What do you look for in a game?

[Ultimateslayer]

Hmm thats a tough one.
It also depends on the genre.
In Jrpgs its for example:
Story/Atmosphere
Setting
Combat

Other important criteria are:
Difficulty (I usually dont play games with a badass difficulty like Ninja Gaiden, cause I simply dont have the time/will to spend days memorizing every inch of the level)
Uniqueness (Thats only important if i play the genre alot.Like jrpgs or action/adventures)

 

[Grenbyron]

For me it is...

Theme
Plot/story
User Interface
graphics

 

[Uncompetative]

Ergonomic controls coupled to richly immersive feedback
Sense of empowerment balanced by increased challenge
Non-linearity
Dimensional variety
Replayability

all 20%

 

[Damien the Pigeon]

Story and gameplay tie for first for me. I guess it just depends on the game. Like, Patapon didn't have the best storyline, but it was a great game. On the other hand, Final Fantasy games generally have excellent storylines, but the gameplay can often boil down to one, big grind sandwich.

 

[Metonym]

Exellent game physics and responsiveness coupled with feel and maximum inteaction and complexity.

Oh and gore.

 

[the_joker1112]

A decent story, which is surprisingly hard to find now a days. And a little atmosphere would be good too.

 

[Quaidis]

It was brought up before, but I pick games that look fun. I also choose depending on what I want at that time in regards to the type of game. For example, this week I chose to buy "Grandia 3" because I wanted a decently-priced rpg. Other times I may want a platformer, a shooter, a racer, or something else entirely. The gameplay, graphics, replay factor, etc. doesn't really matter when it comes down to it, so long as I have fun playing the game or those who recommend the game at the time had an equal amount of fun playing it.

The only thing I really have to keep a careful eye out for is motion-sickness levels, due to the fact that I can very easily get sick and hurl on most first-person games. So if you want a more defined answer: I look for games that have a lesser chance of making me vomit.

 

[DigitalSushi]

That's all I need.

You mean the windows task manager is your ultimate game?, I must say I enjoy getting it down to ten percent.

 

[laikenf]

-Gameplay/immersion
-Graphics
-Atmosphere
-Sound (and music)

A story doesn't really draw me to a game, but I must say that a good story is always a welcome bonus.

 

[veloper]

40% mood/atmosphere - includes music, visuals and dialogue
40% gameplay - I can accept mediocre gameplay if the mood is excellent.
15% originality
5% replay value

 

[Quiotu]

I have to say that what I look for in a game depends on what kind of game I'm looking for. Really, the expectations depend on the genre itself.

I've essentially given up on shooters because I like to have good story with my game, and multiplayer is very low on my list. Most developers have sacrificed a compelling solitary experience for CTF, which is sad. Scarface was the last shooter I enjoyed.

For RPGs I need a really good story, not be too easy, and not hold my hand during the entire game. I like diversity, but having static characters and classes works as well as long as they all fit. Length counts here.

Then there's the genre I call the Breaking Shit game. Wrastlin' games, God of War, PAIN, most any game where destruction is the main order of the day. These kinds of games I want some innovation and some fun action, while the story takes a back seat. A good story isn't necessary, but it's a true gem if it's there anyway.

Adventure and Platform games are an odd genre, and there's reason why they're not developed more often. Developers don't have a part of the game they can go easy on. Platforming, shooting, melee, story, graphics, diversity... these are all important factors, and any missing part will be seen as a glaring flaw.

 

[True Latvish]

35 percent uniqes, because the more unique the game is the bigger the chance itll ceep me entertaint.

35 percent gameplay, because no mater how bad are the other parts of the game if the gameplay is great i most likely womt mind(like in far cry 2).

25 percent story, because to me the story truly is the part that gives you immersion (like in bioshock).

5 percent replay value, i dont replay games that much.

 

[Eric the Orange]

Is it fun? That's really all I need.

To those of you who say fun, let me rephrase the question. What makes a game fun?

 

[Eric the Orange]

If I'm going to percentage out what I look for in games I guess it's the following...

40% Story, I REALLY care about story, I suppose its the writer in me but if a game has a good story it's almost a garauntee that I'll at least rent it.

20% Fun Factor, the next important thing is "raw fun factor", which is why Saints Row 2 is one of my favorite games this year, it's just damn fun.

20% Immersion, an immersive game can really attract me, I loved Assassin's Creed for this very reason, despite the repetitious nature.

10% Turn Based Combat, I love a good turn based combat system and it'll attract me to a game like a bee to honey if it has one, but this is by no means a "must have" it's just a bonus.

5% Pretty Graphics, I admit, pretty graphics will pull me in.

5% Brand Recognition, if it's a sequel to a beloved title, I'll look into it.

I'm guessing you werent a gamer back in the nintendo days when story was pretty much 1 page in the instruction manuel.

 

[Simalacrum]

a good game should focus on doing one thing, great. trying to do several things good will either make all parts of it mediocre or cancel each other out. Guitar Hero or Rock Band, for example, if they had really compelling and thoughtful storylines, it would clash with the genre of gaming: it should concentrate on fun, and both games do, so they're great.

Similarly, some parts of gameplay may have been a little flawed in Assassins Creed, but the game was primarily focussing on story, so thats alright.

of course, there are a few exceptions to this rule, i.e. GTA 4 or MGS4, which have good of nearly everything and it merges together perfectly.

 

[Zersy]

If it's FUN i'm Happy