What games are just objective masterpieces?
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This post did not contain any content.wrote on 27 May 2025, 23:08 last edited by
Portal/Portal 2
Deus Ex (the original)
Minecraft
Stardew Valley
Terraria
Mirror's Edge
Chrono Trigger
Cyberpunk 2077
Hades
Subnautica
A Short Hike
Donut County
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This post did not contain any content.wrote on 27 May 2025, 23:08 last edited by semjaza@lemmynsfw.com
Video:
DoomTetris
Chrono Trigger
Table top:
ChessMagic: the Gathering
Everdell
Azul
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This post did not contain any content.wrote on 27 May 2025, 23:09 last edited by
I'm taking this to mean games that stand out in or define their genre, are widely considered to be excellent, are timeless, and there's very little if any fat to trim.
- Super Mario Brothers - NES
- Super Mario 64
- Dark Souls - maybe Elden Ring takes over?
- Return of the Obra Dinn
- Half Life 2 - honorable mention: Left 4 Dead 2
- Diablo 2
- Doom
- Tetris
- Chrono Trigger
- Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
- Portal 2
- Little Nightmares - honorable mention: INSIDE
- GTA SA
- Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2
These aren't necessarily my favorite games, but games I think are well respected. I probably missed a bunch.
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This post did not contain any content.wrote on 27 May 2025, 23:10 last edited by
Bastion, Hades, Disco Elysium, Planescape: Torment, and Tyranny (even if the last act is rushed in the last two) come to mind for me
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This post did not contain any content.wrote on 27 May 2025, 23:21 last edited by sixtyforce@sh.itjust.works
Age of Empires 2 /w The Conquers expansion pack.
Roller Coaster Tycoon 1. (2 was weaker without OpenRCT2, the real masterpiece, but idk if unfinished projects should count or not)
Quake 3 Arena, Unreal Tournament 1999 GOTY, Worms Armageddon, SimCity 3000 Unlimited, Forza Horizon 2 / Motorsport 3, Need for Speed Underground 1, Clonk! Rage, Metal Gear Solid 1/2/3, Ace Combat 4, Okami, Tokyo Jungle, Zelda BOTW, Mario Odyssey, Sven Co-Op, Killing Floor 1, Final Fantasy 7, LISA: The Painful, Everhood 1, Deus Ex 1, Left 4 Dead 1/2, Portal 2, Battlefield Bad Company 2... Champions of Norrath and Return to Arms, Diablo 1, Baldur's Gate 3 makes the list...NIER both games. Planet MiniGolf.
I could go on and on.
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This post did not contain any content.wrote on 27 May 2025, 23:22 last edited by snotflickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone
Holy shit somehow no one has mentioned:
Nier Automata
It counts as a masterpiece because of how well it blends game design, gameplay and story. I have played very few games as thoughtful, or that weaved the gameplay together into the story it was telling in such a meaningful way. I never thought once in my life that I would think philosophically about bullet hell but somehow Nier Automata has something profound to say and even manages to say it using bullet hell as a gameplay mechanic.
On top of all this, it also has a lot to say about classical philosophers, their works, and honestly deeply subverts things they had to say. It asks tough questions about their thoughts and ideas, once again, through gameplay. Numerous characters are named for classical philosophers: Pascal, Jean-Paul, Simone, Engels, Immanuel... (Yoko Taro obviously has feelings about how Jean-Paul Sartre treated Simone de Beauvoir.)
Further, Yoko Taro is doing something that a lot of game developers fail to manage to do: He is embracing gaming as a storytelling medium and eschewing the traditional three-act arc from film. Because gaming is not film. As Marshall McLuhan posited, "the medium is the message" and unlike other developers Taro's writing is aimed at the medium he is working in instead of leaning on the ropes and tropes of other mediums. (Referring back to above, tying the gameplay into the story, focusing on the medium)
It's basically impossible to not break down into tears at the ending.
Don't write it off because of the scantily clad anime women. Stay for the depth of the human condition. It is truly a masterwork in multiple respects.
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This post did not contain any content.wrote on 27 May 2025, 23:25 last edited by
Heres a list of some favorites:
Imperfect perfection: Morrowind
Perfect perfection: Starcraft Brood War
Objective perfection: Plants vs Zombies
Subjective perfection: Knights of the Old Republic
Perfect for its time: Gauntlet IV
Perfect timeless: Sonic 2
Perfect for its genre: LOZ Minish Cap
Perfect All-in-one: Shenmue II
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None. There's no such thing as an objective master piece. Games are art which is, by definition, subjective.
Edited to add, well this was way more controversial than I thought it would be.
wrote on 27 May 2025, 23:28 last edited by landedgentry@lemmy.zip 6 Feb 2025, 20:17::: spoiler spoiler
askldjfals;jflsad;
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This post did not contain any content.wrote on 27 May 2025, 23:29 last edited by
Hades. Transcends the rogue-like genre through incredible writing, art direction, and music. The gameplay is some of the most addictive I’ve ever played. I’m at over 200 hours logged and I still get lost in it.
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This post did not contain any content.wrote on 27 May 2025, 23:32 last edited by
- dark souls
- elden ring
- bloodborne
- sekiro
- outer wilds
- doom 2016
- binding of isaac
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Holy shit somehow no one has mentioned:
Nier Automata
It counts as a masterpiece because of how well it blends game design, gameplay and story. I have played very few games as thoughtful, or that weaved the gameplay together into the story it was telling in such a meaningful way. I never thought once in my life that I would think philosophically about bullet hell but somehow Nier Automata has something profound to say and even manages to say it using bullet hell as a gameplay mechanic.
On top of all this, it also has a lot to say about classical philosophers, their works, and honestly deeply subverts things they had to say. It asks tough questions about their thoughts and ideas, once again, through gameplay. Numerous characters are named for classical philosophers: Pascal, Jean-Paul, Simone, Engels, Immanuel... (Yoko Taro obviously has feelings about how Jean-Paul Sartre treated Simone de Beauvoir.)
Further, Yoko Taro is doing something that a lot of game developers fail to manage to do: He is embracing gaming as a storytelling medium and eschewing the traditional three-act arc from film. Because gaming is not film. As Marshall McLuhan posited, "the medium is the message" and unlike other developers Taro's writing is aimed at the medium he is working in instead of leaning on the ropes and tropes of other mediums. (Referring back to above, tying the gameplay into the story, focusing on the medium)
It's basically impossible to not break down into tears at the ending.
Don't write it off because of the scantily clad anime women. Stay for the depth of the human condition. It is truly a masterwork in multiple respects.
wrote on 27 May 2025, 23:40 last edited byI didn’t know Chris Plante is on Lemmy.
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::: spoiler spoiler
askldjfals;jflsad;
:::wrote on 27 May 2025, 23:44 last edited byI think the word you are looking for is pedant.
Better vocabulary will help get your point across better. Without also sounding like an edgy atheist teen.
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This post did not contain any content.wrote on 27 May 2025, 23:45 last edited by
Left4Dead2 (also L4D1)
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Portal 2.
wrote on 27 May 2025, 23:47 last edited byPortal 1 was flawless. Portal 2 had a crucial flaw.
Specifically, it was not Portal 1. Everything else was perfect.
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This post did not contain any content.wrote on 27 May 2025, 23:52 last edited by
Psychonauts 1 and 2.
Some of the most imaginative big budget games in existence, from themes to art style to level design
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Holy shit somehow no one has mentioned:
Nier Automata
It counts as a masterpiece because of how well it blends game design, gameplay and story. I have played very few games as thoughtful, or that weaved the gameplay together into the story it was telling in such a meaningful way. I never thought once in my life that I would think philosophically about bullet hell but somehow Nier Automata has something profound to say and even manages to say it using bullet hell as a gameplay mechanic.
On top of all this, it also has a lot to say about classical philosophers, their works, and honestly deeply subverts things they had to say. It asks tough questions about their thoughts and ideas, once again, through gameplay. Numerous characters are named for classical philosophers: Pascal, Jean-Paul, Simone, Engels, Immanuel... (Yoko Taro obviously has feelings about how Jean-Paul Sartre treated Simone de Beauvoir.)
Further, Yoko Taro is doing something that a lot of game developers fail to manage to do: He is embracing gaming as a storytelling medium and eschewing the traditional three-act arc from film. Because gaming is not film. As Marshall McLuhan posited, "the medium is the message" and unlike other developers Taro's writing is aimed at the medium he is working in instead of leaning on the ropes and tropes of other mediums. (Referring back to above, tying the gameplay into the story, focusing on the medium)
It's basically impossible to not break down into tears at the ending.
Don't write it off because of the scantily clad anime women. Stay for the depth of the human condition. It is truly a masterwork in multiple respects.
wrote on 27 May 2025, 23:53 last edited byNier Automata
I loved Nier Replicant, but didn't get into Automata, maybe I'll give it another shot. I do love that style of storytelling though.
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This post did not contain any content.wrote on 27 May 2025, 23:53 last edited by yareckt@lemmynsfw.com
Half-life 3
Mario 69
Pokemon Asbestos
Super Smash Bros Bawl (if you ban Metaknight) -
- dark souls
- elden ring
- bloodborne
- sekiro
- outer wilds
- doom 2016
- binding of isaac
wrote on 27 May 2025, 23:53 last edited bySomeone likes a challenge.
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This post did not contain any content.wrote on 27 May 2025, 23:55 last edited by
Super Metroid is still the first that comes to mind. Amazing experience from start to finish.
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This post did not contain any content.wrote on 27 May 2025, 23:56 last edited by
Super Metroid