The perfect game

The common refrain goes 'there is no such thing as a perfect game.' The common refrain is also bullshit, because perfection is not an abstraction, it is achievable. Sure, it is achievable within constraints of its era (meaning it can always be improved upon with improvements in technology and infrastructure, or at the very least, emulated), but I like to think the perfect game does exist.

Even if you think that it doesn't, there have to be games for you that approach perfection- you know, games so good that more or less every element just works, and the few that don't are so minorly off the mark that it ceases to matter.

So let's stop here, and on this board that generally exists to shit on every single thing conceivable that occurs in this industry, let's, for once, try to appreciate the good stuff- games that are so good, so incredible, that they approach perfection, or flat out achieve it.

What game do you think is perfect (or as perfect as is possible)?

Allow me to submit my answer:

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past may be the most perfect game ever created. Everything in the game is on point, and comes together in a glorious harmony. Nothing about the game is superfluous. The pacing is fast and frenetic, the combat is simple, but provides for multiple varied strategies, working within the context of what the game wants to be, the puzzles are tough enough that you may need to stop and think about them, but they are always obtainable, and the game gives you tons of abilities to alter your playstyle, and approach any problem in a number of ways.

A Link to the Past also has just the right amount of story - enough to provide you with a framing context, and to provide a suitably epic backdrop to the events in the game, but at the same time, never enough to either interfere with your playing the game, and never so much that it can't be your adventure - and exercises wonderful restraint in telling it, letting the world and the atmosphere do most of the storytelling. It has an incredible soundtrack (probably one of the greatest soundtracks in gaming history, if not the greatest one), really great 2D graphics that exhibit great artstyle and technical muscle in equal measure, and perhaps above all, it has incredible, unbelievably tight, absurdly on point level, world, and game design. A Link to the Past is a textbook in great level design, with loads of self contained areas that come together to create a larger, dizzyingly impressive world. Everything in the world contributes to the level design- not a single tile is wasted.

A Link to the Past is also one of those rare games that awards skill and persistence. A lot of games allow you to bruteforce your way through them by sheer persistence if you're not skilled enough, by allowing for grinding or overleveling, for example. Other games unfairly favor those who are skilled, making it impossible for those who don't reach a certain skill cap to progress. A Link to the Past deftly mixes both these approaches- if you are skilled, you will progress, because the game awards skill. if you are persistent, you will progress, because the game awards that as well.

Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to present to you, a perfect game, and quite possibly, the greatest game ever made: The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.

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That's mine. What's a perfect game in your opinion, and why? Remember two things:

• The perfect game does not have to be your favorite game (A Link to the Past is not my favorite game, and I still recognize it as a perfect one)
• Justify why you think it's perfect! If you think Mass Effect 2 is a perfect game, that's awesome, but at least let everyone else know why you think that it is!

My personal favourite of all time is Mass Effect 2/3, but I don't think I've ever played a game that I could call "perfect" that way. That's clearly an impossible thing to do.

MAYBE The Last of Us. Everything that game did, it almost did it perfectly, and I don't think there's any area of the game that isn't good enough to be able to bring the game down even slightly. Not in my experience anyway.

To me, the definition of a perfect game is Guild Wars 1. That game had everything a video game could have. I miss that thing.

The combat in Link to the Past sucks, LBW heavily, heavily improved on it.

SuperStar Saga is my answer. Every area is well paced, fun minigames in the vain of Chrono Trigger, a combat system that is turn based but requires constant attention to have better attacks and avoid attacks, an engaging and unique overworld, and superb pacing. Every part just flies by with the right amount of time thanks to great, funny bosses and great humor.

Mario World is basically perfect

Chronotrigger. *drops mic*

Majora's Mask comes to mind for me. The atmosphere was much darker than any other Zelda game out at that time. Pretty much every NPC played a roll whether it was for an item or mask. The music was top notch (Oath to Order). The moon was in every outdoor scene to remind you that there is a sense of urgency to complete the quest before the world ends. And the ending to find out the Skull Kid's motives made me genuinely feel bad. Oh and replaying every boss fight with the Fierce Deity's mask just made you feel like bad a$$

camera angles, *shudders*.

I have several "perfect" games:

Pikmin 2

Super Mario Galaxy/2

Mass Effect 2

Spyro: Year of the Dragon

Crash Bandicoot: Warped

I'm probably missing a few, but these are the ones that come to my mind.

Pikmin 2 had so much depth and things to do. There was no time limit on you anymore, you could explore for as long as you wanted. It was also very challenging with a slightly emotional and funny story. The Pikmin are pretty responsive as well and having two captains really helped multi-tasking. The environments were colorful and full of life, (literally) with each type of Pikmin proving very important and useful. The bosses were unique and hard to beat as well with an awesome soundtrack. I think I like Pikmin 3 more now, but Pikmin 2 was undeniably great for it's time.

Both Galaxy games are just absolutely phenomenal, like I just get nostalgic thinking about them. They're beautiful games with so many things to do, so many interesting side-missions (optional stars) and the soundtrack, oh man. The story at least in the first game was actually deep for a Mario game and like a tear-jerker. The different galaxies had personalities of their own and the new game plus was also a nice aspect. Plus there was a ton of power-ups that altered and gave new life to the gameplay.

Mass Effect 2 had such amazing characters and a great story that it's a blast to return to each time. There are so many companions, all of whom are hard to hate. Plus the ship had its own personality. You cared for your crew and allies. The things you could do on the side always led to hilarious commentary and moments, there was just so many hidden treats in that game. The gunplay was also really fun and using your omni-tool to use some special abilities always brought a great feeling, especially seeing enemies freeze in cryostasis or burn into ash and react to that as such. The planets themselves were cool and the sheer amount of quests that piqued my interest was overwhelming.

Spyro: Year of the Dragon is pretty old now, but it's still such a great platformer to return to. The characters are well acted and actually feel like different people or in this case, creatures. Each world was always unique with tons of hidden goodies and great games to play to save your dragon friends. It never got old for me, and Copeland created a great OST for the game. I loved 100% the game every time, and it was a challenge to achieve, but so worth it. There are also a lot of funny moments and Tom Kenny was perfect for Spyro.

Crash Bandicoot: Warped is also a great platformer with many levels to explore. Much more linear than Spyro, the 2D/3D platformer had a lot of depth and was very solid technically and mechanically. The story lacked any sort of depth, but was jolly good fun. Plus those bosses, always memorable and fun to fight. The game is also super hard, I don't know if I could 100% even today.

Just lovely games overall, hope I didn't forget any I loved though.

ChardiMcDennis

I've written this many times, but Streets of Rage 2. Why? Pick up and play gameplay but is still difficult to master; the gameplay itself is fast and smooth; cool characters that have their own unique fighting styles; the perfect length; badass bosses; a ridiculously good soundtrack; a variety of difficulty settings; memorable stage design; an unaging art style; the best co-op experience of all-time; a versus mode; and overall unlimited lasting appeal. SoR2 has everything that I could ever want from a game, and that's why I'm still playing it non-stop 22 years later.

Debating whether or not to be that asshole that debates some of these choices.

That being said, ugh, Majora's Mask? Lol

My perfect game would be World of Warcraft. Back when i was playing that game, it was the only game i was playing, nothing else worked for me. I eat, slept, and dreamed about that game. It was a daily part of my life for years.

I prefer Windwaker over Link to the Past.

My perfect game is Minecraft, but I doubt many will agree haha

Portal 2 for sure. Every element is flawless; gameplay, story, music, tone etc. Not my favorite but objectively the best game of all time

Cant think of a single perfect game.

A Link to the Past lacked difficulty all around, there was also a lack of variety in music, how many different themes played in dungeons. Its combat was also fairly simplistic.

Dwarf Fortress has serious UI and graphics issues.

Jagged Alliance 2 and X-Com have terrible enemy AI.

Portal.

Neat package with no flaws.

Tribes 2.

It's the single reason why I was jaded during the PS2 era and well into the Xbox 360 era.

Even many PC games at that time didn't do it for me.

I think the fact that A Link to the Past and Super Metroid haven't aged a day is a testement to their design.

I'm going to add that Donkey Kong Country Returns is essentially the perfecting of the platforming genre. It hits ever sweat spot and does so exceptionally well. It has one of the highest challenge caps without ever being unfair, it boasts the most 3 dimensional levels I've ever seen in the genre despite it working in a 2D plain, and it has unmatched attention to detail in both visuals and animation.

What's more, each of the 60+ stages work on three levels; great point A to B progression, perfect design for the speed run mode, and an incredible amount of depth for exploration and secrets.

My experience with getting 200% completion in that game is my #1 memory from last gen.

@Pikminmaniac: Donkey Kong Country Returns has an area where it could very clearly be improved- it relied on the Wii's waggle for rolling, and that is objectively an issue with the game.

The counterpoint to that is the 3DS version of the game, but that one suffers from a lower framerate, and slowdown and framerate drops during the game at inopportune moments anyway.

Games I'd give a 10:

• Super Mario World: Probably the best 2D Mario platformer that gets a plus for not having an annoying baby.
• The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past: Still the best Zelda with excellent pacing, dungeons, music, art, and no padding.
• Super Metroid: Another 16 bit game that just plays smoothly that destroys its predecessors.
• Chrono Trigger: The only RPG that when I finished, I didn't have anything bad to say about it (other then the SNES version having some censorship).
• Metroid Prime: Everything I said about SM, but with outstanding atmosphere.
• Super Mario Galaxy 2: The best 3D Mario game that captures that 2D feel better then recent 2D Mario games.

Now some of my top 10 GOAT I would not give a 10 but are still worthy (ex: FFIX, SSBM, Sonic 3&K, P4, Xenoblade, Civ IV). No shock that the SNES was awesome.

This is a match in Tribes 2...they don't make them like this anymore:

Max Payne 2 is my favorite game of all time but I won't call it perfect because it's too short. Second most favorite is Mass Effect 2, but its RPG elements are a joke compared to the original. The third most favorite The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt = 10/10 but that doesn't mean "perfect",,, but best in its genre.

Starcraft 2: Wings of Liberty (forth most favorite game) comes close, mainly due to its level of polish. Then there is excellent mission design, presentation, multiplayer, gameplay, AI, Path finding etc, but then there are a lot of people who complain about its story being too straight forward compared to Brood Wars expansion of the original, and it being region locked on launch.

So, I don't think there is any perfect game out there. But if you love something too much, you often overlook its shortcomings. Hell, those shortcomings might not even be shortcomings for you, but for someone else they might be. So, it all comes down to opinion.

The games that are closest to perfection to me are Half-Life 2, Mass Effect 2/3 & Bioshock.

Stacraft 1, Diablo 2, Warcraft 2, Link to The Past, Super Mario World, Half-Life 1, Dark Souls 1, Witcher 3.

Because games are made by humans perfect is a bit of a misnomer. As good as humanly possible is more accurate

I personally felt it controled better on the Wii. The 3DS is too cramped for my liking. You get used to the waggle if you use the Wii remote and Nunchuck combination. It's really the only way to play that game. Analogue control is an absolute must and the motion sensing seems to read better when the wii remote is in one hand rather than two.

I wouldn't have 200%ed the game if it didn't end up working just as well as a button press, but I understand the complaint and I play Tropical Freeze with the Wii U pro controller.

@Pikminmaniac: Tropical Freeze, now that game I agree is a frontrunner for being as perfect as a 2D platformer can be!

Super Mario World. The way that game flows and how they weave pretty substantial secrets into those areas is extraordinary. It's definitely not my favorite game in the series as that would be Yoshi's Island.

Also Diablo 2, everything about that game with LOD just feels so right. Hell even the assbackwards way that game handled trade was great. So much portential for drama.

*picks up mic* JRPGs suck. Pac Man. It is as simple to pick up as being able to see and move a joystic, but mastering it or "turning it over" as we used to call it was incredibly difficult. Honorable mention goes to Tetris.

"Capped by Lickmyclit!,"

Lmao, yeah tribes 2 was dope. I loved Tribes 1 even more. That was my first competitive fps and part of why I'm such a beast today, well that and counter strike. No Pandering, no hand holding, just straight skill.

I love that game a lot as well. It's definitely one of the very best, but when I play the two close to each other, I feel like the first Retro DK outdoes the second in a lot of ways. I wasn't entirely fond of the addition of Dixie or Cranky and water levels will never be as enjoyable as straight platforming levels. I also liked the fact that the first game had more golden temple levels as well.

I still go back and forth on them sometimes though. One thing the second clearly trumps the first on is the soundtrack. It very well might be the best soundtrack I've ever heard.

If I had a gun to my head I'd go with Returns.

You sir, are a gentleman and a scholar. +1

How come nobody said Tetris yet?

Mass Effect 2

GTA San Andreas

The Last of Us

Uncharted 2

I thought about giving a 10 to the GB/NES versions. But the best, which I wouldn't give a 10, is the DS version.

Before TW3 it was RE4.

Tetris.

@jg4xchamp: Really surprised you didn't name any game from your holy trinity

Super Mario World
Super Metroid
Tetris
Zelda: ATTP
Portal 2
Super Mario Galaxy 2

I'm mostly a pc gamer nowadays and I've really enjoyed my ps1, ps2 and ps3 but extremely few 3d games reached the same level of gameplay perfection as many 16-bit games did.

I honestly can't think of one. It's not that i'm trying to be cynical, but I just can't think of a game that came that close to perfection. Maybe SMG/SMG2 would certainly be up there. I can also agree with ALTTP.

Tetris. A lot of puzzle games really, but Tetris is an example of a game that did everything it was trying to do just right. People still play it decades later and no one ever says, "This is alright, but it would be even better with some particle effects and normal mapping".

I also nominate Super Monkey Ball 2, but that could be debatable.

• Deus ex: human revolution
• Bioshock
• Uncharted 2
• Batman arkham asylum

+1

Deus Ex , Vampire The Masquerade Bloodlines , GTA San Andreas , Baldur's gate II , Max Pane 2 , Crysis ..... These games are all perfect

Chrono Trigger. I could think of flaws from other beloved classics:

ALttP had its Moldorm battle, and that battle was really, really dumb. Also remember some room in Turtle Rock where a room was dark, had you forced to a moving platform, and had spinning fire to boot. AFAIK there's no real way to avoid taking damage in that room, unless maybe you play the game so damn much you can memorize the proper path. ALttP is a damn great game, but not "perfect" to me

OoT had the whole iron boots issue in OoT, where you had to switch between menus a million damn times. Thankfully they fixed this in the 3DS version, but still doesn't change that it happened in the first place. Also a great game, but not perfect.

Yoshi's Island is pretty damn close to perfection, but I dunno, Baby Mario could be annoying to listen to sometimes.

Super Metroid, also pretty damn close, but I think I recall there being a point of no return once you reach the final area, something I DIDN'T KNOW when playing through the game once, and had my 100% collection playthrough ruined.

But Chrono Trigger? I cannot think of a single thing that bothered me to any kind of extent, not even anything minor or nitpicky.

BG II, Shenmue, Shenmue II and OOT. (Bloodlines, loved that game, someone get the fucking IP)

The closest game to perfection to me would be Demon's Souls or Ace Attorney Phoenix Wright.

for demons souls it's everything from gameplay to level design to bosses to the incredible soundtrack and atmospheric tower of latria. It's just pure RPG goodness.

Phoenix Wright it's the narrative, characters, pacing, soundtrack.

Closest thing to perfection imo. Although I could say UC 2 and ICO and RE2. But it's not worth it atm because I Should be studying instead of posting here lol.

You and I have a very different idea of what perfect means. Mass Effect 2 might be decent, but it has a good deal of issues holding it back. The Last of Us is definitely a strong game, but it has it's fair share of flaws. Just not enough to detract from the overall quality. Then there's Uncharted 2... I'll try not to go there. I've done it too much.

At least nobody's mentioning Bethesda.