Aesthetics and presentation really are vital to this actually. Normally, I might have said story, but then I thought about it, and games can do well without story. However, a game that does not aesthetically please the player and present itself in such a way that players will want to play it has failed to achieve gaining that player. Terrible stories can be over looked, bad music can be tuned out, but you will always have to stare at that ugly ass queen from FFIX because they thought that she was what that game needed.