I'm curious what you guys have to say about this. Are there any games you consider perfect? Can a game even be perfect?
My example of a perfect game is always Portal 1. Portal 2 has more going on, but in 1 there just isn't anything to shave off. From start to end, there is nothing I'd change about the game. It's short, infinitely replayable, great pacing. I like Portal 2 a lot in concept, in concept it should be a perfect sequel, but it just doesn't keep the extreme tightness of the original game.
Kingdom Hearts 2 Critical Mode is perfection and I haven't played anything since then that scratches that same combat itch. You take more damage, but dish out a lot too. The Org XIII fights are amazing and you have to use everything in Sora's toolkit to beat them. It's not just a button masher like the regular difficulty is.
Only other games with the same "more damage all around" difficulty I can recall is the Metro series with Ranger Mode. Obviously that's an entire different genre though lol.