The Ultimate Game

[GamerMan316]

What would make up the ultimate game ever?

Some people say Gears of War 2. Others go for Fallout 3, or Halo 3.

Some stick with Call of Duty 4 while a few would go for Project Gotham Racing 4, Lost Odyssey or maybe even Left 4 Dead.

Whatever it is that tickles your fancy, there's no doubt that somewhere out there exists the perfect game.

Here's what we think it would consist of:

Gears of War 2 (Co-op)

Co-op is all the rage nowadays, with single player campaigns offering the chance to dive in with a friend in tow. Gears of War 2 offers the perfect example of how to do this - levels designed specifically around the presence of a buddy, splitting you up, forcing you to help each other out and offering back-to-back moments of getting out of sieges by the skin of your teeth.

Left 4 Dead (Survival)

It could have just as easily slotted into the co-op category, with an unmatched sense of camaraderie as you help team-mates to their feet or... well, leave them for dead. Yet it's the survival mode that we'd like to see included in more games - short, sharp bursts of co-op gameplay that last as long as you can hold out.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Polish)

It's about the little things that show you the developer has gone the extra mile and Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is full of them. The distant flares lighting up the sky, the military LED font announcing each mission, the distant crackle of gunfire that is muffled by walls, men taking cover behind walls and cowering when bullets ping nearby...

Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved (High Score)

Back before overblown stories, sweeping orchestral music and hour-long stealth missions, gaming was all about high scores and getting your three initials on the top of the arcade boards. Geometry Wars brought that simple high score chase back to the masses and the perfect game would have to have as smart a scoring system together with online leaderboards.

BioShock (Creativity)

While it was a strong shooter with solid fundamentals and an interesting plasmid system, it was the creativity that BioShock oozed which made exploring Rapture such a joy. Teeming with retro flourishes, kitsch design and hellish creatures, every area was a feast for the eyes.

Fallout 3 (Choice)

Some players prefer to be pushed down funnel-neck level design rather than be scared away by the open sprawl of a world like Fallout 3's but regardless, the sheer choice on offer can only be a good thing.

Mass Effect (Music)

Granted, it's not the music to fit all genres - the doom-laden overtures of Saren's Theme would hardly slot into FIFA 09 - but no game had music that better suited its mood than Mass Effect. It felt sci-fi and alien when it needed to, dramatic and tense when it had to and surprisingly and original when it wanted to. The best OST on Xbox 360 by far.

Burnout Paradise (DLC)

No game has been better supported by DLC than Burnout Paradise, which has had its fair share of both premium DLC and free updates. Fans have been well served by Criterion's dedication to the cause and it's something we'd like to see a lot more of.

Halo 3 (Netcode)

All online games have flawed netcode, to a certain extent. Call of Duty will drop the connection from time to time, Gears of War 2 struggles with cross-Atlantic connections and searching for the elusive five-bar match on Street Fighter IV's online mode deserves an achievement in itself. Bungie's FPS is as close as we've come to flawless netcode - it might not be perfect but it's far better to most online games out there.

Street Fighter IV (Characters)

Any games will more than one playable character are better by default because it gives you a chance to stamp your own personality on it and specialise. Small but quick? Good at long distance, terrible up close? Soaks up damage but slow dishing it out? Street Fighter IV's eclectic mix of characters, covering everyone from a Russian wrestler to a long-limbed yoga practitioner to a green beast to a fat pony-tailed dive-kicking freak, is as good as they come.

Ninja Gaiden II (Difficulty)

Finally, it needs to have a difficulty mode that is rock hard. Near impossible. Super tough. Enough to make grown men cry and children quit gaming forever. The kind of rock solid difficulty that has achievements attached so you just can't stop playing it, even when you're soggy from the blood, sweat and tears it's taken you to complete the tutorial.

The Orange Box (Value)

Oh, and if it was packaged for the same kind of value that saw The Orange Box's blockbuster five-games-for-usual-price deal? Perfect way to round off the ultimate game...