The Perfect Game

Is there any game out there that anyone would consider perfect? By that I mean that it doesn't include ANYTHING that annoys you like e.g character voices you don't like, puzzles you hate such as sliders, mazes etc, timed sequences, not enough save slots, repetitive dialogue trees (was inspired there by the Lost Crown 'nit-picking' thread!)or anything that mars your enjoyment. There must be no 'buts' to your nominations but like me may have forgotten the 'worst bits'! I've a feeling this could be a very short thread!

I'll start with some games I'd put in my perfect game category: Culpa Innata, the 1st 3 Carol Reed Games & both Siberia games.

Hi,

I think the one for me is Myst 3 Exile - it is hard but the best I've played and I played quite a lot...

Good thread! I am a lot less picky than a lot of people so, just off the top of my head. I'm sure there's more on my "perfect" list.

- Day of the Tentacle
- Grim Fandango
- Gabriel Knight 1
- Broken Sword 1 and 2
- Myst 1, 2*, 3
- Obsidian*
- Lost Crown (so far so good)

Note how most of these are older games?

*Now, there was a fair amount of disk swapping involved in these 2 games but given the technology back then, it was totally unavoidable from a technical perspective, so I don't count that as a downside.

I think that this was not the games i liked or enjoyd most becuase there are very many exelent ones but the absolute *perfect* game that has no faults at all and can serve as a modle for any other game.
I canot think of 1 singel fault in the classical Day Of The Tentacle.it is also number 1 on the list from above misa

None at all.
Not if perfect means perfect.

Hard to say what "perfect" means because what is perfect for one person might not be perfect for someone else-anyway, my idea of close to perfect would be:
No problems installing and it runs perfectly on my system,
An interesting, intellegent storyline
Believable characters with meaningful dialogue
Some humor, along with social commentary
Beautiful,immersive, eye catching settings
Saves when I want, not preset by the developers

Some games I've played that have most of these qualities are:
Syberia 1&2, TLJ and Dreamfall,Uru Complete chronicles,
Riven, Thief 1,2&3 Morrowind, Anachronox, Outcast, KOTOR

A game could have no annoying features whatsoever, and therefore be theoretically "perfect", but that still might not make it a great game.

I'm struggling to think of any game that might be classed as such. There always seems to be a puzzle, or a character, or something-or-other in an otherwise fantastic game that causes me to momentarily chew furniture and grump at my monitor.

Riven and Myst Exile.

Perfect....???

AHHH Yes... A game that makes you happy..Where you have no complaints....

For me it is the game ...Last Half Of Darkness <Spirits EyE>

Hi

I doubt I could truthfully call any game "perfect" but a lot I have played have been close

Cheers.

Mad

Theoretically 'perfect' was what I had in mind Rushes but as to whether this makes for a great game I thought you made a good point here LindaMarion, as your 'perfect' game was not your favourite & intriguingly described other games as excellent.
Is this because the subject matter/story etc was more appealing or is perfection bland & the inclusion of 'annoyances' make for a more interesting experience?

misa, you included GK1 on your list which has an infuriating 'mummy' sequence but take your point that you are a lot less picky than a lot of people, & bigmamma you included Dreamfall which has timed sequences & combat but see also that you included some Darkside games. So does this mean that either, you enjoy the challenging parts or, that they are not significantly annoying to detract from the 'perfection'?

iva, colpet & misa, you have all included Myst Exile - the style of game is not my 1st choice but from the 1/4 of the game I've played through I can see where you're coming from!

I agree, bigmamma that the idea of perfection can vary from person to person. I also appreciate Rushes, Jenny & Mad that for many people there is no such thing as the 'perfect' game - so if the annoying features in you favourite games were taken out would this make them perfect? If so would the game still retain it's overall appeal & remain a favourite or would it lose some character?

And Darleen, I loved your reply 'A game that makes you happy..Where you have no complaints....'! (I agree with your choice BTW - I'd forgotten about that one)

Most games make me happy despite 'the hair pulling parts' in many! & would describe most of them as incidental frustrations that don't really detract from my overall enjoyment of the games - many of which I favour over some I would consider as nearer 'perfect' e.g Evil Under The Sun. So how far should developers go to cater for gamer's dislikes or do we get more interesting games where they go along with their 'creative flow'?

For GK1, I thought the mummy sequence was well integrated into the story and it didn't detract from my gaming experience. GK2 on the other hand was a completely different story with that end game maze!

For Myst, I included 1-3 because I had no complaints about them. As for Myst 4, there were at least 2 hair-pulling sequences in them. Anyone who's played that one knows which ones I mean.

I agree with others that one person's perfect is different than another person's. For example, I love slider puzzles so I never get annoyed with doing them.

Can I just say I am loving Lost Crown. Its about as perfect as possible.

Thank you.

Yes, it would. Black Mirror would be perfect if the "timewasting" sequences were removed. Still Life would be perfect if the lockpicking and laser puzzles were removed/made easier. Perfect for me, that is. I'm sure there are many folk who love lockpicking, dodging lasers, and wandering aimlessly from screen to screen with nothing to do for half an hour!

You're funny Rushes.
It's a really interesting subject Chrissie, and I've enjoyed reading what everyone has written. What resonates inside as perfect for us, as compared to technically perfect.

I can think of 5 - Monkey Island 1&3, Sanitarium, Simon the Sorcerer 1&2

One definition of perfect might be cannot be improved. I often wish games I like a lot (Legacy of Time, Atlantis 2, Zork Grand Inquisitor) were longer, games I don't enjoy were shorter.

Depends on what you mean by "perfect" because everybody has another notion of what perfect is or should be. For me, something or somebody that has minor flaws isn't necessarily imperfect; my notion of "perfect" allows flaws as well because I believe that something or someone being absolutely perfect would be absolutely boring as well. I've come to appreciate minor flaws and mistakes in things and people; also, I believe there is no such thing as being perfect. Perfect to me, then, is something or somebody with only minor flaws that don't influence my positive opinion at all because they're part of the thing or the person.
@Peter Smith: I like your idea that perfect means sth cannot be improved any further

Having said that, I'd like to give a short list of games that I'd consider perfect or near-perfect, depending on how many infuriating puzzles, technical glitches and crashes I had and, above all, how much I enjoyed the game:

- Gabriel Knight. Even though every GK game has at least one sequence that had me banging my head on the table, I loved them. Great stories, lots of things to do and see, interesting characters, challenging puzzles - you name it. These games, though very old, are and will always remain in my personal top-3 (ok, I still have to finish GK1 but that's only a question of time *g*).

- The Longest Journey. The only grudge I hold against this game is that it crashed more often than any other game I ever played. Apart from that, I can't think of a way to make this game any better. Oh wait, yes I can: make it even longer

- Keepsake. I know this has some of the most difficult puzzles ever and if it weren't for the hint system, I might still be working on this game. But apart from some mind-boggling puzzles and some really, really long distances to travel, this game had everything I'm looking for in a game: story, atmosphere, a lovely main character, a funny sidekick, gorgeous graphics (ok, I don't usually go for these but in this case... ). A pleasure to look at, a pleasure to play.

- Broken Sword. My very first adventure game and still one that I hold very dear. I love everything about it. This, I just realise, doesn't have flaws at all - well, you could say that that annoying goat wasn't much fun... still, I'll never forget the feeling of triumph after I had finally figured out how to trick the beast.

To cut it short, I wouldn't change anything about the games I mentioned. Yes, they all have their flaws, they all have moments in which you'd rather throw them aside then waste any more time on them. But each game has given me something I value highly, and that is joy. Joy, and ecstasy - when completing a difficult task or watching an awesome cutscene or simply watching the story unfold. That's what makes these games perfect to me

Perfect is difficulty but i think that the ones that had close to the perfection been:

Syberia I and II
Tex Muprhy: The Directive Pandora
Darkness Within: In Pursuit of Loath Nolder
Lost Crown
Myst Exile and Myst Revelation

Love Maria

My first vote is for Lost Crown so far. Very logical, very interesting (I even think about it during the day). Only drawback is the lack of save slots. Second vote is Black Mirror.

Ahh perfection is hard to attain! hehe Although I agree with previous posts...perfection can mean different things to different people! To me perfection eventually boils down to how much I liked the game. if I REALLY like a game, both puzzles and stories graphics and so on, I will be more than willing to forgive a few glitches or mistakes. The games which I find to be reaching closer to perfection and which have all left an everlasting warm feeling in my heart are:

1- All the GK games : classics. I measure any new adventure game by the GK standard!

2- Syberia I and II: just when I thought no game could come close to GK...beautiful story, great graphic and puzzles. Almost perfect!

3- Dreamfall: blew me away...felt like I fell into a wonderful dream. Superlative game.

I liked and loved many other games but those are the ones I think come closer to being perfect for me! On a note: I really liked Culpa Innata: it truly surprised me with its complexity and intriguing story, which often lacks in adventure games nowadays.

IMO perfection is something too personal to define what can define a perfect game? :
1. completeness and playtime - it should be complete by itself - not tell the whole story, maybe part of it but complete
2. stability+control - too hard to play and you are sick of the game
3. atmosphere, world, characters - feel/live the game - a flat puzzle-based gameplay and you will forget the game a few fays after finish ("I'm Guybrush Threepwood and i want to be a pirate!")
4. a soul ("Look behind you a three headed monkey!)
5. Difficulty balanced - too hard - too much walkthrough - too little fun, too easy - "Ah, a child's play"

I can actually add games here - Agatha Christie: Murder on the Orient Express, Barrow Hill


a game TRULY Perfect - now that will not be defined ever
(well if they had released "Syberia" a 1 game ...........)

Might the definiton of the 'Perfect Game' be as Peter Smith described ".......... cannot be improved". This has to be seen from a few different viewpoints starting with the developers - focusing on the game itself & ignoring all technical problems (which can potentially be fixed?) - have they achieved what they set out to do & is anything they thought THEY could have done to make the game better?

Next we get on to the gamers - different expectations means perfection (or as close as you can get) varies from person to person & it seems there is going to be some aspect in most games that you wish wasn't there however much you enjoy it overall. jedi valius, I love your description & incidentally feel the same way about the games you've mentioned!

Hi Chrissie, nice to know you feel the same I am dying to include grey matter in that "perfect games" list! :))