Games that are Undeniably Great

[LegoDudeGuy]

Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker for Gamecube


The MAIN MENU music says it all.

/thread

 

[Miles000]

Edit: Going back a bit here. But Crash Team Racing goes on that list too.
That game was perfect.

OOOOOMIIIIGOOOOSH YES.
That game was the multiplayer portion of my childhood. Many a game was played between my brothers and cousins. Fantastic. Excellent. Loved it.

It was the game that got me truly into gaming.
I'd go over a mates place every day after school and play it.

If I recall correctly, it also had the cheat code to get into the Spyro: Year of the Dragon demo.
Spyro and Crash were my childhood games XD

 

[afroebob]

I would like to put Mass Effect and some Mario and Zelda games up there, but I feel like that would be biased. I may be blinded by fanboyism or nostalgia. What do you think?

Well, it wouldn't be unbiased to say that some of them are undeniably good, the original Mario, Mario 64, OoT are all hands down great games. Now to say that TP or Sunshine are undeniably good could be pretty biased, I love the games but they both have enough flaws to make some people not like it.

 

[Doom-Slayer]

Modern Warfare 2 was a gleaming jewel in my opinion. Great story, great characters, realistic weapons, and its just like it'd play out in real life. Really cool game, and the online part speaks for itself.

Ignoring the snowmobile jumps and the boat sequence near the end that looked like it was a from a James Bond movie COD4 was more grounded in realism in my mind, MW2 was still quite realistic but had some silly bits to it.

OT: Portal would be really high on the list, great dark sense of humor, great atomosphere and new refreshing idea that they did well. I would go fanboy drooling and say Baldurs Gate 2, but its fairly complex and heavily rooted in DnD which isnt everyones thing. bastion was also amazing, the characters were extremely well fleshed out, lots of variety in weapons and enemies and a genuienly good "moral choice" system.

 

[mediarulestheworld]

I think the question itself is stupid. There really isn't a "perfect" game because people are biased and nostalgic.

But...for me it'd have to be Portal.

 

[Jonsbax]

I feel that in many mediums there are certain examples that simply cannot be touched by critics.

You can never please everyone, so there's always a critic.

Also, I love how these topics always turn into people just posting their favourite games. If you're even yourself admitting that the game has some flaws, those flaws ARE going to be an issue to many people out there.

 

[Frostbite3789]

None. This thread was a bad idea just asking for trolls to enter.

 

[ChupathingyX]

None.

No game is perfect in every single way and there will always be someone who dislikes a certain game.

 

[Toriver]

There was a similar thread a few months back, and I went through and thought of a nice decently long list of the "classics" from each console generation. Here's an edited version of that:

Spoiler

PRE-NES
Pong
Pac-Man
Missile Command
Donkey Kong
Pitfall
Space Invaders

NES AND GAMEBOY
Super Mario Bros.
Legend of Zelda
Super Mario Bros. 3
Metroid
Double Dragon
Contra
Tetris
Duck Hunt

16-BIT GENERATION: SNES/GENESIS
Super Mario World
Sonic the Hedgehog 2, 3 and Knuckles
DOOM
Street Fighter 2
Chrono Trigger
Zelda: Link to the Past

32-BIT/64-BIT GENERATION: N64, PLAYSTATION, SATURN/DREAMCAST
Super Mario 64
Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Mario Kart 64
Goldeneye

LAST-GEN: XBOX, PS2, GAMECUBE, GBA
Halo
Super Smash Bros. Melee
Shadow of the Colossus
Starcraft

CURRENT GEN: 360, PS3, WII, DS
Super Mario Galaxy 1 and 2
Portal
Mass Effect 1 and 2
the best of mobile games, for expanding the gaming market exponentially

 

[octafish]

UFO: Enemy Unknown is as close as it comes...

...no, wait...



...I...

...I have it...

...TETRIS!

 

[DarthRiko]

A lot of these choices are subject, but I'm going to try and keep thing's fairly well rounded.

Super Mario World 1/2/3
--All three of these titles beat all other NES games as far as copies sold, and they launched a massive franchise that lives strong to this day.
--It can be argued that these three games were the ones that launched video games to heights we have now.

Super Mario World
--This was the release that really proved that Mario would be sticking around. It was bigger, better, and more fun that the previous Mario titles.

007 Goldeneye/Perfect Dark
--Putting aside how much fun these games were, they hold an important place in gaming history. Both of these games really proved the legitimacy of console first-person shooters.

Half-Life 1/2
--The Half-Life franchise has redefined first-person shooters, twice, and are generally the model that single player FPS titles tended to follow after each of their releases.

Minecraft
--Whether or not you like Minecraft or not does not matter. You can plainly see the impact it is making in video game industry. It's revolutionary gameplay mechanics have inspired numerous games, even before Minecraft's release.

Angry Birds
--Much like Minecraft, Angry Birds has shown the gaming industry the legitimacy of indie developers.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
--Skyrim's staple feature is a massive open world the likes of which have not been seen since World of Warcraft. Unlike WoW though, Skyrim is single player, and doesn't suck.

Well that's my list as best I can recall off the top of my head.

 

[Nazulu]

Great hey? I wish there was a game that was objectively great, well maybe there is, I'm not really sure. I'm not really good at debating these types of things. The way I determine something is great is by how incredible the overall experience it was (not easy to explain at all).

Like for example, there are hardly any crippling flaws in Ocarina Of Time, and even though the music and design is almost better than every part of Majora's Mask, MM has more interesting game play features (the masks) and a more in depth story. I don't think you could prove either of them aren't good games but neither of them are a truly powerful experience to me.

I'd say Shadow Of The Colossus and Half-Life 2 were a better gaming experience (probably the best) because of how epic some of challenges were.

Then again, some people determine great by how original it was at the time, like Pacman and Tetris, yet these aren't amazing experiences to me compared to a lot of 3D games. Not only that, you can have a great experience in nearly any MMO when your playing with a lot of friends against huge bosses.

Anyway, I'll forget opinions and make a list of games that offer a great experience

Half-Life 2
Shadow Of The Colossus
Super Metroid
Metroid Prime
Call Of Duty 4

Yeah, those were my most amazing so far as I can remember.

 

[Mitchell Leger]

Oddworld: Stranger Wrath if anyone remembers it. You know X-box 2005 good graphics odd story but its supposed to have an odd story, fluid control, interesting ammo and upgrades, fun bosses and a system that rewards you for using stealth and taking enemies alive.

 

[Crazedc00k]

Mass Effect? A critic proof classic? It was an on rails shooter pretending to be a full fledged RPG, the much touted choices in role play boiled down to "pick the blue or red option", none of the decisions the player makes have any real significant impact on the game world at all. Don't get me wrong, it was a very fun on rails shooter with good writing, great characters and nice visuals, but an epic?

I don't want to start a debate here, if that is your opinion then that is your opinion but if you want to have an objective discussion, could you try to put into words why you think it transcends just being very good?

Pray tell, what falls under your definition of a "full fledged RPG?" Here's to hoping that your not person who defines an RPG as being an inventory clerk in all but name.

On another note, seeing as this thread is a practice in opinion, I answer with Kingdom Hearts II.

A lot of people, myself included, feel that Mass Effect is just the slightest bit to "shoot first, roleplay later." Is it amazing? Obviously, but I don't see why it should be touted as a paragon (see what I did there?) of RPG's that heralds the modern iteration of the genre. Still, it has the best damn plot since god knows what. . . unless you include ME2.

 

[Freaky Lou]

While we're at it, can we stop using that term? If I never watch Citizen Kane in my life, I will be happy. It was his fucking sled and that's all I needed to know for memetic purposes. I don't hate the movie, and it can be as perfect as it wants to, but I'd rather watch something flawed and interesting than something perfect and boring. In fact, I find that when the focus is on a shine to perfection, the final product ends up being boring almost all of the time.

How can you say that the "focus is on a shine to perfection" when you've never even seen the movie? Citizen Kane is so overused as an example of brilliance that, ironically, many dismiss it outright. But it really is a brilliant film that gets better with repeated viewings, and it definitely wasn't made with "Let's make a perfect movie" in mind. The movie is not about a sled; Orson Welles didn't even want Rosebud in the film.

Anyway, with that out of the way---all my favourites have pretty glaring flaws. The closest I can think of would be Metroid Prime and Resident Evil 4, and Prime has a scavenger hunt at the end while RE4 has the overlong castle segment and the stupid helicopter level. The original Fallout would be it imo if it wasn't buggy.

I disagree with Half Life and Portal. They're good; Half Life is a good action blockbuster, Portal is good clever puzzle gimmick. But going back to them now... It's not the same. Those formulas have been taken and improved.

Please show me the game that took and improved Portal's concept; because I've never seen anything at all like it.

 

[Chevalier noir]

Mass Effect? A critic proof classic? It was an on rails shooter pretending to be a full fledged RPG, the much touted choices in role play boiled down to "pick the blue or red option", none of the decisions the player makes have any real significant impact on the game world at all. Don't get me wrong, it was a very fun on rails shooter with good writing, great characters and nice visuals, but an epic?

I don't want to start a debate here, if that is your opinion then that is your opinion but if you want to have an objective discussion, could you try to put into words why you think it transcends just being very good?

Pray tell, what falls under your definition of a "full fledged RPG?" Here's to hoping that your not person who defines an RPG as being an inventory clerk in all but name.

Who said anything about inventory? Crap like that weather or not you put points in dexterity of strength never made much difference to me.

I said the role playing was lacking. The limited ways to role play the character given to you may as well not have been there for all the difference it made. Your choices don't impact the game world in any meaningful sense that the player can really see or experience. I could shoot the evil scientist begging for her life, or let her go but the only difference as far as the game is concerned is weather or not I want more paragon or renegade points.

You may see some of your choices from the first game get a cursory acknowledgment in the form of an email in the second game but that is it. You don't get to interact with the world or its characters in any meaningful way. The games tell you that the world around you changes, but how much of it to you get to experience during play? The council living or dieing is the biggest think that does make a difference, but not much of one unless you import into the second game.

Like I said, very good writing, very well done characters, definitely a good game and a great thing to have experienced. However, Its just not a very good role playing game compared to some of the really great ones.

 

[Zyx150]

UFO: Enemy Unknown is as close as it comes...

...no, wait...



...I...

...I have it...

...TETRIS!

this man is a genius. you,sir, win internet. in all seriousness,however, i would say THE best games ever would have to be.....

Shadow of the colossus
Disgaea:hour of darkness (the original PS2 one)
In a sense, Ogre Battle 64 could be put up there, depending upon how you look at "flaws"
Super Mario 64
StarCraft
BlazBlue:Continuum Shift
Infamous
Wipeout HD
Ace Combat 5

i pity any who hate these, and i hope they recover from their mental disability and see the error in their ways.

 

[ZZoMBiE13]

Halo: Combat Evolved springs to my mind,

gamplay: funs foes to fight, nice slection of fun guns (most op pistol ever in gaming) many tactics can be done in campaign in terms of weapon selection and using the envrioment to your advantage, overall solid gameplay.

Story: eh rather weak when in-game, but in the expanded universe its rather deep, plus great plot twist.

Cultural impact: leads to the birth of machinima via redvsblue, has a active and strong fanbase, and has lead to many changes within the fps genre.

It'll take a lot to convice me that Halo: Combat Evolved is not a undeniably great game.

I'm with you. And I think even most Halo haters would agree that the first one holds a special place in gamings history. Halo legitimized the console first person shooter. I don't want to slight 007 or Perfect Dark of course. Those games were great and all. But Halo is the one that made it all truly click for the consoles. Before that, serious FPS play was limited to the PC. I know a lot of PC players would have preferred it stayed that way, but for those of us who prefer to play on consoles, Halo was one of the best.

You could probably add Timesplitters 2 to that list without making too many people mad.

 

[shurikenshado4]

So many.
TF2,
Half Life,
Time splitters,
Mass Effect,
Skyrim, Morrowind,
Star Wars: Knights of the old republic,
far cry (1),
SSX,
Street Fighter IV,
Marvel Vs. Capcom,
Tekken 3,
Sims 2/3,
Ninja Gaiden,
Bayonetta,
Forza Motorsport (1),
Soul Calibur (up to 3),

 

[TheGreatAndPowerfulZOG]

While we're at it, can we stop using that term? If I never watch Citizen Kane in my life, I will be happy. It was his fucking sled and that's all I needed to know for memetic purposes. I don't hate the movie, and it can be as perfect as it wants to, but I'd rather watch something flawed and interesting than something perfect and boring. In fact, I find that when the focus is on a shine to perfection, the final product ends up being boring almost all of the time.

How can you say that the "focus is on a shine to perfection" when you've never even seen the movie? Citizen Kane is so overused as an example of brilliance that, ironically, many dismiss it outright. But it really is a brilliant film that gets better with repeated viewings, and it definitely wasn't made with "Let's make a perfect movie" in mind. The movie is not about a sled; Orson Welles didn't even want Rosebud in the film.

Anyway, with that out of the way---all my favourites have pretty glaring flaws. The closest I can think of would be Metroid Prime and Resident Evil 4, and Prime has a scavenger hunt at the end while RE4 has the overlong castle segment and the stupid helicopter level. The original Fallout would be it imo if it wasn't buggy.

I disagree with Half Life and Portal. They're good; Half Life is a good action blockbuster, Portal is good clever puzzle gimmick. But going back to them now... It's not the same. Those formulas have been taken and improved.

Please show me the game that took and improved Portal's concept; because I've never seen anything at all like it.

Portal 2 but seriously, you have a point. I guess I misspoke, Half Life is what I was thinking of when I wrote that. Metroid Prime and Resident Evil 4 are good choices. I would add Metal Gear Solid 3.