I’m curious what you guys have to say about this. Are there any games you consider perfect? Can a game even be perfect?
My example of a perfect game is always Portal 1. Portal 2 has more going on, but in 1 there just isn’t anything to shave off. From start to end, there is nothing I’d change about the game. It’s short, infinitely replayable, great pacing. I like Portal 2 a lot in concept, in concept it should be a perfect sequel, but it just doesn’t keep the extreme tightness of the original game.
There’s so much creativity and charm to the AAA titles of the 8 and 16 bit era that later games just can’t replicate. Working within such limited technological confines really brought out the best in the designers to make the most of what was available.