As a lifelong gamer, I’ve often been in the awkward position of defending my hobby to a roomful of sneering artsy types. Although, to be fair, I do attend a lot of wine and cheese mixers at the New Yorker offices. Nevertheless, it’s an experience we’ve all had to confront. Whether it’s coming from our parents, our local clergymen or the critical voices in our own head, at some point we’ve had to systematically justify the act of spending thousands of hours manipulating an eight-button machine to no demonstrable effect.
Like comics, video games are a bastard medium, perpetually trapped in the purgatory of “low art.” No matter how well-crafted or sweeping or gorgeous they are, they almost never get auctioned off to millionaires with paddles. But even comics have had some success: The graphic novel movement is giving them some art house cred, R. Crumb drew some parents boning their kids and got a freaking Academy of Arts and Letters Award, and I heard Jeff Koons grudgingly recognized them as “a conceivable medium for the conveyance of art-like imagery.”
Well, the next time you get cornered by the Beret Patrol, or just want to flex your gaming-snob nuts, here are 10 games that would be hanging in museums if flat screens weren’t so damned expensive.
The World: Katamari Damacy’s world, as near as I can tell, is a fairly accurate depiction of modern day Japan. There’s rice, bamboo mats, plants, animals, cube people and massive hammer-headed monarchs who rule the universe. And that frightening monstrosity has tasked you with rolling up enough of Earth’s material into a ball to cause it to collapse upon itself and turn into a star. Never mind the fact that Earth itself is only about a millionth the size of a modest star; when the King of the Cosmos tells you to roll shit into a ball, you make like a dung beetle or risk being exiled to his velvet crotch-pouch.
How It’s Art: Katamari’s bright colors, simple, striking shapes and boundless imagination ignite an ebullient joy in the player. This is pop art at it’s finest; the motifs of Warhol and the primary palette of Pollock gone Eastern. Here we can rediscover the unfettered creative force of childhood, when magic was plentiful and the impossible was just a matter of time and patience. The cutscenes also contain a healthy dose of absolute nonsense, which has been a staple of modern art ever since some douche paid Richard Prince $1.2 million for a photograph he took of someone else’s photograph.
How It’s Still Fun As Hell: Anything where you go from being smaller than a pencil to larger than entire continents within a single level is like crack cocaine for my delusions of grandeur. If a Japanese crooner can sing Engrish to me at the same time, all the better.
Modern Artist To Compare It To: Takashi Murakami, or, if you’re more literal, the sculpture of Michel de Broin.
The World: The Last Resort, previously owned by your uncle Thurston Last, has been left in your care. In a stunningly short period of time, this turns into you trying to oust Stephen Tyler and Joe Perry with the help of Cher, Christopher Reeve and Jim Belushi. Well, you’re actually dealing with the characters that they voice, although I think the game I just described sounds equally fun.
How It’s Art: For one thing, Robert De Niro produced it, which more than makes up for Cher’s involvement. For another, its Wikipedia entry describes it as “a game designed to represent the limits of man’s imagination.” That may seem like a stretch, but only until you play the carnival organ to get past the Tiki guards to the room that houses the entirety of space.
How It’s Still Fun As Hell: If you’re a comedy fan, there’s not a lot more a video game can do to unnerve you than have Jim Belushi continuously heckle you from a tiny plane. And if you’re a gaming fan, this is one of the most non-intuitive and challenging adventure games out there. That’s code for, “it’s like trying to play Riven drunk.”
Modern Artist To Compare It To: Mark Ryden. That’s kind of a shitty answer, since the game was based on his artwork, but it’s also an excellent answer if you haven’t heard of Mark Ryden, because he’s awesome.
The World: The Fallout games are among the most well known on this list, primarily because of the immense popularity of the newest entry, and the fact that I tacitly endorsed them at the end of last week’s blog post (sales immediately rocketed 4000 percent). And while they’re set in what could, at first glance, be considered a run of the mill post-apocalyptic wasteland, it’s the touches of brilliance, attention to detail and abilities to have sex with people and swear that truly make these games shine.
How It’s Art: By drawing on the buttoned-down iconography of the 50s and infusing it with the paranoia and very real dangers of the Cold War era, the Fallout series presents a pastiche of an America that could have been. Traces of the boundless, wholesome optimism of the Leave it to Beaver era barely obscure twisted, smoldering corpses of what may have once been human. Monuments to our faith in the ability of science to “bring us the convenience of the future, today!” dot a landscape made scarred, barren, lifeless by that same overgrown technology. And all of it set to the uncomplicated music of bygone days, like vinyl ghost voices blown on an irradiated wind.
How It’s Still Fun As Hell: Last night, I blew up a super mutant with a mine, then shot him in the face with my sniper rifle before he hit the ground while the Andrews Sisters sang me a vaguely racist song about the Congo. THAT HAPPENED.
Modern Artist To Compare It To: Almost certainly Ron English.
The World: At a time when every video game was operating on the “more is more” principle, Ico and its sequel, Shadow of the Colossus, dared to do away with basically everything. In the original, you got a board, a giant deserted castle, some shadow monsters and a princess who needs saving and lacks any other discernible traits except for her staggering inability to follow directions. In the next installment, you got a giant open field, 14 enemies (yes, total, for the whole game) each the size of a building and a horse that lacks any discernible traits except for its staggering inability to turn around.
How It’s Art: The spare lines, soft focus and contemplative silences of this world draw us into its eerie natural beauty, at the same time challenging us to ponder the brutal deaths of ancient and stately creatures at our own hands. As we ride over rolling hills devoid of life, we are given time to question: Is the killing of an innocent being ever justified? What are the ethical limits of love? Why did that little kid have horns?
How It’s Still Fun As Hell: You get to leap from your horse onto a giants’ beard, climb up his body as he tries to shake you off, and stab him in the fucking head. Then come the black snakes, and they cannot be stopped.
Modern Artist To Compare It To: If Andrew Wyeth painted more castles.
The World: Pretty much the same as Ico, except this time, instead of fighting the shadow monsters with a board, the kid’s got a laser gun and inexhaustible power orbs. He also never has to deal with a near-mute princess, although he does have stuff trying to kill him in horrendous ways at every possible moment, which is almost worse. Here’s a YouTube video with all 50-plus lovingly animated cutscenes of the precocious 10-year-old getting crushed, drowned or ripped apart by shadow-scorpions while screaming. Rated E! For everyone.
How It’s Art: The stunning animation quality and uniqueness of each and every screen and event reminds us that each day is a concrete experience, every moment fleeting and distinct. We must learn to live in the now, to appreciate the thing in itself, lest we fall pray to the devouring shadows of apathy and banality. Also, the book Heart of Darkness.
How It’s Still Fun As Hell: Imagine playing through your very own Disney movie, but add a bunch of dinosaur skeletons and evil bats. So basically, imagine playing through the “Night On Bald Mountain” part of Fantasia.
Modern Artist To Compare It To: Disney’s already been mentioned, but with this level of bloodshed and the protagonist being a young child thrown into a fantasy world of indescribable terror, I’ve got to go with Hayao Miyazaki.
The World: The same one as Half-Life, which is basically the same one as most other science fiction action/adventure games. What makes Portal a work of art isn’t actually the world it’s set in; it’s the full and rigorous use of the gaming medium to deploy story, build tension and conjure atmosphere. Playing Portal is like watching someone fashion a fine Swiss watch that then spontaneously evolves artificial intelligence and leaps up to strangle the watchmaker.
How It’s Art: With the grace and simplicity of a master film director, the designers of Portal capitalize on the unique characteristics of the game environment, allowing the player’s interaction with their world to slowly bring about a full comprehension of plot. Using only a single speaking character, the game subverts a gaming staple (the helpful robotic narrator/tutorial), creates a complex and frightening relationship complete with subtext-laden dialogue and comments on the medium of gaming itself even as it deconstructs it.
How It’s Still Fun As Hell: When you shoot one portal at the ceiling and another at the ground, you can get going really good like a train. WOO! WOO! Also if you position them right, you can sometimes look at your own butt. And you get cake at the end. Or do you?
Modern Artist To Compare It To: This one’s all about how they did it, not just what they did. To me that makes Kubrick the obvious choice, but at times Hitchcock seems equally appropriate.
The World: The Oddworld games follow unlikely (read: deformed) protagonists as they struggle to free their various peoples from a slave-like existence. To accomplish this noble goal, they jump a lot (except the one in a wheelchair) enlist the aid of their fellow slaves, and fart. The other twisted combinations of amphibian and machine that inhabit the world scuttle on robotic claws, swing eyeless faces while snapping hungry jaws and just generally imitate a cross between a squid and a Terminator.
How It’s Art: The cigar-chomping beverage moguls who head the corrupt slavers echo and embody the corruption of our own plutocrats, bringing into sharp relief the subjugation of the working class on the grim, and often dangerous, factory floor (whiff of an Industrial Revolution critique?). Even the slaves themselves, with mouths and occasionally eyes sewn shut, confront us with the haunting visage of a lower class that cannot see, that cannot scream, that has had its very voice stripped from it through the dehumanizing processes of big business.
How It’s Still Fun As Hell: Did I mention you can fart? Like, at any time. Seriously, you just press a button and out it comes. Glorious.
Modern Artist To Compare It To: H. R. Giger, if he’d had a few more pieces not soaked in existential horror.
The World: Welcome to the Land of the Dead. It’s surprisingly Latin, and surprisingly pleasant, unless you have to work there. A pretty staggeringly brilliant mash-up of Casablanca, bebop, jazz, Art Deco and the rockingest Dia de los Muertos party ever, Grim Fandango is probably the most overlooked Lucasarts adventure game outside of The Dig.
How It’s Art: Few works have dared to embrace death so fully, to question life from the perspective of the no-longer living. The flat, disquieting collages depicting the living world seem to invite us into Manny’s head, and through his eyes, to question whether our shared fear of death is a fear simply of the unknowable, or of the garbled and misunderstood. Is it, in fact, the gossamer curtain separating the two which distorts our vision of both? Truly chilling.
How It’s Still Fun As Hell: Vast conspiracy. A journey through the fires of hell on a car designed by Big Daddy Roth. A swarthy accent you’d just sound like a dick if you tried to use in real life. This game’s got it all, and the chance to seduce a hottie skeleton into the bargain. Hey, it’s not necrophilia if you’re dead too.
Modern Artist To Compare It To: It’s like reading a Dashiell Hammett novel in the lobby of the Havana Bacardi Building while listening to a Benny Goodman record.
The World: Once, there was a time when muppets still starred in movies, everyone took David Bowie very seriously and Shiny Entertainment was the wonkiest, weirdest, most awesomely twisted game company in the world. From Earthworm Jim to MDK to Sacrifice, every Shiny game seemed to exist in the same darkly comic, ooze-dripping, subversive and sticky quadrant of the underworld, and even the ones that were torture to play (Messiah) kept you engaged with solid dialogue and voice acting, inventive new ways to kill stuff and backpacks full of snot.
How It’s Art: As a cohesive body of work, the Shiny collection speaks to the smirking jester in all of us, relentlessly satirizing everything from the petty infighting of religion (Sacrifice) to the medium of gaming itself (that boss fight in Earthworm Jim where you just eat the goldfish). It’s a dark, surrealist topsy-turvydom where the only rule is chaos, and the only valid pursuit is that of the guiltily maniacal chuckle of schadenfreude.
How It’s Still Fun As Hell: In Wild 9, you use your telekinesis gloves to toss enemies into giant threshers. In Messiah, you possess police and use them to shoot other police. In MDK, your head is a gun. There’s basically never a moment in a Shiny game when you’re not killing someone in a way you’ve never killed anyone before.
Modern Artist To Compare It To: The obvious choice is Doug TenNapel, comic maven and creator of Earthworm Jim (his graphic novels, Creature Tech and Gear, are both masterpieces), but since we’ve already established that comics don’t count, you should probably go for a mix between Zdzislaw Beksinski and Michel Gagne. He still works on comics, but most of his don’t have any word balloons, which makes them art.
The World: “Worlds” is actually more accurate. As a student at psychic summer camp, Raz is able to dive into the brain of pretty much any character in the game, and each is a unique, fully developed world with its own physics and art design evolved from the characteristics of the mind itself. Accordingly, the uptight Germanic counselor’s brain is a two tone neon box of ever-transforming precision; the paranoic security guard’s head is crammed with shady, faceless men muttering about conspiracy on an impossibly twisted version of Main Street, U.S.A.; and the giant fish-monster’s mind is exactly what you’d expect that to be.
How It’s Art: Raz’s descent into the world of thought is nothing short of an attempt to suss out the true inner workings of the human mind. As levels shift and flow, illusory as dream, we are faced with the manifold physical manifestations of the metaphysical: the body of self-loathing, the shape of fear, the dark recesses of denial and repressed emotion. We emerge sobered, and ready to explore our own minds with an equal amount of depth and rigor.
How It’s Still Fun As Hell: Tim Schafer, creator of Grim Fandango and most every other awesome Lucasarts game, made this one too, which means it’s smart, funny and there’s a move that lets you set squirrels on fire with your mind. Thus, the fabled trifecta has been achieved, and Psychonauts receives the Michael Swaim official seal of “Best Platformer of All Time.” Let the rabid argument begin!
Modern Artist To Compare It To: Tough, since each brain has a whole separate visual aesthetic. I’d go with Jacek Yerka as a catchall, but I’m open to other suggestions.
RUNNERS UP: Bioshock, Okami, Heart of the Alien, Beyond Good & Evil, the Metroid series, Mirror’s Edge and the works of Warren Spector. Just had to stop at some point. Okami and Heart of the Alien I don’t find particularly fun (compared to others on the list), but both innovative visually and deserving of a mention. Beyond Good & Evil and Mirror are fun as hell, and Bioshock is just all around phenomenal. Warren Spector = Thief and Deus Ex, among others.
SECOND ADDENDUM: The commenters have mentioned a number of great games that could have easily made an expanded version of this list, but I’d like to throw my weight behind Neverhood and Skullmonkeys as well, especially the latter. Buy it on Ebay, get the soundtrack, it’s all good.
Also, a game being really really good doesn’t make it easily comparable to modern art; sorry. And did someone really give me shit for not mentioning Out of This World when I went to the trouble of mentioning the incredibly obscure Heart of the Alien? Seriously, man, I’m trying here. Cut me some slack.
This entry was posted on Monday, February 23rd, 2009 at 2:00 am and is filed under Art, Comics, Fallout, Lucasarts, Portal, Video Games. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
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October 26th, 2009 at 8:42 am
The problem with a list like this is that you will all ways have people complaining about it. But there is a difference between games you like and games are art, and this list came pretty close. Although Killer 7 was something I expected.
October 17th, 2009 at 7:02 am
I would have put Bioshock on here if only because it actually puts you in the story. Also, there aren’t meny cutscenes, which is a good relief after MGS4.
October 11th, 2009 at 5:28 pm
Wow, I didn’t know Swaim was a gamer. This article has opened my eyes to a bunch of games I either missed or suddenly have a desire to re-visit via emulation.
Also, the list itself was right on the money. Couldn’t have made a better dream-team if I tried. Not to say that only the artistic games are the ones worth playing. I do enjoy myself some mindless pointless ugly shooting, platforming or what have you.
Don’t get yer panties all in a bunch just cause he didn’t mention your favorite game, geeze.
October 10th, 2009 at 6:06 pm
I didn’t catch when this was written and due to my exceptionally robust and busy life of nothing, I cannot be bothered to go back and check. Either way….
BRAID.
September 25th, 2009 at 8:40 pm
Eternal Darkness? If for nothing else than for the game fucking with YOU the player, not just you the character.
September 18th, 2009 at 12:43 pm
Suggestions for artistic and/or alternative gameplay:
(In no particular order from some of the games on my bookshelf)
Phantom Dust
Myst Series
Breakdown
Timesplitters Series
Jet Set Series
Elder Scrolls Series
Fable Series
Silent Hill Series
Stubbs the Zombie
Rez
Call of Cthulu
Conker’s Bad Fur Day
Earthbound
September 18th, 2009 at 8:56 am
Good lsit, but you forgot about XIII.
A truly masterwork of art if there ever was one.
September 18th, 2009 at 8:48 am
To all the people who want Final Fantasy games on a list like this:
I think the problem is that RPG’s (or at least that specific kind of RPG’s) are NOT a genre that is based in gameplay, which is the basic narrative way a videogame deploy a story or its themes, just as moving images are for movies and the distribution of color in space is for painting. You can play RPG’s without having a gaming console, just as has been done for decades.
Oh, and a great story doesn’t necessarily transforms a great game into an artistic achievement. Again, FFVII shines for its story, but its gameplay is pretty much the same as in the other FF’s (and also the Materia System has been criticized). That’s the reason games like Portal are mentioned, for its seamlessly mix of all the elements that make a game art.
September 15th, 2009 at 5:56 pm
I wish you’d opened it up to computer only games, I kind of think Planescape: Torment would have to qualify. Though I’m not sure it’s quite “modern” art, I guess.
September 15th, 2009 at 7:47 am
What about:
Legend of Zelda (probably Ocarina of Time would be the most artsy)
Metal Gear Solid {1}(cinematography, music, voice acting, story, etc.)
Resident Evil (1 or 2) (story, cinematography [especially in 2], music)
I know I’m forgetting something, but I can’t place it/
September 13th, 2009 at 12:21 am
Not only did he mention fallout, but he included the entire series, not just the latest and most popular.
September 12th, 2009 at 1:17 pm
Thank you so much for mentioning fallout. Thank you.
I also think its quite funny that people are really seriously critisizing our author on the definition of modern art. Not to say Mr. Swaim is not an intelligent man but come on you’de think one would know what their getting into when reading an article on Cracked.
September 12th, 2009 at 3:56 am
I’m a bit dissapointed no Squaresoft / Square-Enix titles made the list
but the 3 in particular i would nominate are
1:Final Fantasy VII
2:Kingdom Hearts 2
3:Infinite Undiscovery
September 10th, 2009 at 3:30 am
Yeah, I would have put Morrowind on top of that list myself. It’s an incredible game, but the world and the atmosphere are both incredibly beautifully crafted. Plus, the storyline is amazing.
September 8th, 2009 at 9:37 pm
tsirendom: postmodern art is art that recognizes the fact that it is, in fact, art.
modern art is art that recognizes the fact that it exists outside of normal bounds.
September 6th, 2009 at 5:56 pm
I absolutely agree with every word of this text. It’s pretty cool that Mr.Swaim is also a thorough game affectionado.
September 5th, 2009 at 10:42 pm
The fact that Silent Hill 2 isn’t on the list blows the credibility of the whole thing (sad, because the list is pretty damn solid). No other game has so bravely and so subtlety explored the realm of fucked up sexuality, and the whole piece being an exploration of the protagonist’s mind makes it mirror the literary direction of Psychonauts, without slapping you in the face with it.
Shame on you.
September 5th, 2009 at 7:45 am
awesome list there. i enjoyed most of the games mentionned, plus maybe i would have included another great game by Bit-Blob called Aquaria. anyway good work there swaim
September 5th, 2009 at 1:08 am
sorry, “comix zone”
September 5th, 2009 at 1:06 am
wow, nobody remembers the sega genesis classic “comic zone”?
September 4th, 2009 at 11:16 pm
By the way, this list is about games that should be considered MODERN art, not just art. Plenty of games are beautifully artistic, but modern art is Picasso, and Warhol, and Munsch.
September 4th, 2009 at 11:14 pm
I love that Grim Fandango is on here, and especially so far up. That was (and is) one of my all-time favorite games.
I’m trying to find 9: The Last Resort now, because it looks so bizarre.
September 4th, 2009 at 10:15 pm
awesome list, but no bioshock?
September 4th, 2009 at 5:10 pm
Feo Takahari, I fucking love you for mentioning The World Ends with You!
And this may sound stupid, but I think God of War 2 can be considered art too. Not for the gameplay (which is amazing anyway), but for the detail and beauty of some of the environments. Seriously, next time you play it, once u kill all the crap, take a look at the landscape.
September 4th, 2009 at 4:44 pm
Katamari damacy… when i was starting to get bored of video games this thing appeared and, well, made laugh like a 5 year old boy.
Ever since this game i´ve been experiencing a new rush for videogames
September 4th, 2009 at 4:25 pm
By the way, Corey on June 2, I couldn’t have said it better myself. My hat goes off to you.
September 4th, 2009 at 4:19 pm
I’m surprised you didn’t include anything from the Final Fantasy Series. FFVII is honestly the most perfect RPG every created. The story is absolutely fascinating and rife with content for in all types of in depth analysis, including, but not limited to, feminist and theological. Not to mention being revolutionary and the main reason a good deal of gamers bought the PlayStation.
September 4th, 2009 at 3:37 pm
Agreed, Nitai. American McGee’s Alice is pretty ordinary in gameplay, but the whole feel of the game is fantastic. Also, Tim Shafer is awesome. Seriously. Play his games!
Although I still wish to this day that Psychonauts had a sequel of some sort…
September 4th, 2009 at 2:56 pm
9 was awesome. Damn, I almost forgot about that game.
September 4th, 2009 at 12:53 pm
“Modern art” indicates a period of time associated with a certain “modernist” artistic style. Very few (if any) of these examples are part of that period. What you’re referring to is “postmodernist” art, which I would concur includes video games.
The games you mentioned are part of a previously constructed notion of art (color, meaning, proportion, etc.) while ALL video games actually fall into some category of art in a postmodernist sense. Any pop culture phenomenon, whether or not it falls into the classic category of art, can be considered so in some way or another.
This list includes aesthetically pleasing/recognizable games. For that, these are good choices. But “modern art” and your choice of “modern artists” is misguided.
September 4th, 2009 at 12:11 pm
“Braid” is like MArio, except more awesome in an adult way, as in your girlfriend WON’T leave you when she finds it. IN fact, she’ll think you’re some kind of artist for being able to appreciate it.
Also: PRETTY COLORS!
September 4th, 2009 at 11:43 am
American McGeee’s Alice is pretty worthy of a mention…
September 4th, 2009 at 10:25 am
i believe the most artistic game i’ve ever played is mirror’s edge…just beautiful
September 4th, 2009 at 5:41 am
I can’t believe you didn’t include Majora’s Mask. That game is legend and can be considered art since for the Nintendo companies two big franchises (Zelda and Mario), MM is completely different from the typical “save-the-princess” plot. It’s a great game and it can’t not be on here.
August 27th, 2009 at 4:30 am
Have ever heard of The Void? Not is it just art, its creepy as hell.
August 20th, 2009 at 12:30 pm
[...] 10 Video Games That Should Be Considered Modern Art | Cracked.com http://www.cracked.com/blog/defending-the-habit-10-video-games-as-modern-art – view page – cached As a lifelong gamer, I’ve often been in the awkward position of defending my hobby to a roomful of sneering artsy types. Although, to be fair, I do attend a lot of wine and cheese mixers at the New… — From the page [...]
August 19th, 2009 at 9:14 am
@Mousepad
Why don’t you marry Okami if you love it so much.
August 18th, 2009 at 8:12 pm
I second the motion of awarding Psychonauts with the “Greatest platformer of all time” award, as well as the “most under rated game ever” award.
August 17th, 2009 at 2:49 pm
Severely disappointed Okami didn’t at least make the 10. Oh well.
@That guy way down there.
You disliked Okami’s dialogue? How on Earth did you manage that? Okami’s scripting is the only gaming script that did not make me cringe (indeed, it was fantastic). How can you possibly play any other game and not kill yourself over those games’ lines if you hated Okami’s?
August 17th, 2009 at 8:00 am
There’s a newer addition to this kind of game, “The Path” by Tale of Tales. It’s an interesting and ambiguous take on the dark fairy tale that’s at the root of the Red Riding Hood mythos. Definitely worth a look. I also recommend their “Endless Forest” for the visual aesthetic alone, and while it’s technically an MMO game, it’s more of an MMO widget than a full game. Still, both are stunningly beautiful, artistic interactive experiences.
August 12th, 2009 at 6:15 pm
Garry’s Mod isn’t really a game, but playing it too much may cause insanity.
August 12th, 2009 at 9:12 am
Love the list, especially Psychnauts. Would have liked to see Eternal Darkness, though; it’s the gaming equivalent of Brecht.
August 10th, 2009 at 3:51 pm
[...] So, like many others like me who spend an alarming majority of our time on the internet, I have become addicted to Cracked dot com. If you’ve never been, I hesitate to suggest going there, as you will likely spend hours reading the multitudes of lists, of comic articles, and any number of other fun things and end up losing whole days in the process. However, one of the articles I came across was a list of Ten Video Games that should be Considered Modern Art. [...]
August 4th, 2009 at 3:36 pm
I’d like to second the earlier comment that Myst should be up here, but for a different reason–my freshman English textbook lists it along with various novels that might accompany the class (with a parenthetical notation that it is in fact a game.) Bioshock probably belongs in the top ten as well, because can’t you just picture someone teaching it in a college course? The revivification centers even prevent you from saying “I couldn’t beat my homework.” Also, while it doesn’t belong in the top ten, I’d like to namedrop The World Ends With You as a good example of a game that deliberately aims to be art.
I’d also like to note, however, that the title specifies “Modern Art.” This would therefore exclude games like Syberia, which are less self-consciously “deep” than many of the entries on this list. As someone who dislikes current art trends, I do not consider that a bad thing, but it is a handicap when arguing with the sort of people who think a shark in a tank of formaldehyde is a statement on death.
August 4th, 2009 at 10:30 am
I haven’t played it, but watching over shoulders, I think that Spore game looks lovely. I personally loved Majesty from Cyberlore - how it looked and how it played. And the music and voice-overs were absolutely art. Ooh and I wished I could just hang out permanently in Barrow Hill.
July 31st, 2009 at 6:15 pm
its sixteen colossi not fourteen
good list tho!
July 30th, 2009 at 4:07 pm
Anyone ever play The Neverhood? Beautiful and imaginative world using what looks like motion captured claymation, expansive backstory that runs seamlessly into the gameplay, and interesting puzzles. It was fun to play, not overly taxing, but really seemed to be a well crafted piece of art. This game came out in the mid 90s and I believe there was a sequel released on the 3DO.
July 28th, 2009 at 12:15 am
I think I’ll buy Last Resort, Grim Fandango, & Portal. Didn’t enjoy Psychonauts at all though.
July 26th, 2009 at 10:38 am
Sounds like a game advertisement trying to pass itself off as an article to me.
July 25th, 2009 at 11:21 am
Monkey Island! Also katamari should have been higer on the list.
July 23rd, 2009 at 7:17 pm
Dude put on Majora’s Mask! The World: Is about to be obliterated by a falling moon. But you can reverse it. How the depth of exploration is magnificence. Between a swamp, a mountain, a bay, a canyon, a ranch, a town etc you can go to a shitload of places.
Why It’s Considered Art: Because it broke all the rules. If it’s E it needs to be at the very least semi-light-hearted. Hahahahaha! By light-hearted of course you mean have a shitload of NPCs die brutally. Right? No? Ah well.
Why It’s Still Fun As Hell: If you don’t find the game fun there’s something seriously fucking wrong with you.
July 21st, 2009 at 1:03 pm
What about Okami?
July 21st, 2009 at 12:44 pm
You mention H.R. Geiger in your comparison to Oddworld, and that reminds me.
Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem is very much psychological horror at its best, in my opinion. It runs the gamut of horror types, from simply having enemies that are just illusions, to appearing to delete your saves when you go to save, to going into a room, being surrounded, and the game saying that it cannot read the controller, to having your character’s head fall off, and reciting Hamlet when you pick it back up. Also, the locations are each very different, and each level ends with your character dying, which could be interpreted as symbolic of complete futility in life, or, with the fact that their individual actions ultimately result in the destruction of an ancient evil, and even possibly giving your main protagonist the ultimate item in the game, could be interpreted as a commentary on humanity’s will to prevail, and what can be accomplished when many people work towards one goal, or even, with the revelation in the true ending, that it was all set up by the fourth god, who was sealed away by the other ones, that we are all merely pawns in the greater game of life, and even that, perhaps, in humanity’s haste to stop whatever evil or threat that immediately plagues us, we generally overlook the greater consequences of our actions, and wind up causing more problems. Or maybe, it’s actually supposed to all go back to that sense of futility, as it reveals that it was not simply our doing, but was all simply a plan by that fourth god. I cannot think of another game which has so many different possible meanings, all of which are meant to be figured out by the player on their own.
I suppose I’m rambling here. I’m… not much for judging art. And, after all, this is just my opinion.
July 19th, 2009 at 11:07 am
Oops, accidentally tabbed and hit submit. I’ve been meaning to try out many of these, but the only ones I have played are Shadow of the Colossus and Wild 9. I certainly can’t dispute the artistry of either, Colossus for the sweeping, evocative beauty and Wild 9 for its bizarre and twisted methodology. Definitely need to play more Shiny games…
I have to agree about The Dig, though, severely overlooked. If there’s ever a follow-up article, I think The Dig should certainly make the cut.
As a side note in response to some of the other comments, I agree that the imagery in Assassin’s Creed is gorgeous on the grand scale, perhaps even to be considered art, but it’s a new angle on an old story and could hardly be considered modern art by any standards (not that modern art really has much in the way of standards, heh).
July 19th, 2009 at 10:54 am
Sadly, the only games on this list that I’ve played were
July 13th, 2009 at 1:03 pm
Maybe because Assassin’s creed is the same fucking game over and over for six hours
July 6th, 2009 at 6:12 pm
What about assassin’s creed? think about the philosophical aspects of that game, combined with the amazing graphics… Not as mentally stimulating, perhaps, but amazing, nonetheless.
July 6th, 2009 at 10:05 am
As countless others below, I believe Planescape: Torment is a masterful piece of art and has to be near the top of this list.
Maybe not much on a visual but more on a literary sense…
July 6th, 2009 at 5:34 am
“The Fallout Series”? The whole series? Seriously? Lets see:
- Fallout 1 - I could see how one could consider it art, but even this would be debatable
- Fallout 2 - Where Fallout 1 had a cohesive, highly stylised world and plot, Fallout 2 has a mishmash of popculture references. It’s a good game, but art? No.
- Fallout Tactics - Yeah, no.
- Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel - No. Unless it’s one of those ironic surrealist warnings to humanity kind of deal, then maybe.
- Fallout 3 - This is a big “No”. All the soul of the original was ripped from this one and replaced with shooting enormous mutants with a hand held nuclear catapult (and also shooting lots of other things with other stuff - the game basically IS a free form shooter with stats). Oh, and the writing in the main plot is pretty terrible (and of very varying quality outside of it), which seems kind of important in relation to the “is this art?” question.
I’d say that with this in mind casting “the Fallout series” as art doesn’t really work, but hey, what do I know.
Also, I didn’t read the other comments, but I believe I’m not the first to suggest that Planescape:Torment should at least get a honorable mention.
July 5th, 2009 at 11:17 pm
Assassin’s Creed?!?! Are you high? So many flaws in that game and nothing innovating. I’m not saying its a bad game, I enjoyed playing it more than most, but nowhere even close to being great or (laugh) Modern Art. One you did miss or should be up there is Myst Series (maybe you too were smoking the paint chips with StrayDog), as well as BG&E. #9 was a great game, along with IHNMAIMS.
Page loaded perfectly fine here as well so your right on your thoughts. Educate yourself on why your statement about his page is really just a joke.
July 4th, 2009 at 2:16 pm
Great page, my only complaint is that Assassin’s Creed didn’t make it up there. I have another complaint that you’ll probably ignore. This page takes too god damned long to read because it apparently sucks too much memory from my CPU. I was browsing other sites when the whole system became stuck in code limbo, might want to consider being a bit more conservative.
July 3rd, 2009 at 9:22 pm
BRAID WAS INCREDIBLE!!! THUMBS UP FOR BRAID.
July 3rd, 2009 at 9:21 pm
Okami wasnt like psychonauts because it was about the environment. okami on wii, compared to ps2 (ive played both) sucks. ps2 is the fun one. also, im sorta pissed that beautiful katamari is just one large world. what happened to all the different environments? that is really bad.
June 30th, 2009 at 4:53 pm
No Myst? Seriously? Nothing from the series?
June 30th, 2009 at 11:19 am
I have to disagree with Jack G. It seems unfair to arbitrarily handcuff games by restricting their artistry. There are movies that can stand as works of art with no dialogue, but few and mostly inaccessible to the average patron. If you didn’t know anything about the Creation story, would the Sistine Chapel have the same emotional impact? Furthermore, if we remove the sweeping soundtrack or the visual components of a game, then yes it may remove their connection to the player, but the visuals and soundtrack may not stand as art on their own. The combination of interaction with the player and the soundtrack or imagery can create a more potent delivery.
Removing even one component from accepted artwork can render it mundane. Would Ruben’s work look as startling with better lighting? Would Girl with Pearl Earring make any sense if she hadn’t pierced her ears?
June 27th, 2009 at 6:29 pm
I want to play the one where the kid is really good at dying. I wish I could die like that, over and over and over and over…. oh wait, I believe in reincarnation!
June 27th, 2009 at 12:04 am
what about Braid?
you cant say that game wasnt a work of art….
June 26th, 2009 at 8:13 am
Alternatively you could check out Electroplankton on the DS and discover just how little “gaming” value there is in a game designed to be art…
June 26th, 2009 at 8:07 am
I have to say I agree with Someone. I love all of the games on this list which I’ve played (that’s almost all of them) but most of the “modern art” validation being done here is an exercise in sheer wank.
As far as considering games as art is concerned, I’m in Jack’s camp in this one. Shadow of the Colssus & Ico are superb examples of the strengths and potentials of the medium being used masterfully. Katamari Damacy would surely have to top the list for me - that stuff is pure genius - but then again I haven’t played any of these burgeoning XBLA/PSN experiments.
Okami certainly felt like I was playing *in* art (which was awesome), but to consider it to *be* art I’d have to take it on appearances alone - not the best way to appreciate a game, I’d say.
June 25th, 2009 at 9:11 pm
If you don’t know what Killer 7 is, go out and buy it and play it. Right now. It is the definition of an art game. Suda51 is the game-maker responsible for this brightly colored mind-f#$%K. Once you play through it, you’ll be thinking about it for days. Its truly a game that legitimizes video games as art.
June 24th, 2009 at 2:08 pm
Glad to see Okami at least made it onto the runner-up list. Sometimes I would log on and do nothing but explore or running around barking. So gorgeous.
June 24th, 2009 at 6:47 am
I agree with jack G about this. I’ve played a good chunk of these games and don’t really consider them art, for the same reasons he listed.
Jack, if you want to look for a game where the gameplay itself is the art, try Braid, (pc or 360 arcade) or the marriage (free pc game)
June 23rd, 2009 at 9:43 pm
SotC has SIXTEEN enemies, not fourteen, and it’s the PREquel to Ico, NOT sequel.
Do some damn fact-checking next time!
June 23rd, 2009 at 2:16 pm
[...] 10 Video Games that should be considered modern art. – cracked.com [...]
June 23rd, 2009 at 4:09 am
No Okami?
June 22nd, 2009 at 7:20 am
I don’t want to sound like the negative jerk - I’ve played almost every game on that list and love them all. My big objection comes from what really defines art. I know, there’s no concrete definition of what art is, but almost all of them include something like “utilizes the strengths of the medium”. That’s why paintings don’t generally show things happening over a period of time(though they can)- the strength of a painting is in showing a single moment. For the same reason, movies don’t tend to rely on showing the written word on the screen, because movies are so good at conveying the same information through movement and sound. By that logic, the strength of the computer game is that someone can interact with it, and the art is not in the result of their interaction(a pretty cut scene), but in the art of the interaction itself. Visuals, music and storytelling are all things that are handled just as well, and almost all cases better, by other mediums, but the computer game is the only one you can interact with.
Sure, Oddworld and Heart of Darkness are both beautiful games. I loved playing both of them. Especially with Oddworld, you could take any screen from it and hang it as a work of visual art. But when you get down to the game itself, they both play EXACTLY the same as the original Prince of Persia, and no one is going to claim that that game, while fun, was a work of art. Claiming either of those as art on the basis of the story or visual presentation is like going to a gellery where you have to beat the artist at checkers before you get to look at the next painting.
Same thing with any other of the games on the list(with the possible exception of Katamari Damaci, I think it could be argued that the gameplay itself is a work of art), or any of the games people have suggested. All the claims of art have been based on the emotions the player feels, yes, but those emotions were all claimed to stem from things besides the gameplay itself(”The music was incredible”, “The animation was beautiful”, “The story moved me to tears”). But I think the true test for games would be, if you took out the heart-wrenching story, the beautiful scenery, and the soaring music, would it still make you fell the same emotions?
Grim Fandango would be about finding Key X so you can open Lock X. Fallout would be about shooting things, and if you shot enough you gained the ability to shoot bigger things. Psychonauts would be jumping over pits and shooting things. Oddworld would be about jumping over pits, and shooting some things while making sure other things don’t get shot. You get the idea. They’re all wonderful, fun games, but if your definition of art has anything to do with using the strengths of the medium to convey your message, none of them qualify.
June 21st, 2009 at 4:51 pm
And where’s Planescape: Torment?
June 20th, 2009 at 10:37 am
Rez…..?
But like many said good list and a good read. Oh and Psychonauts was great…too bad it never got the attention it deserved.
June 16th, 2009 at 2:42 am
Хороший сайт, стоит того, чтобы обратить на него внимание.
June 15th, 2009 at 4:46 pm
Hmm.. Nights into Dreams is one of my personal choices. MGS was like playing a book (which is like sex to a bibliophile) and seeing it with your physical eyes, instead of the inner. Alice in Wonderland.. that twisted one for PC? Felt like walking halfway through a nightmare or a daydream to me.
At the moment, other titles escape me, though many I would choose are in the article above.
I liked the symbiosis to physical art that you gave in your descriptions, by the way.
June 8th, 2009 at 12:18 pm
So… Silent Hill’s not on the list, and Katamari Damacy is art?
June 7th, 2009 at 10:24 pm
Apparently, a lot of people in these comics want to see an RPG on this list. Well, in Earthbound, for the SNES, you literally battle an enemy called “Abstract Art”, it’s a painting with some conheaded creature in a landscape. There’s not much more to say when the game starts a battle by saying
“You confront Abstract Art and its cohorts”.
Then you beat the crap out of it with a baseball bat and a frying pan.
June 7th, 2009 at 1:51 pm
I agree with the list for the most part, but there is one addition of which it is in dire need: pretty much every game by Goichi Suda, a.k.a. Suda 51. He is the brains behind such bizarre works of genius as “Killer 7″, “No More Heroes”, and “Flower, Sun & Rain”. If you haven’t played any of his games yet, you are OBLIGATED to.
Personally, I’d also include Squaresoft’s masterpiece “Chrono Cross”. It was a game with beautiful, hand-drawn graphics, deep gameplay, an utterly fantastic, thought-provoking plot, and one of the most exquisite soundtracks in video game history. Definitely check that one out too.
June 6th, 2009 at 7:59 pm
I loved Portal but, it should really trade places as an honorable mention with Okami. Okami, regardless of the authors personal taste, had more artistic merit than Portal. You actually used art as a gameplay mechanic in Okami! Preschool scribblings are used to bring (what you would imagine them to represent) into the gameworld you inhabit. Thus changing the world and your situation significantly!
If and when the non-gaming so called officials of art begin recognizing the games most deserving of being considered art, Okami will sit alongside Ico, Shadow of the Colossus, Katamari, and Oddworld as the first games to be accepted as art. Not by personal preference but, by the very definition of art itself. As soon as the clause that art snobs believe to be implied by the definition, gets dropped.
June 6th, 2009 at 7:00 pm
Holy shit, people remember Sacrifice?
I love that game so much.
June 5th, 2009 at 10:00 pm
The elder scrolls series?
June 5th, 2009 at 1:34 pm
Flower is def. art.
June 5th, 2009 at 7:43 am
I’m surprised the Ico/SOTC entry didn’t mention the artist Giorgio di Chirico - the European box art for Ico was directly inspired by this painting of his:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Nostalgia_of_the_Infinite
June 4th, 2009 at 2:41 am
My friend lent me Psychonauts over a year ago and never got around to playing it. Now I suddenly really feel like getting into it, thanks Swaim!
June 3rd, 2009 at 9:13 pm
But… Where’s bioshock? ;_;
June 3rd, 2009 at 8:02 pm
I know this is a bit fanatical, but I like Psychonauts so much I own three copies: one to play every now and then, one as backup incase anything should happen to the one I play, and one in storage, just to have it. ( I otherwise lead a perfectly normal life
)
June 3rd, 2009 at 4:58 pm
Also, as far as “mainstream” games go, the Zelda series deserves to be mentioned here just because it’s the perfect traslation of the Hero’s Journey into gaming.
June 3rd, 2009 at 2:38 pm
I agree with almost every entry on this list (also, great, great reading). I have some obvious personal choices, but the thing that really really impresses me is that you don’t mention “Braid”, which has some more consistent points to replace “heart of Darkness” (which, in my opinion, is the poorest entry on your list, and the less well thought). Stunning quality animation? Each day a concrete experience? Every moment fleeting and distinct? Learning to live in the now? “Braid” just manages to play with those elements better than “Heart of Darkness” and actually pay homages to the medium itself. The other game is based in a book, c’mon.
June 3rd, 2009 at 2:01 pm
Oh and hey, Duidococksucker, in Japan adults actually account for around 46% of RPG players. So suck on that, fuck face.
June 3rd, 2009 at 1:55 pm
Hey Duiderino, I’m 20 years old and currently in college, and I play video games based on my enjoyment of them rather than popular opinion. My opinion on Final Fantasy VII as art is based on the art of the story, rather than “art” in the classic (and superficial) sense of the above article. I also wholeheartedly agree with Matt Abley, Chrono Trigger is brilliant. And to any narrow-minded conformist who thinks art can only be something on a canvas, you really need to look around at the vast number of forms of creative expression that exist in this day and age. Oh, and fuck you, Duiderino.
June 3rd, 2009 at 6:46 am
Killer7, and my review, with video:
http://mixedinternal.livejournal.com/14050.html
I wish I saw this article sooner so I could have mentioned it, as well as brought up what most others did, Deus Ex, Okami, etc.
June 3rd, 2009 at 12:50 am
how was Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion not mentioned? Seriously, the game developers researched the process behind forests growing, and made the AI simulate a forest actually growing on it’s own, in the game world.
And they have npc AI that set their own schedules. Like, when they eat, sleep, shit, talk to other people, even what they talk about and to who. Not sure I know of any other games where the npc to turn a quest into was in another town halfway across the fucking world because he had a freakin date. Oblivion definitely deserves a mention imo.
June 2nd, 2009 at 10:53 pm
But really, you cant put EVERY game thats art on here, good job, this is pretty thorough
June 2nd, 2009 at 10:50 pm
I just think, that MAYBE, Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time could have been included,
Nothing else in the LOZ series, just OOT
June 2nd, 2009 at 10:11 pm
Oh wait, I didn’t actually say “dramatic” did I? XD
The colossus fights are DRAMATIC, dammit! I’m talking hanging onto a freaking 747 for dear life while trying to stab its wings!! I’m talking a 5-minute rodeo on the back of a rabid BUS!!!
okay okay, I’m out. Love the material, Swaimsie.
June 2nd, 2009 at 10:02 pm
Dude, you mean to tell me Shadow of the Colossus can’t score a spot all to itself? You didn’t have any room to mention the actual fights, which are massive, theatrical, and generally look more well directed than 99% of the shit in Hollywood today. When I say dramatic, I mean “holy fuck I’m getting vertigo and motion sickness at the same time”. Not to mention the secret to beating each Colossus… c’mon dude, I know you know what you’re talking about..
June 2nd, 2009 at 9:41 pm
So many adventures games missing from this list - Sanitarium + Syberia were both works of art, most beautiful games I’ve ever played.
June 2nd, 2009 at 9:22 pm
i think morrowind deserves a mention for its totally ownage soundtrack.
June 2nd, 2009 at 9:03 pm
What about Chrono Trigger?
June 2nd, 2009 at 7:45 pm
the neverhood rules!!
also, you should have considered the rayman’s series
nice list anyway, two thumbs up
June 2nd, 2009 at 7:07 pm
Why, oh why, is Silent Hill 2 not on this list? More like, not at the top of this list? Have you never heard of the game?
June 2nd, 2009 at 6:59 pm
monkey island series FTW
June 2nd, 2009 at 4:45 pm
Corey, you’re obviously 14 years old. Your opinion on what’s art doesn’t count.
June 2nd, 2009 at 4:13 pm
I was really hoping to see ninja gaiden on there, everything about that game is awesome, the graphics, game play, story line, not to mention the glorious bloodshed and violence
June 2nd, 2009 at 3:07 pm
Scoff if you will for whatever reason (people just love to hate on RPG’s, especially JRPG’s) but Final Fantasy VII, and other Final Fantasy games, undoubtedly deserve a mention on this list. Each Final Fantasy game is brilliant in it’s own way, but some are far more so than others. FFVII has moments of deep emotion, moments of intensely creepy atmosphere, and an extremely complex and engaging story that parallels anything you would see in any film or novel. It is also an allegory to the evils of corporations in the modern-day world, as well as global warming. Final Fantasy VII was the first game I played that made me respect video games, and the first to make me genuinely FEEL something deeply. If that isn’t art, then I don’t know what the hell is.
June 2nd, 2009 at 11:26 am
Nice list. The only thing I would add on is the X-Box Live Arcade game Braid, if only because the sheer brilliance of the ending. That blew my mind when I saw that. It was like everything I knew about video games had been stripped away. Braid payed homage to what games currently are with its nods to Mario and Donkey Kong, while still going out on a limb and saying now this is what games *could* be. Then again, it IS an indie game, so perhaps it doesn’t have a place on this particular list, though in my mind I consder it to be a fun game and a great artistic statement.
June 2nd, 2009 at 10:09 am
Fallout 3 definitely deserved to be placed on this list. The sheer size of the game alone leaves hundreds of views of completely desolate landscapes. It does suffer some repetitive mission quests, but for the most part presents a shocking view of mankind trying to rebuild. And the game is incredibly violent, and bodies explode.
June 2nd, 2009 at 7:25 am
Skullmonkeys is one of the best games ever, amazing soundtrack
June 2nd, 2009 at 4:47 am
gots to have jet set radio future/ jet grind radio. simply gots to have it, those games just ooze originality.
May 31st, 2009 at 8:19 pm
I really liked this article. You have great points. Still, I think you cheated on the number one spot since Tim Schafer had a hand in both Psychonauts and Grim Fandango. Plus, since you went ahead and gave Shiny Entertainment (awesome choice by the way) the number two spot you probably could’ve done the same for Tim Schafer’s games in number one. That way you could’ve included Monkey Island too :D. Either way though, great article
P.S. You’re awesome Swaim, I have this big ol’ fanboy crush on ya.
May 31st, 2009 at 3:11 am
Awwwwww no metal gear
May 30th, 2009 at 6:25 am
I’d compare Psychonauts more to Finnegan’s Wake.
May 27th, 2009 at 2:01 pm
What about American McGee Alice ???
May 26th, 2009 at 4:06 am
Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker? Mario Galaxy?
May 20th, 2009 at 11:36 am
I’m really happy to know that someone else out there appreciates Heart of Darkness, haha. It was one of my favorite games as a kid when it wasn’t giving me horrible nightmares.
May 18th, 2009 at 7:28 pm
I would have to agree with Swaim on the majority of this list. It seems that most of the comments boil down to favorites, and that is the beauty of art, is that it is subjective. Anybody can tell you something is worth money, but it comes down to how does it effect you as a person.
I would wipe my ass with the Mona Lisa, but would cherish a hand drawn Calvin and Hobbes cell.
A lot of people would call me crazy because I could at least sell the damn Mona Lisa, but that would be them missing the point. The point is, to each their own.
I am disappointed that the Metal Gear series didn’t make it on here, as graphically it has lead the way and I am yet to find too many games that have repeatedly sucked me into a storyline or made me care about any of the characters involved. In that way, Metal Gear is a book or movie, where you observe the developments of the characters and watch the story unfold. You take an interest. Personally, I consider Call of Duty 4 to be one of the best games ever made (if only for bullet penetration. I’m a marksman in life, and that always annoyed me), but I wouldn’t consider it art. The storyline was good, but left slight character development and did little more then convey the realities of combat.
However I would say the most disappointing omission from the list is Little Big Planet. No game to date has allowed for deep personalization, or the tools to allow a completely unique online experience by allowing the average users share their creations. Storyline aside, the level creation, the character creation, the sheer ability to change that game to your liking is alone a masterpiece. I would have loved to see it because it does more in one artistic facet then any of the other games; It allows the completely individualism of each person to shape their environment.
What is art if not the individual creating something no one else does? As I said before, the Mona Lisa is considered a masterpiece, but so is Dali, M.C. Escher, Monet, and the dork who painted the soup cans. And they all have one thing in common. They looked at the same world as the rest of us and came up with something no one else did.
And not to sound too over the top about it, Portal does deserve to be on there and it is artistic. It’s a physics engine with a deeply disturbing subplot and I dare anyone to say that through their initial run through wasn’t deeply discomforted by finding the holes in the walls and the hidden messages. That’s what art does. It evokes emotion from you. You can’t base something being art solely on being pretty. That’s what stupid people do. It’s the reason art isn’t all black and white. It’s why directors don’t just find beautiful people to put in their movies, but ones who can portray the spectrum of human emotion and draw the viewer in with an emotional response.
Art isn’t just pretty. Remember that.
But Psychonauts still deserved number one.
P.S. Roger Ebert can facilitate the forcible entry of one of his movie rating devices up his posterior. Video games aren’t an art form? Yeah, and KFC isn’t the only source of food on the planet you giant failure of physical activity.
May 13th, 2009 at 3:50 pm
I saw the title of the list, immediately thought of a game that belongs on said list, scrolled, scrolled, scrolled, and let out a sigh of relief when I saw that it was included.
Oddworld is fucking beautiful. Kudos for acknowledging it as such.
May 11th, 2009 at 8:24 am
What about Team Fortress 2?
The visual style there is very unique and captivating
And you could make all sorts of philosophical claims on the announcer, identical RED and BLU teams fighting it out until the end of time . . .
May 11th, 2009 at 8:20 am
Just want to mention Monkey Island 3: The Curse of Monkey Island.
The cartoony Guybrush, the islands, and even the clouds made this game such a visual delight.
Psychonauts totally deserves top slot. Great list, Swaim!
May 7th, 2009 at 5:45 pm
I loved delightfully twisted Psychonauts was. Although the Meat Circus level was a bit much. Especially the ground-up rabbits…
April 30th, 2009 at 12:12 am
I don’t know about everyone else who has commented, but when a game can force you to question the norm in gaming experience, it has to have pressed on a sort of modern art. There are conventions in the gaming world: ‘a puzzle will yield a benefit when the user solves it’ , ‘using this item here will do this’ , ‘press this button, that happens’ etc. When these conventions are broken or ignored and the resultant experience is either not affected or even enhanced, I’d say it would have to be a form of modern art. How a game looks, graphically? Modern art, yes. But how a game engages you, alters proconceived notions, draws you in and makes you emotionally and intellectually respond beyond ‘face value’ or in a way you’ve never responded before? That has to be a modern art surely, but like, a sub-genre. To possibly coin a new genre of modern art: GamePlay Art? All aspects relating to the way in which a game is viewed, played, responded to, and received. It’s impression, expression, and revolutionary gameplay at its heart.
April 22nd, 2009 at 11:25 am
Hi, i am a arts management major student in an art college in singapore, LASALLE college of the arts. I am working on a research for my thesis paper and actually found your analysis very interesting and i feel that there is truth in your words. Technically, games ARE video Arts/ New Media arts and the collective effort of making one is immense. I would even consider it as a form of INTERACTIVE art. Anyway, if possible i would like to conduct an email interview with you if you don’t mind. Meanwhile, take care and god bless.
April 17th, 2009 at 7:20 pm
Braid deserves to get a mention here. And so it has.
April 15th, 2009 at 10:17 am
You forgot to inclued Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo Tooie. Even just for the music. You’re a pillock for this and I hate you. >: (
April 12th, 2009 at 5:20 am
You forgot Mother 3.
April 10th, 2009 at 2:02 pm
[...] Swaim, Michael. “10 Video Games That Should be Considered Modern Art.” 2009. Cracked.com. http://www.cracked.com/blog/defending-the-habit-10-video-games-as-modern-art/ [...]
April 9th, 2009 at 12:59 pm
I can’t believe Final Fantasy XII wasn’t on here. The scenes in that game are gorgeous.
April 6th, 2009 at 2:17 pm
[...] April 5, 2009 Swaim, Michael. “10 Video Games That Should be Considered Modern Art.” 2009. Cracked.com. http://www.cracked.com/blog/defending-the-habit-10-video-games-as-modern-art/ [...]
April 3rd, 2009 at 7:25 am
Sorry, but you didn’t understood the point, Cervidanti.
A game could be considered art if it’s inspired and creative, not just ‘graphically stounding’. Beauty and complexity are part of it, but there’s much more. And we could argue all day about the game tech-specs, but I just don’t give a fuck to them.
And a game that really blew my mind was Ikaruga: simple, and yet, beautyful and just plain old school. I don’t know if it calssifies as art, but sure as hell would look good on a museum’s wall.
March 31st, 2009 at 10:55 am
Sorry, but Okami is hardly “art”.
Okami is cel-shading with a single unchanging, unmoving filter layered over it.
March 30th, 2009 at 9:18 am
Dude, where’s Okami por the PS2? That was frickin’ art in motion!
March 29th, 2009 at 8:28 pm
“Pastiche” has got to be the most flagrantly gay word I have ever heard.
March 25th, 2009 at 1:31 pm
It’s fairly new, and maybe not as popular, but ya’ll forgetting Flower on the PSN.
March 22nd, 2009 at 6:53 pm
Okami is considered art if you’re only definition of art is how it looks.
March 20th, 2009 at 10:41 pm
Have you Ever Heard Of LSD Try Tubing It.
March 20th, 2009 at 1:57 pm
Honestly, Portal, while an excellent game with great design, isn’t a work of art. Okami truly is–the level and character design is superb. Portal doesn’t have much in that department aside from the great writing.
March 20th, 2009 at 1:57 pm
Thanks for linking the “inspired by” artists. I’ve always been into that weird, but enchanting style and love to learn more about them.
March 19th, 2009 at 1:15 pm
REZ! That is as close to art as any game has gotten! And the Panzer Dragoon Series for being inspired by actual art and creating a whole unique world.
March 19th, 2009 at 10:59 am
Where’s Planescape: Torment?
March 18th, 2009 at 5:53 pm
Where the hell is Okami?
Seriously. That could have taken out Portal in a second.
March 18th, 2009 at 9:51 am
Starship Titanic was way too hard for my 8 year old brain. But it was certainly fun, and I’d spend hours just walking back and forth looking at the visuals. I rode that damn elevator so many times.
March 18th, 2009 at 4:43 am
This is your pilot speaking… this article will be flying over your heads at 35,000 feet…
March 17th, 2009 at 7:09 pm
Where the hell is Okami.
Where the hell is Tales of Vesperia.
Where the hell is Eternal Sonata.
March 17th, 2009 at 11:05 am
Can video games be art?
I’m not sure because the way I see it, something can be considered art if it exists for art’s sake. It should have no other function than to be art.
But since we’re talking about games, I’ll just pitch in some that have just left me wanting to play the game again just so I could look at it.
Crysis
Okami
Fatal Frame
Dark Seed
Psychonauts was a great call; too bad it was a massive flop (market wise). Such is the price for being too different and innovative.
March 13th, 2009 at 1:53 pm
There were 16 Colossi in Shadow of the Colossus I thought.
March 12th, 2009 at 9:30 pm
For the love of all t hings Holy, you needed to have included Planescape: Torment on this list. It would have mopped the floor with everything else. Too bad it’s a forgotten game that no one played.
The Myster series deserved to be mentioned too.
March 12th, 2009 at 10:01 am
spot on, swaim! the whole list is great but i want to doubly extra agree with Psychonauts.
March 10th, 2009 at 2:46 pm
Someone,
I listed my reasons and you avoided or cherry-picked around them. Disappointing, but not entirely unexpected.
Sayonara.
March 9th, 2009 at 8:20 pm
“Sure, most games cannot compete artistically with most books or films. However, there are exceptions.”
And I have acknowledged their existence.
“Fallout 3 and BioShock are tremendous accomplishments, and the former is a gem in the crown of the apocalyptic genre (games, films books.)”
The first two Fallouts are good, but the third is embarrasing (the writing was enough to cause me physical pain, and I spent a total of maybe 6 hours playing the game until I traded it away). BioShock has good art direction, atmosphere and production values and so forth, but there’s nothing profound about it (and in terms of game mechanics and such, it’s basically just a simplified System Shock 2).
“I would say that gaming has entered the halls of great art.”
Based on what? It’s not enough that Guy on the Internet thinks games should be great art.
March 9th, 2009 at 3:11 pm
I would like to add Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem to this list. It is one of the few games that actually messes with the gamer in a lot of very unique ways. It’s also the only game that has ever scared me or left me unable to sleep after playing, due to the subliminal sanity effects in game (anyone who has played it, knows what I am talking about)
March 9th, 2009 at 7:38 am
i cant believe okami and BG & E didnt make it…
March 8th, 2009 at 11:31 pm
And sorry for the double post but has anyone played Starship Titanic? The Douglas Adams one? Now that’s art.
March 8th, 2009 at 11:26 pm
Hey Guildenstern, if you like Lovecraftian games, try playing the original Quake. It’s disturbing.
Great list, I think that The Neverhood would top it for me.
March 8th, 2009 at 11:15 pm
Halo is the ultimate FPS!! rocket launcher is an art!
/sarcasm
I grew up with Doom, Duke3D, Jazz Jackrabbit 2, and Half-life.
I don’t think any of those would have made the list, but if I’d pick any it would be Duke3D, because it was innovative. Pipe-bomb and trip mine booby-traps! Freezing aliens (or opposing Dukes) solid and then shatter them! Squash former-9-foot aliens with your boot heel!
I remember playing the demo of Grim Fandango. I was still fairly little so that game was still a bit above me.
March 8th, 2009 at 8:30 pm
What about Jet Grind Radio?
March 8th, 2009 at 6:28 pm
Someone,
I don’t think your comments deserve the ad hominem attacks that many here are throwing at you (I really wish people would learn to rationally disagree with each other.) That said, I do disagree with you.
As background, I am a professional author extremely well versed in literature. I also write for film, and am a student of cinema from the silent films to today’s blockbusters. And, I’m a lifelong gamer. Started out on Asteroids and Moon Patrol.
Sure, most games cannot compete artistically with most books or films. However, there are exceptions. I would nominate Deus Ex as a game risen to the level of literature — as effective in its layered story as any warnings handed down to us by Orwell. It is better than just about any film I’ve seen on the subject of fear and control.
Yes, it is an exception to the rule. Fallout 3 and BioShock are tremendous accomplishments, and the former is a gem in the crown of the apocalyptic genre (games, films books.) Is it the brightest gem? Maybe not, but it manages to pull off its wasteland commentary in a skillful and immersive way better than most of its competition. I would say it easily equals most of that competition. Day of the Triffids (book) is still a crowning champion of that genre, and there are others. But Fallout belongs in the conversation.
Beyond Good and Evil is one of my favorites. Fable-like, as good as many anime films, and with the rare quality of emotional undercurrent — and characters we can care about.
Psychonauts is brilliantly written; there isn’t a lot to compare it to in film or books. Maybe not as good as Aronofksy’s Pi, or as surreal as the written works of Robert Anton Wilson. Yet Psychonauts almost pioneers its own genre… a comic psychology experiment.
I’m not jumping to the other end of the spectrum here. I am saying that certain games have moved into the realm of art. Just like a Japanese Noh drama gives a different storytelling vector from a film, or the way a quality TV show (not many, granted) are different from a painting, I would say that gaming has entered the halls of great art. The really good games manage to pluck our feelings and imaginations.
March 8th, 2009 at 5:34 pm
I’ve played only 6 out of those 10, must get gaming asap!
also, Little Big Adventure (mostly the first one)
March 8th, 2009 at 3:11 pm
Guest_Name, thanks for demonstrating why video games are unlikely to be taken seriously any time soon.
March 7th, 2009 at 7:50 pm
10 videojuegos que deberían considerarse arte moderno…
" Como los comics, los videojuegos están perpetuamente atrapados en el ‘purgatorio’ de el bajo arte"……
March 7th, 2009 at 7:36 am
Hey Guest-Name :
Someone (perhaps me): Go suck it. It’s a fucking BLOG.
March 5th, 2009 at 5:09 am
Good shouts. I’d like to throw Little Big Planet into the ring!
March 4th, 2009 at 7:52 pm
I’m here only to jump on the “Where the fuck is Planescape: Torment” wagon.
Srsly.
March 4th, 2009 at 4:28 pm
Someone: I think you might be an idiot, but I’m not sure. Please write about something backed by facts instead of your pretentious opinions so I can tell for sure one way or the other.
Thanks from your pal,
Guest_Name
March 4th, 2009 at 8:49 am
@crunkrocka :I’ll see your Fallout and raise you Soul Reaver. It’s like Shakespeare with vampires!
March 2nd, 2009 at 11:00 am
[...] 10 Video Games that Should Be Considered Modern Art: A good rundown of games that are just gorgeous games. [...]
March 1st, 2009 at 8:12 pm
@ Dondadon
Nope, not weird, after all the whole point of them is to illustrate how socialized you are to be attracted to fake/plastic-looking female bodies.
February 28th, 2009 at 7:20 pm
This Someone person is a man(?) after my own heart indeed. It is free to leave a comment on my website and we can make friends talking about how Foucault’s Pendulum is more interactively immersive than Shadow of the Colossus and Okami put together. I’m not taking the piss, I really like your shit Someone.
February 28th, 2009 at 7:06 pm
that was just stupid yer most of them are very good games i have played all of them but you left out like 30 good games that acualy have been awarded for there graphics desings
February 28th, 2009 at 2:45 pm
how come no Okami??? I’m extremely disappointed to say the least! >:|
February 28th, 2009 at 2:22 pm
I MEAN GODDAMMIT SWAIM, HOW COULD YOU????!!!!
February 28th, 2009 at 2:20 pm
“using your hands solely to eat popcorn or small animals or whatever else”
@ someone, You forgot masturbation.
@ Swaim, you forgot Planescape Torment, how could you Swaim, I
February 28th, 2009 at 1:31 pm
But what about Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem? Its a crazy Lovecraftian game! With a Roman skeleton sorcerer!
February 28th, 2009 at 2:02 am
is it weird that I find Ron English’s cowgirls kinda hot?
February 27th, 2009 at 12:50 pm
Shoot, wait…. I meant American Magee’s Alice and Wonderland.
February 27th, 2009 at 12:49 pm
American Magee’s grim should be on this list!
February 27th, 2009 at 10:21 am
WTF, no MGS?
February 27th, 2009 at 7:37 am
ICO - Girgio chirICO- funny you dont mention him at all when he’s the biggest influence
February 27th, 2009 at 5:58 am
“Heart of the Alien”? Are you high? The game was the piss poor inbred cousin of the genuine work of art: Out of this World (aka Another World).
One rewrote the books on cinematic visuals in computer games, using vector art to incredible effect, while telling a story that most people who ever played it STILL remember to this day (what an ending!) — whereas the other was a cheaply made cash-in that faked the vector art (they couldn’t be bothered to do it again) made against the original author’s wishes and without his participation.
Please correct your article to include the better game of the two.
(Also, aside from this one slight against God, great article! I really enjoyed it and will be seeking those games out soon. Thanks!)
February 27th, 2009 at 5:40 am
Oh and hey, Someone, I kind of agree with you, that games have a ways to go before they reach the level of artistry found in true literature and artistic movies (Is there a word for that? I don’t fucking know), (I don’t know enough about traditional art to comment) so long as you agree they have the potential to become art.
I’ve always dreamed of playing a game that I could put down and say “What a wonder, this game has touched, provoked thought, and left me with that quiet sense of sorrow I always get when I read a great novel”, but so far it hasn’t happened, but I still have the hope that it could cross that line in my lifetime. That I might play a game that when I’m finished, has taught me something, forced me to think, forced some thought about the state of human existence into my head.
So far it hasn’t happened, but of all of the games I’ve played the games listed here have come the closest. And I think so long as there are developers in the industry willing to push the envelope, and create something out of the ordinary the industry will come closer to art.
Of course as is the problem with any industry which is so directly beholden to its customers, Art may be shoved aside for the sake of the all-mighty dollar, and that’s the advantage/disadvantage of being an artist. You are beholden only to your muse, at least for a pure artist. While success or failure of a given work is dependent on the “audience”, the idea only has to come from you.
The game industry suffers from the same crucial failings that the Television industry has, that the movie industry has: Before a given piece can be produced it has to be sent to investors, pushed through executives, and reviewed by the market analysts who get to look at it and say “Sell” or “Won’t Sell”, and the game lives and dies by that decree.
Or what’s worse, is when you get “Sell ifs…” and the executives and the investors and the analysts get to look at your child and say “Well now, if you make the antagonist generic villain archetype y, and your protagonist idiot hero A we could get this right through the market. We love the idea but we have a few of our own which we think would make the game sell better.”
So gaming has the potential to be art, but only if developers still push their limits, and only if the people who buy the games support the artistic examples and show the executives that WE WILL BUY. But the dream is there, and so is the hope.
February 27th, 2009 at 5:20 am
Is Shadows of the Colossus really a sequel to Ico? I kind of thought it was the other way around. Or is that part of the story? That these two are locked in a self-repeating cycle?
February 27th, 2009 at 3:07 am
Killer 7 defiantly should have been on the list
February 26th, 2009 at 11:07 pm
“To the guy named “someone,” you are a close-minded idiot.”
I’ve played video games for about two decades on over 10 platforms so I think I’m fairly familiar with them.
“Many games are FAR more engaging, artistic and well-written than films or books.”
Yes, you can always find some game that’s better than some film, but as a rule games are inferior, and none of them can compete with great films.
“Shadow of the Colossus was absolutely breathtaking in ways that films cannot replicate. Silent Hill 1 is more unsettling than any horror film I’ve ever seen. Max Payne has more style and character than any noir film I can think of. Planescape: Torment is like being in an interactive library of extremely well-written books on all different subjects. I could go on and on.”
Spoken like a person completely lacking in experience. The only thing you’re right about is that a video game can be more scary than a horror film (System Shock 2 terrified me to no end).
“All you’ve shown in your comments is that the stigma against gaming is still very much present and there are still idiots who think gaming is only for children and cannot be appreciated as a true art form.”
The stigma is present because most gamers are children or act like they are, and the slightly more mature ones are the same people who think The Matrix makes revolutionary philosophical statements about the nature of reality (whoa). Games won’t be appreciated as “art” (that’s a meaningless word, by the way, since it cannot be defined) as long as nobody is making games that anyone could seriously consider to be art. Not only does the game industry lack writers and designers who could produce such works, but there’s no real demand for them either. Kids and casual gamers just want to blow shit up and admire the particle effects. Why do you think adventure games have died out?
People who dismiss all video games as trashy entertainment are misinformed, but not nearly as much as all those pretentious, self-important, pseudo-intellectual blowhards who think they’re cracking the biggest philosophical riddle of humanity (a good example would be the guy who runs Insomnia).
“But hey, if you enjoy staring blankly at a fucking TV for 2 hours and using your hands solely to eat popcorn or small animals or whatever else you probably stuff your face with alone-that’s your loss.”
I can think of plenty of TV shows that are better written than almost any game. Burn Notice (which I will watch today), for example.
February 26th, 2009 at 8:01 pm
Dude, I just ordered Psychonauts on Amazon about 20 minutes before I even got to the bottom of the list. Spooooooky.
Also, for the most part, I agree with your choices. Of all the ones on the list I’ve actually played (7 of the 10), I agree that they are artfully exceptional. You have good taste, Swaim. Good show!
February 26th, 2009 at 4:05 pm
Wonderful article. When I first saw the title I knew I would enjoy reading this, but didn’t think I would know any of the games. But I was proved wrong. Katamari is pretty sweet, and now my desire to play Portal has only increased. I think I may try Psychonauts and ICO now too. Okami also deserved the honorable mention. That game is so beautiful, sometimes I prolong the boss battles just to get a good look at them. Also, great idea with Riven. Playing it drunk sounds link the hardest thing imaginable. It sounds like it would be fun to try. But does this mean that a drunk can get passed Myst first? I think the tower rotation would give them trouble, or applying the information afterward. Enough of this, again, great article.
February 26th, 2009 at 1:32 pm
To the guy named “someone,” you are a close-minded idiot. Many games are FAR more engaging, artistic and well-written than films or books. Shadow of the Colossus was absolutely breathtaking in ways that films cannot replicate. Silent Hill 1 is more unsettling than any horror film I’ve ever seen. Max Payne has more style and character than any noir film I can think of. Planescape: Torment is like being in an interactive library of extremely well-written books on all different subjects. I could go on and on.
All you’ve shown in your comments is that the stigma against gaming is still very much present and there are still idiots who think gaming is only for children and cannot be appreciated as a true art form.
But hey, if you enjoy staring blankly at a fucking TV for 2 hours and using your hands solely to eat popcorn or small animals or whatever else you probably stuff your face with alone–that’s your loss. In the meantime, I’ll be exercising my brain, challenging other humans, and maybe conquering a world or two.
That is all.
February 26th, 2009 at 9:16 am
I have the limited edition fallout 3 concept art book and its wicked.
Abe’s Odyssey was wicked too.
February 26th, 2009 at 2:45 am
I can’t think of a single game that can compete with what literature and film have to offer. I really can’t.
Gamers are largely incapable of evaluating games from an objective and informed perspective. They’re either foolish kids who think MGS4 is humanity’s greatest achievement in storytelling, or they’re pseudo-intellectuals suffering from an inferiority complex, trying desperately to justify games as high art and thus validate a hobby still seen as something for children (not an unreasonable perception, sadly).
Swaim belongs in the latter group. His explanations are incredibly pretentious and far-fetched, and you can tell that gaming is all he knows. People who are seriously devoted to film and/or literature can quite clearly see that games have a long, long way to go before one can say things like “it creates a complex and frightening relationship complete with subtext-laden dialogue and comments on the medium of gaming itself even as it deconstructs it” without sounding like a tool.
And then there’s this gem: “Few works have dared to embrace death so fully, to question life from the perspective of the no-longer living. The flat, disquieting collages depicting the living world seem to invite us into Manny’s head, and through his eyes, to question whether our shared fear of death is a fear simply of the unknowable, or of the garbled and misunderstood.”
Yes, I’m sure this subject has never been covered by religion, philosophy, literature or film. Grim Fandango is well-written and funny with great acting, music and design, but let’s try to keep it real and stop pretending that it’s some groundbreaking commentary on the human condition or something. It’s not.
This article is nothing more than an attempt to validate video gaming as Serious Business by spouting bullshit about Shadow of the Colossus being a profound meditation on ethics and morality or some shit. And of course the comments section is filled with people nominating games that are either superficially and self-consciously “artistic” or just hyped as such for no apparent reason (see BioShock and GTA “Oscar-calibre” IV for example).
It’s perfectly *possible* to make a game that’s as sophisticated as a great film or book (in terms of storytelling and such). But it hasn’t been done yet, and at this rate it never will be. The best attempts were made long ago, and most of them were adventure games (which gamers today couldn’t care less about). Today, the biggest customers of the gaming industry are dumb kids and casual gamers, and anyone looking to tell a great story and find an audience for it will find it much easier and cheaper to do it as a live action or animated film.
There are many games that, while not being profound fountains of wisdom, are nevertheless great creative works and should be treated as such, just like many films already are. I hope they one day will be, but pretentious college-level hipster pseudo-philosophy nonsense isn’t going to make anyone take this shit seriously.
Swaim: “Whether it’s coming from our parents, our local clergymen or the critical voices in our own head, at some point we’ve had to systematically justify the act of spending thousands of hours manipulating an eight-button machine to no demonstrable effect.”
You can justify it by saying that you find it entertaining.
February 25th, 2009 at 8:20 pm
HOLY CRAP KILLER 7!!! How could I forget?
February 25th, 2009 at 8:05 pm
A model is looking for a good man. Please reach me as cadicecc at===== C l a s s y M i n g l e . COM ==== . Please
don’t disturb me if you are not serious.
February 25th, 2009 at 7:14 pm
Okami, Bioshock, Braid. Eh?
February 25th, 2009 at 3:59 pm
Leaving my 2 cents: Placescape Torment. Came out around Neverwinter Nights, but the story is 100x deeper and more interesting. You must play this game at least twice to full piece everything together, but don’t worry, you’ll want to.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planescape_Torment
February 25th, 2009 at 2:26 pm
Although not maybe fitting into the definitions of this list GTA 4 is a work you have to admire for all the humor and pop culture references as well as the amazingly well written story and colorful characters.
February 25th, 2009 at 12:27 pm
I would also like to mention American Mcgee’s Alice. The soundtrack by Chris Vrenna alone is worthy of recognition.
February 25th, 2009 at 12:24 pm
No Bioshock!?! For Shame.
February 25th, 2009 at 11:36 am
Hurrah, I’ve actually played some of these, namely Psychonauts, Messiah, Portal, and the first two Fallouts.
Also, I suspect the Cracked brains have decreed that Michael Swaim has to portray a character, because David Wong has a theme and he’s amazing. Michael Swaim would be the poncy intellectual, giving us both art critique and an epic poem in a week.
February 25th, 2009 at 11:34 am
You are evil. You made me want to play Deus Ex, Thief, MDK, Messiah, Sacrifice and Fallout 2 again -_- While I am way to busy playing Saints Row 2, Evil Genius and Abes Exodus.
And I really want 9 now. any idea where I can find it? Did some searching, and seems it is impossible to find a copy for the good ol’ PC…
February 25th, 2009 at 10:53 am
come on man no nintendo titles at all. no Zelda no mario.
February 25th, 2009 at 10:21 am
Personally, I think Planescape: Torment should be #1. The world is so fully-realized, unique and interesting. It is truly a work of art, in all areas–visuals, writing, sound, music; it’s amazing. One of those games you hope to God they don’t turn into a movie because anything short of perfection will ruin its charm. I’m looking at you, Max Payne.
February 25th, 2009 at 6:43 am
I always thought that myst was very artistic. The game has everything from beautiful images to mind breaking puzzles both of which are tools utilized by various artists.
February 25th, 2009 at 6:22 am
[...] of All-Time and even things like The 5 Creepiest Urban Legends. Recently, they wrote a list on 10 Video Games That Should Be Considered Modern Art and I was pleasantly surprised with the author, Michael Swaim, [...]
February 25th, 2009 at 5:14 am
Beyond Good & Evil is a forgotten classic - glad to see it at least get a mention.
February 25th, 2009 at 1:15 am
You might want to check out Flower… I wouldn’t really consider Flower modern art, but it is definitely comparable to the likes of Monet, in my opinion. This is less of a ‘but why isn’t it on the list’ and more of a ‘check this out’ sort of thing…
February 25th, 2009 at 12:17 am
Was the milk man a security guard? Oh yeah, he guarded the entrance, I seemed to remember him as an escaped patient, but I guess I was wrong.
The opinionated articles on Cracked are the best, considering most of the “fact” ones end up fucking it up at least once because the writer was a fuckhead and didn’t bother to properly research the subject. I’m still angry about the Gunblade thing.
February 25th, 2009 at 12:02 am
Swaim, awesome list! Played everything on the list except Katamari Damacy and Ico, still love every single one of them and full heartedly agree with your rankings, Grim Fandango ftw!
February 24th, 2009 at 11:49 pm
Upon reading of H.R Giger, my mind reels back to a game I played so many years ago: Dark Seed (mentioned once above).
I played once and promised myself not to play it again. The story is sad, the art work beautifully/grossingly depressing (not sure which).
February 24th, 2009 at 10:34 pm
I think most people who think seriously about art are of the opinion that anything made with the intention of being art is by default art; and that those who think seriously about art in a poststructuralist context take it one step further and say that anything that anyone in the world ever calls art is by default art; by which definition all games are art and this very tired debate can be put to bed.
However, smarter minds than I have still been banging away at it, and more knowledgeable minds than I w/r/t modern art (such as that of Mr Swaim) still find it a question worthy of consideration, so I shall doff my monocle to his better judgement.
What game would be the equivalent of Damien Hirst? And don’t say “50 Cent: Blood on the Sand, obviously”, you little wisecracker. What about Barbara Kruger?
February 24th, 2009 at 10:23 pm
“Okami … I don’t find particularly fun”
What? What now? The second greatest game ever created, and you say it’s not fun? You’re a horrible, horrible man, Swaim!
The best game ever is the nearly-unknown “Myst IV: Revelations.” In fact, I’m surprised to not see Myst up here at all. Myst wasn’t just an artistic game, it was THE artistic game back in the day. Kudos to the few others who mentioned it.
Also, Killer7. Enough said.
February 24th, 2009 at 9:18 pm
OH MY GOD I LOVE PSYCHONAUTS!!!!! I would play it all day cept the fact that somebody stole my XBOX. Sad Panda ( / \ )
—————————————————————— ^
February 24th, 2009 at 8:47 pm
What about Dynasty Warriors!!! Lolxros
Seriously though, just because a game may be ‘art’ doesn’t make it especially fun to play.
February 24th, 2009 at 8:45 pm
Half life 2 should be on the list. entirely for Ravenholm, the perfect example of a zombie town. it hit that mark on the dot.
February 24th, 2009 at 8:18 pm
I was wondering what Metroid had to do with modern art. it’s fun as hell, my favorite franchise, and incredibly beautiful. what’s so modern art about that? I do agree with the rest of it. Maybe it’s because of the Shadow (read: ninja) space pirates. ninja space pirates. I guess I see your point.
February 24th, 2009 at 8:16 pm
Swaim…where is Silent Hill 2 or Hotel Dusk?
I mean, your list is really good and I’m happy you made it, videogames ARE art but I don’t know…putting Fallout up there and not Silent Hill 2 and/or Hotel Dusk makes me raise an eyebrow.
February 24th, 2009 at 8:06 pm
Silent Hill 2 should be at least considered because not only is it art in itself; it is based on actual paintings and photographs, most evident from the works of Francis Bacon(”Painting 1978″) and Hans Bellmer (”La Poupée”).
February 24th, 2009 at 7:50 pm
I think this article is very good in many many ways.I would’ve want to see Bioshock up there, but well all of the ranks were awesome. I think that this is a yet effective way to open the eyes of many people to art, because, let’s face it, there are many people here that doesn’t know who Andy Warhole or Giger are, and the fact that you depict them as “cool” make other people interested. Let’s be honest Swaim, you have a big influence in most readers and I find it really cool that you use it to aggrandize peoples minds.
I thank thee and must tell you you’re my favorite columnist.
Yeah that “thee” was totally on purpose to add some grateness to my writing.
February 24th, 2009 at 7:15 pm
I think that this is a pretty good list; I just think that Fallout should be replaced with BioShock, and Silent Hill 2 should at least get an honorable mention.
For anyone who doesn’t know, Silent Hill 2 is what Salvador Dali sees when he trips balls after watching Saw.
February 24th, 2009 at 6:05 pm
Did someone mention Silent Hill 2?
Yes? Oh… Well…
World of Goo for Wii? THAT’S a great game. Crazy backgrounds, crazy physics, and magic slime. It’s just great.
February 24th, 2009 at 5:58 pm
All of the models in these games are polygons modeled completely, which move independantly of one another.
Every couple of steps the character takes can pass a art if it was a single screen capture.
That’s like a billion possible pictures from one game.
February 24th, 2009 at 5:40 pm
Yes i love both Grim Fandango and Oddworld. Best games ever!
February 24th, 2009 at 5:32 pm
Thank god psychonauts is number one.
Thank you, Michael Swaim, now I know you’re much more than just the guy who let me in on the video of the guy kicking that horse in the dick.
February 24th, 2009 at 5:02 pm
@IB
You’re lookin at it the wrong way. Left 4 Dead told its story through absolutely nothing but player experience. That is how it is innovatve. The only cutscene in that entire game is the opening sequence. Otherwise they use different methods such as the writing on the walls, the covered up body, and even the crazy church fellow.
February 24th, 2009 at 4:45 pm
to everyone who posted a wordy response, you are wrong.
February 24th, 2009 at 2:18 pm
The Neverhood was freaking amazing, bring on some screenshots!
And what about Myst, the game that brought on the age of the CD-ROM? It’s desolate and confusing, yet inspiring and beautiful world deserves at least a mention, imho.
February 24th, 2009 at 2:00 pm
DUDE!,
Bioshock totally shoulda been on that list. That whole thing was art! i think i shit a brick a couple of times when them slicers come out of fucking no where. ITS SOO INSANE and the story drives the whole thing. good choices but bioshock was better then the last resort at least, maybe better then fallout. Plus theres gonna be more…
February 24th, 2009 at 1:44 pm
they should make another oddworld for ps3. that’d be interesting.
February 24th, 2009 at 1:33 pm
i’ve never heard of any of these games.
February 24th, 2009 at 1:25 pm
Shame on you for not including Silent Hill 2.
February 24th, 2009 at 1:05 pm
Braid
February 24th, 2009 at 12:39 pm
That’s kinda creepy, since I just finished all three of the Fallout series games and started the spin-off Tactics, and Grim Fandango has just finished downloading.
February 24th, 2009 at 12:27 pm
Lego Star Wars is totally reminiscent of the art of George Lucas and that Danish guy who invented Legos.
February 24th, 2009 at 12:04 pm
Du Jour means friendship!
February 24th, 2009 at 12:04 pm
Silent Hill 2.
That is all.
February 24th, 2009 at 12:01 pm
NO. UP YOURS, Deviantmugen.
Nintendo makes toys and impersonal software engineered for the maximum possible amount of fun. If you take offence with them being compared to board games and doorknobs under some defintions of art, then take it up with Nintendo.
As it stands, they’re as valuable as a rotten apple.
February 24th, 2009 at 11:41 am
What about Full Throttle or is being bad ass not considered art anymore? Also Outlaws, because I care.
February 24th, 2009 at 11:37 am
what about tekken? that is fucking awesome!!
wtf is not on there.
February 24th, 2009 at 10:45 am
lol…really? I found a place that many players are hoo king up with h ot mo dels, seems the club called: __T all mingle Co M___, do you hear this before?
February 24th, 2009 at 9:45 am
What about the new Prince of Persia for the ps3. Say what you will about the game, but the scenery will take your breath away.
February 24th, 2009 at 9:38 am
You forgot Planescape: Torment. Otherwise, good list.
But seriously, Planescape was brilliant. Maybe more of a literary achievement, though.
February 24th, 2009 at 9:05 am
great list! mostly because it reads like a list of my favorite games, with psychonauts right at the top.
February 24th, 2009 at 8:26 am
Good list. Grim Fandango rules, bring back the true adventure game!
Okami sucked. Artful, yes, but the dialog made me want to puke, and there was so much of it. I couldn’t make it even halfway through the game because I was so frustrated sitting through insanely long sections of the worst dialog I’ve ever heard.
February 24th, 2009 at 7:46 am
Swaim, I want you to have my child. He is sixteen and really enjoys gaming as well.
February 24th, 2009 at 7:34 am
Mark Ryden is awesome. I first heard about him in an article in “Gothic Beauty” magazine.
February 24th, 2009 at 7:20 am
How about Dreamfall and The Longest Journey? In both there is great plot, interesting worlds and I think perfect fusion of fantasy and sci-fi.
February 24th, 2009 at 6:08 am
ReaperCDN: somehow you equating playing a game to reading makes me really sad.
February 24th, 2009 at 5:36 am
I love Katamari Damacy. And I’ve heard Psychonauts was great. Although, if I may give a couple other artsy games, there is always the “Myst” series (which you actually mentioned when you said that “The Last Resort” was like playing Riven, the sequel to Myst, drunk) and Silent hill was pretty artsy, too.
February 24th, 2009 at 5:31 am
Reaper-You missed the point I think. Georgie was saying that the US is screwed because people will devote the time to a beautiful instand classic like MGS 4 but they won’t devote the time to read a genuine piece of well crafted literature like Grapes of Wrath. I would say the story telling is equally amazing in both mediums, its just that so few young people are willing to give ‘paper classics’ a shot, because they are ‘booooring’.
February 24th, 2009 at 4:46 am
Ah Oddworld, Heart of Darkness and Wild 9.
I was too young to have the patience to finish them back then but I have to admit that they’re fun and different.
February 24th, 2009 at 3:33 am
Georgie, I’ve read the Grapes of Wrath. Just because people CONSIDER it to be a timeless classic with a moving story doesn’t mean it is to everybody. To me, it was an incredibly boring story about a family.
I’m more into Sci-fi, and my personal favourite has been the Neutronium Alchemist: Consolidation and Conflict. Probably the best book I’ve ever read. Right up there with Ender’s Game. It’s all about personal taste.
Grapes of Wrath, War and Peace, Gravity’s Rainbow, are all crap to me. It’s not that I don’t HAVE taste, it’s that my tastes differ, as do everybody elses. The US isn’t screwed just because somebody would rather read an exciting Tom Clancy novel instead of a horribly boring story about the depression.
February 24th, 2009 at 3:14 am
[...] Here are 10 Video Games That Should be Considered Modern Art [...]
February 24th, 2009 at 2:38 am
Honestly, go find Lack of Love for the Dreamcast, just repeating my comment in case you all didn’t hear.
On the subject of “9: The Last Resort”, there are some REALLY cheap copies on Amazon, but it’s a b-word to search for because the primary title is just “9″. It’s a great and claustrophobic puzzle game with a weird plot. Perry and Tyler’s voices are used for two demonic/sprite-like characters that fit the voices very well.
Lastly, I’m wondering how much this article can drive up copies of “9″ now that there was a 500% increase in the desired market.
February 24th, 2009 at 2:02 am
What really worries me is that some people think reading The Grapes of Wrath is a timewaster equivalent to playing Metal Gear Solid or Resident Evil. And that’s why the U.S. is fucked.
February 24th, 2009 at 1:54 am
Awesome list. I’d be happy to say that I’ve played most of them, except these seem like such phenomenal games that to have missed even one is a tragedy. I’ve therefore already begun looking for copies of the two I hadn’t played before and will remedy the situation as soon as I can.
February 24th, 2009 at 1:31 am
Hey!…how about SANITARIUM?…it can’t get more twisted/artsy then that…i mean a town full of mutant children run by an alien creature who you get to electrocute?!
February 24th, 2009 at 1:10 am
Ana Bagayan…anabagayan.com…very similar to this Mark Ryden character. I like her art more though.
February 24th, 2009 at 12:51 am
Good list. Unfortunately there are way too many fantastic games that qualify as art to fit into a top ten list.
Loved the Grim Fandago mention, even now that’s still one of the greatest games I’ve ever played.
Keep it up.
February 24th, 2009 at 12:50 am
Gr3m1in Said it best: this was a triumph.
February 24th, 2009 at 12:47 am
four words: king of dragon pass
February 24th, 2009 at 12:33 am
Well… it’s been a day, Sepirothpk. I expect to see you eating a hat on youtube this time in a few hours.
February 24th, 2009 at 12:29 am
Yeah, I agree with that, I couldn’t stop playing Psychonauts til I finished when I got it because the style(s) were fascinating and the story was awesome.
Shame Mirror’s Edge didn’t get on, gameplay was terrible, but the world and society were fantastic.
February 23rd, 2009 at 11:58 pm
To the author: Great article. I’m particularly pleased to see the Fallout series on the list.
Also, Pipboy, you hit it right on the head. I would pit the script to the original Fallout against the writing of any video game in the history of the art form. There is nothing that even compares. It’s perfect from start to finish, and the ending is in a league beyond anything else. It really is evocative.
I know this list is more of a comparison of video games to visual art, and the art of that series is definitely worthy. But it’s the storytelling (especially of the first two) that really puts them a cut above.
On a different note, as far as concept goes, Arcanum also had a very creative feel to it.
February 23rd, 2009 at 11:41 pm
It’s been said a dozen times, but seriously:
Why the FUCK is Planescape: Torment not at the TOP of this list, never mind that it’s not even given a mention.
February 23rd, 2009 at 11:38 pm
The majority of the artists you referenced aren’t “modern”, they’re contemporary. Google modernism, or Greenberg. /wine and cheese
February 23rd, 2009 at 11:37 pm
rule
February 23rd, 2009 at 11:27 pm
pffffftt!
February 23rd, 2009 at 11:19 pm
Dead on with Abe. I didn’t have a chance to really read the rest of these comments but Abe’s oddysey on ps was pretty interesting. Of the seemingly hundreds of games I burned through during this period, this one has left the most significant impression. There was something about it, dare I say, moving.
February 23rd, 2009 at 10:58 pm
Some of these games don’ interest me and I’d rather have put Okami on there, but each to their own. (Spell check tried to change Okami to Okapi?). But each to their own. And if that doesn’t spark arguments(AKA, petty insults), I’ll eat my hat. I mean it
February 23rd, 2009 at 10:50 pm
Thank you so much for putting “Shadow of the Colossus” on this list, Swaim! It is a beautiful, awesome, infuriating masterpiece!
February 23rd, 2009 at 10:41 pm
Dude, what about Electro Plankton? DS? Amazing music/art/weird game?
That’s as “Modern Art” as it gets.
February 23rd, 2009 at 10:11 pm
I was wondering if Psychonauts would be on here
fucking WIN
February 23rd, 2009 at 10:00 pm
Just reminded me of the best bumper sticker ever, which is in the mail for me right now. “Honk ‘Still Alive’ if you think the Cake is a lie!”
February 23rd, 2009 at 9:45 pm
I’ve never heard of The Last Resort…
And I have been trying to get ahold of a copy of grim fandango for like a month.
There goes my spring break. Damn you, Swaim!
February 23rd, 2009 at 9:39 pm
Great article and awesome list you’ve compiled here, each of your 10 descriptions really drew me in and gave me the urge to play these games, especially those I hadn’t heard of before reading this. Another plus is your honorable mention of the Metroid series, which happens to be my favorite video game series, it’s a shame it didn’t earn a place on the list because I’d have loved to have read your description of them…
VaultBoy: The art in Metroid Prime is definitely amazing, my personal favorite is climbing all the way up to the main area of Phendrana Drifts and just looking down at the landscape, simply gorgeous.
Disagree: Nintendo bashing, is that all you know how to do? Up yours…
February 23rd, 2009 at 9:35 pm
I’ve never gotten to play ICO or Fallout, but I’ll trust your judgment because the rest of the list is perfect. I’m glad someone remembers Heart of Darkness and even Wild9.
February 23rd, 2009 at 9:32 pm
Fallout 1’s ending is the only time in any type of media that made me almost cry.
February 23rd, 2009 at 9:16 pm
I loved this article for introducing me to all these gorgeous (if not nightmare-inducing) games.
BUT NO OKAMI?!
February 23rd, 2009 at 8:41 pm
911 Tapes: A CHIMP IS KILLING MY FRIEND! It’s funny, coz it’s true.
http://www.tokillfor.com/view_video.php?viewkey=8f383e7e44e25305a08a&page=8&viewtype=&category=mr
February 23rd, 2009 at 8:33 pm
what about Worms for the nintendo! that is the bee’s knees!
February 23rd, 2009 at 8:23 pm
I really hope you do get to give Killer7 a play through. If any game really takes on the mantle of modern art, it’s Killer7. It’s bizarre, multilayered, view-distorting, unsettling in a unique way, and requires some serious thought. Quite frankly I don’t care if it ever gets added to this list, but it’s something that every gamer should experience, and experience is definitely the right word.
February 23rd, 2009 at 8:13 pm
ummm GUTS for snes ……where is it
February 23rd, 2009 at 8:10 pm
9 looks pretty impressive. Insane, but impressive.
I can’t believe Warcraft didn’t make your list - it may be a money sink like no other, and it might steal what little social life a person has until they’ll chose it over sex, but dammit, it’s a good game - plus the constant patches adding new content rawk my sawks.
February 23rd, 2009 at 8:09 pm
Okami is in the Runners Up part, don’t poop yourself, ladies! And Bioshock, too. So it’s “up there”. Sheesh. Stop questioning the awesome, raw power of Michael Swaim before it’s inside some part of your body you wish it weren’t. (I meant the anus, just in case you didn’t catch it) You may find you can’t get that shame feeling off no matter how many showers you take. KiSs3s~!!
February 23rd, 2009 at 8:06 pm
Alright, not saying it should be on this list but…. has anyone played “Lack of Love” for the Dreamcast? This was a crazy Japanese game with no words where you looked over the evolution of a creature from egg to full-size. It’s the same sort of “God” point-of-view that should have made Spore great. There are no words, just an awesome soundtrack. Check it out.
Other than that, great article!!! Alhtough I think Okami was amazing, I could see how the freshness in my mind is giving it more credit than some earlier PC titles you mentioned. I bought “9″ years ago because of the cast and producers and I’m glad someone else played it.
The comments here added about 10 games to my wish list.
February 23rd, 2009 at 7:57 pm
OMG! I just watched the entire “Heart of Darkness” LOL. It was funny.
February 23rd, 2009 at 7:33 pm
omg braid wtf?!
February 23rd, 2009 at 7:30 pm
Silk_Sk took the words right out of my mouth.
February 23rd, 2009 at 7:27 pm
Bioshock would qualify, though you said “10 Video Games” not “10 BEST Video Games,” so I’ll let it slide.
That little semantic dodge just saved you from the ninjas.
February 23rd, 2009 at 7:24 pm
braid?!?!?!? where is it? Jonathan Blow would be disgraced.
February 23rd, 2009 at 7:10 pm
Aaaaand, Okami isn’t up there why?
February 23rd, 2009 at 6:56 pm
How could you miss the God Of War series? Wait, here me out.
The game expresses how redemption through bloodshed can only lead to you becoming a monster far worse than any you cut down in your path, until bloodlust and thirst for revenge has consumed all that was good and noble about you and your cause. Fun as hell because you could impale a ships mast through a hydras eye in the first 15 minutes of the first game.
February 23rd, 2009 at 6:53 pm
Thou hast forgotten Dwarf Fortress and NetHack, and other countless roguelikes.
Seriously, how can you not think Dwarf Fortress is not a gloriously crafted work of art? The gameplay is a perfect example of “The Dev Team Thought of Everything” and includes such hilariously done RND accidents as “The engraving depicts a dwarf and a tentacle demon. The tentacle demon is performing a depraved act on the dwarf.” Hell, they even get moody and marry each other.
And NetHack? The devs thought of freaking everything. From TvTropes: Touching a cockatrice causes petrification. Birds, reptiles, etc lay eggs. You can polymorph, and there are items that control it. Therefore, you can polymorph into a cockatrice while female, lay eggs, and throw them to petrify. They even thought of that, since breaking your own eggs gives a luck penalty. Not to mention such gems like Zangband, a modified version of the “vanilla (Original)” Angband, which has a category named after it called “Bands” (As opposed to “Hacks”, referring to NetHack, which has mutations resulting in fits of hate-filled RND generator hilarity, such as the mutation that causes you to stumble and damage you for a trivial amount. This can kill you at low levels. “You trip over your own feet. You die. Is this not a great and heroic way to die?”
HL2 is almost deserving of a mention. The environment is superb, yet it lacks the touch of life and theme that makes the other things here shine. I remember Sacrifice, its environment was superb, and its simple gameplay was everchanging and fun. Maybe even Silent Hunter (A hell of a game to play, it’s not worth it), which is awesomely detailed at times and horribly scratchy at others.
Good article.
February 23rd, 2009 at 6:36 pm
Kind of an Uncle Tom list here. Is this a list of games that should be considered art or games that have art in them? It’s just kind of sad that the selection criteria seems to be based around: Does it draw influence from ‘proper’ artforms like narrative and the visual arts? Okay, it’s in. Not even one game there just because it has great gameplay, and only a couple that have both great gameplay and additional bonus merit.
February 23rd, 2009 at 6:27 pm
[...] of my favorite non-gaming websites ever is Cracked.com, the online-equivalent of a room of drunk nerds making top 10 lists. No more is this evident than [...]
February 23rd, 2009 at 6:27 pm
Braid? Seriously, the game is the poster boy for the ‘games as art’ thing.
February 23rd, 2009 at 6:15 pm
I’m surprised that Bioshock wasn’t included on this list. It’s incredible method of storytelling and (as a guy this is the first time i’ve ever used this word) “gorgeous” atmosphere reminded me of a famous masterpiece.
February 23rd, 2009 at 6:09 pm
i own psychonauts. it is the best platformer of all time. no question. beat every level, collected everything. still want a sequel thats not gonna happen. i cried when i beat it. then i played through again.
February 23rd, 2009 at 6:06 pm
So, i decided to write (aghast) about the absence of Planescape: Torment in the article. But then i skimmed through the comments section and found that a couple of fellers already did. But i feel… i feel as if someone whould just do it again.
By the name of the effing mother of our Christ Jehovah, tits akimbo with god-juice still in her panties, why did you leave out Planescape Torment?!
February 23rd, 2009 at 6:05 pm
I’m a little surprised Silent Hill didn’t get a mention.
That first SH was scary, engaing, mesmerising and did I mention bone chillingly scary?
February 23rd, 2009 at 6:03 pm
I got to #3 and said aloud, “If he doesn’t have Phychonauts on this list he can eat a dick!”
Lo and behold it’s #1.
Spot on. That game is off the leash…
Great work Swaim.
February 23rd, 2009 at 6:02 pm
um Okami????
February 23rd, 2009 at 6:01 pm
You can actually play the devil in “Night On Bald Mountain” in the first installment of Kingdom Hearts.
February 23rd, 2009 at 5:48 pm
OH DEAR LORD HEART OF DARKNESS
February 23rd, 2009 at 5:47 pm
Has anyone hear ever played The Last Resort? It sounds really cool. I would like to learn more about it.
February 23rd, 2009 at 5:31 pm
Portal’s simplicity in it’s story telling is what makes it so innovative, and Left 4 Dead is not innovative story telling, game play yes, but not story telling.
February 23rd, 2009 at 5:23 pm
Oh shit not to mention Indigo Prophecy. Holy hell that game was ahead of its time (although it only came out like what, 6 years ago?).
February 23rd, 2009 at 5:21 pm
I absolutely agree, but I think some others deserve to be included, e.g. Braid, BioShock, God of War, and maybe even Left 4 Dead with its ridiculously innovative story telling. It’s like Protal storyteling tenfold.
February 23rd, 2009 at 5:20 pm
“Last night, I blew up a super mutant with a mine, then shot him in the face with my sniper rifle before he hit the ground while the Andrews Sisters sang me a vaguely racist song about the Congo. THAT HAPPENED.”
….Oh baby, talk more video games to me.
Anyway, in other news, I really really want to play Portal. I want to see how much of a lie that cake really is.
February 23rd, 2009 at 5:13 pm
Don’t know if it’s a sign of my age, or just me being a sad game player, but I’ve only played two of these games (Grim Fandango, Portal). Wonder if I should track the others down and find a used console to play them on. Most are PSOne or Two, right?
About the only reason I came on here though is to gripe about Okami. Yeah, it’s pretty, but the gameplay is (was?) horrible. I don’t know about the rest of you, but if a game can’t even perform a simple action (ie: the slash attack) without it screwing up 75% of the time, that game should have stayed a little more in the de-bugging process. I found it unplayable.
February 23rd, 2009 at 5:08 pm
panzer dragoon?
come on you know you forgot it!
February 23rd, 2009 at 4:56 pm
Not even a passing glance at Planescape: Torment?
Shame on you, sir.
February 23rd, 2009 at 4:52 pm
I’m gonna go create some type of video setup with a running loop of action from Q-Bert, then sell it as art for six figures. Then, using that money, I’ll proceed to completely destroy myself over the course of the next seven months because dammit, I’m an artist!
February 23rd, 2009 at 4:31 pm
I lol’d when you said the fish monsters mind was exactly what you’d expect it to be.
February 23rd, 2009 at 4:30 pm
Good article.
I can’t resist the urge to drop another “BUT WHAT ABOUT [...]?!?!” comment here: Xenogears has touched me like no game ever has, and that’s pretty fucking impressive for a game where “3-D characters” means having four 2-D drafts from opposite directions made out of as much pixels as you have fingers and toes and where the music is MIDI-based.
Incidentally, if both Michael Swaim and Yahthzee (Escapist Magazine) recommend PSYCHONAUTS with such acclaim, then buy it I shall!
February 23rd, 2009 at 4:30 pm
I knew, that in some way, Deus Ex would be in this article. It’s the best game of all time.
February 23rd, 2009 at 4:28 pm
Actually SOTC has 16 BOSSES!!!!
And yes, it is a masterpiece.
So is okami
February 23rd, 2009 at 4:27 pm
i love swaim but dude, put the thesaurus away. it’s on cracked.com and too many longer words close together kinda make the sentence drag. like every sentence in that article. like yeah good vocab and all that but you are a journalist and you aren’t supposed to be giving an english lesson. i know the article is about art etc but have you never read the comments’ section? cracked readers don’t know about art and such! cracked readers want boobies and making fun of stupid people. although you clearly are more intelligent than i had previously thought.
February 23rd, 2009 at 4:25 pm
I love your list, but you should have included Okami- The stylization of the game is unlike any other, it is just beautifully rendered.
February 23rd, 2009 at 4:20 pm
@popeth: I don’t think Halo belongs on the list because none of the games really have an emphasis on the plot or anything artistic. Most of the deeper stuff comes from the books.
People don’t really appreciate the story because it’s presented in a way that it’s not only optional, but you almost have to go out of your way to find it.
February 23rd, 2009 at 4:16 pm
If you’re digging through the list and comments looking for something to play check out Darkseed II. It’s a little dated (mid-90’s) but it’s got a cool story and a lot of great looking settings.
It wouldn’t have made the list but it fits the theme and you’ve probably never played it before.
February 23rd, 2009 at 4:16 pm
You watch Zero Punctuation, don’t you?
February 23rd, 2009 at 4:12 pm
Thank you, thank you, THANK you, for noticing what a sweet-ass game Psychonauts is. It’s such a beautiful piece of game, everything about it is fun, inventive, and demented, not to mention has a great story. This was a great idea for an article, and while it IS still a melodramatic Japanese game, I would think how crazy the story and visuals are of at least the first .hack// series would be included on a list, especially if you consider the designs for the “phantom rooms” and the bosses, plus there were some seriously deep moments.
February 23rd, 2009 at 4:06 pm
cool article
a bunch of these games are ones i’ve never heard of, but i now want to try.
i have to say i’m dissapointed halo wasn’t up there. i know people go on about halo,l but not enough people appreciate the true depth and beauty of that series. the story is amazing and the physics are near perfect for the game, oh and it looks stunning.
i’m glad there aren’yt a bunch of messages about battletoads…
February 23rd, 2009 at 3:58 pm
Damn. I just now put in a puny little comment and it’s already been buried by other suggestions. I think it’s being crushed by the weight.
February 23rd, 2009 at 3:31 pm
Can’t agree with not including Deus Ex. Paranoia? Check. Questioning about fundamental questioning of identity? Check. Dystopian Future that only seems vaguely threatening at first? Double-check. Meditations on Man’s place in the universe and informations relation to god? Check. Oh, and lest we forget, there’s the whole questioning of the ethical use of technology and shit like that.
Deus Ex is pretty much just a big honking work of Post-modernism.
But that’s my favorite game, so I might be biased, w/e. Regardless, this is a great article. Coming on the heels of the things that you think will make you happy piece, I think Cracked has become my new favorite funny website.
February 23rd, 2009 at 3:11 pm
Another AMAZINGLY artsy AMAZING game is Killer 7, for the GameCube.
I found story synopsis. I believe it approached one hundred pages, and it wasn’t finished.
You should look into it.
February 23rd, 2009 at 3:10 pm
You could have replaced Portal with System Shock 2, as there was a similar sort of interaction there with SHODAN.
Note that I said COULD have. Not SHOULD. I liked this article, and thanks for the nod to Neverhood and Skullmonkeys. Those were awesome games, awesome soundtracks.
I’ll have to try Psychonauts sometime. It looks most interesting of all.
February 23rd, 2009 at 3:02 pm
Okami WAS FUCKING MENTIONED UNDER RUNNERS UP!
Goddamn people!
February 23rd, 2009 at 2:57 pm
Swaim, I am so in love with the article, I want to roll it up into my life. Let’s roll up to make a silver star in the sky.
February 23rd, 2009 at 2:52 pm
Seriously? No mention of Okami for the PS2? The game is a moving painting. You play as Sun god in a wolf’s body for christ’s sake! That’s awesome enough to make any top gaming list. Including FPS. Why? Who cares, you’re a god damned wolf!
February 23rd, 2009 at 2:48 pm
The Neverhood Chronicles
February 23rd, 2009 at 2:47 pm
Great article, and it brings up some really valid points about video game appreciation. I think the interactivity of video games is such a break from other media that it can be difficult to see a video game as art, particularly as the evolution of software and hardware has meant two gamers are unlikely to have the same experience. Your criteria do seem to be much more visual than narrative (and on either count I’d have included GTA4) but almost all the games are RPGs.
I’d stick Ocarina of Time and a few Mario games in there, along with Worms 2, but I’m a sucker for loud, cartoonish visuals. Again, great concept and great article. This is why the internet rocks.
February 23rd, 2009 at 2:40 pm
I know this sounds stupid, but what about Wario Land Shake It? The annimation’s great, and I genuinely laugh at some of the jokes.
February 23rd, 2009 at 2:35 pm
The point was to fuck with you, it’s supposed to be a mindfuck.
February 23rd, 2009 at 2:33 pm
Man, I haven’t played video games in a long time. I didn’t even know the Oddworld universe expanded beyond Abe and Abe’s Exodus. What about Frogger, can Frogger be art? Kid Chameleon? Decap Attack? Uh, Toe Jam and Earl? Hello? Is any of this still relevant? Decap Attack?
February 23rd, 2009 at 2:32 pm
You just went up 10 notches in my book for your reference to Doug TenNapel. I’m a huge fan of his work. I’m still waiting for the live action adaptation of Creature Tech (20th Century Fox bought the rights, if I recall).
February 23rd, 2009 at 2:32 pm
You forgot Planescape: Torment.
February 23rd, 2009 at 2:28 pm
Can we stop sucking Tim Schaffers dick now? Psychonauts was awesome and orginal but it had puzzles that were ridiculously hard just to fuck with you.
February 23rd, 2009 at 2:26 pm
And Rez. Holy shit, I can’t believe that’s not on here.
February 23rd, 2009 at 2:25 pm
What the fuck, no Braid? That game was literally hand-drawn!
February 23rd, 2009 at 2:25 pm
Bioshock should be up there for sure, IMO. But i’m happy Grim Fandango and Katamari are up there
February 23rd, 2009 at 2:13 pm
Bullshit!
Shadow of the colossus should be first…and…I don’t know what more to say.
February 23rd, 2009 at 2:11 pm
I like the list. I also like the concept behind it, and I’m quite happy to have played through many of these.
I’d like to throw in that in the days of Space Quest 3 and VGA Trek, Rise of the Dragon was one fantastic film noir piece of work. It almost seemed like it was set between The Third Man and Bladerunner in terms of a constant world.
February 23rd, 2009 at 2:06 pm
Maaaan, surprised by the number one pick. One of my fave games (oh no it’s googalor!). Ico was a pretty much a launch title for the PS2 and still looks phenomenal today. And thanks for giving special mention to Beyond Good and Evil, the best “under-rated” game ever. And I think my favourite, it must be because I’ve finished like 8 times now. Awesome arcticle.
February 23rd, 2009 at 2:01 pm
[...] = Modern ArtA great top 10 of games that could double as modern art. And finally…Speaking of games that can double as art, Sadness looks weird, scary, awesome and [...]
February 23rd, 2009 at 2:00 pm
What about Earthbound?
February 23rd, 2009 at 1:52 pm
@Dalarsco
I don’t recall ever saying Shiny games are art…
I don’t think you can pinpoint the meaning, and it’s different for a lot of people, but art is definitely not “just hard work.” A car is not art. A doorknob is not art. A shoe is not art. Nintendo games have as much artistic value as a doorknob.
February 23rd, 2009 at 1:45 pm
I feel Pikmin should’ve made this list. >_>
It creates a beautiful world, but one that should be feared. It’s like if you took a rose and forced everyone who wanted to look at it to touch the thorns.
February 23rd, 2009 at 1:43 pm
Good thing you mentioned Bioshock at the end, I thought it was forgotten.
February 23rd, 2009 at 1:42 pm
What, no Spore? No LittleBigPlanet? C’mon…those pretty much thrust World-Clay into the gamer’s hands and say “Here, do whatever, I’m gonna go take a nap.”
They’re games forcing the gamer to become an artist. They should at LEAST make honorable mention.
February 23rd, 2009 at 1:39 pm
Never made me laugh at all, but a decent serious article…
February 23rd, 2009 at 1:37 pm
Bioshock is pretty as hell, but the rush to get it to market compromised the story and morality mechanic. If it gets an honorable mention, EVERY stupid, good-looking game deserves one. That’s a whole lot of games.
February 23rd, 2009 at 1:31 pm
Dammit, Swaim. I love you a little more every day.
February 23rd, 2009 at 1:30 pm
Flower anyone? Probably the best art game out there! Also what about Braid? Even the story is artistic.
February 23rd, 2009 at 1:27 pm
Hell’s yes to Psychonauts. I have to go and replay this. RIGHT. FUCKING. NOW.
February 23rd, 2009 at 1:13 pm
H.R. Giger is making jewelry now, apparently… weirdest pendant EVAR. Also, fantastic list, Swaim. You’ve definitely hit the nail on the head with your #1. And everyone should chill about such and such game not being mentioned, because as Systema Encephale was kind enough to point out, this isn’t in any way a comprehensive list of the best ‘artsy’ games out there, just a collection of shining examples. Keep up the good work!
February 23rd, 2009 at 1:13 pm
Where the hell is Killer7?
February 23rd, 2009 at 1:12 pm
*yawn*
February 23rd, 2009 at 1:11 pm
You just listed every single one of my all time favourite games, plus a few more I’ve never heard of and will obtain immediately
February 23rd, 2009 at 1:08 pm
@ JanniR “Are cars art?”
Hell yeah,several are. My 1967 Mustang, the first car I owned, for one. Another is the Buick Regal Grand National that was made from 1985-87.
Only came in black, no chrome and was the fastest off the production line car made at the time.Was faster than the Porche 911 of he day.
If Darth Vader drove a car, this would be it.
February 23rd, 2009 at 1:07 pm
Yoshi’s Island should be on the list. It’s an extremely well-made game, with a sprite style that seems hand-drawn. It’s beautiful.
February 23rd, 2009 at 1:04 pm
@Pat
“Hey way to go, on successfully mentioning one video game that people might actually recognize and care about. I mean otherwise this whole article would have been just a giant waste of time for you to write and me to skim thorough, vaguely hoping from some form of amusement in your inane ramblings. Do you get wood when you do shit like this?”
Um. Yeah.
Did you know, one of the things that defines a being as sentient is that they understand that other beings may have different opinion. You are living proof that just because someone is human, doesn’t mean they are intelligent & self-aware. Are you also one of the people who say humans are well above animals, because actually, you really aren’t.
More on the topic, i personally love a handful of the games on here, the oddworld series are in fact one of the BEST sets of games ever! I miss playing abe’s odyssey… Ah, the nostalgia… This list has also finally influenced me to buy Katamari Damacy, seeing as i would have bought it before but thought it was on some seriously outdated console, but as it’s on the pinnacle of Sony’s tech (imho, i would never buy a PS3, i don’t think it’s worth it), i am getting it! Also considering getting portal, and definitely looking at that Ico/Shadow of the Colossus ones too
So, good list, way to go!
Oh, and one last word. It does not say anywhere that these are the only games that should be classed as modern art. Nor does it say they’re the best. More likely, they’re the author’s favourite choices for this topic. Remember: Other People Have Opinions Too!
February 23rd, 2009 at 1:02 pm
Damn it. There are sixteen colossi in Shadow of the Colossus. Not fourteen! Damn it!
February 23rd, 2009 at 1:00 pm
Aww… why didn’t Persona 3 make it? The directors cut is awesome. =D
February 23rd, 2009 at 12:58 pm
@Dalarsco
Art is subjective.
February 23rd, 2009 at 12:57 pm
The hell man? Where’s Flower? Guiding the sparse forces of nature through a ravaged cityscape, bringing back beauty with natural spread and tearing down the shackles that hold modern society back?
Come on, same length as Portal, and just as fun to play (that is if you like flying through fields, whipping and whirling through the grass and then spinning up to the heavens).
February 23rd, 2009 at 12:56 pm
Yes! Yes! Yes! Psychonauts is a fantastic game and deserved the #1 spot, and I was pleased to see that Grim Fandango was included as well, both are great games with great dialouge and fantastic game play.
February 23rd, 2009 at 12:55 pm
Art is basically imagination and creativity + the eye of the beholder, so yeah video games could be art. (Well, not sport games…)
February 23rd, 2009 at 12:55 pm
I’d never even heard of “9: The Last Resort” before this–thanks! As soon as I saw the screenshots, I thought, “Hey! That looks like Mark Ryden’s work!” Then I saw that it was. Off to locate the game.
February 23rd, 2009 at 12:47 pm
How does “lots of work” = “art”? Are cars art? It takes a hell of a lot of time to design and assemble a car. I won’t be so douchey as to give my own definition of art, but obviously there’s supposed to be creativity involved, not just a matter of going down a checklist: “Great graphics? Check. Great controls? Check. Fun weapons? Check. Giant worlds? Check. It’s art.”
February 23rd, 2009 at 12:35 pm
Okami should be on this list man! Runner up behind Katamari? WTF?
February 23rd, 2009 at 12:34 pm
I think if you consider the hours of painstaking work put into the level design, character design and general design, you can call all video games art, which I believe they are.
They are an art for the 21st century, interactive
February 23rd, 2009 at 12:31 pm
What??!?
No mention to “Planescape: Torment”?!?
February 23rd, 2009 at 12:29 pm
Thank you for showing me Jacek Yerka. I’m gonna be on that site for hours. His stuff is amazing.
February 23rd, 2009 at 12:28 pm
I was about to be pissed because I hadn’t seen Psychonauts on the list. Didn’t think it’d be your number one.
God, who doesn’t love The Milkman’s level?
February 23rd, 2009 at 12:27 pm
One game I thought was basically made purely to show off the visuals was Shadow of the Beast on Sega Mega Drive/Genesis. Get a copy if you can, you’ll see what I mean.
February 23rd, 2009 at 12:27 pm
Awesome article that includes as many as 5 of my favorite games - Katamari, Ico, Portal, Grim Fandango and Psychonauts.
And I have to agree with Ashington; the American box art for Ico makes me cringe, but the Japanese is one of the best I’ve ever seen.
February 23rd, 2009 at 12:27 pm
No pong? No battle chess? NO PAC MAN? What kind of games are you kids playing these days?
February 23rd, 2009 at 12:26 pm
I know it got into the honorable mentions, but I still wanna see the write-up for Bioshock. That’s probably the only game I can name that both blew my mind AND made me shit my pants.
February 23rd, 2009 at 12:23 pm
I think everyone needs to understand that these aren’t “The ONLY 10 Video Games That Should Be Considered Modern Art”, it’s just “The 10 Video Games That Should Be Considered Modern Art”…
And yeah, I agree with everything on here.
February 23rd, 2009 at 12:21 pm
in total concurrence Swaim, but the box art of Ico you got there isn’t very arty, shove this in their clergical faces and watch them appreciate like… umm.. in inverse proportion to the stock market! (yeaaah, I can do satire, me)
i102.photobucket.com/albums/m103/badger_ash/box-l-jp.jpg
and Portal = win |¦¬)
February 23rd, 2009 at 12:20 pm
Hell yeah! The whole time, I kept thinking “Psychonauts has to be number 1 on this list” (I just finished playing the neon Mexican wrestling level last night.) Grim Fandango was a great addition too. Tim Schafer games already make up 4 of my 10 favorite games ever and his fifth one is coming out soon - this guy can’t seem to do anything wrong.
Damn it, people! Lay off the Mario and Final Fantasy and buy more Tim Schafer games!
February 23rd, 2009 at 12:18 pm
Cool article, glad Psychonauts topped it. Additionally it was nice to see a nod to The Dig.
I agree that Braid probably could’ve been on here, but I’m a little more disappointed that The Neverhood wasn’t mentioned. From the animation to the music, what isn’t art in that game. Not to mention it was also made by Doug TenNapel.
I guess Earthbound probably could’ve gotten a mention as well.
February 23rd, 2009 at 12:15 pm
Why was my comment placed out of order? I believe it bears repeating.
God you’re a moron Swaim, how could you not include Pong and the obvious comparison to the Minimalist movement.
Say hi to your lovely mom for me.
February 23rd, 2009 at 12:15 pm
I wrote an entire 10 page essay on why half life 2 is art, and you didn’t even include it in here…kill yourself
February 23rd, 2009 at 12:13 pm
Psychonauts.
Exxxxcellent.
February 23rd, 2009 at 12:07 pm
Judging from the comics I think Swaim just manage to alienate 3/4s of CRACKED’s readers… down to 3 now.
February 23rd, 2009 at 12:07 pm
+1 vote for flower, and flOw as well.
February 23rd, 2009 at 12:03 pm
cake is a lie
February 23rd, 2009 at 12:01 pm
Amen Shakudo, just finished the last flower of FLower last night, brilliantly beautiful and the future of casual gaming. I’d also like to add Linger in Shadows and Loco Roco to that, while none are considered a full fledged “game”. In fact, the Linger in Shadows creators call it “interactive art”, Flower calls theirs “interactive poetry”, and Loco Roco is basically an interactive awesome screen saver.
February 23rd, 2009 at 12:00 pm
i’m glad you noted miyazaki on heart of darkness, i was thinking the same thing watching that video
February 23rd, 2009 at 11:58 am
ok i read it.
ill be waiting for my movie to win, swaim.
if not, ill give robert your address.
February 23rd, 2009 at 11:54 am
Ooooh, nice mention on the Metroid series. The Prime series was gorgeous, particularly in the first one when you use the thermal visor in the metroid tank and all the mushrooms are glowing.
February 23rd, 2009 at 11:54 am
good list! fallout 3 is life changing. as for the haters, this is cracked not g4tv. go write your own list if this one angers you so. lame.
February 23rd, 2009 at 11:53 am
What about Silent Hill 2? it would take me over an hour to explain all the themes and subtext in every layer of that game! Like how death and sex are probably the two most prevolant thoughts in the human mind. or how each person tries to shape the world around them into what they want it to be despite the obvious truth. Truly and masterpeice in terms of atmosphere and pacing as well.
February 23rd, 2009 at 11:53 am
I’m so jealous of this article, Swaim.
Why must you make me hate you, and then inspire love most deep?
Are you actively trying to tear apart my heart?
I think I just accidentally quoted Ace of Base…you son of a bitch! You planned this!
February 23rd, 2009 at 11:49 am
modern art =/= pretty video games
I enjoy that this list observes that, although there’s plenty of fruity quirky games that deserve some honorable mention, but they always turn out to be too short or not enough of a game and more point and click.
February 23rd, 2009 at 11:47 am
Agree with Swaim, but u forgot Planescape Torment. And System Shock was uber to play.
February 23rd, 2009 at 11:46 am
I highly recommend “Planescape: Torment”; I’m amazed that Swaim didn’t mention it.
February 23rd, 2009 at 11:46 am
So basically, you´re an anti-Nintendo-troll. Otherwise this list would be impossible to exist.
It´s appearent that you have no clue what the term “art” means within the videogames industry. That´s why you listed SotC, a game that lacks content and feels as if it should have been in development one or two more years.
A modern game that is the definition of video game art is Super Mario Galaxy. That is because it runs wild in what it allows the player to interact with the game. Another example are all Zelda-games.
Next time you make a shitty list that noone cares about, try without the bias or i´ll call David Jaffe.
February 23rd, 2009 at 11:45 am
I know of a upcoming game where you play the same level with six different characters. No matter what, when you achive your goal, you die. Idunno about you, but THAT sounds pretty neat to me.
Also, +5 geekdom points for mentioning Riven.
February 23rd, 2009 at 11:44 am
As a gamer im proud of this article. Its not exclusory merely celebratory. The folks responding to this article attempting to bash its author with why their personal favorite games were not works of art or mentioned in the list bring a great deal of sadness to the community. If you cannot find happiness in your video games in any form stop playing them and leave them to those who find their bliss and use this list as a reference for new games to look into or fondly remember. as is such i will also add the fatal frames and “alice” as games to be looked into. if your going to comlain go write your own article.
February 23rd, 2009 at 11:38 am
Let the flaming begin…
But I have to nod to the original Silent Hill and Silent Hill 2. Although they couldn’t immediately be compared to any artist who used the paintbrush-and-canvas medium (Perhaps Francisco Goya) they provided a perfect blend of pop-culture satire and inspired eeriness. Taking as much from Stanley, Kubrick, and King as it did Lovecraft, Kafka, and Wells, it is the shining standard that all other games would be held to when defining “atmosphere”.
And the story of Silent Hill 2 was so layered, challenging the notions of good and evil, guilt, devotion, love and hate, that it would put most modern novels to shame for its depth. While the more ‘recognized’ mediums now seem only able to offer commercially viable candidates rife with the sort of insipid drek that asks nothing and spoon-feeds its audience the ‘right’ answers (I’m not naming names here, but if I were, they would be Dan Brown, Danielle Steele, and John Grisham.), SH2 was a commercially successful entry in a medium unfairly stereotyped as shallow and flat.
February 23rd, 2009 at 11:38 am
I’m so glad that people know Killer7! As soon as I saw this article title it was the first game that popped into my head. It’s simple stylized art is a great juxtaposition against the complex story line. It really took the medium of a video game to the fullest. (clearly my favorite game ever)
Eternal Darkness was a great game, but I don’t know if it would be considered a piece of art. I can’t decide. I think the thing that would push it into the art category would be the sanity meter.
I was hoping Oddworld would be on this list as well. Great game, and really different.
February 23rd, 2009 at 11:37 am
@Disagree: So if only Shadow of the Colossus and games from Shiny are art on this list, then define art.
February 23rd, 2009 at 11:37 am
I feel that this has given me my quota of daily education. Thanks, Swaim!
February 23rd, 2009 at 11:37 am
Didn’t I say something last week abut not writing crap, and to keep filming it instead.
I can’t comment on the entire article because after reading the first 2 examples, my eyelids stitched themselves closed and my brain left my head via the emergency escape hatch, but shit man.
BORING!
This might have been a great article for PC Gamer magazine or something but it’s NOT funny, far too long, and the way the images are aligned makes it look messy and sloppy.
Stick to video man, your vids are great but you are NOT a writer.
February 23rd, 2009 at 11:36 am
How could you not have included Syberia (I and II)? I know it’s old, but most of these entries aren’t exactly brand new.
Also, there was this game inspired by Escher drawings for PS3, EchoDrome I believe it was called. A tad on the slow side, but a good game nonetheless.
February 23rd, 2009 at 11:35 am
No mention for FEAR? Playing it as an adult, this was the game that reminded me why I was afraid of the dark as a child.
I wish they would make a movie of any of the MDK games, I would illegally download that in a heartbeat! Oddworld to.
February 23rd, 2009 at 11:35 am
The lack of Majora’s Mask on here is shameful. It may be part of a major franchise, but it stepped well outside the defined boundries, creating a game that was equal parts Zelda and surrealist nightmare. Scenery, plot, characters, soundtrack. That game was art.
And Fallout is rather cliched. Yes, the juxtaposing of 1950s American pop optimism against post-apocolyptic is haunting, but then again it was haunting the hundreds of other times its been used in modern fiction.
February 23rd, 2009 at 11:34 am
Fuck yeah MDK!
February 23rd, 2009 at 11:34 am
What about Braid? How could you forget? I loved you Swaim and you threw that shit in my face! I’ll never forgive you…
February 23rd, 2009 at 11:32 am
A lesser man might get all bitchy at Swaim for not giving the God of War series its due on this little list, I’m not going to. And I’ll tell you why.
A) The simple to learn, but hard to master control system can make the game fun for anyone, regardless of where they are on the learning curve. The console-defining visuals certainly help, as well. The games, however, are filled with the kind of excess and hyperbole that lends itself to pretentious, artsy derision. (Even though that’s exactly why I love it - slaying a 10-story metal monster with a celestial blade forged by Zeus himself just isn’t something I can say no to.) Phenomenal game. Modern art? Maybe.
B) It’s a fucking Cracked blog. Don’t take yourselves too seriously, especially on a humor site.
February 23rd, 2009 at 11:32 am
“Using only a single speaking character, the game subverts a gaming staple (the helpful robotic narrator/tutorial), creates a complex and frightening relationship complete with subtext-laden dialogue and comments on the medium of gaming itself even as it deconstructs it.” You go too much PoMo.
February 23rd, 2009 at 11:29 am
Hey way to go, on successfully mentioning one video game that people might actually recognize and care about. I mean otherwise this whole article would have been just a giant waste of time for you to write and me to skim thorough, vaguely hoping from some form of amusement in your inane ramblings. Do you get wood when you do shit like this?
February 23rd, 2009 at 11:28 am
People have been mentioning Killer7, and I must say that I wanted to like that game. It is such a cool concept. But between the psychedlic stylings and terrible control scheme the game made me physically ill. I started getting dizzy, nauseous, and headachy before finishing the first level.
February 23rd, 2009 at 11:28 am
I still think video games are toys and there’s nothing wrong with that. Toys made of pieces of art. But, hey, some people think Transformers action figures are art and that’s cool with me man.
Toy, now that’s an underrated word, a satanized word, by the marketers who want toys to appeal to adults.
Lets face it, we all like toys no matter our age, and that’s cool. Something does not need to ba called art to be cool or acceptable by adults. I want my toys to be called toys. Toys is not an evil word, it is not exclusively for children. Toys are a wonderful and amazing thing.
February 23rd, 2009 at 11:28 am
Why is PATHOLOGIC not here? >:C
February 23rd, 2009 at 11:27 am
I am a SEXY and HOT black girl from New York,
someday I found a HOT place for u guys, ____Tallmingle Co M____ , if you want- know more big fri-ends,even l-over, please have a try .
February 23rd, 2009 at 11:26 am
Amirox is wroooooooooooooooooooooooong
Nintendo is art like Monopoly or Operation is art. Hint: It’s not
February 23rd, 2009 at 11:26 am
where is final fantasy???
February 23rd, 2009 at 11:25 am
This is the 3rd cracked list I’ve read today with an it’s/its mistake. Do you even bother proofreading before hitting the ‘publish’ button?
February 23rd, 2009 at 11:22 am
I am a SEXY and HOT black girl from New York,
someday I found a HOT place for u guys, ____Tallmingle Co M____ , if you want- know more big fri-ends,even l-over, please have a try .
February 23rd, 2009 at 11:21 am
If Katamari is art, and I’m absoultely certain it is, then so is Okami.
February 23rd, 2009 at 11:17 am
braid? ive never even heard of that game explain! please xD
February 23rd, 2009 at 11:16 am
I love you
I love you
I love you
Psychonauts was so underappreciated when it came out, and I love to see it praised. It is by far in my top three of video games, followed only by the Monkey Island series from LucasArts. If only we could get a new, beautifully done version of those!!! Oh my girly brain would squeal with glee.
February 23rd, 2009 at 11:13 am
I find it interesting that many people are confusing the statements “This game is art” and ” I really really liked this game”.
In all honesty, every video game released is art, in the same way that a formulaic blockbuster movie and an obnoxious commercial can be considered art (Halo and movie-licenses, respectfully). Think of Galaxy and Half-Life 2 as the Wall-E and Dark Knight of the videogame world : mildly thought-provoking, well known works of art that just don’t break enough boundaries to get recognized as great art.
February 23rd, 2009 at 11:12 am
There’s some dearly missed games here…
You guys have obviously never played Braid, have you?
tigsource.com
%80 modern art.
Still, OK list, especially if your only talking ‘commercial’ games. Oddworld series was a brilliant choice. Underrated game.
February 23rd, 2009 at 11:11 am
You somehow managed to remind me of at least 5 games I forgot from my childhood gaming days. And you managed to mention some of my favorite games ever. Great article.
February 23rd, 2009 at 11:02 am
God you’re a moron Swaim, how could you not include Pong and the obvious comparison to the Minimalist movement.
February 23rd, 2009 at 11:01 am
Amirox, looks like you don’t know the definition of art either.
Art is defined as having no function outside itself, it’s not like these beautiful, visual games have any purpose but to entertain and awe.
Also, if you describe Super Mario Galaxy as art because it allows you to fully interact with the entire world, i.e. the mechanics, then it’s not art. It’s a work of engineering.
February 23rd, 2009 at 11:01 am
Katamari = very yes.
February 23rd, 2009 at 10:55 am
“You get to leap from your horse onto a giants’ beard, climb up his body as he tries to shake you off, and stab him in the fucking head. Then come the black snakes, and they cannot be stopped.”
Seriously. You should be the only person ever allowed to summarize video games. That’s minimalist perfection, baby.
February 23rd, 2009 at 10:55 am
Though not a full fledged game, the Xbox Live downloadable Braid is probably the most pretentious and arty game out there.
February 23rd, 2009 at 10:54 am
I was going to say “Where the hell is Bioshock and Beyond Good and Evil?” but I see they were thought of. The problem is the whole medium is an artistic one so a list of only ten couldn’t possibly contain all the awesome.
Good read.
February 23rd, 2009 at 10:53 am
I’d like to add “Flower” to that list. Check it out in the PS3 Store.
It’s like the zen of video gaming.
February 23rd, 2009 at 10:52 am
@Georgie
It’s a good point, and and the argument has the ring of truth to it, but the conclusion is a stretch. To say that the act of moving the spaceship around is not art is true, the same way that watching a movie isn’t art. That doesn’t mean that the game isn’t art, or that the movie isn’t art, it just means that the artist isn’t the person interacting with it.
While moving the ship can’t be any more expressive than the game allows it to be, the way the ship is designed to move can, in fact, be art. For example, I’d point to the new Prince of Persia game. However you feel about the difficulty level and the direction the series is taken, you have to appreciate the effort put into the visuals and the animation. The way the Prince and Elika move together through the basic motions of the game is intricate, complex, and indicative of the relationship of mutual trust these two strangers share with one another.
Or maybe it’s just a couple of people running on a wall. My point is that there’s art in there for people willing to see it. It’s not coming from the gamer (usually), but, from a dedicated director and production team, a game can be as much a work of art as a film.
February 23rd, 2009 at 10:48 am
Swaim, thank you. I had completely forgotten about Heart of Darkness. I played it when I was a mere youth, and have now decided that I have to travel to my parents’ and see if it’s still at the back of a cupboard somewhere. Thanks!
February 23rd, 2009 at 10:42 am
thank you for two Tim Schafer games on this list, he is the man. looking forward to brutal legend
February 23rd, 2009 at 10:40 am
People, I think a LOT of you are confusing “good game” with “games that are art”. Just because a game is good and fun to play doesn’t mean it’s art.
February 23rd, 2009 at 10:40 am
Skullmonkeys was a classic should not have been left out. An error on your part sir
February 23rd, 2009 at 10:37 am
oh i just realized what this article is missing - warez links
it’s not an offense if you just hold the links; right, piratebay?
February 23rd, 2009 at 10:36 am
[...] Cracked.com (again 1, 2) au o listă interesantă despre zece jocuri ce ar trebui sa fie considerate artă modernă. We couldn’t agree more! De la titluri magice precum Shadow of The Colossus la titluri rupte complet de realitate ca Psychonauts sau jocuri deja clasice precum Grim Fandango. Cât despre titlul acestei liste, cred că majoritatea dintre noi sunt de acord că aceste titluri SUNT deja artă, adevărata întrebare este când se va preda aşa ceva în şcoli ca materie generală? Probabil că din acest motiv noi nu suntem profesori… Click aici pentru listă. [...]
February 23rd, 2009 at 10:36 am
i wanted to bitch and moan, until i saw warren spector got mentioned, after all.
then i was happy.
but now i realize that sid meier is not mentioned so i feel like bitching and moaning again…
February 23rd, 2009 at 10:32 am
Whenever this particular argument come up I’m just gonna flip to this article and let the member of the beret patrol read.
February 23rd, 2009 at 10:30 am
@Georgie
You make a good point but Flower defies those rules that you have laid out. Games will always be toys but that doesn’t mean they can’t co-exist as a piece of art, there is more artistic expression in games these days there are in many other mediums.
February 23rd, 2009 at 10:29 am
Just got two words for you Swaim:
Fuck. Yeah.
February 23rd, 2009 at 10:28 am
Just want to dedicate a post to laugh at Amirox. Pretty funny stuff. Nintendo games are about as artistic as Monopoly. Shadow of the Colossus is the definition of art in this industry. No ifs, ands or buts.
Keep your Mario Galaxy slobbering on GAF, the outside world doesn’t care about it.
Oh god, how dense was that “Mario galaxy is art” comment? Listen to yourself, woman!
February 23rd, 2009 at 10:27 am
I know it just came out last week, but it’s a fucking shame that Flower isn’t on this list, the game is pure art in motion. If any game could ever make the case that games can be art it is Flower. Anyone who has not played this game is doing themselves a disservice.
On another note I cannot wait to see and play what Team ICO has up their collective sleeves for the first entry into PS3 territory. It will most likely be nothing short of brilliant in every single aspect of itself.
February 23rd, 2009 at 10:24 am
Awful list, and I’m not talking about the supposed omissions because there are none, but SUPERLOL @ the guy who wasted 10 pages on why Half-Life 2 is art - hint: It’s not. Two words. Oh, wait, Another World is art. You missed it cracked, but for some reason you honour its sequel.
Only 7, which actually deserves to be no. 1 and 2, with 7 blank spaces following it for effect is art. The rest, except for Portal to a small extent can fuck off.
Pretty visuals, imaginative concepts and CGI preaching the evils of consumerism does not mean something is art.
HYPERLOL@ Zelda Windwalker and Mario comments. Only on a list citing pretty visuals as art could they get in and - oh, this is one of those.
February 23rd, 2009 at 10:23 am
I’m glad you mentioned Metroid in the runners-up, but you seem to have forgotten about Ikaruga. That game combined a beautiful dichotomy of light and dark with probably the most hard-core shooter gameplay ever.
February 23rd, 2009 at 10:23 am
Gears of war no? or does being comercially successful mean its not art…?…also pac man…
February 23rd, 2009 at 10:22 am
amirox idk if u ever noticed this or not but look at the cover of super mario galaxy, then take all the letter in the title that have stars on them and what do u get? U R MR GAY
February 23rd, 2009 at 10:20 am
I think of video games more like collections of different pieces of artwork (architecture, painting, sculpting, music, writing, etc.) put toghether. But the games themselves are definetly not art and will never be. It’s more about the pieces than the whole thing being art.
For example: shooting games like thunder force 3 are beautiful with great drawings and fantastic music but the act of moving a little spaceship and destroying things, the gameplay, is definelty not art.
To put games themselves as an example: A HeroQuest board may be beautiful, with amazing little miniature sculptures and a good story, but the act of playing HeroQuest and the rules of HeroQuest are definetly not art.
And that’s why video games are toys.
February 23rd, 2009 at 10:16 am
exept fallout 3 I played none of the games in the list but you should include castelvania symphony of the night in the list.
February 23rd, 2009 at 10:14 am
Thank you so much for recognizing Psychonauts! The camera may be a off at times (DAMN YOU MEAT CIRCUS!), but the unique level designs and overall game concept is still unmatched in creativity amongst current games.
February 23rd, 2009 at 10:13 am
Deus Ex ftw! Also, i felt sorry for the big stone things when i first read about Shaddow of the Colossus. It emcompases all the evil that children and young people bring to the world
February 23rd, 2009 at 10:09 am
Good to see Okami got a mention here, visually it’s the most impressive game I’ve ever played… you’re actually inside an watercolor with bright colors and fuzzy textures, the far distant mountains in the landscape are simple white or black brush strokes. And the god’s brush you can use to make your own effects in the game (with the Wiimote or the PS2 analog stick) is a work of genius.
February 23rd, 2009 at 10:04 am
Maybe the personally most interesting article I’ve read on here, saying this as someone studying art so he can do cg in videogames.
February 23rd, 2009 at 9:56 am
Oh no, Swaim, you left out game X, Y, and Z!
. . . Oh, wait, the title says ‘10′. And no where does it say ‘best’ or ‘only’. Oh, and you wrote at the end that the list could go on?
CRAZY!
February 23rd, 2009 at 9:54 am
I’m glad he noted The Dig. Orson Scott Card’s dialogue + Steven Spielberg’s idea (like Armageddon, but it changes into a movie about an alien planet ten minutes in) + Michael Land’s music = Fantastic game.
-A.S.
February 23rd, 2009 at 9:52 am
I don’t think that he wanted to make a comprehensive list of all the games that should be considered art. I think it’s just 10 examples of the long list of great games that exist. So maybe we can stop saying; “Bullshit! (Insert Game Here) isn’t there!”.
February 23rd, 2009 at 9:48 am
Oh, Messiah was a fantastic game. I miss it so… I remember how I’d just terrorize this one group of scientists for hours because I was too young to actually play. The memories… the memories…
February 23rd, 2009 at 9:48 am
I’d like to add Fable 2 to the list… I also concur with Braid, because that game was nothing if not beautiful (also frustrating as all hell at times!)
February 23rd, 2009 at 9:41 am
Great list.
I’ve been a huge fan of the Oddworld series since I was very little, and Heart of Darkness is among my fondest childhood memories too.
Overall, my favorite “Arty” games are Bioshock and Psychonauts. Psychonauts really is the greatest platformer of all time.
Here’s another one you should check out: The Neverhood, a really obscure cult classic point-and-click adventure set in a surrealist world made of clay. Great, great game.
February 23rd, 2009 at 9:39 am
Amirox, doesn’t sound like you know what the definition of ‘art’ is in general.
Art can have no purpose outside of itself. How can Mario Galaxy be considered art when every area has a function? Sounds like a work of engineering to me.
February 23rd, 2009 at 9:39 am
… Myst anyone?
February 23rd, 2009 at 9:37 am
I loved this article, and I don’t even play video games. It makes me want to play them, esp. the ones compared to Yerka and Beksinski.
February 23rd, 2009 at 9:37 am
ohh and Braid dosent belong anywhere near this nor does ANY run of the mill blaze microsoftpenis 3fixme game.
February 23rd, 2009 at 9:36 am
What about anything from the Metal Gear Solid series? I know people who base their lives on the works of Hideo Kojima. Metal Gear Solid is like a modern saga. Also, everything on this list = modern art deffo
February 23rd, 2009 at 9:34 am
The Metal Gear Solid series should have been here 100% better story then almost every single game on this list. Better gameplay mechanics, I mean come on in 2 you had to manualy heal yourself AND change camo to match the surroundings. Hideo Kojima is the gaming god.
Also Fatal Frame, the game play is slow BUT HOLY FUCKING SHIT. That game has been known to make grown men scream. Visualy all three Fatal Frame games are stunning even by todays next gen standards. They also have stories that are twisted and just build an aura of fear the likes of which FEAR can never touch.
If youve not played these games before then your missing MUCH. You should go out right now RIGHT NOW I SAID, and get them.
February 23rd, 2009 at 9:31 am
I’m with auslander, Eternal Darkness at least deserves a runner-up mention. As well from the usual life and magic meters seen in many games, you are given a sanity meter that slowly depletes and causes your character to have surreal hallucinations. At one point, your head falls off and quotes Shakespeare to you. Still, great article.
February 23rd, 2009 at 9:28 am
God bless you, Swaim.
February 23rd, 2009 at 9:28 am
“You’re crazy if you think that Rez doesn’t belong on this list.”
Yeah was expecting Rez to be number 1 for sure
February 23rd, 2009 at 9:19 am
DAMN RIGHT he’s missing Killer7. PLAY IT SWAIM.
February 23rd, 2009 at 9:07 am
I was expecting Mass Effect to be on the list. Kinda wish it were there, but I can understand each of these choices. Kudos.
February 23rd, 2009 at 9:01 am
Very true all, I remember Messiah coming out, and being the only one I know to see the awesomeness in a baby angel posessing shit.
I also agree with Thief being among the runners-up.
All in all, I’m going to get some of these games. Looks awesome.
February 23rd, 2009 at 9:00 am
but the pie is delicious!
February 23rd, 2009 at 8:59 am
You’re crazy if you think that Rez doesn’t belong on this list.
February 23rd, 2009 at 8:58 am
Dude, you forgot Killer7 and No More Heroes.
February 23rd, 2009 at 8:57 am
I must say Heart of Darkness looks a lot like Another World, in the gameplay. The video quality is much better, but since you have a game of the type in the list, Another World should be mentioned.
February 23rd, 2009 at 8:38 am
I probably would have gone with Ocarina of Time, because as a story, it’s essentially THE story of an ordinary kid becoming something more for love, the world, and everything in between
February 23rd, 2009 at 8:31 am
When I saw Grim Fandango, the first thought to enter my mind was that Psychonauts should be on the list. Cue enthusiastic fist-pumping upon reading #1.
February 23rd, 2009 at 8:27 am
Good article. Always enjoy a Swaim addition to my day.
No matter what you put on a top 10 or top whatever list, someone will always think you missed something, left out what they think should have obviously been on the list and wasn’t.
How about you just appreciate the cometary on what IS included in the article and shut the fuck up.
February 23rd, 2009 at 8:15 am
zombieaim: “The Half-Life series should be on here. I call bullshit.”
Swaim on Portal: “The World: The same one as Half-Life[...]”
Portal works as a stand alone game, and is a different gaming experience, but is also an extension and addition to the Half-Life series. It has elements of the same story and is accepted as part of the H-L pantheon.
Half-Life was well represented with the inclusion of Portal.
February 23rd, 2009 at 8:15 am
Eternal Darkness?
February 23rd, 2009 at 8:14 am
Another good one would be the Tone Rebellion
February 23rd, 2009 at 8:02 am
One word, Swaim: Contra. Without that, I don’t see how you can call your little list complete. I also note, to my dismay, that you neglected Super Breakout and Space Invaders.
February 23rd, 2009 at 8:01 am
All good choices, Swaim!
Honorable Mention: Beyond Good and Evil. It is a true joy to interact with the environment in that one. The ocean, in particular, nailed the beauty of nature.
It helps that the gameplay is awesome an unique as well.
February 23rd, 2009 at 7:59 am
Where is spore? :s
February 23rd, 2009 at 7:57 am
zelda: windwaker
most definately
February 23rd, 2009 at 7:47 am
The Half-Life series should be on here. I call bullshit.
February 23rd, 2009 at 7:46 am
Awesome article. I’m glad some people have mentioned Killer7. The second boss is two japanese buisenessmen with burst-open heads who shoot their brains at you and enemies include gigantic rolling oranges that explode when they get near.
Also, there’s a part where a women gets her back blown off. Seriously.
February 23rd, 2009 at 7:45 am
Grim Fandango was one of the few games I’ve actually beaten. Tons of fun. Katamari Damacy is awesome too. I’ve never played the others.
February 23rd, 2009 at 7:27 am
I was gonna complain about the missing Mirror’s Edge and Okami, but they were mentioned in the end. Really awesome list.
February 23rd, 2009 at 7:19 am
Kings Quest, Ha!
February 23rd, 2009 at 7:12 am
Made my Day - Seriously.
Loved The Dig
Loved Grim Fandango
Loved Sacrifice
Loved Heart of Darkness (though hated it sometimes
Loved Fallout 1&2 (dont know about 3 as I cannot afford the machine to have it running)
But I agree - Outcast is missing.
BTW: Shiny is out of business? Or arent they?
February 23rd, 2009 at 6:57 am
As I was reading through the article, the first, and only, game coming to mind was Grim Fandango. Applaudable that you put it into the top three. I would have forgiven not putting Monkey Island on the list, as it has less artistic merit and is just so much of a classic that that would make it into art in my eyes. However, leaving Grim Fandango out would have had me bitching loudly.
I remember playing through this the first time and then, instantly, playing through it again with my father, just because it’s so awesome. The story alone makes it great to re-play, which is basically impossible for a pure puzzle-adventure.
February 23rd, 2009 at 6:53 am
Anyone ever play the Myst and Riven series? I thought those games were incredibly beautiful in terms of art design and pretty engaging in story … if hard to figure out along with the puzzles. I liked em.
February 23rd, 2009 at 6:46 am
Oddworld should rank higher by at least one unit.
February 23rd, 2009 at 6:37 am
1 word. Okami. Most beautiful game ever made, intended to look like a Japanese painting even using a filter to make it look more like moving art on paper. I’m really surprised it’s not on this list.
February 23rd, 2009 at 6:31 am
I would like to mention a fantastic game that no one played: Breakdown. It’s not terribly forgiving (clunky controls) but the story and presentation is superior to most critically acclaimed films. Breakdown is The Matrix of video games to me.
February 23rd, 2009 at 6:28 am
Ok,I’m sorry.I didn’t look at the runners up list,but still…
February 23rd, 2009 at 6:26 am
What about Outcast? that game is a living breating painting if I ever saw one.
February 23rd, 2009 at 6:24 am
@ max k
Portal isnt old
February 23rd, 2009 at 6:24 am
Okami is not here? For fuck’s sake,you better fix this bullshit catastrophe Mr. Swaim.
February 23rd, 2009 at 6:19 am
Good article - and a remarkably good selection of games!
To chip on the obligatory ‘left out’ game, I’ll go with Cicciput and put down Pathologic - twisted storyline, amazingly immersive atmosphere and scars for the rest of your life. The follow-up game from the same studio, Tension, is even more worthy of the list, but since it’s only out in Russian so far, I can hardly fault you there.
February 23rd, 2009 at 6:15 am
what pisses me off is that all of the games (with the exception of fallout 3) are all old. thats not an insult, they’re all great! I think its just proof how lowbrow games are becoming.
February 23rd, 2009 at 6:12 am
You forgot Dwarf Fortress.
February 23rd, 2009 at 6:11 am
I always smile when people give Grim Fandango the respect it deserves.
Not just the amazingly designed Land of The Dead, or the really cool premise but some genuine, old-school LucasArts adventure game humour.
Kudos Swaim, kudos indeed.
February 23rd, 2009 at 6:10 am
Hmm Planescape: torment at least deserves to get a metion.
February 23rd, 2009 at 6:01 am
I’ve got to agree with Matt. I think Bioshock falls in the same vain as Fallout, depicting the wholesome joys of 1950’s America gone horrribly, horribly wrong. It does an excellent job of questioning the morality and faults of humanity, and is beautiful to play.
Also, you can kill people with bees. BEES.
February 23rd, 2009 at 5:53 am
and everyone who’s suggesting some deserving games were left off the list, quit whining. i’m pretty sure since swaim is a Scientist With An Iq in the Millions, he knows what he’s talking about.
February 23rd, 2009 at 5:51 am
gotta say bioshock should definitely been in there (morality, unique story and andrew fuking ryan)
February 23rd, 2009 at 5:48 am
Great list. Only thing I’d change:
Out of This World/ Another World should be on this list, with Heart of Darkness. It’s the original game Heart of the Alien was a sequel to, and another game Eric Chahi (Heart of Darkness) worked on.
February 23rd, 2009 at 5:48 am
Hey, you forgot about America’s Mc’Gees Alice :D. Menu itself deserves to be on this list
February 23rd, 2009 at 5:45 am
I thought Okami would make the list. D: The art was amazing.
February 23rd, 2009 at 5:44 am
holy shit, i sacrifice was awesome. i remember playing that when i was in high school, although to be honest, my only specific memory was of my friend constantly assembling armies of flying creatures and worryingly referring to them as the luftwaffe. as for the rest, i’m going to accuse swaim of putting 9 at number 9 just because they’re essentially the same number.
February 23rd, 2009 at 5:44 am
No Metal Gear?? Nobody has a more artistically convoluted storyline than Snake!
February 23rd, 2009 at 5:24 am
Wow, I’m not familiar with Killer7, and I wonder why. Looking it up.
February 23rd, 2009 at 5:22 am
Excellent Article. Grim Fandango is on of my all-time favorite games.
February 23rd, 2009 at 5:21 am
I’m going to throw my hat into the ring for Killer7 and Eternal Darkness.
A great list, though, even in light of those glaring omissions.
February 23rd, 2009 at 5:08 am
Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem. Being on a console nobody played shouldn’t put it out of the running…
February 23rd, 2009 at 5:06 am
Intriguing list! I’ve only played a few and some of them I’ve never even heard of. Maybe you could mention what systems they are on? I know Wikipedia exists, but still…
OH, and if you are a Katamari fan, that same guy just made a new PS3 game called Noby Noby BOY. It costs $5 and it is weird as fuck.
February 23rd, 2009 at 5:06 am
How come Bioshock is not on that list? That game was visually amazing! No game compares to it, even today.
February 23rd, 2009 at 5:00 am
Bioshock: A celebration of Objectivism that became an uintentional parody of the cult.
I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream: A perfect combination of various Harlan Ellison Stories, a variety of dark themes, some nice irony and an expansion of the namesake story.
Super Mario Galaxy: Beautiful abstractionism, surreal yet consistent physics, a wide variety of expansive, imaginative worlds and great gameplay.
Freedom Force: A more original and entertainig version of a classic comic than anything by that hack plagiarist, Roy Lichtenstein.
Metroid and Metroid Prime: Created wondrous worlds, showed that gaming did not have to be rigid or linear, mixed genres to create excellent results.
Warren Spector, having defied genres and given players absolute freedom in games such as Deus Ex, Thief, System Shock and Ultima 7, deserves to be considered an artist.
February 23rd, 2009 at 4:57 am
braid, you forgot braid!
February 23rd, 2009 at 4:53 am
umm sorry but im pretty sure swaim (the man btw) said “Let the rabid argument begin!” haha
February 23rd, 2009 at 4:49 am
Ever played “Echochrome”? It’s pretty good. And it does have an artistic feel to the whole thing.
February 23rd, 2009 at 4:46 am
I’ve never commented on this site before, but I had to now.
Swaim, you’re a hilarious guy, but this post really proves you are an incredibly smart person. This list couldn’t have been more finely constructed, and I agree with it fully.
The tragic truth is none of these games, save the most recent Fallout 3 and Portal, were successful. I hope one day this will change.
February 23rd, 2009 at 4:45 am
Nice article. Must check out psychonauty!!
February 23rd, 2009 at 4:43 am
Which one is it? Katamari Damacy or Katamary Damaci?
February 23rd, 2009 at 4:39 am
Psychonauts- you’re goddamn right. As soon as I saw this list, I thought “If Psychonauts isn’t in the top three I’m going to shoot a motherfucker.” Your kneecaps are safe for now, Swaim.
February 23rd, 2009 at 4:39 am
Argh, if all you geek ass bastards got into it, I’ll add my two cents. Arcanum of Steamworks and Magik. It’s about a classic fantasy world that’s going through an industrial revolution, it has a great story, great gameplay, with an extensive system for creating weapons (like you do in Fallout3 only there are more items you can make than you can shake a stick at) and a lot of attention to details. It runs on the same game engine as Fallout 2 and if you like good RPG games, you should find this gem and play it. Basically it’s Fallout 2, if Fallout 2 was set in a fantasy universe.
February 23rd, 2009 at 4:38 am
Thumbs up on most of these. Although I have to wonder why Okami’s not on here for the Celestial Brush.
February 23rd, 2009 at 4:33 am
Baron Fel Says:
You are short a Killer7, good sir.
and silent hill 2
February 23rd, 2009 at 4:29 am
Serious lack of Grasshopper’s games. No Killer7?
February 23rd, 2009 at 4:26 am
I’m glad you have so many pieces up on the site Swaim. You really are a funny and interesting guy.
February 23rd, 2009 at 4:22 am
Pathologic should be here. Very little fun, unless you like the shadow of purposeless death hanging over you every minute, but it can give nightmares and inspire essays to any beret-and-tweed lit student you throw it at.
February 23rd, 2009 at 4:12 am
lol
February 23rd, 2009 at 4:01 am
First.
My proudest moment.
February 23rd, 2009 at 3:54 am
You are short a Killer7, good sir.
February 23rd, 2009 at 3:51 am
This was a triumph.
I’m making a note here… HUGE SUCCESS.