What's the best quality of your favorite game?

[duwenbasden]

Emergence - as in there are ways to play other than what the designers force you to.
Customization - non-plot related touches to the world, including my character, and my world.
Exploration - there are non-plot related discoveries to be made.

Those 3 words are not to be missed when trying to sell me a game.

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

My favorite game is Mass Effect 2. Can I say atmosphere? Because atmosphere depends on so many elements, yet it's an element itself.

 

[Islandbuffilo]

Opoona's atmosphere and art design appeals to my inner child.

 

[The Wykydtron]

My favourite game is still probably Persona 4, I love all of it but the way it's such a good murder mystery that can honestly stand up with any other classic mystery stories is the best even though its mechanics are all turn based JRPG standard stuff.

Funnily enough, Persona 4 actually follows the rules of an orthodox mystery, intentionally or not. It fits into Knox and Van Dine's rules of mystery writing and actually makes you solve the mystery yourself. It honest to god throws up a wall, gives you a list of every single character you've ever met and says "pick the killer, I can wait here all day" and just doesn't move on until you do. It really could have just put it in a cutscene and done it for you very easily but it's so good they didn't.

As for my second favourite game, Devil on the G-String (I adore good mysteries alright?) the fucking plot twists put it on a whole new level. It's a game you show to your friends when they ask you why a Visual Novel couldn't just be a book or a proper game, its mindgames and plot twists only work in the Visual Novel format.

Most recently, I appreciate Umineko No Naku Koro Ni much more now that i've finished all 8 arcs of the Visual Novel and in doing so the failings of the terrible anime adaptation is just so much clearer. It's such a good game, it's basically a game you play against yourself kind of? You can just watch the mystery and not throw too much thought into it and hope it gets explained to you later (pro tip it doesn't) or you can have fun trying to outthink the game while the main character Battler does the same. Usually badly until you hit Episode 4 and onwards, even then Erika fucks him up.

Regardless, the voice acting, characters and general themes of the game are freaking amazing, even with the more minor characters (Zepar and Furfur are just pure fun) When it hits Chiru especially, it's a massive love letter to the mystery genre. It still tickles me that the Witch of Miracles and the Witch of Certainty are best buds for life when their powers are total opposites.

 

[happyninja42]

Best Quality: The ability to actually incite emotional responses from me. And not because your game is shitty and designed terribly. But if your game makes me actually give a shit about the little pixels you're displaying on my screen, and make me feel real emotions for the problems they are going through, you've done your job as a game developer. That more than anything, will make me remember your game for decades. That moment when your story transcended the confines of the game mechanics, and became something personal. Do that, and you've won my heart.

 

[WouldYouKindly]

In any game, the possibility for awesome shit the happen in the course of playing the game.

Skyrim is generally weak. The combat isn't really satisfying and it's horribly balanced. However, when you land a perfect shot on a dragon going for a strafing run and he crashes at your feet, oh that feeling

Elite Dangerous is about 1/2 to 1/3rd finished months after it's release, but it already allows, with fantastic piloting, me in my ~400k base price ship(kitted out with over 3 mil worth of upgrades though) to kill the biggest, toughest ship in the game without taking any lasting damage. Not only that, I can take his entire shield generator out with one really good shot. It requires the most devastating weapon my ship can mount, but BANG. One shot and a 150 million credit ship is crippled. I could do that to anyone. If I hit the power generator, I could one shot the entire ship(well, after I take out it's shields)... I think I wanna try that now.

Stepping away from awesomeoness, the music in Bastion. Sure, the storytelling, aesthetic, the story itself, and lots of other things about the game were fantastic, but the music. I still go back and listen to Build That Wall. Seriously, look it up, it's a masterpiece in simplicity. The story it tells is so sad. The message used to be clear, but given the background of the woman singing it, it seems more like a sad resignation to an inevitable war.

 

[maxtiggertom]

For me I think it would have to be the subtle messages in Bioshock for me a great message is a subtle one.
Also Mass effect 2 is in my op is one of the greatest achievements in gaming history. From the score to the suicide mission that feeling you get when one small mistake could lead to your entire team getting wiped out just shows you how powerful it is.

 

[Javetts Eall Raksha]

well my favorite game is dark cloud 2. i'd say it's best quality is that you have a LOT to do, but that you can do quite a few of them at once.

go into a dungeon, fight mobs (get levels) find treasure (for powering up weapons/using to fix the future/components for a new invention), take some photos (for coming up with inventions)find key item to access hidden section, once clear (play spheda to get rare items and medals) and fish (for higher quality fish and medals). in a randomly generated dungeon i just did like 9 things. all these different systems that you use to progress yourself in a variety of ways, it doesn't feel like grinding, even though it totally is.

 

[SweetShark]

1.Interesting characters.
2.Short-Medium Length.
3.Mystery.
4.Simplicity.
5.No pointless extra missions.
6.Giving you as much time you want to think for your next move.
7.Obscure characters.

 

[SuperSaiyanMajinBuu]

There are a lot of things in TF2 I really enjoy so I'll list 2 things.

Characters and their personality- Very rarely will I ever like a character in FPS titles because they tend to be very one dimensional. Games like Bioshock, Borderlands and Team Fortress 2 are some exception that I know of. Despite being a Multiplayer only shooter, TF2 gives each character a personality. The Scout is a headstrong and arrogant 20 something year old from Boston with an ego, the Soldier is a overly patriotic American that hates every country except America, The Demoman is a black, alcoholic, one eyed Scotsman with a love for explosives and Scrumpy, The Medic is a doctor from Stutgard, Germany with a love for medical experimentation and follows a hypocritical oath. Every character in the game, with the exception of Pyro, has a personality and is one of the reasons people still play the game almost a decade after release.

Emphasis on balance- One of the biggest strengths of the game is that balance is constantly in the forefront. Their is no "ultimate loadout" because each class has different strengths and weaknesses. The Engineer can build Sentries, Dispensers, and Teleporters to protect points, provide a constant source of health and ammo and bring players to important area quicker respectively, however, the Engineer himself is a pretty weak in durability and firepower. The Heavy on the other hand, has the most health and the strongest firepower in game ,but, is held back by being the slowest class in the game and is a constant target for Spies and Snipers. The Pyro is the king of close quarter combat with the flamethrower and his/her/its ability to reflect rockets and grenades. The ability to cause afterburn, extinguish teammate on fire and being the best class for spy checks makes the Pyro a great class. However, The class works at its fullest capabilities when ambushing and the lack of range weaponry makes the Pyro weak at range. Each class counteracts each other and some weapons help beat classes that normally would win. The spycicle allows the Spy to survive a Pyro ambush for a few seconds while the Razorback dissuades Spies from backstabbing Snipers.

TF2 is my favorite game due to the effort Valve put into the game over the years. The game has it's fair share of problems I'll admit. The Gunslinger is the bane of every player, Some of the more recent updates were disappointing like End of the Line, some weapons are either too situational for actual use like the Sun-on-a-Stick and the Neon Annihilator or completely idiotic like the Ullapool caber and the Dalokas Bar, The Phlogistinator promotes a soul-crushing and mundane playstyle and Demoknights are almost unbeatable in close range. Despite the flaws, TF2 has given me more fun then I've played before.

 

[Scow2]

For me, it's simple:
Skyrim allows me to play as a naked Demon-killing catgirl. That's all I need, and not enough other games let me do that.

 

[Brain Tumor]

Replay Value

My favorite games, are the ones that I come back to time and again. They have replay value. Which usually assumes it has great gameplay . There have been many great games that I have liked but aren't my favorite because they were "one and done" type of games. I couldn't see myself playing the game again after finishing it.

 

[Axelotus07]

Replay value, an intriguing storyline, exceptional music, and item crafting (as long as it's not too tedious).

I prefer to invest my hard earned money on games that offer a long lasting experience that will keep me going for ages. Disgaea: Hour of Darkness definitely fit that bill, giving you access to the depths of the Item World. As a completely optional feature, the Item World offered some of the lengthiest quest I've ever faced in a game. The benefits you reap from your trials is exceptionally rewarding as well.

Games with a good sense of story telling are really the greatest for me. I just love really getting immersed in a game where you can feel the weight on your character's shoulders, or actually have a sense of urgency when something is happening in the narrative. It may not come as a surprise to many that I mention Metal Gear Solid, built on a perfect blend of cinematics and action (depending on who you ask, but we'll save that discussion for elsewhere).

I also like when a game has an exceptional audio experience to compliment the gameplay. I don't really care about stunning visuals, but the music is a different story. It can't be annoying or it'll break me away from the experience as a whole. Chrono Cross's soundtrack alone is a work of art, where every melody felt feels as rustic and captivating as the surrounding lands. The theme for Another World on the El Nido world map will forever give me chills.

Finally, there is my love/hate relationship with item crafting. Call it a compulsion of sorts, I just like tinkering with things. Frustrating at times, crafting in games is intriguing because of all the trial and error involved. Even when I sit their puzzled, experimenting with different materials and creating customizable equipment is refreshing when facing a poweful enemy. Cross Edge took item crafting and cranked it up to eleven by giving you countless of combinations of materials that require an exhausting amount if time to gain access to.

But really overall, I iust like to be challenged. That challenge is a lot more entertaining when a game has got the right stuff.

 

[GodzillaGuy92]

You know that one little thing that makes you ignore every single flaw in the game and keeps you playing forever?

As it happens, the quality I like most about my favorite game is precisely the thing that directly mitigates those flaws. That game is Portal, and that quality is the tightness of it. Every single thing in the game is there for a purpose, and everything that didn't need to be there wasn't included. The result, naturally, is the closest thing to a perfect game that's yet ever been made.

 

[Flammablezeus]

The world itself in GTA IV, RDR and GTA V. There's nothing quite like walking around and observing all of the little details. Noticing the nuances in how things behave. There's always more going on than it seems at a glance.

In GTA IV for example, I saw a lot of people saying that cops just automatically lock on to your position and go there but it's so far from the truth. If you take advantage of how the cops search through areas and making yourself hidden, it makes losing the cops a lot of fun. There's nothing like hiding behind a dumpster in an alleyway, just out of sight as a cop checks hiding spots looking for you.

Then sometimes it's just fun to watch people at work in RDR and seeing them go through their routine. There's life in Rockstar games that I've never seen matched by anything else.

 

[CrimsonBlaze]

My favorite quality about my favorite game, Sonic & Knuckles, for the Sega Genesis (which also applies to many other titles that I consider awesome) is the replay factor.

Here you have two characters with two distinct play-styles and abilities: Sonic jumps high, consists mostly of going from point A to point B as quickly as possible, and has various shield capabilities; Knuckles, on the other hand, can glide, climb, and break through barriers, which allows for more exploration and gaining access to places out of reach.

Despite their differences in capabilities, they play essentially the same and another element adds to the replay factor: the level design. You have various options as to how to go about the levels: taking the high road is difficult to access, but yields more rewards and less dangers; going low is filled with hazards and offers more of a challenge; and of course, the road in the middle for those who gotta go fast. This allows for players to return to these levels and proceed in any manner they see fit.

Finally, the secrets: from extra 1-ups to giant warp rings, locating each of these hidden treasures also adds a level of exploration that was integral to the platforming genre. Taking the time to look for such wonders was rewarding, and getting all the Chaos Emeralds allowed you more time to play as the Super forms of your desired character. Also, DOOMSDAY ZONE RULES!!