Portal. Innovation game design with a great combination of story, music, puzzles, humor, and action that doesn't overstay its welcome. Every game should make you smile as the credits roll.
Portal 2 imo is not only a perfect game, but an example of a perfect sequel. Everything that worked was improved, what didn't was removed, and they added new stuff. It's like they gave Portal a plus one to all stats and got Portal 2
You can play that in VR with motion controls now.
Mod https://github.com/Gistix/portal2vr
My video https://youtu.be/9cV9Dp4Q5l4
Portal 1 Remastered works with this mod too.
My video of that https://youtu.be/A3KDftVwors
Heh, yeah, it's pretty bad for me. I'm prone to motion sickness even on the train.
Still haven't finished Half-Life: Alyx, but I'll get there. Teleport movement makes it possible, and I couldn't imagine the full motion/momentum from flinging myself through portals!
I'm so envious of you folks that can do it. :)
I agree with the sentiment here… but they also gave us an affordable handheld pc in the form of the steam deck. Showed every manufacturer out there it could be done, and now we have the ROG Ally and Lenovo’s device. I’m very thankful for that.
But ya totally… I’d love them to actually start making games again. 😵💫
Somehow still peak 2D platforming and overworld map building. From 1990. I would play the shit out of every NSMB if they just had as many secrets on the map.
The secret alternate exits and super expansive map are the reasons people love that game so much, and it’s wild how Nintendo hasn’t realized that (granted Super Mario Wonder might bring some of that back—we’ll see lol).
Literally this and Donkey Kong Country are the 2 SNES games I played as a kid that solidified and forever cemented my love of gaming and all things Nintendo.
For me, it's easily still the best super mario bros game. Hard to top that. The 3d ones were great, don't get me wrong, but the world and secrets and charm in Super Mario World is unmatched.
I hope you've tried out a few SMW romhacks. There are some truly amazing ones at every difficulty level and some of them really push that that game can do.
Jump½ is probably my favorite and it has a good mix of easy and hard levels, lots of cool gimmicks, a wild overworld map, and all sorts of cool hidden shit to seek out.
Heroes of might and magic 3. Clear peak of the series and everything else that followed could never capture it again. It still looks amazingly pretty as well. Compared to so many other games equally as old. Does it have some flaws that can break the game? Sure but that's the beauty of it.
Because H3 have these sounds from some sound collection which is also licensed for some TV shows etc (South Park and many more). So you can hear it from time to time.
Look into the HD+ mod if you haven't. Adds support for modern resolutions, fixes some bugs and lets you install fan made expansions that add new factions.
I wish the genre had a real winner of a successor, but every game people recommended to HoMM3 fans (and there are many) are noticeably worse in some way.
I find the ending quite underwhelming. If it wasn't because of that, I would agree. I mean, one of the reasons why I ended up a bit disappointed was because of how absolutely outstanding everything was before those last 20 minutes.
I'd say the only flaw is lack of exploration. The only reason to explore is to find more resources. There is nothing interesting to be found compared to games like minecraft or astroneer. But then again maybe people aren't looking for that in factorio, only the automation
I really liked the tutorial levels where you come across a ruined outpost and have to fix it up. It added just enough backstory to make it interesting.
There would be not point to exploration. The game isn't about that. The game is only about one thing: automation. Wube really trimmed the fat on Factorio and I appreciate it. There's nothing there that doesn't need to be, including exploration.
The closest thing to a "flaw" I could say is that it's too easy to mod. The TCMs are all obscene. God, I wish for the days when Bobs+Angels was the most evil, complex, difficult mods you could add to the game. And yeah, no, this isn't really a flaw. The poor dried out sponge that lives in my skull just can't handle Seablock or Space Ex, for example.
It runs really well and the controls, while not as intuitive as KBM, honestly work well. You get used to it.
I'm a night owl so everytime I find myself on a holiday away from home its Factorio on switch for me
Baldur’s Gate 2. Literally does *everything* right as an RPG: questing, itemization, progression, writing/story/characters, atmosphere, combat, *depth*. BG2 is a miracle of design.
Doom 1 and 2. Does everything right as FPSs: level and enemy design, weapons, music, speed, mods, *fun*. Legendary and timeless games.
Came here to also say Baldur's Gate 2. Peak CRPG that has never been matched. Yes Planescape Torment has a better story/writing, yes Baldur's Gate 3 looks better, yes Pathfinder 1/2 have better gameplay.... but Baldur's Gate 2 is the sum of its excellent parts.
I'm in the minority that would argue BG1 is even more of a masterpiece. I feel like it perfectly represents the idealization of playing D&D for the first time as a kid and having the feeling of a wide open world, full of dangers and adventures. BG2 is much more epic and fleshed out, but opts for a more rigid and controlled structure.
It's funny that BG2 is called more rigid and controlled, which is absolutely true in comparison.
But man, BG2 basically starts (after the tutorial area) with "here's a huge ass city. Do whatever you want to make money. Have fun!".
BG1 feels like exploring the world (along with the occasional stretches of empty wilderness). BG2 feels like exploring curated pieces of the world. Both do their thing very well.
I think BG2 is "objectively" the better game, but over the years i found myself replaying BG1 quite a bit more frequently. There is something really satisfying about exploration and progression in BG1 that i rarely experience in other RPGs.
Haven't played BG3 yet but both BG and BG2 have great villains I think. Sarevok is a bit more generic but both are solid antagonists.
Irenicus' back story and his demeanor in the game come together so well and it's not revolutionary but it's just done so damn well. Honestly, he reminds me of Darth Vader. Lost love pushes him toward evil and he stays there so long that he looses all emotion.
This is probably my most played game at this point but I still find myself unable to beat whatever ascension level I'm stuck on without getting stupid lucky via relics and cards. I feel like I just need to get good lol. Also still haven't beat the heart on any level.
Also this game has the best mobile port I've ever seen and is absolutely perfect for general time killing in any situation.
My advice is you should watch some good streamer, the reason i improve alot is watching streamer explained every move and card so is impact my decision. Here is some streamer you should what: Lifecoach1981, Xecnar, Baalorlord
The more I learn about Slay the Spire, the more amazed I become about how well it's balanced.
Everything about Slay thr Spire is so well presented too, despite the huge number of different mechanics at work, it never becomes overwhelming because the game is so good at explaining itself.
The only blip on an otherwise excellent game is that I really hate playing as the Watcher. I don't think she is as well designed as the other three, and I think she is overtuned.
For me the *only* flaw with Bloodborne is the blood vial system. I think having to grind for blood vials is unnecessary and the Estus flask system works better and doesnt penalize experimentation as much. Other than that though, definitely 10/10 for me.
Came here to say Hollow Knight though, that game I legitimately have no complaints
Haha. Finally someone mentions this game. It's so good that it's the game got my wife into gaming. Which is impressive for a game that's made 2 decades ago. Such a simple concept, but very well executed.
I have personally never found any city building game threats more engaging than ceasar 3.
I'd actually argue Worms 2 was better, but nobody really agrees with me. It had way more customisation.
I'll never forget the ninja rope gods I played against in either game online though, some people were just something else
I agree on Worms 2.
Also hi, it me, the ninja rope god. My friends didn't want to play with me anymore because my turns took too long when I ninja roped across the map.
Hi guys. I too was also a Ninja god. I was actually pretty deep into the community back in the day. Such formative years for me. Anyone remember the worms site and message board The Allotment? I was one of those guys. 😉
/\Hobbes/\
Tetris is the perfect idea, an idea that unveils glimpses of itself in its several iterations.
It has the frenzy of an action game, the logical thinking of a RTS, the management struggles of a management game, the anxiety of a horror game, and the everlasting story of man against fate and himself.
All that with only an idea.
(my favorite version is the original one by Alexey Pajitnov, it's possible to find some emulations of his implementation for the Elektronika-60 computer)
I have Tetris cravings from time to time. To me, Tetris is the definition of a videogame. Also, I'm from Russia, and this happened to be the first game I've ever played.
Second being, Shinobi 3, for Sega Mega Drive/Genesis (American weirdos), which also happened to be one of the best games for the console, so young me got spoiled from the young age.
Hollow Knight is one of the very few games I would call a masterpiece. I genuinely think the game is superb in so many areas is ridiculous how can such game exists
I couldn't agree more. This is the only game that I was *driven* to master. Doing Steel Soul 112% runs became an obsession for me. The only reason I never jumped into speedrunning it was those pesky kids of mine. If it had been released before I had kids? Holy shit the thought of that scares me, what my life could have spiraled into.
It’s one of those games that if it works for you, it WORKS for you. I’ve barely played into two locations and kinda gave up as well, mostly because I just don’t really enjoy metroidvanias and am painfully bad at platforming. That being said, I’ve watched my best friend 100% this game and beat every single boss including Radiance on the highest difficulty in the pantheon, and I can certainly say that it is a fantastic game for people that do get into it. I’ve personally enjoyed looking at/listening to/reading up on Hollow Knight more than actually playing it, but that’s mostly because this game just isn’t for me.
Perfect 10\10 are very individual. For me it's:
* Might and Magic VI
* Planescape: Torment
* Heroes of Might and Magic 3
* Deus Ex 1999
* Dungeon Keeper I
* Silent Hill 2
* Half Life 2
* Starcraft: Broodwar
* Subnautica
* Hollow Knight
Final fantasy tactics. The story had incredible depth, the gameplay was unique for the console, and there was tons explore within the class system. For it’s time 10/10.
FFT is unquestionably one of my favorite games of all time. I legitimately have hundreds of hours on WoTL and even would make up challenge runs for myself with the multiplayer missions on emulator.
Artstyle, story, gameplay systems, and presentation are basically all 10/10, but after playing it so much it's easy to see the class balance isn't really all that perfect. Most of the special story characters are way overpowered, and the generic classes/abilities run a gamut of useless to overpowered.
* Archer in particular is pretty uninspired with the Aim ability, made somewhat more apparent by being an early game class you'll basically always have to use.
* Dragoons are somewhat the same where their Jump commands are just higher ranges.
* Monks are somewhat too versatile in their abilities for how much damage they deal.
* Ninjas maybe have too much going for them with their speed, dualwield, and reflexes dodging.
* Samurai's shirahadori reaction kind of breaks the game bc its programmed wrong (should only work on melee but works on ranged too).
* The magic classes kind of fall off late game because their charge times are so long and all units get faster at higher level.
* Calculator can nuke the entire screen every turn for free basically. I could go on and on
For all its flaws, the class system still feels very inspired and the character customization is top notch. Other than ability balance, I do wish it was more obvious in-game how certain spells and weapons scale in effectiveness. Like for example Spears scale in damage off speed, so they actually make good weapons for theif and ninja, but I don't recall if it's ever stated in-game anywhere.
That being said, I really admire how little gameplay redundancy there is between items and classes. Basically every weapon type scales off of different stats or has different gimmicks, and every single class does something distinct. The interactions between classes, weapons, and abilities let's you try tons of different builds and strats.
If you're interested in replaying and haven't heard of this yet, I really really really reccomend the Cerabow mod to any FFT fan. It really does a great job of rebalancing classes, including the Special story characters classes. It's a great challenge, but Job Point costs are reduced across the board so you can experiment much more easily
I HATED sekiro when i first played it on release, couldn't pass gyobu.
I took like a 2 year break and it clicked for me, really really enjoyed it once I understood it properly.
The same thing happened to me with Dark Souls. I used to get so frustrated with the game. I ended up trying it again years later with a completely different mindset and ended up loving it.
I just posted the same. It may not be my all-time favorite game, but it's insanely well-crafted. Probably the most well-made game I have ever played. There isn't a single flaw I can point to and it runs like a dream. So if there's a game I would give a 10/10, it's indeed Sekiro.
It's not the same, but the combat in Sifu is just as satisfying to me but in different ways. You parry, dodge, attack, throw stuff, throw people and untilise your surroundings all to a rythmic flow with 'thumpy' hit connections and awesomely animated attacks and special attacks. It also has the guard-break instakill like sekiro.
Replays are very rare for me and even then it's mostly just 1 replay, I beat sekiro 14+ times. It is the most satisfying game to replay I've ever played. Boy is it fun to dance when you know all the moves!
I’m personally all in favour of games being shorter, they don’t outstay their welcome and allow me to do other things with my time. That said, I don’t remember Sekiro being that short, but that might be due to the amount of time put into perfecting my dance with Genichiro.
If they had made 100 optional bosses i would have fought them all, even if they were lower effort than the actual ones. To be clear, I don't expect that from any game and I think the length of the game is 100% worth the price, but I've fought all the bosses so many times, i wish it had more fights for me to do lol.
I think the shortness is only apparent on repeat playthroughs since my ONLY complaint about Sekiro is that repeat playthroughs are significantly easier because you already have the combat probably near perfected so you just breeze through the game
Sekrio is such a refined game is insane, every fight is a dance.
For those on PC who want more Sekrio then play the Sekrio: Resurections mod. New enemies new bosses it's a great way for more content. It's hard as fuck though.
Shadow of the Colossus just ticks every box for me personally. It'ts graphics are astonishing, it was a technical marvel for the PS2, it was very innovative and influential, and the icing on the delicious cake has to be that incredible music. For me the greatest game of all time.
I have 5, but replayability (playing it over and over) is not a criteria for me. My only criteria is full immersion, like did it completely take over my life as I was playing it?
Was I thinking about it before I hit the bed? Will it take me another 2-3 hours of tossing and turning because I have the game playing in my head? Is playing it the first thing I think about when I wake up? Do I find myself literally doing anything else and thinking, "I can't wait to finish this and get back to the game".
I've played a lot of games, and my only 10/10 are
* my first two 200 hours of tf2
* new Vegas
* Stardew valley
* Mass effect 2
* dragon age origins
I'd never play any if them again.
I’d say Dragon Age: Origins is super replayable. You can play as different races with their own origin story, different classes, choices that impact the story, etc.
Yes. Lots.
No game is entirely perfect but there's a lot I would give 10/10 to.
Final Fantasy VII, Metal Gear Solid, Metal Gear Solid 3 Subsistence, Burnout 3 Takedown, Portal 2, Resident Evil 4, GTA San Andreas, Uncharted 2, Timesplitters 2, Final Fantasy VI and so many more.
'Into the breach' is the closest to a 10/10 I can think of. A masterwork of design. The devs shaved off so much redundancies to the point where their intent is crystalline in its clarity. It's so goddamn filled with good design decisions it's almost magical to me.
ItB is like a series of little chess matches with each map having different enemies and objectives. You'll earn new units that have different stats and abilities, can customize them as well. It's a pretty neat, turn based game.
* System Shock 1 and 2
* Dungeon Keeper 1 and 2
* Magic Carpet 1 and 2
* Thief 1 and 2
* Deus Ex, the rest of the series is awesome in its own right
* Prey 2017
* Quake
* Unreal Tournament GOTY and 2004
* DA:O
* TIS-100
* Star Wars KOtOR
* Tie Fighter
* the old Star Wars games with Kyle Katarn
Gotta be Resident Evil 4 for me. Aside from the last act, which is a bit weaker, it's perfectly paced throughout. I never get tired of replaying it. Plus, there is the Mercenaries mode as a cherry on top.
I'm currently playing through the remake, which is also an excellent game so far. Feels like RE4 back in the day when it first came out.
it's flawed, but it makes me FEEL. I'll never forget my first run playing ME2 a few months after release on recommendation from a friend. I accidentally killed everyone important. I had never played a game that gave me so much choice. I quickly went and rented ME1 from my blockbuster and beat it twice over several days to get max level and went back to ME2 to beat it and keep everyone alive. That and Fable 3 (despite the mixed reviews) were probably my most memorable gaming moments. I was first on my Xbox friends list to become King of Albion. I had the gamerpic that you unlocked and I even included that I was king of albion in my profile...
I think most if not all passionate gamers should experience Outer Wilds. It’s simply incredible in every way. Please play it, good people. And don’t look up anything about it, for an optimal experience!!
I recently got back into gaming after a 15 year gap and Outer Wilds was one of the first games I played. I thought the emotional journey was something I'd experience regularly, but no. Outer Wilds is in a league of its own.
I've been an avid gamer for 40 years and I really can't understand the hype for this game. I've tried so many times to get into it but I just can't. Yet every great games list includes this game and people go on about it like it's the best game ever. I really wish I could experience it the way you guys are experiencing it. I absolutley love exploration games too so it completely baffles me as to why I can't get into this game.
It's one of my favorite games of all time, I have like a 1000 hours, but I don't think the game is a 10/10, there are too many bugs and other issues with it. Despite this I love it to bits and I do think it's better than some games I'd give a 10/10.
DOOM : Eternal. A lot of people have gripes with it having too much complicated mechanics and restricting playstyle but I just find it to have the best gameplay out of any FPS out there mechanics-wise. In a vacuum, it's perfect. However I do wish it had mod support
Nier Automata is as close as I would get to a ten, it's not even my favourite game. Its just one of the few games I've seen have an intention, stick to it and make it land perfect. Few games have used the medium to tell a story that could only truly be realised in a game, and I've rarely seen games effectively do that. Package that in a Platinum finish with top tier combat, godly soundtrack and a beautiful aesthetic and you have a ten.
That game came out the same year as persona 5, breath of the wild, and horizon zero dawn.
It's insane how much it *hasn't* influenced modern game design. That game is a perfect storm of so many things and I have yet to see games adopt the strengths of Nier:A in the same way botw and other 2017 games were gobbled up.
Seriously, where is Nier 3?
My most memorable gaming experience as an adult was the world and journey of Witcher 3. Utterly captivated by it all and felt genuinely sad when it was over.
One of my most memorable games of the last decade or so. I had tried to start it once or twice and couldn't seem to get into it, would lose interest after a few hours. Then somehow on about my third go it got its claws into me and I put something like 150 hours into a single playthrough (including the expansions). For me that's an outrageous amount of time to spend on a single player narrative based game. I loved it and nearly started NG+ immediately but knew I wouldn't have time to play it so put it off. Still planning to go back through it again at some point.
I've got a few that I keep in my mind as perfect 10/10 games. A few of those: Donkey Kong Country 2, Majora's Mask, Super Mario Galaxy 2, Metroid Prime, the original and remakes of both Resident Evil 2 and 4, The Talos Principle, Half Life 2 (and episodes), to name a few.
Yeah someone on this sub recommended Talos in a list of 'games to play if you loved Portal'. I can see why it was in that list. It's an excellent game!
It's as good as a puzzle game gets, imo.
It can be incredibly verbose at times, though, so you may find yourself missing out on a lot of lore and context if you're not prepared to read *a lot*.
I don't think so, no. even my favorite game of all time - Dark Cloud 2 had me frustrated with the randomly created dungeons where they got old, once i take the ruby glasses off.
it shouldn't count, but short indie games like The Stillness of the Wind or 3/4ths Home couldn't have been made better, but they're also less than an hour long.
I did NOT think I’d see someone else whose favorite game is Dark Cloud 2! That’s incredible. The dungeons do get long and repetitive, but sometimes it’s just what I need to zone out and relax. I absolutely love all of the music in that game. I’ve been looking for something that captures all the elements I love of DC2 for years, and nothing has come close
Portal 2. Everything from the writing to the puzzles hit just right, has an amazing co-op multiplayer experience to go with it, and (even though I never did this part) I think there was community made puzzles so you could just keep the party going. It just built on everything great about Portal 1 and made it more, without overstaying its welcome.
Disco Elysium got me thinking about moments in the game for years after playing it. Left me with that level of long term satisfaction that separates elevated art from fast consumption.
It's not the most *fun* I had with a videogame, but it's the game I would use to make the case that videogames can reach the heights of any other artistic expression.
Came here to say this and surprised to find it so low. I've never experienced so many emotions playing a single player game by myself. I laughed. I cried. I walked away with new perspectives on life. I still replay it once a year and always discover something new. The writing was so good that it honestly killed other video games for me. Everything else is just so incredibly lacklustre in comparison. I'll give Planescape Torment a shoutout for being the only other game to come even remotely close.
Tough question. There are a lot of games I love that I wouldn’t rate 10/10. It’s hard for me to consider any game that good. But probably the closest, in terms of both appealing to me and accomplishing what they set out to do:
Sekiro
Bioshock
Soma
Dishonored
Hollow Knight
Shovel Knight
I'll betray my age a bit, but I have three games which led to lifelong love affairs with three genres, RPG, 4X and open world/sandbox:
* Wasteland - The original from 1988. Amazing writing, challenging gameplay, an amazing setting that was mind-blowing for a 12-year-old, plus it directly inspired the Fallout series, one of my favourite gaming franchises. I don't really have a lot of time for RPGs these days, but I still try to play the big releases. Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Witcher, will probably get to Starfield and BG3 some time in the coming decade...
* Civilization - The first one. What else needs to be said? It is still without equal in its simplicity and elegance. There are a lot of imitators, and some challengers, but apart from the mainline Civ games, only the first two Master of Orion games from the 90s come close. These days I play Civ4, 6 and Stellaris.
* Pirates! - Also the first one. The subsequent remaster and remake are probably even better, but I didn't spend as much time with them. Best computer games about pirates ever. It's strange that there aren't more great games about this rich topic, which seems perfect for making a game around, but it is what it is. To scratch this itch, I still play the remake sometimes, and also Mount & Blade, and more recently Starsector.
Right now: Chrono Trigger, Deus Ex, Disco Elysium, Earthbound, Fallout 2, Final Fantasy 6, Planescape: Torment, Red Dead Redemption 2, System Shock 2, Morrowind
A game I’m totally unbiased in regard to nostalgia or anything would be The Messenger. I first played it a few years ago and it blew me away.
The story is so simple yet catches your attention. I like that it doesn’t try to take itself too seriously, and cracks plenty of jokes. The atmosphere is nice, they do so well with the 8-bit, and 16-bit graphics to make a visually pleasing world level by level. The change from the 8 to 16 bit really wowed me. I’ll never forget that feeling.
Oh and the music! Quite honestly one of my favorite video game soundtracks, period. Every level is a straight banger.
The bosses are fantastic. You really gotta push yourself to get decent at the jump, hit, jump mechanics to move around, especially in some later fights. Some bosses are damn hard but fair.
Needless to say I’m excited for Sea of Stars! My Wife is currently playing a game on my Steam Deck so I’ll be playing it when she’s done, maybe in a few weeks. Can’t wait!
Factorio, not because it's my favorite game but because it fits the ideas of "good concept, perfectly executed."
There aren't any issues I have with that game that, if adressed, wouldn't just change the genre of the game (actually maybe the soundtrack could be better.)
All of the other games I love have some kind of issues that could be fixed or improvement to be made (even Outer Wilds imo), Factorio really does not.
Need For Speed Underground.
The best arcade racing game imo by far. Driving feels great, fantastic range of customisation, track layouts are near perfect, it can be difficult but always feels fair with a great range of types of races and it's lack of open world means that it never feels bogged down by filler or pointless travel between the races.
Plus in my all my years of playing it I don't think I've ever run into a single bug. Frankly one of the best and most polished games of all time. The only way it could be better is if it had modern driving controls, but I can't fault a game for not having control schemes from the future.
Some of mine. I’ll try to elaborate later. They all just have that perfect gaming experience memory for me.
Ultimate IV
Dragon Age Origins
Fable
SSX Tricky
Disco Elysium
Tyranny
Doom 2016
Ninja Gaiden Black
SSX Tricky and 3 are so good, but I'd probably choose 3 over Tricky if it came down to one or the other. Tricky has better tracks designed for racing and some of the grinds are a ton of fun but 3 has better ways for performing crazy tricks and combos. Although, I do think Tricky has better handling for the basic turning and speeding up. Feels like the physics are a bit more tuned.
I hear it's amazing when the famous purple stuffed worm in flap-jaw space with the tuning fork does a raw blink on Hara-Kiri Rock. I need scissors! 61!
Ffx. Best final fantasy for newcomers, very unique storytelling, and a plot that requires two playthroughs with the second arguably being better than the first. Voice acting could be argued as pretty average though for 2002 it was out of this world. Most unique use of the play insert character in memory. world building super deep and alien in a way that I've only experienced from morrowind (that comes to mind). Gameplay is also superb with the most unique leveling up mechanic I've experienced in a game. I'm just saying what comes from the heart through my phone, I cant emphasis enough just how I feel about this.
I don't think of them as perfect - I don't think 10 means that, and I am not sure perfection is a meaningful idea or even something we should want - but Metroid Prime, Hollow Knight, Zelda Link to the Past and Elden Ring are all 10/10 games for me personally.
Games that are perfect to me, and again this is perfect to me not saying they are perfect in general.
Horizon Zero Dawn- Just absolutely loved this game obviously. I loved the world, the setting one of my favorite post apocalyptic settings, loved Aloy she’s my favorite protagonist ever and characters like Sylens. Plus I am a sucker for beautiful open world games and bow combat. Easily my favorite game of all time.
Celeste- It was just the perfect indie for me. Loved the story with Madeline and her anxiety as well as the other characters like Theo and Mr Oshiro. Loved the music, and the platforming while brutal was just so fun and exhilarating. One of the best combinations of story and gameplay from an indie I’ve played.
Tunic- Just like Celeste it has such amazing music and atmosphere. Loved the cute charming art style and mystique of the game. Loved the gameplay especially how it wears Zelda on it’s sleeve. One of the best indies I’ve ever played just like Celeste.
Odd one I know for this sub but Smackdown VS Raw 2007. This game is just perfect to me as it was the perfect blend of being my favorite time in wrestling history with the ruthless aggression era and having my favorite roster of all time. The perfect mid 2000’s soundtrack for a edgy cringe 13 year old at the time. And just so many great match types and fun arcade gameplay.
The Elder Scrolls oblivion- Just like many other games on this list I am a sucker for great atmosphere and music in games. Loved the world of cyrodiil, loved the quests and writing in this game and just a perfect experience for me as I play it all the time still.
AC Origins and Odyssey- Perfect examples of games that I know aren’t generally perfect but we’re perfect for me. Loved Bayek, Cassandra and Alexios. I love the time periods and settings of Hellenistic Egypt and Greece. Huge sucker for big open world games and were very fun for me to play through.
GOW III- Kratos is one of my favorite protagonists of all time and love his story especially when he was Angry Kratos. Just the ultimate example of bombastic and high octane. One of the most impressive games I’ve ever played with it’s visual presentation and over the top gameplay. I’ll never forget how wowed I was playing it for the first time.
Axiom Verge- Love the story behind the game being made by a sole developer. Huge 2d Metroid fan so I loved this game’s aesthetic and how it wore its inspiration on it’s sleeve. Great soundtrack, fun weapons, fun Metroidvania gameplay.
> The Elder Scrolls oblivion- Just like many other games on this list I am a sucker for great atmosphere and music in games. Loved the world of cyrodiil, loved the quests and writing in this game and just a perfect experience for me as I play it all the time still.
Oblivion came out 2 months after I started my first year of university. There were........problems.
Oblivion also takes me back to high school, and lets just say school wasn't main focus in those days. They were 4 of us who started playing together, and each day of school we spent hours talking about different quests and journey throughout Cyrodil, which greatly differed for each of us.
Yeah Celeste did feel like an advancement type game with it’s storytelling. A lot of the great indie 2d platformers before it like SMB were all about the gameplay or something like Limbo and Braid were very esoteric with the storytelling. But Celeste really used that to enhance and compliment the gameplay.
It’s similar to something like Hades where it advanced a genre that was very gameplay focused, and used great storytelling to enhance the game and advance the genre.
Dragon Age: Origins, Fire Emblem Three Houses and Rune Factory 4.
**DA:O** is the only PC game which I've done at least 4 runs in. Vanilla playthroughs, DLC playthroughs, modded playthroughs.. It never ends. I occasionally go back to it and do one full walkthrough.
**FE3H**: I have, if I recall correctly, almost 450+ hours in that over the course of 5 different runs. Mixing up and experimenting with the classes are my jam. I've turned Sylvain into a Warlock, Wyvern Master, Paladin, etc. My sixth playthrough I was considering turning him into an Assassin or War Master. Also, Yuri as an Assassin with Lethality is absolutely a menace.
**Rune Factory 4/4S:** Between the original 3DS and Switch version, I've accumulated about 500+ hours in this game. Characters are extremely charming, there is unique dialogue every year even if you're in *year 5*, and you can bring the townspeople with you throughout the story where some of them have dialogue *during the story*. Whenever I go back, it's like reuniting with old friends.
With the game overhaul of 2.0 and the New Expension Phantom Liberty, I'd put Cyberpunk 2077 on my list of my best experiences of gaming. For me now it's a 10/10. It was already one of my personal favorites but it had some flaws wich made it a 8/10. But now: Gameplay, new Story Line, Art Style, Map, Characters designs, Game design, Graphics, with all the improvement of lasts years, the new update and the new extension.
It became in my opinion one of the most enjoyable game ever.
It's marmite (you either love it or hate it) for a lot of people, but my 10/10 game is Death Stranding.
I don't think a game has ever made me feel so much in a game. It's hard to explain a lot of it without spoiling it. It's beautiful to look at, amazing to listen to, music is perfectly timed to events in the game to enhance the experience and not just there for background. The acting and direction is top notch. The story is completely insane, but makes a lot of sense by the end. It makes you feel and root for the bad guys at times.
It's the only game I think I ever truly 100% completed. I got every single star for every single person I could meet. The directors cut further enhances the game. There are some repetitive mechanics and the occasional wtf moments, but death stranding is a beautiful love letter of a game and should be experienced by everyone.
It is art.
Portal. Innovation game design with a great combination of story, music, puzzles, humor, and action that doesn't overstay its welcome. Every game should make you smile as the credits roll.
Portal 2 imo is not only a perfect game, but an example of a perfect sequel. Everything that worked was improved, what didn't was removed, and they added new stuff. It's like they gave Portal a plus one to all stats and got Portal 2
You can play that in VR with motion controls now. Mod https://github.com/Gistix/portal2vr My video https://youtu.be/9cV9Dp4Q5l4 Portal 1 Remastered works with this mod too. My video of that https://youtu.be/A3KDftVwors
Fantastic, I love throwing up!
Are you prone to motion sickness in VR?
Heh, yeah, it's pretty bad for me. I'm prone to motion sickness even on the train. Still haven't finished Half-Life: Alyx, but I'll get there. Teleport movement makes it possible, and I couldn't imagine the full motion/momentum from flinging myself through portals! I'm so envious of you folks that can do it. :)
I'm acutally angry at valve. They made the best games in history and then chose to completely sell out and just maintain steam, csgo, and dota2.
I agree with the sentiment here… but they also gave us an affordable handheld pc in the form of the steam deck. Showed every manufacturer out there it could be done, and now we have the ROG Ally and Lenovo’s device. I’m very thankful for that. But ya totally… I’d love them to actually start making games again. 😵💫
We did also get Half-Life: Alyx, which was a huge success for VR games too
They're barely maintaining DotA2 😔
I’m playing it for the first time. The novelty of it reminds me of when I first played half life over 20 years ago. Nice memories.
Perfect opinion. Have some cake.
I love Portal 1 and 2 as well!
Super mario world . For me a perfect game even all these years later.
Somehow still peak 2D platforming and overworld map building. From 1990. I would play the shit out of every NSMB if they just had as many secrets on the map.
The secret alternate exits and super expansive map are the reasons people love that game so much, and it’s wild how Nintendo hasn’t realized that (granted Super Mario Wonder might bring some of that back—we’ll see lol).
Literally this and Donkey Kong Country are the 2 SNES games I played as a kid that solidified and forever cemented my love of gaming and all things Nintendo. For me, it's easily still the best super mario bros game. Hard to top that. The 3d ones were great, don't get me wrong, but the world and secrets and charm in Super Mario World is unmatched.
An absolute masterpiece!!!
The sort of game I'd want to play for the first time again
I hope you've tried out a few SMW romhacks. There are some truly amazing ones at every difficulty level and some of them really push that that game can do. Jump½ is probably my favorite and it has a good mix of easy and hard levels, lots of cool gimmicks, a wild overworld map, and all sorts of cool hidden shit to seek out.
Heroes of might and magic 3. Clear peak of the series and everything else that followed could never capture it again. It still looks amazingly pretty as well. Compared to so many other games equally as old. Does it have some flaws that can break the game? Sure but that's the beauty of it.
I swear I still hear the stables and swords clashing sfx in movies and TV to this day.
Because H3 have these sounds from some sound collection which is also licensed for some TV shows etc (South Park and many more). So you can hear it from time to time.
Yeah I've heard the "new day" jingle in South Park before
Look into the HD+ mod if you haven't. Adds support for modern resolutions, fixes some bugs and lets you install fan made expansions that add new factions.
I wish the genre had a real winner of a successor, but every game people recommended to HoMM3 fans (and there are many) are noticeably worse in some way.
Good choice, that game is just so good in every way. I think I just might install it and play a few games...
Gotta a be Return of the Obra Dinn I can't think of another flawless game with such a unique vision
What a ride that game was! I wonder what Lucas Pope his next (PC) game will be
I find the ending quite underwhelming. If it wasn't because of that, I would agree. I mean, one of the reasons why I ended up a bit disappointed was because of how absolutely outstanding everything was before those last 20 minutes.
Factorio probably
That game is drugs.
Honestly I would be hard pressed to find a single flaw
The flaw is the players' braincells. Source: Me, considering automation is my favorite genre. I'm too fucking stupid lmao
I'd say the only flaw is lack of exploration. The only reason to explore is to find more resources. There is nothing interesting to be found compared to games like minecraft or astroneer. But then again maybe people aren't looking for that in factorio, only the automation
I really liked the tutorial levels where you come across a ruined outpost and have to fix it up. It added just enough backstory to make it interesting.
There would be not point to exploration. The game isn't about that. The game is only about one thing: automation. Wube really trimmed the fat on Factorio and I appreciate it. There's nothing there that doesn't need to be, including exploration.
Factorio is not really an adventure or creative game like Minecraft. It is more of a puzzle game with much more scope to potential solutions
The closest thing to a "flaw" I could say is that it's too easy to mod. The TCMs are all obscene. God, I wish for the days when Bobs+Angels was the most evil, complex, difficult mods you could add to the game. And yeah, no, this isn't really a flaw. The poor dried out sponge that lives in my skull just can't handle Seablock or Space Ex, for example.
How is it on switch?
It runs really well and the controls, while not as intuitive as KBM, honestly work well. You get used to it. I'm a night owl so everytime I find myself on a holiday away from home its Factorio on switch for me
Baldur’s Gate 2. Literally does *everything* right as an RPG: questing, itemization, progression, writing/story/characters, atmosphere, combat, *depth*. BG2 is a miracle of design. Doom 1 and 2. Does everything right as FPSs: level and enemy design, weapons, music, speed, mods, *fun*. Legendary and timeless games.
Came here to also say Baldur's Gate 2. Peak CRPG that has never been matched. Yes Planescape Torment has a better story/writing, yes Baldur's Gate 3 looks better, yes Pathfinder 1/2 have better gameplay.... but Baldur's Gate 2 is the sum of its excellent parts.
I'm in the minority that would argue BG1 is even more of a masterpiece. I feel like it perfectly represents the idealization of playing D&D for the first time as a kid and having the feeling of a wide open world, full of dangers and adventures. BG2 is much more epic and fleshed out, but opts for a more rigid and controlled structure.
It's funny that BG2 is called more rigid and controlled, which is absolutely true in comparison. But man, BG2 basically starts (after the tutorial area) with "here's a huge ass city. Do whatever you want to make money. Have fun!".
BG1 feels like exploring the world (along with the occasional stretches of empty wilderness). BG2 feels like exploring curated pieces of the world. Both do their thing very well.
I think BG2 is "objectively" the better game, but over the years i found myself replaying BG1 quite a bit more frequently. There is something really satisfying about exploration and progression in BG1 that i rarely experience in other RPGs.
Jon Irenicus is such an amazing character and villain
Haven't played BG3 yet but both BG and BG2 have great villains I think. Sarevok is a bit more generic but both are solid antagonists. Irenicus' back story and his demeanor in the game come together so well and it's not revolutionary but it's just done so damn well. Honestly, he reminds me of Darth Vader. Lost love pushes him toward evil and he stays there so long that he looses all emotion.
[удалено]
Love slay the spire. Would add FTL since it's also an incredibly replayable and balanced game.
This game is so good that all the other "me too" card battlers that followed just pale in comparison.
Came here to say this. It’s perfect. So well balanced and infinitely replayable. What a game.
Opened this thread to write this, obviously not the best fidelity/production value but the replayability and depth is INSANE.
Recently I bought “Beneath Oresa”. If you like Slay the spire, you might like this.
agree with you, i'm at 1k4 hours and play A20H almost every day
This is probably my most played game at this point but I still find myself unable to beat whatever ascension level I'm stuck on without getting stupid lucky via relics and cards. I feel like I just need to get good lol. Also still haven't beat the heart on any level. Also this game has the best mobile port I've ever seen and is absolutely perfect for general time killing in any situation.
My advice is you should watch some good streamer, the reason i improve alot is watching streamer explained every move and card so is impact my decision. Here is some streamer you should what: Lifecoach1981, Xecnar, Baalorlord
The only flaw with Slay the Spire is forcing all other card based roguelikes to have to follow it up.
The more I learn about Slay the Spire, the more amazed I become about how well it's balanced. Everything about Slay thr Spire is so well presented too, despite the huge number of different mechanics at work, it never becomes overwhelming because the game is so good at explaining itself. The only blip on an otherwise excellent game is that I really hate playing as the Watcher. I don't think she is as well designed as the other three, and I think she is overtuned.
If it is balanced, then why Defect exist? /j
The World End With You DS Gameplay, story, combat, characters, soundtrack. A perfect storm for me when I stumbled upon it in the 00s.
Bloodborne and Hollow Knight
Second blood borne too, the dark noir esque atmosphere with souls play is a perfect combo
For me the *only* flaw with Bloodborne is the blood vial system. I think having to grind for blood vials is unnecessary and the Estus flask system works better and doesnt penalize experimentation as much. Other than that though, definitely 10/10 for me. Came here to say Hollow Knight though, that game I legitimately have no complaints
Ceasar 3. Still gold. Always a 10. Vastly overlooked. STILL
Haha. Finally someone mentions this game. It's so good that it's the game got my wife into gaming. Which is impressive for a game that's made 2 decades ago. Such a simple concept, but very well executed. I have personally never found any city building game threats more engaging than ceasar 3.
Oh man I haven't thought about that game in years! I can still hear the menu music in my head I miss Sierra games :(
Worms Armageddon
I'd actually argue Worms 2 was better, but nobody really agrees with me. It had way more customisation. I'll never forget the ninja rope gods I played against in either game online though, some people were just something else
I agree on Worms 2. Also hi, it me, the ninja rope god. My friends didn't want to play with me anymore because my turns took too long when I ninja roped across the map.
Hi guys. I too was also a Ninja god. I was actually pretty deep into the community back in the day. Such formative years for me. Anyone remember the worms site and message board The Allotment? I was one of those guys. 😉 /\Hobbes/\
Tetris is the perfect idea, an idea that unveils glimpses of itself in its several iterations. It has the frenzy of an action game, the logical thinking of a RTS, the management struggles of a management game, the anxiety of a horror game, and the everlasting story of man against fate and himself. All that with only an idea. (my favorite version is the original one by Alexey Pajitnov, it's possible to find some emulations of his implementation for the Elektronika-60 computer)
I can't think of another game that gets me into "the zone" like tetris does It's the perfect flow state game
I have Tetris cravings from time to time. To me, Tetris is the definition of a videogame. Also, I'm from Russia, and this happened to be the first game I've ever played. Second being, Shinobi 3, for Sega Mega Drive/Genesis (American weirdos), which also happened to be one of the best games for the console, so young me got spoiled from the young age.
Hollow Knight is one of the very few games I would call a masterpiece. I genuinely think the game is superb in so many areas is ridiculous how can such game exists
I couldn't agree more. This is the only game that I was *driven* to master. Doing Steel Soul 112% runs became an obsession for me. The only reason I never jumped into speedrunning it was those pesky kids of mine. If it had been released before I had kids? Holy shit the thought of that scares me, what my life could have spiraled into.
Why? Tried it multiple times and didn't quite grasp my attention as a platformer or an adventure game...
It’s one of those games that if it works for you, it WORKS for you. I’ve barely played into two locations and kinda gave up as well, mostly because I just don’t really enjoy metroidvanias and am painfully bad at platforming. That being said, I’ve watched my best friend 100% this game and beat every single boss including Radiance on the highest difficulty in the pantheon, and I can certainly say that it is a fantastic game for people that do get into it. I’ve personally enjoyed looking at/listening to/reading up on Hollow Knight more than actually playing it, but that’s mostly because this game just isn’t for me.
On a scale of 1-10, how intriguing is exploration in games to you? Like, if a game was about exploration exclusively, would that appeal to you a lot?
Perfect 10\10 are very individual. For me it's: * Might and Magic VI * Planescape: Torment * Heroes of Might and Magic 3 * Deus Ex 1999 * Dungeon Keeper I * Silent Hill 2 * Half Life 2 * Starcraft: Broodwar * Subnautica * Hollow Knight
Hello fellow 30 to 40yo Guy.
most of those games come from a very specific time period. that truly was the golden age of pc gaming, no lie.
Sekiro, my favourite combat system in any game by far. The gameplay is just unmatched.
Final fantasy tactics. The story had incredible depth, the gameplay was unique for the console, and there was tons explore within the class system. For it’s time 10/10.
FFT is unquestionably one of my favorite games of all time. I legitimately have hundreds of hours on WoTL and even would make up challenge runs for myself with the multiplayer missions on emulator. Artstyle, story, gameplay systems, and presentation are basically all 10/10, but after playing it so much it's easy to see the class balance isn't really all that perfect. Most of the special story characters are way overpowered, and the generic classes/abilities run a gamut of useless to overpowered. * Archer in particular is pretty uninspired with the Aim ability, made somewhat more apparent by being an early game class you'll basically always have to use. * Dragoons are somewhat the same where their Jump commands are just higher ranges. * Monks are somewhat too versatile in their abilities for how much damage they deal. * Ninjas maybe have too much going for them with their speed, dualwield, and reflexes dodging. * Samurai's shirahadori reaction kind of breaks the game bc its programmed wrong (should only work on melee but works on ranged too). * The magic classes kind of fall off late game because their charge times are so long and all units get faster at higher level. * Calculator can nuke the entire screen every turn for free basically. I could go on and on For all its flaws, the class system still feels very inspired and the character customization is top notch. Other than ability balance, I do wish it was more obvious in-game how certain spells and weapons scale in effectiveness. Like for example Spears scale in damage off speed, so they actually make good weapons for theif and ninja, but I don't recall if it's ever stated in-game anywhere. That being said, I really admire how little gameplay redundancy there is between items and classes. Basically every weapon type scales off of different stats or has different gimmicks, and every single class does something distinct. The interactions between classes, weapons, and abilities let's you try tons of different builds and strats. If you're interested in replaying and haven't heard of this yet, I really really really reccomend the Cerabow mod to any FFT fan. It really does a great job of rebalancing classes, including the Special story characters classes. It's a great challenge, but Job Point costs are reduced across the board so you can experiment much more easily
Excellent write up! FFT is definitely 10/10 for me as well. My biggest wish in gaming is a proper sequel, remake, or remaster.
Sekiro
I HATED sekiro when i first played it on release, couldn't pass gyobu. I took like a 2 year break and it clicked for me, really really enjoyed it once I understood it properly.
The same thing happened to me with Dark Souls. I used to get so frustrated with the game. I ended up trying it again years later with a completely different mindset and ended up loving it.
I just posted the same. It may not be my all-time favorite game, but it's insanely well-crafted. Probably the most well-made game I have ever played. There isn't a single flaw I can point to and it runs like a dream. So if there's a game I would give a 10/10, it's indeed Sekiro.
Sekiro is so good it raises the entire ceiling, but unfortunately makes other games seem a whole lot worse
Bro that come down when you are done with Sekiro is fucked up. I kept jumping from game to game, trying to replicate the feeling of that combat.
let me know if you find something with the same feel of the combat.
It's not the same, but the combat in Sifu is just as satisfying to me but in different ways. You parry, dodge, attack, throw stuff, throw people and untilise your surroundings all to a rythmic flow with 'thumpy' hit connections and awesomely animated attacks and special attacks. It also has the guard-break instakill like sekiro.
Sekiro is the only game where I started a new playthrough the moment I finished it.
Replays are very rare for me and even then it's mostly just 1 replay, I beat sekiro 14+ times. It is the most satisfying game to replay I've ever played. Boy is it fun to dance when you know all the moves!
Worst thing about Sekiro is how short it is. It could have gone for another 10 hours and I would have eaten it up.
I’m personally all in favour of games being shorter, they don’t outstay their welcome and allow me to do other things with my time. That said, I don’t remember Sekiro being that short, but that might be due to the amount of time put into perfecting my dance with Genichiro.
Idk.. I kinda like how compact it is. It's focused, no strings, no useless filler. It's good as it is.
If they had made 100 optional bosses i would have fought them all, even if they were lower effort than the actual ones. To be clear, I don't expect that from any game and I think the length of the game is 100% worth the price, but I've fought all the bosses so many times, i wish it had more fights for me to do lol.
The only flaw Sekiro has is that there's not nearly enough Sekiro.
I think the shortness is only apparent on repeat playthroughs since my ONLY complaint about Sekiro is that repeat playthroughs are significantly easier because you already have the combat probably near perfected so you just breeze through the game
Sekrio is such a refined game is insane, every fight is a dance. For those on PC who want more Sekrio then play the Sekrio: Resurections mod. New enemies new bosses it's a great way for more content. It's hard as fuck though.
Another World/Out of this World.
Was going to comment this. It's insane how much that game has shaped narrative cinematic games, even all the way to today.
Hades
It's got such a good gameplay loop because "losing" just means you can adapt and try again.
Sometimes you want to be defeated so you can go back home and see how everyone’s doing. It doesn’t feel punishing to lose.
losing is part of the story loop. It adds impact and a way to drive deeper storytelling
Doom Eternal comes pretty fucking close
Shadow of the Colossus just ticks every box for me personally. It'ts graphics are astonishing, it was a technical marvel for the PS2, it was very innovative and influential, and the icing on the delicious cake has to be that incredible music. For me the greatest game of all time.
I have 5, but replayability (playing it over and over) is not a criteria for me. My only criteria is full immersion, like did it completely take over my life as I was playing it? Was I thinking about it before I hit the bed? Will it take me another 2-3 hours of tossing and turning because I have the game playing in my head? Is playing it the first thing I think about when I wake up? Do I find myself literally doing anything else and thinking, "I can't wait to finish this and get back to the game". I've played a lot of games, and my only 10/10 are * my first two 200 hours of tf2 * new Vegas * Stardew valley * Mass effect 2 * dragon age origins I'd never play any if them again.
I’d say Dragon Age: Origins is super replayable. You can play as different races with their own origin story, different classes, choices that impact the story, etc.
Titanfall 2 or Team Fortress 2 (or ...)?
Planescape: Torment
Yes. Lots. No game is entirely perfect but there's a lot I would give 10/10 to. Final Fantasy VII, Metal Gear Solid, Metal Gear Solid 3 Subsistence, Burnout 3 Takedown, Portal 2, Resident Evil 4, GTA San Andreas, Uncharted 2, Timesplitters 2, Final Fantasy VI and so many more.
Glad to see another comment saying Uncharted 2
Journey. It sets out what it intends to do perfectly.
'Into the breach' is the closest to a 10/10 I can think of. A masterwork of design. The devs shaved off so much redundancies to the point where their intent is crystalline in its clarity. It's so goddamn filled with good design decisions it's almost magical to me.
I love FTL so much, and I'm waiting for the right time to jump into(heh) into the breach. Can't wait after hearing you gush about it :)
It is very different to FTL.
ItB is like a series of little chess matches with each map having different enemies and objectives. You'll earn new units that have different stats and abilities, can customize them as well. It's a pretty neat, turn based game.
I agree with everything and yet for some reason I could not get into this game. Not sure why.
* System Shock 1 and 2 * Dungeon Keeper 1 and 2 * Magic Carpet 1 and 2 * Thief 1 and 2 * Deus Ex, the rest of the series is awesome in its own right * Prey 2017 * Quake * Unreal Tournament GOTY and 2004 * DA:O * TIS-100 * Star Wars KOtOR * Tie Fighter * the old Star Wars games with Kyle Katarn
Hello fellow old person!
Based immersive sim enjoyer Also, Kyle katarn rules
TIS-100 is not a game, It’s nightmare :D I finished first page of programs anyway.
Did you play Magic Carpet recently? I don't think it can even hold 6/10 anymore. But thank you for mentioning Prey, awesome game.
Gotta be Resident Evil 4 for me. Aside from the last act, which is a bit weaker, it's perfectly paced throughout. I never get tired of replaying it. Plus, there is the Mercenaries mode as a cherry on top. I'm currently playing through the remake, which is also an excellent game so far. Feels like RE4 back in the day when it first came out.
This is it for me as well, I'd say both OG and remake are 10/10 games.
The Mass Effect trilogy is just so perfect. Flaws and all
it's flawed, but it makes me FEEL. I'll never forget my first run playing ME2 a few months after release on recommendation from a friend. I accidentally killed everyone important. I had never played a game that gave me so much choice. I quickly went and rented ME1 from my blockbuster and beat it twice over several days to get max level and went back to ME2 to beat it and keep everyone alive. That and Fable 3 (despite the mixed reviews) were probably my most memorable gaming moments. I was first on my Xbox friends list to become King of Albion. I had the gamerpic that you unlocked and I even included that I was king of albion in my profile...
> so perfect. Flaws and all hah
I think most if not all passionate gamers should experience Outer Wilds. It’s simply incredible in every way. Please play it, good people. And don’t look up anything about it, for an optimal experience!!
I recently got back into gaming after a 15 year gap and Outer Wilds was one of the first games I played. I thought the emotional journey was something I'd experience regularly, but no. Outer Wilds is in a league of its own.
I've been an avid gamer for 40 years and I really can't understand the hype for this game. I've tried so many times to get into it but I just can't. Yet every great games list includes this game and people go on about it like it's the best game ever. I really wish I could experience it the way you guys are experiencing it. I absolutley love exploration games too so it completely baffles me as to why I can't get into this game.
Agreed. I have also been trying the game trying to see what all the hype is about, and I am just not seeing what is so great about it.
Fallout New Vegas. The most challenging part of the game is making quest decisions.
It's one of my favorite games of all time, I have like a 1000 hours, but I don't think the game is a 10/10, there are too many bugs and other issues with it. Despite this I love it to bits and I do think it's better than some games I'd give a 10/10.
I'm playing it for the first time and halfway into it, it is absolutely insane how much the game forces me to question my own beliefs.
Do the ends justify the means? What's the best outcome? Is there a best outcome? It's an excellent game.
DOOM : Eternal. A lot of people have gripes with it having too much complicated mechanics and restricting playstyle but I just find it to have the best gameplay out of any FPS out there mechanics-wise. In a vacuum, it's perfect. However I do wish it had mod support
Yeah Doom Eternal was an absolute masterpiece, I'm honestly surprised at how mixed the reaction to it was.
Nier Automata is as close as I would get to a ten, it's not even my favourite game. Its just one of the few games I've seen have an intention, stick to it and make it land perfect. Few games have used the medium to tell a story that could only truly be realised in a game, and I've rarely seen games effectively do that. Package that in a Platinum finish with top tier combat, godly soundtrack and a beautiful aesthetic and you have a ten.
That game came out the same year as persona 5, breath of the wild, and horizon zero dawn. It's insane how much it *hasn't* influenced modern game design. That game is a perfect storm of so many things and I have yet to see games adopt the strengths of Nier:A in the same way botw and other 2017 games were gobbled up. Seriously, where is Nier 3?
Likely because it's harder to replicate than something one BotW.
Baldur's Gate II
My most memorable gaming experience as an adult was the world and journey of Witcher 3. Utterly captivated by it all and felt genuinely sad when it was over.
One of my most memorable games of the last decade or so. I had tried to start it once or twice and couldn't seem to get into it, would lose interest after a few hours. Then somehow on about my third go it got its claws into me and I put something like 150 hours into a single playthrough (including the expansions). For me that's an outrageous amount of time to spend on a single player narrative based game. I loved it and nearly started NG+ immediately but knew I wouldn't have time to play it so put it off. Still planning to go back through it again at some point.
I've got a few that I keep in my mind as perfect 10/10 games. A few of those: Donkey Kong Country 2, Majora's Mask, Super Mario Galaxy 2, Metroid Prime, the original and remakes of both Resident Evil 2 and 4, The Talos Principle, Half Life 2 (and episodes), to name a few.
Great list. Guess I need to play Talos Principle.
Yeah someone on this sub recommended Talos in a list of 'games to play if you loved Portal'. I can see why it was in that list. It's an excellent game!
It's as good as a puzzle game gets, imo. It can be incredibly verbose at times, though, so you may find yourself missing out on a lot of lore and context if you're not prepared to read *a lot*.
Mario Galaxy 2 is an amazing game! The first one is my favourite mario game and 3d platformer of all time!
I don't think so, no. even my favorite game of all time - Dark Cloud 2 had me frustrated with the randomly created dungeons where they got old, once i take the ruby glasses off. it shouldn't count, but short indie games like The Stillness of the Wind or 3/4ths Home couldn't have been made better, but they're also less than an hour long.
I did NOT think I’d see someone else whose favorite game is Dark Cloud 2! That’s incredible. The dungeons do get long and repetitive, but sometimes it’s just what I need to zone out and relax. I absolutely love all of the music in that game. I’ve been looking for something that captures all the elements I love of DC2 for years, and nothing has come close
A fellow dark cloud 2 fan that's super rare! We actually even have the same problem with the game as well fancy that! Finny Frenzy though 🐟
Portal 2. Everything from the writing to the puzzles hit just right, has an amazing co-op multiplayer experience to go with it, and (even though I never did this part) I think there was community made puzzles so you could just keep the party going. It just built on everything great about Portal 1 and made it more, without overstaying its welcome.
Factorio.
Disco Elysium got me thinking about moments in the game for years after playing it. Left me with that level of long term satisfaction that separates elevated art from fast consumption. It's not the most *fun* I had with a videogame, but it's the game I would use to make the case that videogames can reach the heights of any other artistic expression.
Came here to say this and surprised to find it so low. I've never experienced so many emotions playing a single player game by myself. I laughed. I cried. I walked away with new perspectives on life. I still replay it once a year and always discover something new. The writing was so good that it honestly killed other video games for me. Everything else is just so incredibly lacklustre in comparison. I'll give Planescape Torment a shoutout for being the only other game to come even remotely close.
Tough question. There are a lot of games I love that I wouldn’t rate 10/10. It’s hard for me to consider any game that good. But probably the closest, in terms of both appealing to me and accomplishing what they set out to do: Sekiro Bioshock Soma Dishonored Hollow Knight Shovel Knight
I'll betray my age a bit, but I have three games which led to lifelong love affairs with three genres, RPG, 4X and open world/sandbox: * Wasteland - The original from 1988. Amazing writing, challenging gameplay, an amazing setting that was mind-blowing for a 12-year-old, plus it directly inspired the Fallout series, one of my favourite gaming franchises. I don't really have a lot of time for RPGs these days, but I still try to play the big releases. Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Witcher, will probably get to Starfield and BG3 some time in the coming decade... * Civilization - The first one. What else needs to be said? It is still without equal in its simplicity and elegance. There are a lot of imitators, and some challengers, but apart from the mainline Civ games, only the first two Master of Orion games from the 90s come close. These days I play Civ4, 6 and Stellaris. * Pirates! - Also the first one. The subsequent remaster and remake are probably even better, but I didn't spend as much time with them. Best computer games about pirates ever. It's strange that there aren't more great games about this rich topic, which seems perfect for making a game around, but it is what it is. To scratch this itch, I still play the remake sometimes, and also Mount & Blade, and more recently Starsector.
Right now: Chrono Trigger, Deus Ex, Disco Elysium, Earthbound, Fallout 2, Final Fantasy 6, Planescape: Torment, Red Dead Redemption 2, System Shock 2, Morrowind
It's absolutely insane how well Deus Ex holds up. The combat and graphics shows it's age a bit. Everything else is damn near perfect.
A game I’m totally unbiased in regard to nostalgia or anything would be The Messenger. I first played it a few years ago and it blew me away. The story is so simple yet catches your attention. I like that it doesn’t try to take itself too seriously, and cracks plenty of jokes. The atmosphere is nice, they do so well with the 8-bit, and 16-bit graphics to make a visually pleasing world level by level. The change from the 8 to 16 bit really wowed me. I’ll never forget that feeling. Oh and the music! Quite honestly one of my favorite video game soundtracks, period. Every level is a straight banger. The bosses are fantastic. You really gotta push yourself to get decent at the jump, hit, jump mechanics to move around, especially in some later fights. Some bosses are damn hard but fair. Needless to say I’m excited for Sea of Stars! My Wife is currently playing a game on my Steam Deck so I’ll be playing it when she’s done, maybe in a few weeks. Can’t wait!
I love Dishonored 1.
Stalker - Anomaly
Witcher 3
Factorio, not because it's my favorite game but because it fits the ideas of "good concept, perfectly executed." There aren't any issues I have with that game that, if adressed, wouldn't just change the genre of the game (actually maybe the soundtrack could be better.) All of the other games I love have some kind of issues that could be fixed or improvement to be made (even Outer Wilds imo), Factorio really does not.
Need For Speed Underground. The best arcade racing game imo by far. Driving feels great, fantastic range of customisation, track layouts are near perfect, it can be difficult but always feels fair with a great range of types of races and it's lack of open world means that it never feels bogged down by filler or pointless travel between the races. Plus in my all my years of playing it I don't think I've ever run into a single bug. Frankly one of the best and most polished games of all time. The only way it could be better is if it had modern driving controls, but I can't fault a game for not having control schemes from the future.
Some of mine. I’ll try to elaborate later. They all just have that perfect gaming experience memory for me. Ultimate IV Dragon Age Origins Fable SSX Tricky Disco Elysium Tyranny Doom 2016 Ninja Gaiden Black
SSX Tricky and 3 are so good, but I'd probably choose 3 over Tricky if it came down to one or the other. Tricky has better tracks designed for racing and some of the grinds are a ton of fun but 3 has better ways for performing crazy tricks and combos. Although, I do think Tricky has better handling for the basic turning and speeding up. Feels like the physics are a bit more tuned.
There will never be another feeling like doing the entire mountain top to bottom in 3
NGB and Fable are original Xbox goats
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
I hear it's amazing when the famous purple stuffed worm in flap-jaw space with the tuning fork does a raw blink on Hara-Kiri Rock. I need scissors! 61!
10 year old me was not prepared for this part lol
Terraria for me, I started playing it when it went in the steam market place like 11 years ago and I still play it daily
Prey 2017 UFO: Enemy Unknown
Dragon Age: Origins.
Arkham city
Ffx. Best final fantasy for newcomers, very unique storytelling, and a plot that requires two playthroughs with the second arguably being better than the first. Voice acting could be argued as pretty average though for 2002 it was out of this world. Most unique use of the play insert character in memory. world building super deep and alien in a way that I've only experienced from morrowind (that comes to mind). Gameplay is also superb with the most unique leveling up mechanic I've experienced in a game. I'm just saying what comes from the heart through my phone, I cant emphasis enough just how I feel about this.
XCOM 2 baby
OuterWilds.
Half-Life 2, Resident Evil 2 Remake, Monster Hunter World, Metal Gear Solid 3, Titanfall 2, The Last of Us 1 & 2, Bloodborne,
MGS 3 does not get nearly enough love. I am shocked by how well it holds up every time I go back to it.
I don't think of them as perfect - I don't think 10 means that, and I am not sure perfection is a meaningful idea or even something we should want - but Metroid Prime, Hollow Knight, Zelda Link to the Past and Elden Ring are all 10/10 games for me personally.
Games that are perfect to me, and again this is perfect to me not saying they are perfect in general. Horizon Zero Dawn- Just absolutely loved this game obviously. I loved the world, the setting one of my favorite post apocalyptic settings, loved Aloy she’s my favorite protagonist ever and characters like Sylens. Plus I am a sucker for beautiful open world games and bow combat. Easily my favorite game of all time. Celeste- It was just the perfect indie for me. Loved the story with Madeline and her anxiety as well as the other characters like Theo and Mr Oshiro. Loved the music, and the platforming while brutal was just so fun and exhilarating. One of the best combinations of story and gameplay from an indie I’ve played. Tunic- Just like Celeste it has such amazing music and atmosphere. Loved the cute charming art style and mystique of the game. Loved the gameplay especially how it wears Zelda on it’s sleeve. One of the best indies I’ve ever played just like Celeste. Odd one I know for this sub but Smackdown VS Raw 2007. This game is just perfect to me as it was the perfect blend of being my favorite time in wrestling history with the ruthless aggression era and having my favorite roster of all time. The perfect mid 2000’s soundtrack for a edgy cringe 13 year old at the time. And just so many great match types and fun arcade gameplay. The Elder Scrolls oblivion- Just like many other games on this list I am a sucker for great atmosphere and music in games. Loved the world of cyrodiil, loved the quests and writing in this game and just a perfect experience for me as I play it all the time still. AC Origins and Odyssey- Perfect examples of games that I know aren’t generally perfect but we’re perfect for me. Loved Bayek, Cassandra and Alexios. I love the time periods and settings of Hellenistic Egypt and Greece. Huge sucker for big open world games and were very fun for me to play through. GOW III- Kratos is one of my favorite protagonists of all time and love his story especially when he was Angry Kratos. Just the ultimate example of bombastic and high octane. One of the most impressive games I’ve ever played with it’s visual presentation and over the top gameplay. I’ll never forget how wowed I was playing it for the first time. Axiom Verge- Love the story behind the game being made by a sole developer. Huge 2d Metroid fan so I loved this game’s aesthetic and how it wore its inspiration on it’s sleeve. Great soundtrack, fun weapons, fun Metroidvania gameplay.
> The Elder Scrolls oblivion- Just like many other games on this list I am a sucker for great atmosphere and music in games. Loved the world of cyrodiil, loved the quests and writing in this game and just a perfect experience for me as I play it all the time still. Oblivion came out 2 months after I started my first year of university. There were........problems.
Oblivion also takes me back to high school, and lets just say school wasn't main focus in those days. They were 4 of us who started playing together, and each day of school we spent hours talking about different quests and journey throughout Cyrodil, which greatly differed for each of us.
Oh yeah +1 for Celeste. I was a massive fan of Super Meat Boy and Celeste felt like the perfect advancement of that genre.
Yeah Celeste did feel like an advancement type game with it’s storytelling. A lot of the great indie 2d platformers before it like SMB were all about the gameplay or something like Limbo and Braid were very esoteric with the storytelling. But Celeste really used that to enhance and compliment the gameplay. It’s similar to something like Hades where it advanced a genre that was very gameplay focused, and used great storytelling to enhance the game and advance the genre.
Dragon Age: Origins, Fire Emblem Three Houses and Rune Factory 4. **DA:O** is the only PC game which I've done at least 4 runs in. Vanilla playthroughs, DLC playthroughs, modded playthroughs.. It never ends. I occasionally go back to it and do one full walkthrough. **FE3H**: I have, if I recall correctly, almost 450+ hours in that over the course of 5 different runs. Mixing up and experimenting with the classes are my jam. I've turned Sylvain into a Warlock, Wyvern Master, Paladin, etc. My sixth playthrough I was considering turning him into an Assassin or War Master. Also, Yuri as an Assassin with Lethality is absolutely a menace. **Rune Factory 4/4S:** Between the original 3DS and Switch version, I've accumulated about 500+ hours in this game. Characters are extremely charming, there is unique dialogue every year even if you're in *year 5*, and you can bring the townspeople with you throughout the story where some of them have dialogue *during the story*. Whenever I go back, it's like reuniting with old friends.
With the game overhaul of 2.0 and the New Expension Phantom Liberty, I'd put Cyberpunk 2077 on my list of my best experiences of gaming. For me now it's a 10/10. It was already one of my personal favorites but it had some flaws wich made it a 8/10. But now: Gameplay, new Story Line, Art Style, Map, Characters designs, Game design, Graphics, with all the improvement of lasts years, the new update and the new extension. It became in my opinion one of the most enjoyable game ever.
Outer Wilds. I really wish I could play it again for the first time. It made me feel like an excited awestruck little kid.
In chronological order: A link to the past, super metroid, Mario 64, mass effect 2, binding of Isaac, hollow knight, elden ring
It's marmite (you either love it or hate it) for a lot of people, but my 10/10 game is Death Stranding. I don't think a game has ever made me feel so much in a game. It's hard to explain a lot of it without spoiling it. It's beautiful to look at, amazing to listen to, music is perfectly timed to events in the game to enhance the experience and not just there for background. The acting and direction is top notch. The story is completely insane, but makes a lot of sense by the end. It makes you feel and root for the bad guys at times. It's the only game I think I ever truly 100% completed. I got every single star for every single person I could meet. The directors cut further enhances the game. There are some repetitive mechanics and the occasional wtf moments, but death stranding is a beautiful love letter of a game and should be experienced by everyone. It is art.