Gaming Favourite Elements of Games

[Redemption]

[size=1]As a future game designer, I was wondering what makes you play a game. It is the graphics? The storyline? What kind of game it is? Because your friends play it? A combination of these elements?

Personally, it's the type of game it is and the storyline. The two are usually intertwined with each other since I love RPG games. Games like .hack and the Final Fantasy series are the games I usually go for. There are exceptions though. I like the Need for Speed series, especially Underground 2 and Most Wanted.

However, I can say that the graphics in Final Fantasy X and X-2 - the movie graphics - definitely helped me choose the games.

So, I pose the question to you guys.

PS. Charles/Bombu, I tried to find a thread like this one, but I couldn't find any. Sorry if I've repeated.[/size]

[Charles]

[quote name='Dare][size=1'] Charles/Bombu, I tried to find a thread like this one, but I couldn't find any. Sorry if I've repeated.[/size][/quote]

Hey, no worries; this is a good topic and we haven't done anything like this in a while. This is exactly what we want to see. Good stuff!

As for the question, I've always been somewhat of a graphics whore. I won't lie, visuals, whether technically pleasing or artistically stimulating, have always been a driving force behind my purchases. That's not to say I won't give modest-looking games a chance (I simply adore the Katamari series and Pac Man remains one of my favorites of all-time).

Now, my tastes are changing a bit and I find it more and more difficult to be impressed with visuals. That's why I'm so open to the innovation philosophy Nintendo is going with. They're really right on the money with their philosophy. I mean, a cooking game is actually being made for the Wii; that's a genre I've wanted to see for a while. I even made a thread expressing my ideas for a cooking game a while back. Awesome! Other interesting concepts, such as being a lawyer in Phoenix Wright and performing surgery in Trauma Center are equally appealing.

So, yeah, I'm just looking for games that are quick and easy to get into and that also bring something new to the table. Things like art and story still occupy a big part of my interests, but a lot of the games I've seen this generation are exactly like what I've been playing for years--only better-looking. There are some major exceptions, and traditional games are still cool if executed well, but I'm definitely ready for new outside-the-box approaches.

[Redemption]

[quote name='Charles']Hey, no worries; this is a good topic and we haven't done anything like this in a while. This is exactly what we want to see. Good stuff![/quote]

[size=1]Heh. Thanks. I love your banner and avi too. I don't know why people take it so offensively. I'm a feminist, but I don't feel it's suggestive. Must be Aussie humour.[/size]

[QUOTE=Charles]Now, my tastes are changing a bit and I find it more and more difficult to be impressed with visuals. That's why I'm so open to the innovation philosophy Nintendo is going with. They're really right on the money with their philosophy. I mean, a cooking game is actually being made for the Wii; that's a genre I've wanted to see for a while. I even made a thread expressing my ideas for a cooking game a while back. Awesome! Other interesting concepts, such as being a lawyer in Phoenix Wright and performing surgery in Trauma Center are equally appealing.

So, yeah, I'm just looking for games that are quick and easy to get into and that also bring something new to the table. Things like art and story still occupy a big part of my interests, but a lot of the games I've seen this generation are exactly like what I've been playing for years--only better-looking. There are some major exceptions, and traditional games are still cool if executed well, but I'm definitely ready for new outside-the-box approaches.[/QUOTE]

[size=1]That seems to be the trend in most media outlets lately. Movies such as [b]V for Vendetta[/b] and [b]Aeon Flux[/b] and the trend lately with RPGs in this site. The traditional genres don't seem to be attracting a lot of people anymore. Hmm... Maybe it's a good sign that we want games/movies/RPGs that make us think.[/size]

[PaganAngel]

Time to get all materialistic 'n' superficial on ya'll and say my favorites are the graphics and the music.

Graphics- because if you're going to be staring at the same character running with his back turned to you for 40 hours, why not make it a pretty character? I've pretty much spoiled myself in this area. After playing Final Fantasy X for a few years, I decided to give VII a shot after a lot of reccommendations. Even though I know it was state-of-the-art back then, it gave me a headache to play. ARGH! BLASPHEMY! I have spoken ill of the greatest game ever made! *disinfects self with Lysol*

Music- if a game's music sucks, I won't play it, simple as that. I could always hit mute and keep playing, but that's like rewarding the producers for laziness. I don't know how many times, playing FFX, that I screamed at the TV in the Cloister of Trials because the music in there ticked me off that bad. Seriously, whose decision was it to have such irritating music in the most annoying point in the game?

Storyline's also big for me depending on the genre of the game. In a game like, let's say, the Need for Speed series, story's not crucial because you can just go drive. But in an RPG it has to be epic. If it can't make me cry at the end, it wasn't worth playing. If there's not 70,000 fanfiction pieces based on it, it's not worth playing. Yeah. I live in a self-obsessed bubble, I know.

[2010DigitalBoy]

For the most part, I love a good story. A game with a great story is instantly cool, although these are becoming increadibly rare.

When it comes to an action game, it all depends on how fun it is to tear something to shreds in the most flashy way. Games like DMC and Onimusha where there is a lot of skill involved or God of War where you beat the shapoopy outta stuff are fun.

Also, I like games which are just plain cool. To be precise, games with cinema-like quality, but not regular cinema, I mean cool cinema. Like kill bill or Eva. The first games which come to mind are MGS and ZOE.

[Burori]

[QUOTE=Charles]Other interesting concepts, such as being a lawyer in Phoenix Wright and performing surgery in Trauma Center are equally appealing.
[/QUOTE]

OBJECTION!!!

As for me there are only two elements that really hook me into a videogame. Game play and Music.
The reasons why I am morally hooked on final fantasy is because of the two principles in my honest opinion.

Let's start with gameplay. Let's say you find a game that has awesome graphics, music, and story but lacks terribly in gameplay. It really depends on the person if the game is perfect or not but to me if it lacks gameplay it lacks that spot on my shelf. Like take Jaws Unleashed for example. Amazing game really it is. I loved the music and to play as jaws himself but I found myself fighting with the camera so many times I myself wanted to the tv.

Second the music. I love the FF series mainly for the music overall and the man responcible for it is none other then the Legendary Nobuo Uematsu whom I am sad to learn is not doing FF 13 however from what I heard is making up for it with Super Smash Bros Brawl which is the only reason why I'd buy that game that and because I enjoy those series.

[Sandy]

[quote name='Tical']For the most part, I love a good story. A game with a great story is instantly cool, although these are becoming increadibly rare.[/quote]

I agree with this. I play almost solely Japanese RPGs because in my opinion they tell the best stories. Sure, some of them maybe clichéd nowadays, but there are still many great and original plots featured in games.

I've heard people say that if I want a good story, I should buy a book. Well, I read books as well, mostly from the fantasy genre, but as spellbinding reading is, they lack the dimension of interactivity.

That's where my concept of a good gameplay comes into the scene. I don't need an challenging battle system - in fact I'm easily frustrated if things get too difficult and I can't move on with the story - but I do love customizing my characters and fighting with them and experiencing stuff with them.

In my opinion the best RPGs feature multiple endings that are affected by how well you do in the game. This makes me feel as if I've affected the characters' destinies somehow, as if I'm involved with the story.

Feels kind of silly when put this way, but for me interactivity is the best element in videogames. Books, movies, tv - they all make you passive. Videogames might make you look passive to the outside, but inside you are bursting with activity.

[John]

I love games with unique gameplay. It doesn't have to be totally original, but anything with a unique spin on it can get my attention. That and expansive, open-ended levels. Both of these things have put Deus Ex and Hitman high on my favorites list, despite them both being otherwise relatively ordinary shooters.

Graphics don't generally matter to me at all, oddly. I do appreciate a very pretty game, but I'll play an ugly (and not just technologically inferior, but genuinely ugly) game as soon as a beautiful one if they both have good gameplay.

[Redemption]

[size=1]A nice variety of opinions around. Good good.

Seems like the storyline and graphics are major players in you guys choosing a game. Sound/music and gameplay is coming in a close second.

It's harder and harder these days to come up with original storylines with the copyright laws and such (as well as not being cliched). I'm always afraid that I'll get myself into trouble because I've written a script/plot that is similiar to someone else's without me knowing about it.

As for gameplay, I haven't had much experience with making games, but I know from observation that it takes a lot of work. And a game with multiple ending must have extremely complex code. @.@ I'm getting dizzy just thinking about it.[/size]

[Horendithas]

[COLOR=Sienna]Although I do enjoy good graphics I?ll pick a game with less flashy graphics if it has a better storyline and interaction with the other characters. Although I enjoy good visuals, it kind of ruins it if there isn?t much of a plot or ability for your character to react with other characters. Take Crystal Chronicles. It has beautiful visuals, but it bored me to death within a very short time.

I?m also very picky about game play. I have no patience for games that require precise execution of a series of buttons to complete a move. Legend of Dragoon comes to mind. I enjoyed the game, but the special moves annoyed me to no end. I know others love that kind of stuff, but I wish more games would give you the option to just use the technique without the hold this, press this and so forth. Yeah I?m lazy, but sometimes I enjoy it and when I don?t, well all the game does is sit on my shelf for months without getting used.

Music is pretty important to me as well. I like games that have a variety of music instead of listening to the same few clips throughout the entire game. I get sucked into various Star Wars computer games for the simple reason that I enjoy the diversity in the music since they usually use music straight from the movies. That and I love Darth Vader?s theme. Anyway, one thing I?d love to see, and perhaps it?s already available, but games like Need for Speed or Burnout would be more fun if they had more than a handful of songs to choose from. I rarely unlock all the features or cars as about half-way through I get tired of the repetitive music and later when I?m not tired of it, well I?ve lost my edge and don?t want to spend the time to get it back again. [/COLOR]

[Tsume]

I think when trying to decide on what factors of a game you?re going to focus on, you need to sit back and determine your audience.

If you are going with an RPG than a good story is a must have. Action/adventure is mostly gameplay. Racing games then you?re looking at graphics and so on. Just try and figure out what type of genre and then look at your audience. Of course there are always exceptions to this rule.

In my personal opinion, I think that gameplay is the most important of the bunch. If you look at games on the NES (Super Mario Bros, Metriod, Legend of Zelda) these games can still be played today because they are so much fun due to the great gameplay. If I?m not having fun then I don?t want to play it no matter how nice it looks.

My general top 5 would be:

1. Gameplay
2. Story
3. Music/Voice Acting
4. Originality
5. Graphics

This may be in a different order for others, but if your game succeeds in these 5 categories then your game wins. :D

[Jokopoko]

[color=teal][size=1]I've always been a stickler for good gameplay first. Even thought there is a huge graphical difference between, say, the N64 incarnations of Mario and Zelda they're still as good and as playable as their NGC counterparts. If the controls are easy to learn I'm going to pick it up quickly and it'll become fun,, for example I'd never played a Tony Hawks game before and after a few hours on Tony Hawks Undergroup 2 I was quite a dab hand at it.

Graphics are also important to me and I like games that have their own style. Like TWW, Ultimate Spider-Man, Killer7 and a few other games besides. Maybe it's just because I love cel-shaped graphics, and it works best with Ultimate Spider-Man because of the whole comic book feel to it.

Music also plays an important part. The music in TWW is amazing and sometimes I just leave the start up menu running because I love the music so, I also just randomly play the Wind Waker it's self. Earth God's Lyric and Wind God's Aria are brilliant tunes.

Obviously I'm obsessed with The Wind Waker right now so I'll be back soon...[/size][/color]

[Ikillion]

[COLOR=#af992f][SIZE=1][FONT=Comic Sans MS]Ah, for me I won't be to pick when it comes to games, there tends to be only two major things that I like to look for in games.

Gameplay is one of them, I tend to like a game when I can be able to fight through mobs of enemies at a time one second, then the next second I must use my skills and such to be able to solve puzzles, Kinda like with the Zelda series and God of War. As far as first person shooters go, I have to say that one of my favorite must go to the Ratchet and Clank series, It could have been the zany weapons that they had but I really loved it when you killed a certain number of enemies and your guns' would upgrade.

The last one would be music, this is an odd catergory for me since I really don't tend to listen to music to much, but the kind I do listen to tends to come from videogames. For some reason I like to listen to music that has a slight techno ring to it in games that are set in the future, to me it just seems that they all just fit in well. To me it just feels important to have music that seems like it would blend in well with the time period. For example one wouldn't expect to see classical music in a game that took place in the future, yet some are able to pull it off rather well.[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]

[BlueYoshi]

[quote name='John']I love games with unique gameplay. It doesn't have to be totally original, but anything with a unique spin on it can get my attention. That and expansive, open-ended levels. Both of these things have put Deus Ex and Hitman high on my favorites list, despite them both being otherwise relatively ordinary shooters.[/quote]

[color=darkred]Yeah, same here. Gameplay is what mostly drives me into playing a game, regardless of its graphics or storyline, because it's essentially what makes a game playable. If you compare the line of Hitman games, they each look similar in terms of graphics, with the exception of Contracts, but I've found that they've all drastically improved in gameplay. For example, Hitman Blood Money provides you with many ways of taking out enemies, even though they're somewhat conventional, with my favourite being the fibre wire choke from the elevator shaft -- an inter-textual reference to the movie Leon, which is cool.

Like many others, I totally dig RPGs, but I never expect there to be some earth shattering story line that twists and turns, as in many cases, there aren't really many directions in which the story can follow, thus producing the massive amount of RPG cliches we all know of (though Tales of Symphonia threw me when [spoiler]I found out that Kratos was Llyod's father[/spoiler]). I'd much prefer it if the producers put more time and thought into making a fun and innovative battle system.[/color]

[Sandy]

[quote name='Bombu][color=darkred](though Tales of Symphonia threw me when [spoiler]I found out that Kratos was Llyod's father[/spoiler']).[/color][/quote]

I haven't played the game, but I've read a humorous recap of it at [url=http://www.videogamerecaps.com]videogamerecaps.com[/url], and I was amazed by this twist as well - especially since [spoiler]the two characters seem to have only 11 years between their ages.[/spoiler] XP

But to me a great story isn't all about unbelievable twists and out-of-the-blue revelations, it's also about focusing on each party member (and some of the most important NPCs as well) and giving them detailed history and a distincted personality. To me, the little things in the story mean more than big things - although it's nice to have a few shocks during a game.

[Redemption]

[size=1]This is really good. I'm getting so many ideas for games and the such. When you guys say gameplay, can you give an example of a game which battle system/gameplay so I can understand what exactly you're meaning.

Twists in the storylines do keep you on your toes. Do you like characters that you can relate to easily or someone you want to learn about? What kind of environments (worlds/fantasy/sci-fi) do you like better?

You can all go into big detail if you like. It would help out a lot.[/size]

[Jokopoko]

[quote name='Dare][size=1']This is really good. I'm getting so many ideas for games and the such. When you guys say gameplay, can you give an example of a game which battle system/gameplay so I can understand what exactly you're meaning.[/size][/quote]
[color=teal][size=1]Seeing as I like all sorts of games I guess it also means I like all sorts of gameplay styles ^^;;.

One of my favourites is the sandbox style of play which was introduced to me via Spider-Man 2 (Awesome game) and it's also sandbox on Ultimate Spider-Man, I find that works really well for the hero genre. Then you've got the Third-Person adventure style of The Wind Waker and Star Wars: Bounty Hunter. I love both those games because they balance killing enemies with solving puzzles and all that, and also you have the interchangability (o.O) of the various kinds of weapons you can use which is always fun.

Going back to sandbox nothing can beat Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction for sheer smashing fun, being able to leap across the city in that game whilst crushing what evers under you is just awesome.[/size][/color]

[quote=Dare][size=1]Twists in the storylines do keep you on your toes. Do you like characters that you can relate to easily or someone you want to learn about? What kind of environments (worlds/fantasy/sci-fi) do you like better?

You can all go into big detail if you like. It would help out a lot.[/size][/QUOTE]
[color=teal][size=1]I'm only going to touch briefly on the first point given that it might spoil some games for other people, but yes storyline twists I love because if the story is just the usual "Hero versue Vast evil empire" it can get boring if there isn't any other kind of motivation.

I can't say I've related to a character much but I can see how they can represent different parts of your own personality. Again with the Hulk game surely there is a time when all of us just wanted to go on a rampage through a city, or be Link and save the world and get nothing really in way of reward ^_~. In closing my favourite setting for a game would be a kind of Steampunk feel but I've not yet come across a game like that other than Thief 2: The Dark Age.

Hope this has helped.[/size][/color]

[Azarath]

I like a good story to the game,music,and graphics. those are the most important factors to a game.

You really need a good story for the game. What is your idea for the story? Is it like a romance and adventure kinda' game? If it is then I would definatly play it. But if there was another theme to it then i would probably play it anyway since I love just about any kind if game! :catgirl:

[Riku]

[COLOR=DarkOrchid][SIZE=1][FONT=Tahoma]Before I say anything, I'm really glad you made a thread like this, Dare. It's great for people who want to talk about what they would like to see in future video games and such. ^^

[QUOTE=Dare][size=1]This is really good. I'm getting so many ideas for games and the such. When you guys say gameplay, can you give an example of a game which battle system/gameplay so I can understand what exactly you're meaning.

Twists in the storylines do keep you on your toes. Do you like characters that you can relate to easily or someone you want to learn about? What kind of environments (worlds/fantasy/sci-fi) do you like better?
[/size][/QUOTE]

Well, for the first question, I would say something that I can be more involved in instead of just waiting for my turn and pressing buttons. For example, the Kingdom Hearts II battle system is more involved as how you have to press the triangle button to get more cool moves and such. Something that is more than just button smashing would be good. If my fingers do hurt after I play a video game for a certian time, I want it to be because I was more involved instead of just smashing buttons for no random reason, if that makes sense. >.>;

For the second question, I would say that I like both choices. Any video game that I can really relate to the characters feelings or even when I find out something about their past rerally makes me feel closer to that game, which I want to see what happens next. Yes... I am very emotional about the characters in video games, but... if you feel that way, doesn't it mean that the video game is actually worth the suffering?

As for worlds, I would say more fantasy and realistic are my type, like Final Fantasy or Kingdom Hearts. Like say, the place you are in looks just like a country in the real world, but there's so many unrealistic things in it... such as strange creatures or whatever, you know? Something like that really grasps my attention to the detail.[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Delta]

[COLOR=#656446]BUMP!

Ah, what makes me play a game. Of course, the hype a game generates prior and immediately after its release is somewhere on the top of my list. Yes, yes, it's only *vaguely* related to gameplay but you gotta first advertise that your game's got something new and innovative (even if it doesn't) for me to go buy it and see if it's really [i]that[/i] great.

Then there's the controls. One thing I didn't like about [i]Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness[/i] (aside from pretty much everything else) was how easy it was to send Lara plunging to her death. Really, if my character keeps dying because of the cumbersome controls, I'll shelf the game.[/COLOR]

[Dagger]

[quote name='Delta][COLOR=#656446']BUMP![/COLOR][/quote]Ditto. But it's still on the first page, so I think it's game. :catgirl:

For me, story and characters are, by far, the most important elements of a game. My ideal game would be an RPG with the complexity and character development of a great visual novel. And yeah, I could just go play a visual novel if I wanted that, and you don't exactly need a battle system for a romance title. But when it comes to stories that involve violence, war, whatever, sometimes it's more fun to be personally involved in the action, instead of just reading about it and looking at pretty CGs.

Even if a game has other elements that attract me, I won't want to keep playing it if I find the characters irritating or the story too hard to buy into. FFX is a good example of this; I thought the whole sphere thing was pretty boss, and the graphics were lovely, but the characters & plot bothered me to the point that I eventually decided to cut my losses and move on.

Voice acting is also important to me. I haven't played that many games to begin with, but my limited experience has taught me that I prefer games without voice acting. If the characters are going to speak, though, they need to sound good. And length is another thing that I take into consideration; I'd rather not spend my money on a game if it's only going to last me for a few weeks, especially since I'm not that inclined to replay stuff.

~Dagger~

[Panache]

I like the gameplay the most. The most important thing is that the game is fun. Then customization options. I wanna kick *** in style. There's nothing better than Playing a fun game and looking damn stylish. Graphics is only moderately important to me. If it looks decent then it's a ok. The msot important thing of all is gamepaly. If what im doing is fun the rest is basically natural.

[Fluffeh]

I would have to say....


[B]WEAPONS![/B]

Ha, yes. I think weapons give the most excitement epecially when you get to choose/pick weapons.

Think about it this way gravity gun or some random sword? For example:

Random Sword: Swing it around, kill the enemy woohoo.
Gravity Gun: Point it at the knife and all of a suden the knife starts swirling(and floating feet ahead of you). An enemy pops up, throw it and watch the blood works.

A bit sarcastic, yes. But, I think you get my point that simple weapons like swords can get boring and out dated while the special gun makes things that never happened in other video game before happen. This also adds to originality as well as excitement and of course more intrest wich lurs people to the game and makes people want t continue playing it.

[Guest Thorin001]

I would have to say that gameplay comes first, without a doubt. If a game isn't fun enough for me to play, it'll be dropped quickly. Some originality greatly aids in maintaining my interest. Graphics are very rarely a determining factor in my games.

[Fyxe]

[size=1][color=slategray]I'd really say a combination of elements. Everything really has to go together in order to have a top-notch game.

For game types, I lean more toward vast RPGs. I like to be able to decide how my character will turn out, what their reputation will be, what is important to them. I like long game play times with plenty of places to explore and plenty of "missions" or "objectives" to complete. I like it when I can play the game over multiple times and it can go a totally different way each time and you can discover new items and places each time.
I think this is why I'm so in love with games such as The Elder Scrolls series and Fable.

As far as story-lines. I like something believeable and easy to get into, yet, unique in it's own way. When the game is over, I don't want unanswered questions. And the characters have to be vital, they need to work well with the story and each other and have realistic relationships. It's fun to see twists in characters and their relationships together, to add friction. That sort of stuff.

Brilliant music and graphics, while not always there, are very nice to experience. I love being able to lose myself in how realistic or just plain beautiful graphics can be. And music? I like having something I can hum along to while playing or dance to the beat if I'm feeling extra hyper. XD Adds to the fun factor, and your ears aren't being tortured.

I'm quite sure I was going to say something else. But I forgot. ...[/color][/size]