DEV Community

Cover image for What, in your opinion, is a perfect video game?

What, in your opinion, is a perfect video game?

Isaac Lyman on July 31, 2019

Any other video gamers out there? What games do you consider perfect? Mine are: Horizon: Zero Dawn (PS4) - A post-apocalyptic open-world sci-fi...
Collapse
 
desi profile image
Desi

Mass Effect, specifically ME2. Great characters, easy learning curve, entertaining story.

Also, Grunt.

girl with glasses hugging Mass Effect 2 Grunt stuffed animal

Collapse
 
matthewbdaly profile image
Matthew Daly

I love the original Mass Effect trilogy. I dread to think how much time I've spent on playthroughs.

Collapse
 
desi profile image
Desi

Gosh, same, and I only played it for the first time last December. I haven't made it through ME1 yet because I find the gameplay not intuitive, but I've played ME2 all the way through at least 3 times, and ME3 twice.

Thread Thread
 
matthewbdaly profile image
Matthew Daly

I got ME3 back in April 2012. Weirdly I got them in reverse order because after buying ME3 I realised I really needed to get ME2 to get the most out of it, then couldn't get ME1 as it wasn't then available on PS3. It then got released in December 2012. I must have done at least 10 plays through the whole thing from beginning to end down the years.

Once Andromeda came out I played that, and was a little disappointed.

Collapse
 
havarem profile image
André Jacques

Minecraft never gets old. Play for a month or two, take a break, come back. Best $30 bucks ever spent.

Final Fantasy VI, very immersive story.

Rocket League, damn that feeling when you score an overtime goal.

Collapse
 
isaacdlyman profile image
Isaac Lyman

I used to play a lot of Rocket League. Then one day I was playing online (which is pretty stressful for me in the first place) and some dude started complaining about how I was ball-chasing and ruining the game. I shouldn't have let it get under my skin, but I haven't really wanted to play since. It's a great game though, I may get back into it someday.

Collapse
 
havarem profile image
André Jacques

That is true. When I play with my girlfriend she always mutes the chat because she can't stand the trash talk. For some reason, it does not bother me much but I can understand why it should.

Collapse
 
johnbwoodruff profile image
John Woodruff

I get the same way exactly. So I turned off the chat and my quality of life in Rocket League has been SO much better.

Collapse
 
kspeakman profile image
Kasey Speakman • Edited

I've never found a perfect game, but I have found that certain games have a superlative experience in a specific area. For example, there has never been a game I found that scratches the same itch that X3 does. But its user interface and learn-ability are completely abysmal. (X4 is out, but I'm waiting for them to complete it with expansions.)

One that I've been playing a lot lately is Warframe. I played it and got bored with it initially because it is "grindy" and mostly an unguided experience. But the gameplay is fun and eventually it became for me more of a "workbench" game. Where I am presented with a problem in the form of a boss or mission objective or whatever, and I need to select appropriate tools to solve that problem. And discover I don't have the right tools available (warframes, weapons, mods, etc). So I then need to go collect them and upgrade them, etc. And the progress of the game is then about growing your toolkit. I also really respect the developer's history with adapting the game based on feedback. And many of the choices they made encourage cooperative rather than oppositional play. It is pretty crazy to me that the game is free.

Collapse
 
scrabill profile image
Shannon Crabill

I am a very casual gamer.

For me, a perfect game is one that is replayable with an easy learning curve. Like, I binge playing a game and not pick it up again for months (years, etc). I think platform games with puzzle elements are my go-to. The last new game I really enjoyed was Watch Dogs but Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is my favorite game of all time.

Collapse
 
val_baca profile image
Valentin Baca

Horizon Zero Dawn is certainly in the top 5. Phenomenal graphics, story, mix of stealth and brawn, collectibles and just a main character so perfect I can't even.

Halo will always hold a special place in my heart as the best FPS. The guns were balanced (except the pistol?!?) and most fondest high school memories are putting just hours into fragging my best friend with Metallica in the background.

Stardew Valley is a game I have to mention because it completely consumed me until I "finished" it. The fact that the whole game is made by ONE person with the polish and depth that it has, it's just unbelievable. I never thought I'd like a retro-style farming game; if you think the same thing, I implore you to give it a chance. And just go ahead and cancel your plans for the next two weeks.

Pokemon Red and Blue: The game that started the whole zeitgeist. I played it again recently on my 3DS and it's still so good. Like Stardew valley, it just shows that you pack a lot into chunky pixels.

Diablo 2: like, do you need a description? This game is absolute Gold. It's so outdated now. If you missed out on it, I'm really sorry for you.

Honorable mention: Ark Survival Evolved. I have to mention Ark because I've literally put a thousand hours into it. It is NOT a perfect game by any means, but there has to be something that hits just right if I've put half a year's worth of full-time work into it! I've heard it best described as Jurassic Minecraft. Without a doubt, nothing has taught me more about loss acceptance and emotion management when a base you've spent days building gets wrecked by an alpha chompy boi in minutes.

Collapse
 
jjordanstivers profile image
J. Jordan Stivers

While there are franchises I follow with each new release (Mass Effect, Dragon Age, Borderlands) and some great story-based ones (The Last of Us) I pick up at random, I tend to like the long-term games that I can keep returning to rather than starting a new one. I played FFXIV for years and have been playing Destiny since the beginning of the first.

Collapse
 
emma profile image
Emma Goto 🍙 • Edited

I'll agree with you on Horizon Zero Dawn! I also really enjoyed Witcher 3 and Assassin's Creed 2.

Recently I've been playing this puzzle game called Opus Magnum which is pretty fun

Collapse
 
gaffen profile image
Gaffen • Edited

Grim Fandango is probably the closest to my heart.

Undertale I think is also a masterpiece, same goes for Alien: Isolation.

The Monkey Island games are also very special to me, as is Psychonauts!

Half-Life was pretty life changing for me too when it came out. Silent Hill 2 as well.

I also love the feeling of satisfaction when you complete Return of the Obra Dinn.

I thought Red Dead Redemption was stunning

Phoenix Wright is also a series of expertly told stories.

I'm trying to think of other games that I just keep coming back to; I know there are more...

For me I love games as a storytelling medium. Anything that plays with narrative really appeals to me.

Collapse
 
gaffen profile image
Gaffen

Oh and I'm currently finishing of the Mother series for the first time! I'd played Earthbound years ago but it's my first time playing the entire trilogy. They're a real gem in terms of retro games :D

Collapse
 
keptoman profile image
mlaj

The Mount & Blade series.
Absolute fun to play. The game doesn't let you win. You can play for 30 minutes or 15 hours and have the same amount of fun. The mods male it even better.

Each game adds functionalities on top of what has already been done in the previous ones. You just get more toys to play with.

Hiring modders to make DLCs is a fantastic idea.

Other games that are great are Minecraft, Garry's mod, terraria, star bound, Skyrim, Warframe, Path of exile and Stardew valley.

Collapse
 
juankortiz profile image
juankOrtiz

Tricky question. In my opinion a (near) perfect game has the following:

  • Good story: a game should have a compelling narrative, without too much exposition.
  • Challenging gameplay: a good game challenges you to stay away from the comfort zone.
  • Customization: customizing my character look, class, items, or the components of a vehicle, and so on. This is a must have in my opinion.

If I had to choose one game for each genre, I think my list would be:

  • The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (RPG): a game I'm currently in love with. It's amazing how much you can do in it. The only downside for me are the lack of variation regarding the armor you can equip.
  • Celeste (Platform): Celeste is a masterpiece. It's a hard game and keeps pushing your limits until the end.
  • Civilization V (Turn based strategy): I love turn based strategy games, and Civ V made me spend tons of hours trying to conquer the world.
  • Warcraft 3 (Real time strategy): sorry AOE II, but the first time I played Warcraft 3 something inside me sparked and still hasn't gone off. This game has so many things I love, that I could keep talking about it for a whole day.
  • Sacred 2 (RTS RPG?): another RPG I played recently, more like World of Warcraft but in your PC. It makes it's way in this list because the insane amount of missions you can take, the massive map and the ridicolous amount of items you can equip.
  • Skullgirls (2D Fighter): you need hours to master this game mechanics, but it's pure fun!
  • X-Men Legends 2: Rise of Apocalypse and Marvel Ulltimate Alliance_ (Superhero, action): call me a sentimental, but these games represents the most accurate depiction of my favorite comic heroes.
  • Kingdom Rush (Mobile): I'm no mobile gamer, but Kingdom Rush won my heart. Well designed, with awesome graphics and an entertaining gameplay.
Collapse
 
prafulla-codes profile image
Prafulla Raichurkar

Counter Strike : Global Offensive ( A Great game for team co-ordination )
Max Payne 2 : The Fall Of Max Payne ( Old but gold, great story and narration)
GTA 5 : Just love the graphics and the overall feel

Collapse
 
rossdrew profile image
Ross • Edited

Tetris
Mario Kart Double Dash
Rocket League
Secret of Monkey Island
Bomberman

EDIT: +XCOM

Collapse
 
t3_rry profile image
t3_rrY

I really enjoyed Unravel 2 by ColdWood which is very poetic and strategic (I loved the fact that cooperation is needed).
In a completely different fashion Detroit: Become Human is amazing both story and game experience has been great

Collapse
 
samuraiseoul profile image
Sophie The Lionhart

Starfox 64 has always been my favorite.

Collapse
 
bowlendev profile image
Ryan Bowlen

Breath of the Wild. I was able to explore my favorite mythical story and feel totally immersed with countless hours of content. The game knew what it was and didn't go too far to sell.

Collapse
 
tuned profile image
Lorenzo (Mec-iS)

Recently ISLANDERS, very relaxing after a day of programming!
youtube.com/watch?v=NI_oU8GQkek

Collapse
 
adrianbdesigns profile image
Adrian Bece

Rollercoaster tycoon 1 and 2, because they're a technical marvel, they have a timeless artwork, they're really fun and it was way ahead of its time when it was released.

Collapse
 
angelarae63 profile image
Angela Whisnant

I love Stardew Valley. Minecraft is fun, too!

Some comments have been hidden by the post's author - find out more