Linear single player games don't come out as much as I would like. There is a perception of them not being as good as open world games due to lack of value and limited freedom. I would wager they are better than open world games most of the times because the devs can handicraft every enemy encounter and every level to be the best. They can't rely on repetitive missions and fetch quests like open worlds that recycle a lot of their content. Some of my favourite games are linear.

A linear game is one where you follow a defined path. God of War is wide linear because it allows you to move at your will and has side quests that take different paths from the story but there is a defined direction to the story as a package. Same with Batman: Arkham Asylum.

A narrow linear game is like God of War 3. It has a defined way through the game and you can't go in your direction as you will, as the areas transition from one to the next with no room to spare.It is my favourite narrow linear game and a great showcase of what a narrow linear game can achieve. It has excellent pacing, every combat encounter feels good and the puzzles are awesome. It is an amazing game because it has some of the best close quarter combat I've seen in games, the bosses are awesome, the areas are atmospheric and the soundtrack is fitting.

Half-Life 2, Portal 2.

Super Mario Bros 3

Half-Life 2.

Portal 2, Bayonnetta 2. Cod 4.

Tetris.

Half-Life 2

silent hill 2 and resident evil 4

did i do it right ?

Most older games are pretty linear, the options are nearly unlimited: Chrono Trigger for example is quite linear.

Not sure if RE4 is linear enough to count. Especially in the first few chapters there's a lot of open areas and backtracking.

It's tough to think of games that are that linear that aren't 2d.