Filmmakers sometimes claim to be gamers, but director Guillermo del Toro of Pan's Labyrinth and Hellboy fame has been dropping references to back up his hardcore street cred.

The director, who sharpened his teeth on Pong and Atari, commented on Grand Theft Auto IV's "beautiful" engine and said he was impressed with Medal of Honor: Airborne, Call of Duty 4 and Army of Two.

But in an Edge magazine interview he added, "There are only two games I consider masterpieces: Ico and Shadow of the Colossus."

Both titles are for PlayStation 2 and come from Sony Computer Entertainment Japan's Team Ico. 2001's Ico and 2005's Shadow of the Colossus are revered amongst gamers for their immersive environments and effective storytelling techniques.

Team Ico is also currently at work on an unnamed PS3 game.

del Toro is no slouch in the "masterpiece" department either. 2006's Pan's Labyrinth gathered accolades across the board from critics, as well as six Academy Awards.

This year's Hellboy II also benefitted from del Toro's unique vision.

The director also worked on Konami's Hellboy: The Science of Evil, which received subpar reviews from critics.

Nevertheless, he said he "enjoyed" working with Konami on the project. "It wasn’t a high-end, expensive game, but I’m very happy," he stated.

While not categorized by del Toro as "masterpieces," he commented on other games: "I absolutely loved BioShock. I loved the world, the design, the lighting, the beautiful art direction and cinematography. I’m a fan of Silent Hill, Resident Evil and Devil May Cry. I love them all. The first Silent Hill was so beautiful, almost like a Lynch, Polanski or Romero type of horror experience."

Much more from del Toro regarding games, film and direction can be read here.