Games that are art: What's your candidate?

[Tele-screen]

Robert Brockway has the best rebuttal to Ebert I've seen yet. [http://www.cracked.com/blog/why-ebert-is-wrong-in-defense-of-games-as-art]

So instead of taking on Ebert's clearly faulty arguments, lets try to come up with the games that are art or have moments that speak to us as human beings amidst all the blowing up, etc.

My offering is Shadow of the Colossus. As anyone who has played it knows (and this next statement is mildly spoilerish) about halfway through the game, you start to notice the toll that your actions are taking on the protagonist and probably begin to realize that perhaps your ultimate goal is not such a good idea. However, the player becomes obsessed with killing all of the Colossi anyway which makes us mirror the character's mental state. In the end, the game reveals itself as a meditation on mortality, morality, and love that borders on obsession.

 

[The Root Beer Guy]

Planescape: Torment. Utterly bizarre, yet absolutely beautiful.

 

[Legion IV]

Starcraft, Guilty Gear. Storys are alright but the desighn the balance and just everything. makes them a work of art and its just amazing.

 

[lollipopz]

Muramasa: The demon blade. Only downside is that its on wii.

 

[Tele-screen]

Starcraft, Guilty Gear. Storys are alright but the desighn the balance and just everything. makes them a work of art and its just amazing.

What themes do you see reflected in the gameplay that make them art? Starcraft is indeed brilliant, but has always seemed more like a fantastically updated version of Chess to me. I'm not saying all games are art, just that some are, or are in certain moments. Some games are just great games.

 

[Kajt]

Team Fortress 2.

That game just never gets old.

 

[Flamezdudes]

Ok, i'l get this out of the way... Half Life 2, Bioshock and quite a few of Bioware's games.

 

[armaina]

Mother 3
It may not be the most 'artsy' looking game, but I bring it up because of the human element to this game. It really is one of the most involving and moving games I have ever played. The fact that it can capture and emotionally move people is, I think, a very important part of art.

 

[theComposer]

Braid. Brilliant, innovative gameplay and a plot twist/ending/beginning that was beautiful to behold. Oh, and the "plot" made little to no sense, so it must be art!

 

[Legion IV]

Starcraft, Guilty Gear. Storys are alright but the desighn the balance and just everything. makes them a work of art and its just amazing.

What themes do you see reflected in the gameplay that make them art? Starcraft is indeed brilliant, but has always seemed more like a fantastically updated version of Chess to me. I'm not saying all games are art, just that some are, or are in certain moments. Some games are just great games.

Well mabey am wrong then mabey i should go look up the definition of art lol. Just there so beutifuly desighned and balanced its just like pinniacle of game desighn right there.

Guilty Gears a fighting game and when its played at high levels its mind boggiling and just how creative people are at playing the game. Mabey thats not art mabey am talking about somthing else. I dunno. My applogies.

 

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

Team Fortress 2.

That game just never gets old.

Agreed, the visual styling and the excellent gameplay excuse it from having a single player mode. It is a fun game to play with friends and it looks damn nice.

My candidate is Freelancer but that is only because I love the game so damn much. Gameplay, story and visual textures are just awesome. I haven't played a game since that earns more praise.

 

[jtesauro]

Shadow of the Colossus

 

[Cornish]

Folklore, it might not be a master-piece; but it's definitely art-equal (in my perception).

 

[Tele-screen]

Ok, i'l get this out of the way... Half Life 2, Bioshock and quite a few of Bioware's games.

Half Life 2 (and the first one) are definitely games that are art. The first person view is never broken, making the player feel as though they know just as much as Gordon Freeman knows. Anybody who says they didn't feel a connection to the NPC's in that game is lying.

 

[reg42]

Flower. That game is pure RELAXATION!, and it's atmosphere is wonderful.

 

[Tele-screen]

Team Fortress 2.

That game just never gets old.

Agreed, the visual styling and the excellent gameplay excuse it from having a single player mode. It is a fun game to play with friends and it looks damn nice.

What's really amazing is that the character design alone tells us the story of these teams. In a purely visual way, and without a single story cue, we understand roles, possible situations, and emotional states of characters that we can switch between at any time.

 

[wolf thing]

i think that most game realyst now are art or at lest contay it. but the ones i would show to people as art would gears of war, portal and stalker

 

[GoWithDAFro]

The World Ends With You. great soundtrack, great style, really conveyed a message, and its on the DS so you can take it anywhere.

 

[Spookimitsu]

Muramasa: The demon blade. Only downside is that its on wii.

How is that a downside? I think that its an upside, seeing as how PS3's are only used for vengeful ancient spartans and xboxs are used for uhhhh.... futuristic spartans? Sorry I was trying to think of something snazzier than just CoD.

But yeah I was gonna say Muramasa, Shadow of the Colossus, Bushido Blade 2, Okami, Samurai Shodown 2 (nightmare mode) Flow, and Mario Sunshine.

honorable mention to that new Monster Hunter Tri, and MGS4