Games that are Undeniably Great

[SpaceBat]

Let's see:

Planescape: Torment
Chrono Trigger
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Super Mario Bros. 3
Shadow of the Colossus

Seriously, I have yet to see someone who hates any one of these games. Most people just say that they're overrated, because these are often regarded as one of the best games of all time.

 

[I-Protest-I]

I would agree with Portal. Half life was good, but I wouldn't say near-flawless.
Dark Souls I would put on that list though. It had a few problems, none of which took from my experience in any way at all.

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

Completely agree with Crash Team Racing, I loved that game.

 

[Keava]

If I'd to follow the rules in the OP I'd have to say none... with maybe the exception of first Pong because there wasn't really much more to achieve with the available technology so there wasn't really a way to improve the gameplay in any way back then.

Now as far as games that did impact the gaming world there could be plenty of examples. Actually i'd try to list them, but it would take me well over day to include every significant tile that moved the medium forward, especially with so many titles being more of a chain reaction (Moria->Rogue->(...)->Diablo->Baldur's Gate->(...)->Mass Effect).

Generally the newer the game the more flaws it has as the core of game-play is often weaker, but made less noticeable thanks to more engaging visuals and more interactive possibilities that come along with technology.

 

[6_Qubed]

I would like to suggest an older title for the PS2, God Hand. The dialogue is laughably terrible, the game itself is ass-ugly, and the plot is just an excuse to travel to more terrible-looking locals and punch people to death.

And it is for these reasons that it is one of the single greatest games ever made.

You are not playing this game for the plot or the dialogue. You are playing this game because you like beat-em-ups and you want a challenge. Even on the easiest setting, it's possible to die in the first minute to the first enemy you come across. However, the game also rewards you for rising to the challenge that even the mooks present. And remember how I used the term "laughable" earlier? This game does not take itself seriously, and thank Godhand for that. This game and everyone in it knows full well that the plot is just an excuse, and it serves to make the usual "quality" of Capcom's writing not only forgivable, but even enjoyable.

And finally, you can do the "Fist of the North Star" punch flurry on people. And it's not even a special attack.

 

[aegix drakan_v1legacy]

Deus ex.

No seriously. Yeah, the interface can get clunky, and the vioce acting is....kinda laughable at times. But it has a great story, great core gameplay, and great level design. It has so many possibilities.

So yeah, no matter which way you slice it, it's a fantastic game. A little dated, yes. But still a milestone in gaming history.

And for JRPGs, I'd have to say Crono trigger. DAMN that game was awesome. Great story, great characters, great gameplay....that game is one of the few "perfect" games that exist.

 

[franconbean]

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

UFO is awesome. The game gives you loose parameters and a premise, and you pretty much fill in the story from there. Rarely has a strategy game made me actually feel a pang of loss for a grunt that I hired for a few thousand dollars a few ingame days before hand. ITs a very old and arguably basic game, but its good enough that it has been remade many times (with a new remake out soon!).

Fire Emblem.

Oh god yes, fire emblem is brilliant. Endless replay value, (mostly) interesting characters... I Spent more time on the fire emblem series than any other franchise available on handhelds.

I'll throw in a name.

Burnout 3: Takedown.

As a (FUN) racing game i feel it is nearly impossible to find flaws.

Yes. Yes. YEEESS. yesyesyes. I miss this game so fucking much.

OT: Red Dead Redemption gets my vote. Does it have flaws? Yes. I still consider it the best game of all time.

My god... I usually hate racing games, but Burnout 3... Thankyou sir, you have brought a tear to my eye with the memories. It isn't a perfect game, but I would call it undeniably great because it enticed me out of my genre comfort zone and actually made me enjoy myself. A lot.

 

[CardinalPiggles]

Tetris, that game was absolutely perfect, well the 1989 Original GameBoy version was anyway.

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Spyro and Crash were my childhood games XD

Crash Team Racing and Crash Bash are two of my favourite games ever. So much time spent on both. Spyro was also pretty fun, but it never came close to Crash Bandicoot for me.

 

[Marcus Kehoe]

I will throw out star-craft simply for game-mechanics and custom game ease. A few Zelda games because as far as games go these were of the highest quality. Portal of course, and I also say Chrono Cross.

Mass Effect 2 is my favorite game and due to lack of game play I say its not flawless, same for metal gear.

 

[Ubermetalhed]

I 'deny' Mass effect being great.

A true masterpiece is Okami.

 

[Virmire]

Metal Gear Solid 3, Batman Arkham Asylumn, Saints Row 2 (save PC), and Assassin's Creed strike me as games that simply appeal to people.

 

[thiosk]

super metroid.

its a masterpiece.

 

[EzraPound]

I feel that in many mediums there are certain examples that simply cannot be touched by critics. This thread is to discuss which games you think should be (or are) considered to be at a level beyond flaw, or at least where the flaws are insignificant compared to the game itself.

Now, the catch is that I don't want this to be a purely opinionated thread. I'm guessing we all have games that we really like, but recognize are flawed from the greater perspective. For example, I absolutely love Fable, and I have no idea why. I know it is not nearly as good as I give it credit for.

No, this is about the Citizen Kane equivalent of gaming. It doesn't matter whether you liked it or found it boring personally, but if you were to call it an overall bad film, you would just be wrong.

The only games I can think of that qualify are the Half Life and Portal games.

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?

My 'objective' greatest game ever are. . .

1. Super Mario Bros.
Created the video game industry as we know it
2. Deus Ex
The apex of western design, and the end of the 'great' FPS era
3. Grand Theft Auto III
Initiated the era of sandbox games
4. Super Mario 64
The model for every 3D platformer that succeeded it
5. Tetris
Popularized puzzle games
6. Civilization I & II
The standard by which strategy games are assessed
7. DOOM
Popularized not just the FPS genre, but PC gaming at large
8. Street Fighter II
Launched the 'fighter' genre
9. Pac-Man
An arcade craze that greatly expanded public awareness of games
10. Final Fantasy VII
First richly cinematic JRPG, popularized the genre in the U.S.