[General Discussion] Games you consider "Perfect"?

Well, it's awkward, as I don't think any game has been truly perfect. With every favourite game I have, I've grown to accept that there are criticisms of it. That said, there are a few that come damn close.

Top of the list is probably Vagrant Story (although Final Fantasy XII is dangerously close to replacing it, it's too soon and I can't work out its long term worth). It comes at the very top of my perfect idea of an RPG. Is it a perfect game? No, and I don't believe it ever could be, but it represents the exact setting I want to see from a fantasy video game. When it comes down it, I don't care about rich, exotic, locales, fantasy for me should mean a dark gothic environment and complex, interesting characters. The gameplay has its detractors, I know, but the story just completely outweighs that niggling annoyance that it takes longer than it should to navigate the menus. No anti-hero in video gaming has ever come close to Sydney Losstarot, and there are very few villains more interesting than the misguided but dangerously powerful Romeo Guildenstern.

The second is Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. Again, I know there are problems with it, there's too much of the Inverted Castle that's pointless unless you're a completionist. But the overall gaming experience makes this my ultimate 2D game (yes, it even edges out over Super Metroid)

The third is LttP, and I don't think there's anything much more that can be said about it. Twice as epic as most Final Fantasy games, and three times as fun. Again, there are a few niggling (for a game music buff like me, it was disappointing that all the dungeons beyond the first three - had the same background theme - which was especially noticable during Ganon's Tower). That said, the fact that my only complaints with these games are so...petty, illustrates how good they actually are.

The fourth is Half Life 2. I've played many FPS's before, but this was the first that actually felt completely immersive to the point where I truly felt that I was involved in the story. No other FPS (or indeed, any other game) has managed something as terrifying, yet insanely fun, as We Don't Go to Ravenholme.

The final game (also already mentioned here) is Resident Evil 4. Yes, I know it's not scary at all, but when it comes to blowing the hell out of assorted nasties, invisible creepy crawlies, and insane commandoes with Trigun-style angel arms, there's no equal. Sole criticism: not enough Wesker! Personally, I don't think Resident Evil 5 can possibly match the innovative and aesthetically pleasing Resident Evil 4. Naturally, I hope to be proven wrong.

Oddly, as an honourable mention, I'd like to speak out for the little respected FPRPG, Vampire: The Masquerade: Bloodlines. More than the others, this is a long way from perfect, but it (as Deus Ex did before it) represents a step towards what I've ultimately been looking for from a video game; a perfect first person game with truly integrated RPG elements. I don't believe it's happened yet, and I want this to be the ultimate goal of any PC game developer.

Well, there were supposed to be pics with this post, but I think this has gone on for quite long enough!

How ya doing, buddy?