GameSided Roundtable: Our Favorite 10/10 Games
Erik Sugay
When I think of perfect games, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney for the Nintendo DS is the first one to come to mind. I would have easily awarded it a perfect score when it released back in 2005 and I’d have no qualms about doing so if it released now. The gameplay was a mix of unconventional mechanics for its time: touching and swiping the touchscreen to look for clues and examine evidence, blowing into the microphone to find fingerprints, and speaking into the microphone to counter witness testimony; it really put you into the roles of a defense attorney and an investigator.
Even if those types of gameplay mechanics – some might call them gimmicks – are pervasive in this era of high-tech smartphones, the story and characters remain brilliant. Those aspects are a relative rarity in modern gaming. Despite being the beginning of a series, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney’s story can stand well on its own. Impressively, even as the scope of the narrative broadened with future entries, each game wove itself neatly and intricately into the world that the first title created.
Even if the game didn’t have the AAA budget of other games that released in that generation, it was easy to see how much care and effort went into its production. Aside from a few (memorable) typos, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney featured witty banter between extraordinarily dynamic characters, humorous pun-based naming conventions, one of the finest soundtracks ever composed (check out the orchestra and jazz albums), and some of the most unique character designs and expressive animations I’ve ever come across.
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney was the first game I played that really opened my eyes to what gaming can be. I can’t wait to relive every moment (again!) when the trilogy re-releases on the Nintendo 3DS in December.
Daniel George (Twitter)
I’ve gone on time and time again about my undying appreciation of Final Fantasy VI as one of my favorite games of all time, however when it came out it featured an infamous bug that allowed you to instantly kill almost any enemy. It was called the “Vanish+Doom (or X-Zone)” bug, which required you to use those two spells consecutively. It worked on bosses, too. It was fixed in the GBA version, however at launch I would not have been able to give it a 10/10 for that reason.
However, the same cannot be said for Diablo II, which may be one of my favorite and near-perfect PC games of all time. It expanded upon everything that made the original Diablo great and made it even better. The five classes available at launch featured very different approaches to magical, ranged and melee combat. The skill tree system branched character development and offered an unparalleled system for strengthening your play. The equipment system is so intricately detailed, offering thousands of different ways of balancing your character’s defensives and attacks.
More importantly, Diablo II carried that gothic sensibility and morphed it with a richly detailed story, with memorable characters. NPCs felt unique throughout each city, rarely serving to be just a vendor or a serviceman. Monsters were crafted with both beautiful animation and delicate battle design, providing numerous different battle styles and tactics. Diablo II is so close to gaming perfection that it ruined any chance I have to enjoy Diablo III, especially when comparing its world building and ability/stat systems. There is nothing in the genre that can quite top it, in my books.