That being said, let's take a lot at four video games I consider to be PERFECT. Why four? Is this some sort of attack on the establishment, rejection of conventions and statement of independence? Nope. It's because I could pretty much only think of four, and I thought HARD. Don't get me wrong, I'm certain there's more than four in the world and that I've definitely forgotten something that I'll feel stupid about later, and of course there are mountains of games I've never played at all with some classics buried within.
Here's a shout out to a bunch of games that I adore which were considered but either have that ONE thing that keeps them off the list or I just haven't immersed myself in them enough to claim post-analysis that they are "perfect". These games include Cave Story, Street Fighter: Third Strike, A Link to the Past, Super Meat Boy, Shadow of the Colossus, God Hand, Pac-Man Championship Edition and Braid. Also that Astro Boy game on the Game Boy Advance is really good, that probably wasn't actually considered, but it deserved a shout out nonetheless.
Games that absolutely weren't considered even for a second include Super Mario Galaxy, Halo, any 3D Zelda, Metal Gear Solid 4, God of War, any Sonic, Donkey Kong Country and that game you're playing right now that you really like. Seriously that game SUCKS, what is wrong with you...
Games that absolutely weren't considered even for a second include Super Mario Galaxy, Halo, any 3D Zelda, Metal Gear Solid 4, God of War, any Sonic, Donkey Kong Country and that game you're playing right now that you really like. Seriously that game SUCKS, what is wrong with you...
To clarify, these games are PERFECT because they have little to no faults in their core design, can be played (if not necessarily beaten) by basically anyone and are absolutely timeless. Let's go - IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER:
Portal
I feel like talking about why Portal is really good on the internet is about as fresh and relevant as Rick Rolling all of you. So we'll cover this one quickly, excellent minimalist writing that slowly builds and implies a huge dark secret, meme sparking sense of humour (actually, internet culture may have retroactively ruined Portal enough to knock it away from perfection, but when every volcano erupts at once and destroys all civilisation and aliens from the planet Reggie come down and play archived versions of Portal in 20,000 years they'll still think it's great) and unique, stunningly realised core mechanics wrapped up in a package with particularly zero repetition and a perfect length.
Portal
I feel like talking about why Portal is really good on the internet is about as fresh and relevant as Rick Rolling all of you. So we'll cover this one quickly, excellent minimalist writing that slowly builds and implies a huge dark secret, meme sparking sense of humour (actually, internet culture may have retroactively ruined Portal enough to knock it away from perfection, but when every volcano erupts at once and destroys all civilisation and aliens from the planet Reggie come down and play archived versions of Portal in 20,000 years they'll still think it's great) and unique, stunningly realised core mechanics wrapped up in a package with particularly zero repetition and a perfect length.
This is the inherent problem you get when you commit yourself to having to discuss "perfect" games, like it's PERFECT what more is there to say, and smarter people than me have covered why Portal is good thousands of times so run along to them. Personally, I wasn't a massive fan of the final boss, so there, SOME CONTROVERSY HERE ON LESMOCON.
Super Mario Bros 3
This games existence makes me mad for two reasons: 1) That people argue whether this is better than Mario World or not and 2) that people argue whether this is better than Sonic the Hedgehog or not. If you're one of those people who like World more than 3...that's fine, you're just a bit misguided and mistaking fluff for innovation, we've all done that. If you think Sonic is better than Mario when this game exists...just get out, you are disqualified from all future game design discussions forever. LEAVE, you won't agree with the list anyway, and you'll probably just send me e-mails about how I'm a prick for not mentioning Killzone or something.
Super Mario Bros 3 is perfect through it's imperfections as well as it's ermm...perfection. Like how some people find it bizarre that the infamous clockwork shoe power up that has a really weird feel to it is only in one level in the entire game, and even then it's not immediately obvious how you can get into it. But that's exactly why it's left an impression on so many people, you'd never get that in a Mario game today, they'd probably give all the Goombas Adidas sneakers and have Toad given "how to tie your shoelaces!" tutorials at the start of every stage.
The core platforming is all based around momentum so perfectly fine tuned it must have taken up 90% of the development time. And the secrets, just bursting out of every corner of this game. Pointless, excessive, completely avoidable silly secrets packed in with the love and effort that I fear is starting to exist less and less in game design. You can play Mario 3 differently every time and however you want, levels are rarely based around specific items but just the thrill of running and jumping and it's up to the player to fill in the gaps between A and B. Hey, you could just get a warp whistle and not play half the game at all, it's debatable whether this is good design or not but the fact it exists at all offers wonderful opportunities and incentive for exploration that the majority of game just don't.
It's the best Mario, and considering the general standard of the series I know this may rub some people up the wrong way, but I'd say it's the best Mario by far and I don't think a game like it will ever exist again. Well they sort of exist, but they're just ripping off Mario 3, I mean a game that will make the same impact.
It's the best Mario, and considering the general standard of the series I know this may rub some people up the wrong way, but I'd say it's the best Mario by far and I don't think a game like it will ever exist again. Well they sort of exist, but they're just ripping off Mario 3, I mean a game that will make the same impact.
Pong
Oh shut up.
Really, how can you say Pong ISN'T perfect. Sure it's primitive, but honestly who couldn't sit down with Pong and have fun with it? Even if it was only for 10 minutes? You have a ball (well...square) and two bats with a line down the middle, nothing else on the screen other than some numbers to keep score. You don't need to understand anything about game design, be predisposed to any video game logic, you don't even really need to know anything about sports.
All you need to know, turn your paddle one way to go up, the other way to go down. A feel for the games momentum and control instantly communicated to the player, and then it's just you and the other people in a battle of reflexes and skill. There are very very few games that have updated this model and maintained the perfect amount of instant accessibility and balance that Pong had and still has to this day. Keep an eye on Action Button Entertainments upcoming Videoball though...
Really, how can you say Pong ISN'T perfect. Sure it's primitive, but honestly who couldn't sit down with Pong and have fun with it? Even if it was only for 10 minutes? You have a ball (well...square) and two bats with a line down the middle, nothing else on the screen other than some numbers to keep score. You don't need to understand anything about game design, be predisposed to any video game logic, you don't even really need to know anything about sports.
All you need to know, turn your paddle one way to go up, the other way to go down. A feel for the games momentum and control instantly communicated to the player, and then it's just you and the other people in a battle of reflexes and skill. There are very very few games that have updated this model and maintained the perfect amount of instant accessibility and balance that Pong had and still has to this day. Keep an eye on Action Button Entertainments upcoming Videoball though...
Tetris
I. ADORE. TETRIS.
I. ADORE. TETRIS.
All these games might be perfect, but make no mistake, this is the perfectest of the perfect.
I don't know if I can say Tetris is simply the perfect puzzle game for the brain, but it is unquestionably the perfect puzzle game for my brain. A lot of people drink coffee or something when they need to perk up, I play a session of Tetris and go as long as I can and by the end of it my brain is buzzing...then I down three litres of Cola because COME ON you do need the caffeine.
Seven shapes, all with near infinite possibilities of fitting into each other and the landscae of existing blocks already on the screen. I dream about Tetris, it's sort of disturbing, I have genuinely played entire games of it in my brain while day dreaming thinking about the blocks, I'm pretty sure I cheat so it's not quite as simulating as the real thing. It's the perfection of puzzle parts that just slide next to each other perfectly, combined with the satisfaction of slamming parts together to create landscapes juxtaposed against the rage/stress of getting a piece that doesn't fit anywhere, an issue which is essentially unavoidable eventually.
You have your own little goals of lining blocks up to attempt to score four lines for a Tetris, or deliberately sabotaging your own progress for the extra challenge of working your way out of it in a game that has a thousand little victories...ironically in a game you can't actually win...only delay the inevitable failure. Anyone can play it, everyone will play it differently and will come back for more. Tetris is on the frontline as an argument for how video games can be infinitely more simulating and engaging than other media if their potential is met.
I really like Tetris.
We're done here, I'm going to go play Tetris.
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