True perfection, as they say, is ultimately impossible. There is always a flaw to be found somewhere, and that's just as true in the world of video games. Furthermore, the closer a game comes to being considered perfect, the harder some will try to find and to amplify those nitpicks. Perhaps this is for the best. After all, there's nothing more to strive for if perfection has already been achieved.
8 Best Games That Are All About Gameplay, Ranked
For gamers looking to dive straight into the action, here's a look at some of the best titles that prioritize gameplay over everything else.
However, there are some titles that achieve a certain form of perfection. They are stellar examples of their genre and subsequent ones are always compared to them. Gamers might not like a particular style of game or series, but they have to respect that these titles have absolutely mastered them.
7 Super Metroid
A Super Metroid Installment Indeed
In any conversation about the best SNES titles, or even the best Nintendo games of all time, Super Metroid will typically be brought up before long. For younger gamers, Samus' adventures have been primarily in the 3D sphere for some time now, with the Metroid Prime titles, but there was a time when a 3D entry in the series would be unthinkable. Around 27 years before Metroid Dread, this 1994 masterpiece launched, and its impact was incredible.
It did exactly what a good sequel should: Kept the very best aspects of its predecessors, adapted and refined them, linking to the first and second titles without directly relying on them. Improvements to the map make it easier to orient yourself in the environments, Samus' arsenal is more varied, and the visuals and music are essentially timeless. It's more slow-paced than Dread, but Samus' journey across Zebes in pursuit of that Metroid is nothing short of a titan in gaming history.
6 Super Mario World
Has This 2D Platformer Ever Been Topped?
Mario, of course, is one of the greatest icons in gaming history. This means that the discourse about which is his all-time best game is never ending. The gravity shenanigans and creative worlds of Super Mario Galaxy, for instance, might top the grand scope and Cappy action of Super Mario Odyssey (possibly topped by Donkey Kong Bananza) for you. In the 2D realm, though, there's really no disputing the quality of Super Mario World. Its visuals are still as bright and bold as they ever were, Koji Kondo's soundtrack is just one earworm after another, the worlds are nicely varied, and most importantly, the controls are sublime.
The now-standard Peach rescuing heroics are varied a little: We're at least in Dinosaur Land now for our quest to rescue her. This provides unique settings such as Donut Plains, Chocolate Island, and the Forest of Illusion. New power-ups are a blast to experiment with and very intuitive to control, while each stage is brilliantly designed and bursting with secrets. It's a title that newcomers can enjoy working their way through in a linear fashion and toppling the Koopalings and their father, but which experienced players can almost dance their way through, finding every hidden secret and using those ingenious whistles (which many will surely play through without ever learning of). If it seems a little too easy, meanwhile, you've reckoned without the Special Zone, which boasts some truly devious stage designs. The Bullet Bill gauntlet in Outrageous, for instance, is quite the experience.
5 Hades
The Gold Standard Of Roguelites
Sometimes, it feels as though games sacrifice stellar storytelling for engaging action. In roguelites, for instance, an opening cutscene is often all the story players need, just a little context for the carnage. The Binding of Isaac, for instance, does this very well. In other titles, such as the ever-gripping Balatro, we don't even get (or need) that. Minimal plotting is just part of being a roguelite, you'd be forgiven for thinking, until Hades arrived.
All Weapons In Hades, Ranked
Zagreus has six Infernal Arms to choose from as he battles through Hades, but which of his options is the best?
The concept of fighting your way through starkly different regions of the Underworld is a fascinating one, but Hades really broke the mold with its plotting. Everyone has something new to say between runs, and there's fantastic character development worth exploring from all the residents of the House of Hades. Gods' Boons as a means of powering up during runs was an excellent idea too, with, for instance, Demeter's blessings focusing on icy effects and slowing foes while Poseidon's predominantly knock enemies back with the force of a wave. It's not unusual for games to take inspiration from Greek Mythology, but few have accomplished it in such a funny, personable, and effective way. The fast-paced and evasion-centric combat ties it all together perfectly.
4 Baldur's Gate 3
A Deep And Utterly Engrossing RPG
As with any title on this list, objective perfection and the enthusiasm of absolutely everybody in the industry was beyond the capacity of Baldur's Gate 3. Just as some players delight in slowly forging relationships with their allies, carefully crafting loadouts and engaging in long conversations, other simply want to indulge in some fast-paced arcade action. Larian Studios' 2023 masterpiece is firmly in the former camp. If you're not a fan of CRPGs, damage rolls, and tables of complex statuses, it'll probably seem far from perfection to you. On the other hand, if this is the sort of experience you enjoy, you won't find a more refined version of it anywhere.
Your desperate quest across the Forgotten Realms to remove that pestilential parasite is one you'll never forget. It's just so deeply personal, depending on how you craft your character, what your priorities are, and which companions you choose to engage with most closely. If you embrace the RNG, experiment with battle tactics, and fully commit to developing relationships, you'll find yourself utterly engrossed in this macabre, beautiful, horrific, fascinating adventure. Several times over, in fact, if you want to explore every narrative and see every ending.
3 Portal 2
Some Absolutely Inspired Puzzling
Puzzle games, like roguelites, aren't exactly renowned for their storytelling. In classic puzzlers like Tetris, there's no need for an elaborate backstory. Block are falling and you need to match them up to make them disappear in exchange for points. That's all you know and all you need to know. The iconic Portal 2 is far from a conventional block-shuffling puzzler, though. It's a physics-based puzzle platformer. The core gameplay of traversing areas by jumping between portals of your own making if so satisfying, and would have been enough by itself to serve as regular stages in a more conventional title. What was so ambitious and so effective here, though, was the narrative built around it.
Best Portal 2 Mods To Try
Fans who want to make their next Portal 2 playthrough even better may want to consider the following mods.
Protagonist Chell must traverse the Aperture Science Enrichment Center under the scrutiny of the AI GLaDOS, in a continuation of the story of the first title. The seemingly-harmless if excitable construct Wheatley steadily becomes the villain as the status of the base worsens, With Chell at one stage transporting GLaDOS on the journey herself. While Chell doesn't speak herself, both Wheatley and GLaDOS are brimming with personality, also thanks to their top-notch voice acting. This is to take nothing away from the gameplay itself, which is inventive and refined; the unique qualities of the Portal Gun inspired all sorts of titles that followed.
2 Street Fighter 2
The Beginning Of A Fighting Phenomenon
Sometimes, it's not the first installment in a series that becomes legendary, but the second. 1987's Street Fighter deserves due credit for establishing series conventions, such as the light, medium, and heavy system and some of the featured fighters (Adon and Gen join Ryu and Sagat). Four years later, Street Fighter 2 launched, and it quickly became the defining fighter of its era. Perhaps the most notable ever made.
The many different versions of Street Fighter 2 have had their balancing issues, porting problems, and limitations, but it's difficult to question that it was an absolutely perfect template on which to build (for Capcom and countless other developers too). The concept of traveling around the world and challenging fighters from every region, each of whom has a different list of special moves, was inspired. The themes and stages for each fighter remain as unique as they are, and some fans are still representing their favorite characters over 30 years later. The quintessential fighting game, to which so many series owe a tremendous debt. The series has been augmented by new mechanics like Ex moves and the Focus Attack as the series has progressed, but it's never lost sight of its vital roots in the process.
1 Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night
"Enough Talk. Have At you!"
The Metroidvania genre has delivered some monstrously heavy hitters in recent years. Hollow Knight: Silksong, for instance, is an absolute force to be reckoned with. The aforementioned Super Metroid was one title that popularized the notion of the Metroidvania, and its Castlevania counterpart would probably have to be Symphony of the Night, perhaps the best Castlevania game of all.
Just like Street Fighter 2, this 1997 release for the original PlayStation has its weaknesses, but it was the perfect game to showcase what would become even more defining features of the series. Giving the starring role to Dracula's son, Alucard, was an unconventional move, but it allowed a fresh perspective on the "defeat Dracula and destroy his castle" setup. More than that, it also gave the player access to spells and abilities that really changed up the action. The core concept of gradually uncovering a vast castle map was established here, and titles from the Game Boy Advance's Castlevania: Circle of the Moon to Nintendo DS hit Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow would expand upon them.
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All members of the Belmont clan are skilled vampire hunters, but who is the strongest of them all?