 7: This game is the sole reason rpgs gained mainstream popularity in the U.S.
GTA3: Rewrote the rules on what it means to "go anywhere and do anything"
Gears of War: No game ever really did the cover mechanic in any sort of intuitive or believable way before Gears. It only came out 4 years ago and has already spawned countless clones and influenced many others. Try playing any modern third-person action game that involves shooting and tell me you can't see any influence from Gears of War.

UT_Wrestler

FINALLy someone replies with reasons WHY the games they list should be added. I'm thinking that I should put tetris on the list. It's the first in its genre and perhaps still the best.

However, I am not certain that every game that was the first at doing something should automatically make the list. For example, Super Mario 64 showed everyone that 3D was the new way of gaming and it did it well, but it has aged badly and has been outdone greatly since. Super Metroid on the other hand took the concept of the original Metroid and perfected it and there are few that could argue even today that a game done in this ****has been done better since.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 - Sold millions of consoles, outstanding graphics for its time

Tekken 2 - revolutionary 3D fighter, loved by a generation of arcade players

Phantasy Star 2 - the forerunner of character driven storylines

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time: while it has its flaws, I've never played a game that conveyed so well such a feeling of wonder, magic, and excitement as this one did. It has some of the best platforming ever, designed in such a way that it never feels cheap yet retains its challenge. The visuals are ethereally beautiful and still hold up remarkably well by today's standards. Most importantly it's one of the few games that finally nailed great character development and storytelling. I actually CARED about the protagonists, and felt sad at the outcome. A true c!assic that I feel is vastly underappreciated.

Portal: A new approach to the puzzle genre that demanded thinking outside of the box. Nothing much else to say. Simplistic in execution yet incredibly complex in design. Can't wait for the next one.

Company of Heroes: I can't say enough good things about this one. An RTS that finally placed its focus on combat strategy in the attempt to hold onto valuable resource points instead of the same "gather, turtle, and rush" strategies of old. It kept a constant ebb and flow of action going on at all times. Played at high settings, it was also a stunner to witness......scaling in to view the units almost looked like it could've passed for an average FPS. They were balanced well, some of the missions were just flat out AWESOME (the bridge defense pops to mind), and multiplayer was great. A masterpiece if I've ever played one, and I really, REALLY hope they make a sequel.

I know two of these were released only three years ago, but eh....close enough.

Mortal Kombat 2 imo.

-Doom

-Ocarina of Time

-Super Mario 64

-Twisted Metal 2

-Goldeneye 007

-Batman Arkham Asylum

[QUOTE="Banjo_Kongfooie"]

[QUOTE="SteverXIII"]REAL masterpieces. DOOM Wolfenstein 3D Tekken 3 Tetris Super Mario 64 Duke Nukem 3DIU_Stizzal

Where is Resident Evil 4 and why is it not a masterpeace?

I think Resident Evil 4 is great, but not a masterpiece. If any RES games deserve a masterpiece title I think it would be Code: Veronica. Just my opinion though.

Ahem. Resident Evil 4 IS a masterpiece. It's like the Aliens or Terminator 2 of gaming. I'm sorry but if the OP wants his list to be taken seriously he needs to include RE4, as well as a few other obvious choices that he's neglecting for god knows what reason. How can you add Half-Life and not Metal Gear Solid? Hell, most people consider Half-Life 2 to be better than the original. Where is Tekken 3 and Soul Calibur? Where is Planescape Torment? Where is Starcraft? All the games I have mentioned are widely recognised as masterpieces and need no explanation. Not trying to shoot down your list, OP, because it's not bad, but you're missing quite a few key essentials. Update the thing for god's sake.

Hmm.. the ones I mention probably have already been mentioned, but here's some:

Super Mario World (SNES)
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64)
Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Wii) (& possible 1)
Metroid Prime (GCN)
Super Metroid (SNES)
Super Mario Bros. (NES)
Shemnue (DC)
Super Mario 64 (N64)
Final Fantasy 6 (SNES)
Final Fantasy 7 (PS1)
Half Life (PC)
Halo: Combat Evolved (Xbox)
Super Street Fighter 2 (SNES, SS, SMD)
Golden Sun (GBA)
Resident Evil 4 (PS2, Wii, GCN, PC)

That's all I can think of atm.

Here is IGN's Video Game Hall of Fame list....games must be out 10 years...

I'm going to update the list with

-Shenmue

-Metal Gear Solid

-Starcraft

Still no love for RE4... I will never forgive you :evil:

Super Mario World, Super Mario 64. Those are definitely considered Masterpieces.

I don't care so much about what other people think, but I nominate Xenogears and Resident Evil (GC)

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 - Sold millions of consoles, outstanding graphics for its time

Tekken 2 - revolutionary 3D fighter, loved by a generation of arcade players

Phantasy Star 2 - the forerunner of character driven storylines

bALTHar86

Really? The Phantasy Star games were pretty story focused?

Why has no one mentioned Advance Wars for the GBA, that was a fantastic game and should at least be considered

I consider BioShock a masterpiece.

Games that came close this gen -

Grand Theft Auto 4

Red Dead Redemption

Assassin's Creed 1 & 2

I can't believe I have to make a case for why RE4 should be on the list, but whatever. Here goes.

Why Resident Evil 4 is a masterpiece:

- It HAS stood the test of time. Since 2005, there have been four different editions for RE4 due to success and high demand. The game was ported to the PS2 in Oct. 25th, 2005 with a few new features, and the port was very successful. The game was then RE-RELEASED two years later (2007) for the Nintendo Wii with all the bonus content from the PS2 version, plus a new aiming system. In 2009 a stripped down version was released for the iPhone. That's about 4 years after it's original release. How is that for standing the test of time?

- Highly successful and popular game franchise Gears of War has borrowed heavily from RE4. The Uncharted games have also borrowed a few ideas and gameplay elements. As a matter of fact, if RE4 didn't exist, these two great franchises probably wouldn't be the same ones we know and love today. That's not even mentioning the dozens of other games that ripped off RE4 and weren't very successful (Cold Fear, anyone?).

- Is the 11th (and 12th) most critically acclaimed game of all time, according to gamerankings.

- At the time of release, it's graphics pushed the Gamecube to it's limits. RE4's graphics have never been topped on that specific platform.

- Contrary to popular belief, it was RE4 that made "quicktime" events extremely popular in games. Not God of War, although it DID help out.

- And finally, like I said in a previous post, RE4 is THEE Aliens and Terminator 2 of gaming. It's frantic and unrelenting pace is unmatched by any other game, or perhaps dare I say even any action film. There was NEVER a dull moment in this game. The hit detection system was revolutionary and there hasn't really been a better one introduced yet (yes, and it's been 5 years now). Regardless of it taking the more action oriented route, it still maintained a *very* creepy atmosphere, and it definitly had a few memorable scares. The bosses were insanely creative. The story was PERFECT for what was going on in the game. It had a cheesy B movie feel to it, and you know what? It was supposed to, and it WORKED.

There you go. RE4 has paid it's dues. It's a classic, a masterpiece, and needs to be on the list.

[QUOTE="bALTHar86"]

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 - Sold millions of consoles, outstanding graphics for its time

Tekken 2 - revolutionary 3D fighter, loved by a generation of arcade players

Phantasy Star 2 - the forerunner of character driven storylines

hakanakumono

Really? The Phantasy Star games were pretty story focused?

[QUOTE="bALTHar86"]

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 - Sold millions of consoles, outstanding graphics for its time

Tekken 2 - revolutionary 3D fighter, loved by a generation of arcade players

Phantasy Star 2 - the forerunner of character driven storylines

Really? The Phantasy Star games were pretty story focused?

I can't believe I have to make a case for why RE4 should be on the list, but whatever. Here goes.

Why Resident Evil 4 is a masterpiece:

- It HAS stood the test of time. Since 2005, there have been four different editions for RE4 due to success and high demand. The game was ported to the PS2 in Oct. 25th, 2005 with a few new features, and the port was very successful. The game was then RE-RELEASED two years later (2007) for the Nintendo Wii with all the bonus content from the PS2 version, plus a new aiming system. In 2009 a stripped down version was released for the iPhone. That's about 4 years after it's original release. How is that for standing the test of time?

- Highly successful and popular game franchise Gears of War has borrowed heavily from RE4. The Uncharted games have also borrowed a few ideas and gameplay elements. As a matter of fact, if RE4 didn't exist, these two great franchises probably wouldn't be the same ones we know and love today. That's not even mentioning the dozens of other games that ripped off RE4 and weren't very successful (Cold Fear, anyone?).

- Is the 11th (and 12th) most critically acclaimed game of all time, according to gamerankings.

- At the time of release, it's graphics pushed the Gamecube to it's limits. RE4's graphics have never been topped on that specific platform.

- Contrary to popular belief, it was RE4 that made "quicktime" events extremely popular in games. Not God of War, although it DID help out.

- And finally, like I said in a previous post, RE4 is THEE Aliens and Terminator 2 of gaming. It's frantic and unrelenting pace is unmatched by any other game, or perhaps dare I say even any action film. There was NEVER a dull moment in this game. The hit detection system was revolutionary and there hasn't really been a better one introduced yet (yes, and it's been 5 years now). Regardless of it taking the more action oriented route, it still maintained a *very* creepy atmosphere, and it definitly had a few memorable scares. The bosses were insanely creative. The story was PERFECT for what was going on in the game. It had a cheesy B movie feel to it, and you know what? It was supposed to, and it WORKED.

There you go. RE4 has paid it's dues. It's a classic, a masterpiece, and needs to be on the list.

Master_ShakeXXX

RE 4 was mentioned the 1st page. And yes, i agree with you. RE 4 is in my top twenty games of all time.

[QUOTE="illmatic87"][QUOTE="hakanakumono"]

Really? The Phantasy Star games were pretty story focused?

texasgoldrush

Yeah, when Phantasy Star hit there was nothing else like it. In the UK it cost almost as much as a new master system console because it was that good. The first one had a decent storyline and great graphics for an 8bit game but it was the second one on the megadrive that set many of the standards we've seen in JRPG's ever since. It was a truly epic, truly story driven game with great chaacters and (I think) it was the first ever RPG game to kill off a major character in the story. And trust me, you cared when it happened.

PSIV is great, but it was 2 that was groundbreaking and hence 'masterpiece' :)

Shadow of the Colossus and Ico.

I'm going to update the list with

-Shenmue

-Metal Gear Solid

-Starcraft

Pikminmaniac

I will now update the list with Resident Evil Outbreak..... JK! Resident Evil 4 is getting added

Diablo II

Halo Series

World of warcraft

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

I gotta get the Phantasy Star collection. @_@;

System Shock 2

Mine would be

Super Metroid

Metal gear

Banjo tooie

OOT

Halo

Windwaker

MGS3

Resident evil4

MGS4

Zelda: OoT

Zelda: LttP

Uncharted 2

Duke Nukem 3D

Super Metroid

Super Mario World

Anything made by Rare between 1990 and 2001

Half Life 1 and 2