Home Gaming Friday Debate: What makes a “perfect” game?

Friday Debate: What makes a “perfect” game?

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perfection

We don’t usually dole out perfect score at Critical Hit, but this year alone we’ve given two games that accolade. Interestingly, they’ve both been Nintendo games, for the company’s newest hybrid console, the Switch.

I called The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild a masterpiece earlier this year, saying :

“The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is, without a doubt, a masterpiece. Its few minor faults do little to detract from one of the very best games ever made.”

Here’s the thing. I acknowledged that the game has faults – which makes it a less than perfect game. Just yesterday, Alessandro reviewed Super Mario Odyssey. While he may have had a few gripes with one control method being better than others, he found the game hard to fault otherwise.

“It’s impossible to pinpoint a fault in Super Mario Odyssey, which both elegantly and eloquently surprises and calls back to its storied history. It’s a game full of surprises; one that plays with your expectations and supersedes them in almost every way. If you have a Switch (or are yet to get one), it’s simply essential.”

Neither game is perfect, but what’s there is so damned good that we feel they’re worthy of that score. Video game scoring is odd though, and the numbers at the end of them mean different things to different people. For some, a 10 means that game is quite literally perfection – which is an impossible standard. For others, it means that – as it stands – it stands at the height of its respective genre.

So what makes a game a 10 to you? Further to that, what makes Mario’s 10 better than say, Zelda’s one? When it comes down to the inevitable Game of the year, how do we choose?

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Critical Hit as an organisation.

Last Updated: October 27, 2017

62 Comments

  1. Ottokie

    October 27, 2017 at 10:39

    The annoying durability mechanic in Breath of the Wild makes it far from a 10/10 game. As for Odyssey, that will soon be tested o/

    Reply

  2. Alien Emperor Trevor

    October 27, 2017 at 10:39

    Easy, you choose Hellblade. Bloody Kidtendo nonsense, it’s like calling a well-made Chico the Clown ice cream from Spur the best dessert of the year.

    Reply

  3. Alien Emperor Trevor

    October 27, 2017 at 10:40

  4. Ottokie

    October 27, 2017 at 10:43

    The perfect games are common knowledge… They are Final Fantasy 8 to 10.

    Reply

    • Alien Emperor Trevor

      October 27, 2017 at 10:43

      13 is better.

      Reply

      • Ottokie

        October 27, 2017 at 10:44

        You just say that because it makes you look fabulous with Lightnings hair Photoshoped on.

        Reply

        • Alien Emperor Trevor

          October 27, 2017 at 10:46

          It completes me. But you can wear your Squall wig if you like.

          Reply

          • Ottokie

            October 27, 2017 at 10:47

            We have reached an impasse. Not one of those pics will be posted.

          • Ottokie

            October 27, 2017 at 10:49

            Also, it’s a Cloud wig you uncultured swine.

          • Alien Emperor Trevor

            October 27, 2017 at 10:49

            Cloud is from FF7. Fake FF fanboy.

          • Ottokie

            October 27, 2017 at 10:50

            And the wig is Cloud’s!

            (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻

          • Alien Emperor Trevor

            October 27, 2017 at 10:50

          • Ottokie

            October 27, 2017 at 10:51

            We are talking about “those” photoshop pics old man!

          • Ottokie

            October 27, 2017 at 10:52

            He he he. Only read the dialog now… Squall is so dead inside

          • Alien Emperor Trevor

            October 27, 2017 at 10:52

            Typical millennial. Can’t read, just looks at the pictures.

          • Ottokie

            October 27, 2017 at 10:53

            What. You gonna break me like you old people broke the housing market?

          • Alien Emperor Trevor

            October 27, 2017 at 10:54

            I thought you could afford a house with your esports & instagram influencer money?

          • Ottokie

            October 27, 2017 at 10:56

            My months grocery expenses could buy a 5 bedroom house back in “your” day!

          • Alien Emperor Trevor

            October 27, 2017 at 10:58

            Yeah it’s called inflation. It comes from us having to buy you iphones when you’re 10 years old.

          • Ottokie

            October 27, 2017 at 10:59

            I am going to send you I.O.U notes to pay for your retirement home!

          • Alien Emperor Trevor

            October 27, 2017 at 11:01

            It’s not all about you! Geez.

          • Ottokie

            October 27, 2017 at 11:03

            YOU started it!

          • Alien Emperor Trevor

            October 27, 2017 at 11:06

            Take some responsibility!

    • Tarisma

      October 27, 2017 at 10:46

      9 was the best!

      Reply

      • Ottokie

        October 27, 2017 at 10:47

        ^This guy knows whats up

        Reply

  5. PoisonedBelial

    October 27, 2017 at 10:44

    That’s just the thing. You can’t make/choose a perfect game.

    The perfect game to you may not be the perfect game to me and vice versa.

    So in a way, there is always perfect game, yet in the space time continuum there isn’t.

    And now I’ve gone all cross-eyed.

    Reply

    • Original Heretic

      October 27, 2017 at 10:48

      *urp* You tell ’em, Morty.

      Reply

  6. Tarisma

    October 27, 2017 at 10:48

    The perfect game is when the credits role you sit on your couch for 30 seconds thinking fuck is it over, and you get that post game depression and have to go play something generic and terrible to lower your expectations of games.

    Reply

    • Original Heretic

      October 27, 2017 at 10:50

      I have not had that feeling often.
      Last of Us.
      Alan Wake.
      Uncharted 4.

      Reply

      • Alien Emperor Trevor

        October 27, 2017 at 10:51

        Hellblade. Play Hellblade.

        Reply

        • Original Heretic

          October 27, 2017 at 10:56

          Getting there, one day.
          Currently I’m enjoying Warframe and Smite too much.

          Reply

      • Tarisma

        October 27, 2017 at 10:54

        Yeah for me there aren’t many. Witcher 3 was probably the biggest for me, played it for 2 weeks straight when I was on burnout leave, afterwards I went and did some gardening because I knew any game I played was going to be terrible.

        Reply

        • Original Heretic

          October 27, 2017 at 10:56

          Oh yeah, that was also a goody.
          Dark Souls was another for me.

          Reply

  7. Original Heretic

    October 27, 2017 at 10:49

    A game will only be “perfect” for a limited time.
    Once all the bugs and annoyances creep in, it’ll still be good, but no longer perfect.

    Reply

  8. Trevor James

    October 27, 2017 at 10:49

    Story, Music, Gameplay ,Graphics.

    Reply

  9. Pieter Kruger

    October 27, 2017 at 11:14

    There is no “perfect game”, no “10/10”.

    Reply

  10. Admiral Chief

    October 27, 2017 at 11:16

  11. Johann

    October 27, 2017 at 11:16

    One where I don’t have to buy it in parts through DLC, a game where once I bought it everything is available and I don’t have to spend an extra R500-R1000 to get the rest of the game. Witcher 3 was very close to this, and as it was already a pretty decent game that gave me 70+ hours on the main campaign I didn’t mind buying the two expansions which added 30+ hours extra to the main content.

    Reply

  12. Admiral Chief

    October 27, 2017 at 11:18

    Story, NO lootboxes and or pay2win crap

    Reply

  13. Magoo

    October 27, 2017 at 12:56

    I use this scoring system in my life – there can only be one 10. Doesn’t matter how good something else is, if it isn’t good enough to dethrone the 10, it can only be a 9.

    Everyone has a different 10.

    Reply

  14. Nikola

    October 27, 2017 at 12:56

    Zelda get’s a 10 but Witcher 3 doesn’t can’t see the logic there…but we all know Critical Hit are suuuch Nintendo fanboys specifically Geoff…

    Reply

    • Alien Emperor Trevor

      October 27, 2017 at 13:17

      Mario fans are like COD & FIFA fans. Every year they play the same game & it’s the best game ever.

      Reply

      • Nikola

        October 27, 2017 at 14:15

        Hahaha agreed!

        Reply

  15. Kromas Ryder

    October 27, 2017 at 13:46

    The perfect game is objective …. or Half Life 3.

    Reply

  16. Gr8_Balls_o_Fire

    October 27, 2017 at 13:48

    I’ve heard that weed makes any game perfect.

    Reply

    • Magoo

      October 27, 2017 at 14:38

      420/10

      Reply

    • Magoo

      October 27, 2017 at 14:39

      “What do you rate this game out of 10?”

      “Yes.”

      Reply

    • Magoo

      October 27, 2017 at 14:41

      “Dude this game is 10/10 right now.”

      “Dude that’s your start menu.”

      Reply

  17. konfab

    October 27, 2017 at 13:50

    The perfect game is the one that does exactly what you think it should do.

    Reply

  18. konfab

    October 27, 2017 at 14:00

    The perfect game is one that most effectively teaches a person something they value.

    If you take play behaviour in animals, they play because they learn how to do something that is valuable in their lives. Exactly the same sort of thing applies to games.

    Reply

  19. Sageville

    October 30, 2017 at 09:41

    I dunno, I don’t see how nintendo can have 2 perfect 10s from this site and all other platforms do not have even one (Correct me if I’m wrong).

    I’ve played games I’ve felt deserved 10s on PC and on PS4, they too “had flaws”, like every game ever created. This metric is confusing and frankly I don’t know how it works…

    Reply

    • Geoffrey Tim

      October 30, 2017 at 09:50

      Journey (PS4) got a 10. Mass Effect 2 (on everything but nintendo platforms) got a 10.

      Reply

      • Sageville

        October 31, 2017 at 12:39

        Gah! Fine, I was super wrong…

        Reply

  20. Deceased

    October 30, 2017 at 23:27

    I’m late ( very late ) to this FFD, but I’d go out on a limb and say something that was made for the passion of gaming and not the money ( the money comes second ) …

    These are rare, I know, but my most recent close-to-top scorer is probably Cuphead – it’s about the game and not the massive amounts of cash-moneys it generated…

    Or well, that’s my experience so far 😐

    ( Witcher 3 is prolly still the only 10 in my eyes )

    Reply

  21. Steffmeister

    October 31, 2017 at 16:39

    A game can be a 10/10 without being perfect. If you rate the experience that you are having.

    Reply

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