Super Metroid – classic perfection (Picture: Nintendo)
Readers reveal the games they’d give top marks to, including Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and XCOM 2.
The subject for this week’s Hot Topic was suggested by reader Lombert, who wanted to know what being 10/10 means to you and how many flaws a game can have before you discount it.
We’d asked readers to avoid mentioning Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom, as it was too obvious a choice, but there were a lot of Nintendo games anyway, with Dark Souls also coming up a lot.
Imperfect perfection
A 10/10 game is an interesting thing. For me personally it doesn’t necessarily indicate a perfect game, though Super Metroid, which I would give that score to, is.
But I also would consider a game like Breath Of Fire 3, which has multiple flaws (such as its high random encounter rate and sometimes excruciating mini-games) a 10/10, because of how fun some of the systems (master system, dragon gene system, etc.) in that game are, how charming the characters are (in a genre where they’re often cringeworthy), and so on.
Basically, that the positives so outweigh the negatives when I play it, or even think about playing it, which to me is the key.
Lord Darkstorm
Retro Warfare
So you want to know which game is a certain 10 then, GC? One game springs to mind: Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.
It had one of the best campaigns I’ve ever played, with some simply amazing missions coupled with an addictive as heroin brilliant multiplayer.
I didn’t have a console until I saw this game on a friend’s Xbox 360. I went home and told my wife I was buying an Xbox 360.
I don’t know how many hours I spent playing it but I had an amazing time.
Easily a 10 and I’ll be amazed if you don’t get quite a few other readers naming this game.
Manic miner 100 (gamertag)
Game changer
A 10 for me is one that takes at least one important element of what gaming is now (or what it has ever been) and smashes through any boundary or parameter associated with that aspect, to the point that it significantly impacts the experience and makes me excited about the possibilities the medium offers.
I appreciate others will have different criteria such as timelessness or an absence of flaws but most games I’d have given a 10 on release probably aren’t as enjoyable decades later without some meaningful update (Super Mario 64 and Metroid Prime) while others can include a ton of widely accepted irritations but those fail to undermine the game’s real triumphs (Zelda: Breath Of The Wild and its sequel).
I’m not alone in thinking some mainstream publications hand out 10s way too liberally nowadays, to the point where it loses any meaning beyond ‘I had a great time with it and can’t think of any obvious areas for improvement’ and that’s why we’ve seen games like God Of War Ragnarök and Forza Horizon 5 get so many max scores.
I think that should be the description for an 8 or 9 but when you suggest those games have reached the very highest ceiling, it means you’re lumping them in with those that go as far as shaking the foundations of game design.
Just to show I don’t just credit Nintendo’s best games for doing all the heavy lifting, I’d give a 10 to Dark Souls for the reason I’ve given. A game that’s so compelling because it genuinely considers what action role-playing fantasy adventure should actually mean, then instils so much of that meaning into every element, to the point I was trying to play it at every possible opportunity and was thinking about it when I wasn’t.
Panda
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The untouchables
Seeing as there is no such thing as the perfect game, to me a 10 should be reserved for those games that fundamentally change what gaming can be.
The two most recent examples would be Zelda: Breath Of The Wild and Tears Of The Kingdom. For me, Breath Of The Wild was the first truly open world game where you could essentially go anywhere and do anything from the start (bar the intro on the great plateau, of course). Tears Of The Kingdom then took that formula, and with the addition of the incredible new abilities, gave players an even more open playground in which you are free to play the game in countless different ways.
Despite the well documented technical issues, most of which were solved with the remaster, I think Dark Souls is also worthy of a 10. The way the game is structured has created a new genre that many have now tried to ape, but no one has got close the doing what FromSoftware can do yet.
drlowdon
Subjective view
10/10 games are few and far between for me. Reflecting upon those games I would rate so highly, it’s more about my enjoyment at the time, rather than scrutinising like a games critic would. The perfect game technically doesn’t exist, but then neither does objectivity when it involves reviewing games. That doesn’t prevent a game feeling like perfection. For instance, The Last Of Us (on PlayStation 3) was a 10/10 game at that time.
Now if I replay one of the several versions of the same game since, it wouldn’t score the same. But it will always be that first experience I judge a game by. If the general consensus rates a game highly, whilst meaningful, it has no bearing on what I deem a 10/10 experience.
Admittedly, I’ve a few obscure games I consider 10/10. One in particular will dumbfound GC, which is Dying Light 1. If I was to try and take a less subjective view, I may be willing to accept a more realistic score was 8/10. But for me personally, playing through that entire game with a buddy was 10/10. I get it, co-op can make any game better, but some games are far better suited than others. It was the parkour gameplay in particular, coupled with the level design which resulted in such a fun sandbox.
Another obscure entry would be Call Of Duty: Warzone 1. Aside from being a welcome distraction during lockdown, it proved to be the definitive battle royale experience. In fact, I wasn’t too enamoured with battle royale until Warzone came along. Activision do their best to sabotage what they created, but it still plays better than the competition.
It’s unwise to have high expectations, but I strongly suspect my next 10/10 experience will be Starfield. Since the showcase, it’s the most excited I’ve been for any game in years. In fact, it could be Phil Spencer’s infamous 11/10 if what was shown is accurate. It literally ticks every box for me, so fingers crossed. Hopefully that isn’t a deadly premonition. Speaking of which, I’ve never understood the love for that game and will be shocked if it gets a mention. I kind of hope it does.
Anon
Almost a 10
Most of the titles you’ve given a 10 I’m on board with (barring Super Mario Odyssey which is a 9 for me) but a few spring to mind which you gave a 9 to and I’d up to a 10. First is obviously Bloodborne, which I know has performance issues and could be deducted a point, but one can easily forgive it because the rest of the game is truly phenomenal.
FromSoft’s masterpiece is arguably the best game ever made. Second one is Astro Bot: Rescue Mission. I can see all of the valid complaints about mimicking Nintendo, too short, slightly simplistic, etc., etc. but I simply didn’t care about it, as it’s legitimately the most joyously buoyant bundle of fun I’ve had outside of a Mario title.
It executes everything it sets out to do perfectly and basically if you swapped out everything and just replaced it with Mushroom Kingdom inhabitants it’d be seen as a modern classic (which it is already for me). Two are from Housemarque. The sublime Nex Machina and of course Returnal. Both are nigh on perfect games with Returnal, having the best moment to moment balletic 3D gunplay I’ve had the pleasure to experience and Nex Machina being the ultimate creative collaboration and a worthy sequel to all of Jarvis’ classics.
One more I’d give a perfect score to is Resident Evil 4. One of the most influential modern games and still endlessly playable now
Wonk
GC: Bloodborne’s loading issues, in particular, were pretty severe on a PlayStation 4. It’s one of many reasons the lack of a PlayStation 5 version is so frustrating, because it would be an instant 10/10. All of your other choices are solid though, and all superb games.
The full scale
I agree with GC that review scores are pretty meaningless, and that the written content of a review is far more important than the arbitrary number at the end. However, I am more likely to read a review of a game I know nothing about if it scores highly, or better yet really poorly, because the review is usually good for a few laughs.
I also think even a 10-point scale offers too much granularity, because most reviews seem to settle in the 5-9 range, with comparatively few below that and even fewer hitting the magic 10 (on GC, anyway). And really, the difference between a 6 and 7 or a 7 and 8 can be minimal or negligible if you’re a fan of the genre, story or franchise.
That being said, I would personally give a game a 10 (or 5 out of 5) based on enjoyment and how much I (want to) replay it and can happily ignore obvious flaws if it’s my type of game and I have a blast playing it. For me, this applies to Civilization 5 and 6, which I have sunk thousands of hours into; Spider-Man, despite the rubbish stealth bits, which I’ve 100% completed multiple times and am very much looking forward to the sequel this autumn; and the original Mass Effect and Batman: Arkham Asylum, which were for me perfect and games of the generation on the Xbox 360.
StellarFlux
GC: Our problem with a five-point system is that there’s no proper score for average. 3/5 is not the same as 5/10. Most games that would get a 1 – 4 are obscure indie titles that aren’t be worth the time to review, but that doesn’t mean the scale is flawed.
Only one and a half
For me the only 10/10 game is XCOM 2, especially with War Of The Chosen DLC. In terms of a game that keeps you on edge, is simultaneously a base building/tech race whilst protecting your troops, but occasionally sacrificing for the greater good, with the ultimate risk of losing 30-40 hours of game play with one wrong move it’s a sensational game.
One of the few games I go back to every year for one last playthrough.
Michael, Crawley
More: Trending
Nintendo magic
It’s very hard to mark a game a 10, especially when nine always is a game-selling score, going by GameCentral standards. Nine is a Ten for me on this site and if it gets a 10, then wow indeed.
To tick all the boxes takes an incredible type of game, which comes every now and again. My first experience of a 100% game was possibly the Super Nintendo’s Super Mario All-Stars back in the day.
It consists of a number of different games, including the first Super Mario Bros., along with Super Mario Bros. 2 set in the Subcon Dreamscape and the epic Super Mario Bros. 3, which is an all-time classic and plays so well even now. Plus, also the ultra-hard Lost Levels added on to the cartridge, which was an amazing bonus game to have. Nearly all of these games were high scoring games in their own right, especially the third Super Mario game.
I did not have the original NES, so to have all the the key platformers associated with the franchise, plus all upgraded graphically and sound-wise, was just a joy and a dream to behold indeed.
It all felt so crisp and clear with the smooth controls and the ingenuity with the level design and the challenges they give the player.
After playing Super Mario World, which is another 10 out of 10 game, with nothing at all wrong with it in anyway whatsoever! The history of Mario being available all together and exploring and experiencing the games which started one of the biggest franchises in gaming history was an honour.
The original Mario Kart was a 100% game along with Zelda: A Link To The Past. Can’t think of anything wrong at all with them. Basically, Nintendo know the secret formula and show no signs of slowing down in utilising this special concoction of magic. And if the fairly recent Super Mario Odyssey, along with the very recently just released Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom, is anything to go by then the future looks to be a shining one indeed, for this great Japanese company.
Alucard
This week’s Hot Topic
The subject for this weekend’s Inbox was suggested by reader Lombert, who asks what game would you rate as 10/10?
For most reviewers 10/10 games are rare but we’ve already had one this year, in Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom. But not counting that (because we don’t want everyone giving the same answer) what game would you give top marks to and why?
What does being 10/10 mean to you and how many flaws can a game have before you discount it? Although you can mention more than one game please try to avoid just sending in lists of titles.
E-mail your comments to: [email protected]
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Readers reveal the games they’d give top marks to, including Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and XCOM 2.
