Which games have come the closest to absolute perfection?

Just started this on EG but we'll also continue the discussion here:

For me there's only a few.

Super Mario Bros.
Super Mario Bros. 3
Super Mario World (there's a theme here)

Geometry Wars 2
Limbo
Portal

Any others?

Definitely agree with Limbo and Portal. For me, "Close to perfection" is a game that I absolutely love and doesn't actually frustrate the hell out of me.

Given that though, I'll still allow Mirror's Edge through even though I got stuck on that bloody Atrium bit for ages.

What do you mean by perfection? Flaw and bug-less or a game where everything just comes together perfectly?

Pretty much a combination of both.

I'd have to also add Defender to the list. It's the only retro game I actively play more regularly than any other (via the excellent Mame version). It's as hard as nails, yet I've been playing it on and off since the early 80s and still can't get enough of it. I doubt I'll be saying that in 30 years time about, oh I dunno, Gran Turismo 5 or something of that ilk.

Eugene Jarvis knew his shit...

Yoshi's Island
Super Mario World
Super Mario Bros. 3
Super Metroid
Zelda: Link to the Past
Zelda: Link's Awakening
Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Half-Life
Advance Wars
Metroid Prime
Portal
Braid
Super Mario Galaxy 2

Those are the main ones that come to mind.

I would say Super Mario 64 or Ocarina of Time maybe. Not sure I would include any of the current games. Demon's Souls and LBP would be candidates though the latter had/has a few too many nuisances.

Judging by this thread so far,only Nintendo really knows how to make good games. :D

Out of Kay's list I'd have to agree on Yoshi's Island. Still the very best of the Mario games IMHO.

I also think Mario Kart (on the SNES) was about as close to perfection as a kart game could possibly get, and still sets the benchmark for any non-serious racing game.

This is an out-of-patience "I'm not seeing any fucking mentions of Gradius V, you cunts" autoreply.

His Dudeness will be out of patience starting from [ABOUT 25 YEARS AGO, IF HIS RECORDS ARE ACCURATE], and will not return to having any patience, ever.

All separate occurances of you cunts not mentioning Gradius V when you should (like, say, when discussing "the best thing ever, in the history of ever") will be reviewed, at some point, in the future, probably when all the world has gone to shit, Stevas is at last rightfully in charge, and he's already bored of deciding who gets put against the wall first.

Not necessarily the case that any of you will be top of the list, but - you know - the occasional mention of Gradius V (or Ikaruga, for that matter) in any of these sort of discussions won't hurt none.

Just saying.

Tetris on the original Gameboy.

Sil beat me to it, can't believe it wasn't the first and only game mentioned.

All the games mentioned are awesome. I am going to throw Ninja Gaiden (xbox) in the mix. I know it was rock hard, and frustrating, but no other game for me has come close to such smooth combat.

It tore though!!

Oh, yeah definitely Tetris. Spend many rainy holidays with that.

What about Snake on the old Nokia phone?

Phoenix
SWOS
Crammonds F1GP (given what he was trying to do, and what he had to do it on)

Definitely this.

Should also give a mention to Grim Fandango. So utterly utterly absorbing.

Well yes, but close to perfection? Not in my book...

Has anyone mentioned ICO yet? Also perhaps, the original Lemmings by DMA Design, and levels 1-4 of Rez (unlike virtually everyone else, I couldn't stand the fifth 'Fear' level).

And yet another vote for Portal: fantastic 'puzzle' gameplay, delicious style and design, lashings of black humour (and a classic internet meme to boot) and then a twist that changes absolutely everything. 10/10

I would put Snake on the level of "juggling balls" or "tic-tac-toe". It's not really a game.


Pretty close imo, but it always felt to me like they were working on and improving the series, right until the end.

As a member of the point-and-click genre... Then Beneath A Steel Sky is pretty much spot on.

I think Pacman Championship Edition DX has it nailed too

I wouldn't say Ico is perfect. It's a darn good game, but it's flawed, too. That's a problem for more modern games, too: more complexity and thus more opportunity to fail.

Tetris?

Maybe Animal Crossing DS.

My big love remains Monster Hunter series though.

I'd say thst Day of the Tentacle is perfect but not BASS. It comes close though. LOOM has a simple purity and engaging learning mechanic that makes it near-perfect too.

TAG: The Power of Paint is a perfect encapsulation of a first-person puzzle mechanic. The visual design and in-game tutorials introduce you to those mechanics organically. A comprehensive & hierarchially structured exploration of puzzle combinations makes it complete. It's no wonder Valve nabbed the team and added those mechanics to Portal 2.

Target: Renegade 128k

Elite

Jesus, how the hell did I not mention Elite!

Thread title says 'games'. :p

Chuzzle

Perfection isn't the kind of thing I think could ever be in a game. It's like saying there's a perfect painting, film, book or piece of music. It's just not something that can exist or that people should even strive for.

That said, if there were an answer it would look more like Tetris and a *lot* less like a shooter or platformer. Wouldn't pick Tetris though - Drop 7 poops all over it from every angle