“Stan, you never have anything nice to say about any game you have ever played.”
This was said to me not too long ago while at work after I told a co-worker that I didn’t like Medal of Honor that much and I described to him why I hated the multiplayer. He then said the above remark and I thought about it for a minute, and he is only mostly right, because most games I play (especially lately) I find several things wrong with and nit pick. Here’s the reason why: IT’S MY JOB. Not in the sense I get paid for it nor do it professionally, though that would be the dream come true, but my bachelor’s degree is Game Design, so if I come off as a bit of a game elitist, it’s because I feel it’s indicative of my future career path to judge games and find out what not to do. You see, I have, like many gamers, played “perfect games”. What’s a perfect game you ask? It’s a game where, there is no fault with it. From the graphics to the sound, from the story to the art direction, I have played games that are quite literally perfect in every way. These games are benchmarks that the developers strive to hope to be one day. The funny thing of it is, most gamers have played these games and said, “This feels a lot like blank.”
Let me tell all of you this, I nit pick because I have seen the Elysium Fields of video games, and I know gaming companies can do better, so then they fall just epically flat on their face and I find myself out money because of it, I feel I am allowed to be angry enough to spread my rage to others so they may never play this game and thus give a developer money for a game that didn’t earn it. Here, if you want my personal opinion on which are some of the best games in their field (genre) then read on and I will provide explanations as to why:
RPG
-Final Fantasy 1
If it weren’t for this game, RPGs would not be the way they are. I mean, picking your four character classes and going off to save the world, this is what all RPGs are based off of, and this game just gets it right in every way. As a matter of fact, you’re not a true RPG fan unless you have played this one. It’s for NES, PSOne, GBA, DS, DS Lite, and PSP, so you have no real reason to not play this title.
Fighting
-Capcom Vs. SNK 2 (Dreamcast, Arcade, or PS2 version)
Yes, Street Fighter 2 is of course the classic to refer to for absolute purity in fighting games, but CvS2 just got everything about this formula so perfect. A large character roster, the most well-balanced fighting engine I have ever seen…and the Groove system…a stroke of design genius for balance in a fighting game. Bonus, it wasn’t too difficult so that a newb could never play it (looking at you Virtua Fighter), but not so easy that the hardcore would be turned off to it (Super Smash Bros…you’re guilty).
First-Person Shooter (single player)
- Half-Life 2. You can take your Halo’s and shove them, because Half-Life 2 (episodes included) does everything Halo wants so desperately to do. FPS’ have rag doll physics…oh, that’s nice…can you use those physics to grab your enemy and turn THEM into a bullet? Can you set traps with turrets, mines, explosive barrels, and grenades? And can you do all this while telling a good, coherent, stick to the true sci-fi setting story with excellent voice acting. I mean, I played and beat this game about a week ago, and it’s even aged well being six years old! Plus, great multiplayer games like Counter-Strike Source, Day of Defeat, etc. have spawned from this game. What games have you spawned Halo? Oh, right…..Halo Wars…..nice, I suppose…(NOTE: I like Halo, it’s just no where near the best).
First-Person Shooter (Multiplayer)
- I gave quite a bit of thought to this, and I am going to say…. Counter Strike Source. I gave this game the award because it’s easy to pick up, it’s fun beyond words, and there are plenty of active servers with a good ping so you don’t get disconnects. Should it have gone to Team Fortress or Quake or any Unreal Tournament game? Nope. CS: Source has the balance and realism that many military shooters strive for. Don’t get me wrong, Team Fortress 2 is pretty nice, but really you can just pick a heavy class and aim at the choke points and you will rack up the kills. CS: Source takes skill, aim, and a might bit of dumb luck to enjoy this fantastic shooter. It’s on of the few games that, ever since it’s inception, the game is still active online.
Action
Super Metroid. Quite possibly one of the best games ever. Did you ever wonder why Castlevania changed its formula to one of non-linear adventure? This is the reason why. It’s the crown jewel in the Metroid series, and all action-adventure games (especially 2-D ones) beg to be as epic as this one. Download it off WiiWare and find out why it is one of the best game eva.
Adventure
-The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. I was the first person to buy this game at my local Best Buy the day it was released for the Wii. No regrets. I played this game like it was going out of style. This game is the spiritual sequel to the equally perfect game Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and the only reason this one wins the perfect game is because it’s bigger. That’s really the only reason. Both are perfect, this one just lasts longer and this it is slightly more perfect, because you can never have enough Zelda.
Puzzle
Portal.
Just take that in for a minute. Portal. A game that takes, on average, 4 hours to beat, no multiplayer, no large array of weapons or classes, no fire levels nor random traveling to different worlds, etc. It just about a test subject that gets an item that creates a two-way portal on flat surfaces. Insert puzzle rooms…and you have perfection. Once you beat this game, it has a stunning, hilarious, and quizzical ending. And that’s it. It’s perfect.
And Finally…..The Perfect Video Game. This is the game where, in all honesty, there is nothing wrong with this video game. If any one hates this game, it’s because they hate video games, and that’s ok. I mean, to each their own, but you’re not allowed to say you like video games if you hate this game. It is perfect. It is innovative. The sound score is repetitive, but it's meant to be this way and it becomes a strength and not a fault.
This game is………..
Tetris.
What moe needs to be said? It's Tetris. No game ever made has the same feeling of stress relief and stress build up as Tetris. No puzzle game for hat matter comes close to the simplicity and yet the depth this game has. Am I really harping that much on Tetris? YES! Because it does every thing right! My own Grandmother can play Tetris! My Grandmother-In Law bought a PS2 THE DAY IT WAS RELEASED JUST TO PLAY TETRIS! If you don't know how to play Tetris, then I apologize, you have either need had the chance to or you are clinically retarded and that is sad. My wife didn't know who Michael Jackson was before he died, but even she has played Tetris several times. It's for the newbs, it's for the hardcore, it's....it's...the most perfect game ever created.
Saying you hate Tetris is like saying you hate all forms of art. Translation: You just hate most mediums of entertainment and escape. It’s like saying "The Godfather" is an awful movie. Whether you LIKE it or not, for a movie that does literally everything right, so kick back with some popcorn and appreciate it.
So am I an elitist? Yes. I have to be. We all should be. If we do not judge games for what they are, then developers big and small will continue to release bad games or half-baked games and the industry will have to trudge it’s way up the mountain of art to be taken seriously. Games are art. Judge them as such, please.
No comments:
Post a Comment