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 bow-and-arrow RPG. Just thinking about this game makes my heart flutter. The story is jaw-droppingly good, Aloy is an utterly iconic heroine, the gameplay is smooth and gripping, and every creature in the game presents a fiendishly difficult (but fair) challenge. I devoured this game and I'm just incredibly grateful it exists.
SteamWorld Heist (PC, Switch, Wii U, PSN, iOS) - A sidescrolling turn-based precision shooter set in steampunk wild-west outer space. I've played it all the way through multiple times. It runs on my Surface Book without a hitch and everything about it is delightful, from the low-stakes gameplay to the cowboys-and-bandits dialogue.
0h h1 and 0h n0 (Web, Android, iOS) - Simple, colorful puzzle games. I love a good puzzle game and these meet all my requirements: must have a single unique solution, must be solvable through pure logic (no guessing), must be simple enough that I can figure out solving strategies on my own. I've played a lot of mobile puzzle games but these are the two I keep coming back to.
Anyway, those are my top three. There are other games I love but I wouldn't call them perfect.
What are your perfect games?
Oldest comments (26)
Recently ISLANDERS, very relaxing after a day of programming!
youtube.com/watch?v=NI_oU8GQkek
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.
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.
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.
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.
Mass Effect, specifically ME2. Great characters, easy learning curve, entertaining story.
Also, Grunt.
I love the original Mass Effect trilogy. I dread to think how much time I've spent on playthroughs.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
Tetris
Mario Kart Double Dash
Rocket League
Secret of Monkey Island
Bomberman
EDIT: +XCOM
Starfox 64 has always been my favorite.
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.
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
I love Stardew Valley. Minecraft is fun, too!
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