jaeman said:
Thats what i wanted to see. People's actual gaming preferences.
Well that makes writing this a lot easier, since now I don't need to account for different preferences and values in gaming. Thanks!
To me, a good game is one that tells a good story, taking advantage of the interactive advantages that gaming has over other storytelling mediums. The gameplay is simple at its core, but complex if you really want to take advantage of its true depth and complexity. I don't care so much about difficulty because, when you're playing a game for the story, it's really frustrating to need to try the same area over and over again. What I do want is increasing complexity throughout the game (as well as increases in the power of my character), making you change up your strategy throughout the game even if that does not make it too much more difficult. The soundtrack will be beautiful and fitting, the dialogue will be well-written, and the story will throw me for a loop now and again. It will keep focused on its story, only sidetracking from it for optional sequences with good rewards. I will name two examples (my two all-time favorite games) and how they apply. A beautiful visual style is a huge plus, but its absence will not mark a game down in my book.
Final Fantasy VII. This one had a story that started small, but not so small you expected it had to get much bigger. But as it grew in complexity, it eventually became one of the most epic tales I have ever seen, with much at stake and a lot of well-done personal and relational drama. It is a truly amazing fantasy tale. The gameplay grew in strategy, at first consisting of attacking and the occasional magic attacks, but eventually becoming incredibly deep, with enemies that had all sorts of different strengths and weaknesses and the brilliant Materia system allowing the player to customize their characters in countless different ways. Many times, it took advantage of player control, including some brilliant and impacting uses of interactive inevitability (giving the player control even though they cannot stop something from happening; letting them try despite the fact that they will fail). The dialogue was a bit stiff, but mostly due to translation issues, and the soundtrack is one of Uematsu's best (that is to say, one of the best soundtracks ever to exist). All in all, an absolutely amazing game.
Mass Effect 2. This story wasn't so complex, but it had some great surprises, and it really shined in its characters. Each character had complex and intriguing stories that the player can find out if he/she is willing to put the time and effort into it. The gameplay can be extremely simple, but as the game progresses the player can get more used to using biotic and tech powers in effective, creative, and just-plain-awesome ways. The game was incredibly well-written, and the soundtrack, while not being one of the best I've heard, fit the game perfectly and was used well. But this game's greatest achievement is the most player choice-centered storytelling I have yet seen. It managed to tell a great story with great characters that, despite being the same metanarrative regardless of choice, managed to make each player's experience feel like their own, unique from anyone else's. A truly brilliant game.
