Top 10 Lists: The Top 10 Artistic Video Games

While it's definitely true that video games have a long way to go before they can be seriously considered art by the public, here I have listed the games that I think are heading the medium in the correct direction to be considered true art. Some games were picked because of strong visuals or stylized aesthetic qualities, while some others were picked because of their strong story.

Adventure is a game that can only be considered art now that many years have gone by. It's awful graphics (by todays standards) can now be considered quite intriguing. Here we have a mighty warrior, reduced to one monochromatic square. It takes the entire symbology of the fantasy genre and reduces it down to its simplest incarnation. To take something and call it something else is a very bold move, and Adventure does that quite nicely.

Despite the visually interesting yet plot-deficient film out, this chapter in the Silent Hill franchise proves to be very interesting, from both a visual standpoint and a storytelling standpoint. Upon first glance, this game would seem like your typical survival-horror story. Closer analysis reveals that each grotesque creature represents some aspect of the main character's mind. The plot starts off light, then gets deeper and deeper as you progress. Visually, the game is quite shocking. Some examples include hideous creatures, decaying environments, and ominous fog. This game does many things well artistically.

I'll be blunt. I only included this game for the last portion of the game. People who have played the game know which part I'm talking about...and I'm sure a good chunk of them hate that part. Sure the story is pretty good up until that point, but it's nothing special from a critical artistic viewpoint. However, once you reach a certain point in the game, the plot shifts, and things become chaotic and quite interesting. I won't spoil anything, but let's just say that you get quite a few interesting codec calls while running around naked. It's breaks the fourth wall of video games in an way that has never been done before. It is especially intriguing because it comes without warning, when you think that you've figured out which way the story will head.

Oh my, this game is a nuclear bomb of visual style. The story goes that the King Of All Cosmos has destroyed all the stars in the sky, and he sends his tiny son down to Earth to make new stars. He does this by rolling junk up in a ball called a Katamari. This game is incredibly bizarre, in which every object is very cube-like and simple. One might think this is to compensate for all the objects present on the screen at any given time, but if you watch the cutscenes, the people are cube-like in them as well. With this strong style and quirky sense of humor, this games excels. On top of all this, the gameplay has such a simple elegance. It's great.

This game takes storytelling in video games to a whole new level. You play as Lucas Kane, who seems to lose control of himself for a moment and kills an innocent man. Throughout the rest of the game you're trying to figure out why you did that, and avoid the cops along the way. However, you ALSO play as the cops, collecting evidence and trying to catch Lucas. It's an interesting dynamic, because while you're playing as Lucas, you're trying not to be caught, and while you're playing as the cops, you're trying hard to catch him. The game play is loosely in the style of those old point-and-click adventure games, with more focus on conversations. You decide what your character says and when. It's more of an interactive movie rather than a video game. Unfortunately, the game is marred by the last few hours of gameplay, where the story switches from an elegant murder-mystery to a convoluted science fiction blunder. Nevertheless, this game is a turning point for video games, and I hope more follow in this new path.

Earthbound is an excellent example of postmodernism in video games. It's an RPG with a cheesy science-fiction story, however, the game is rich with wit and quirky humour. Additionally, while the game has a visual style that fits it perfectly in all cases, several settings are especially rich aesthetically. I'm mainly talking about Moonside and Magicant. In these places, you could practically take a screenshot anywhere and put it up in a gallery. I'd say the same thing applies to the final boss fight. It's stunning. Earthbound's a game you have to play to "get."

You really only have to play Killer7 for a few seconds to realize just how stylistic it is. I honestly don't think you could cram more style into a game. Instead of describing each aspect in detail and taking up pages and pages of text, I'll just list everything that I found stylistically interesting: Cel-Shaded animation, on-rails style gameplay, maniacal laughing enemies, the blood-explosion when you defeat enemies and/or change characters, stunning backgrounds, multiple personalities, use of television, distorted voices, Travis on a stairmaster..the list goes on. Add an interesting plot on top of all this and you've got a winner.

Half-Life 2 is a game that takes great storytelling and seemlessly incorporates it into the gameplay. On top of that, it's simply gorgeous. The plot is essentially George Orwell's "1984", with aliens instead of the Party. It also has homages to H.G. Wells' "War of the Worlds", Robert A. Heinlein's "Starship Troopers", and whichever zombie story you like. It's a beautiful mosiac of classic science fiction stories. City 17, the game's setting, is a stunning depiction of an overthrown human race. The game is brilliant.

This game is simply beautiful. There's really not much else to say. You're alone with your horse in a vast and empty land with nothing to do but hunt down and kill the 16 colossi that are hidden away. Everything about this game is beautiful, from the land, to the temple, to your horse...but it is the colossi that are particularly breathtaking. Each one is enormous, and crafted like a sculpture. The story in this game is minimalistic, yet still very intriguing. Speculation on the more subtle plot points continues each day. The game is tied together by a strong theme of insignificance, which is played up by the astronomical size of the beasts, and the vast emptiness of the land. Truly excellent.

Like Shadow of the Colossus, this game was chosen mostly for it stunning visuals. It's no coincidence that they were both made by the same team, under the direction of Fumito Ueda. You play as Ico, who has been abandoned in a huge castle, with seemingly no way out. Along the way you meet the serene and silent Yorda, whom you must guide through the puzzles, along with youself. Like Shadow of the Colossus, the setting is simply gorgeous. Practically any screenshot of this game could be called a work of art. There's a desperate feeling of isolation, as the castle is mainly deserted, save for a few shadowy creatures that try to steal Yorda away from you every now and again. ICO is a majestic game that truly is the most artistic game made to date.

Most of the games here are "new," that is, they were release in the last five years or so. This isn't a coincidence, and it isn't because I'm not an "old school" gamer (I am one, actually). It's because early on in the video game industry, games were made simply for the fun of them. Only recently have we started asking for something more intellectual and artistic. The definition of "art" is shaky at best. It's uncertain whether or not one could properly call video games art at this point in time. Nevertheless, I am fully confident that soon we will definitely be able to do so, and these games will be considered landmarks in this revolution.

List by Goodbye Galaxy (05/30/2006)