Games that are perfect examples of great design?

[BanjoPickles]

A perfect example would be the original Super Mario Brothers! Before the end of the first level, you’re gradually taught nearly everything that the rest of the game will throw at you. You learn that mushrooms make you big, give you the ability to break blocks, and effectively give you an extra hit point; fire flowers give you an extra bit of offense; hidden blocks provide extra lives, etc.

[C64_Critic]

Unreal Tournament (Original 1999 version for PC) - Pretty much every element of the game is perfect. Great level design in all of its game modes. All the weapons are fantastic. The game has a great look. The techno music is fantastic. The single player mode is great with the best bots ever in a FPS. The menu is great to navigate. The flow of the combat is probably the best of any shooter. It was one of the first FPSs to have a built in server finder, that still works to this day, and as a result, people are still playing it. There really isn't a flaw to the game. And on top of that, the game was easy to mod, and there are thousands of mods - levels to download for it.

I second this! Great call, I wouldn't have even thought of it on my own I don't think, but you're absolutely right - the original Unreal Tournament did everything 100% correct.
Also - the original Half Life, and X-COM: UFO Defense are great examples of nearly perfect game design.

[Zack Burner]

When I think of games that are of great design I think of a bunch

Final Fantasy VII - (my favorite VG of all-time!) All the many places and towns for an alternate vision of our own world thrown in with the ragtag group of misfits Cloud leads in their battle against Shinra and Sephiroth.

Earthbound - a hodgepodge parody of America and the world itself with little quirks thrown in for good measure

Donkey Kong Country - (another favorite of mine!) - The lush tropical jungle atmosphere never felt so colorful, even holds up today!

Super Mario Kart - (yet another favorite) - All the racing environments lifted straight out of Super Mario World which I also like full of life.

Legend of Zelda, A link to the Past - the overhead imaginative double worlds, and well designed dungeons keep me coming back

Resident Evil 2 - dark grungy horror atmosphere always keeps me on my toes at all times.

Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus - While the 2nd is better, the first is the most famous with it's well-designed colorful places to sneak around, collect, and battle the criminals.

[Retrology]

Star Fox 64 is another example of phenomenal game design. Even though it's 22 years old and the controls can be pretty complex at times (like for slowing down your R-wing, speeding up, and doing a somersault), it plays and feels timeless. Since it's a rail shooter you don't have to mess with the camera at all, and killing enemies and racking up points is addicting enough.

But even then the game goes out of its way to add a boatload of nice subtle touches, like the many alternate paths you can take, hidden areas to find, getting higher scores for destroying multiple enemies at the same time, getting medals that unlock unique goodies in multiplayer, and the unintentionally hilarious voice acting. This game is highly appealing because of how much thought was put into the level design. It has the perfect dose of arcade action with just the right amount of challenge, and you're bound to discover something new each time you play it so the replay value is sensational.

This honestly might be my favorite N64 game of all time. It set the standard for how good rail shooters/space shooters could be, and few games in my mind are this much fun.