The epitome of its genre

[Addendum_Forthcoming]

Righto- then SimCity 2000 it is.

Wait... what did Quake 2 have that made it a benchmark? It didn't come free with every copy of Windows if that's what you're getting at...

Welll ... more like a quintessential sum of what it was to be a FPS.

Though I should probably have said Unreal. Everything was compared to Unreal...

 

[BrawlMan]

Devil May Cry 3 or Bayonetta 2 - Stylish Action

Streets of Rage 2 - 2D Beat'em ups

God Hand - 3D Beat'em ups

Max Payne - TPS w/Bullet Time

Vanquish or Gears of War - TPSCVS (Cover Shooting)

Contra - Run n' Gun

Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike - 2D Fighting

Marvel vs. Capcom 2 - Crossover Fighting Games

Tekken 3 - 3D Fighting

Mario 3, Sonic 3 & Knuckles, and Rayman Legends - 2D platformers

Tetris or Lumines - Puzzle

Burnout Revenge - Arcade Racing

Gran Turismo - Realistic Racing

Resident Evil 2 or Silent Hill 2 - Survival Horror

Batman: Arkham City - Comick Book Game

Spider Man 2 - Movie tie in game

Doom 4 or Serious Sam: The Second Encounter - FPS

COD4 - Spunkgargleweewee.

Smash TV - Twin Joytick shooter

 

[CaitSeith]

Braid - artistic indie 2-D platformer. It's pretty much all that this niche genre has:
+ Puzzle platformer
+ Artistic aesthetic (art motif)
+ Unconventional mechanics
+ Throwbacks to classic games
+ Layers of meaning and subversion
+ Secret ending
+ Pretentiousness

 

[Xprimentyl]

Braid - artistic indie 2-D platformer. It's pretty much all that this niche genre has:
+ Puzzle platformer
+ Artistic aesthetic (art motif)
+ Unconventional mechanics
+ Throwbacks to classic games
+ Layers of meaning and subversion
+ Secret ending
+ Pretentiousness

Never played Braid, so this isn't a "you're wrong, I'm right" deal, but I'd offer Inside is the epitome of the 2D platformer genre.

 

[Mikejames]

Cliche answer, but Silent Hill 2 still embodies the idea of top-tier psychological horror games in my book. Stepping away from jump scares and exploring the emotional aspects of fear and isolation beyond quick shock value and excessive gore.

Likewise Psychonauts is the peak of comedic 3D platformers for me. Even though the platforming mechanics themselves aren't perfect, it's bursting to the brim with funny jokes and secrets, and uses creative level design to make the most of its medium. Constantly changing the atmosphere and gameplay mechanics of different worlds to explore character stories in a way that only a game could.

 

[warmachine]

Agricola - board game port - retains the artwork and much of the layout of the board game to make it familiar whilst adding animations and graphical touches to set the tone and convey information that static art cannot. Buttons can show additional information, such as your cards, without taking over too much screen space, even on an iPhone. Opponent's cards that give you options or goals can also be duplicated on your board, which you often look at, reminding you in a way a board game and other players cannot.

What? It's a video game, isn't it?

 

[Phoenixmgs_v1legacy]

Agricola - board game port - retains the artwork and much of the layout of the board game to make it familiar whilst adding animations and graphical touches to set the tone and convey information that static art cannot. Buttons can show additional information, such as your cards, without taking over too much screen space, even on an iPhone. Opponent's cards that give you options or goals can also be duplicated on your board, which you often look at, reminding you in a way a board game and other players cannot.

What? It's a video game, isn't it?

Yeah, I don't see why digital board games aren't video games. And, they usually have far more compelling gameplay than video games as well. I've played a decent handful of digital board games and they've all been really solid from Through the Ages to Sentinels to Baseball Highlights 2045. My most anticipated video game is actually the digital version of Terraforming Mars.

 

[CaitSeith]

Agricola - board game port - retains the artwork and much of the layout of the board game to make it familiar whilst adding animations and graphical touches to set the tone and convey information that static art cannot. Buttons can show additional information, such as your cards, without taking over too much screen space, even on an iPhone. Opponent's cards that give you options or goals can also be duplicated on your board, which you often look at, reminding you in a way a board game and other players cannot.

What? It's a video game, isn't it?

Yeah, I don't see why digital board games aren't video games. And, they usually have far more compelling gameplay than video games as well. I've played a decent handful of digital board games and they've all been really solid from Through the Ages to Sentinels to Baseball Highlights 2045. My most anticipated video game is actually the digital version of Terraforming Mars.

Well, I have Monopoly in my Smartphone. And I have to say, it's one of the few mobile games that EA didn't screw with microtransactions or lack of offline support.

 

[dscross]

I'm very surprised nobody mentioned a metroid or castlevania game.