What's the most important thing in a game to you?

[floppylobster]

Rank these five broad categories in order of importance to you and your enjoyment of a game -

Game Mechanics (core concept of the game, main game mechanic).
Aesthetics (including graphics and character design).
Sound (including music and sound effects).
Controls (method of control, timing response of controls, ease of use).
Story (including back-story, in-game cinematics)

You can break them up into smaller categories if you like. But please consider your answers carefully. Liking the look of a game over gameplay is not as stupid as it sounds.

Thank you for any response.

EDIT - Here's an example of how to apply the categories -



PAC-MAN
Gameplay - Being chased around a maze by ghosts. Picking up power pellets to chase the ghosts.
Aesthetics - Basic blue maze. Single screen. Primary colours.
Sound - Opening tune, sound of pellets being eaten and ghosts being chased. Throbbing siren-like backing noise that intensifies as the game speeds up.
Controls - Single joystick, no buttons. No motion control.
Story - Minimal. Almost none given.

In this case sound is a large part of my enjoyment of Pac-man.

So for Pac-man I would rate -

Gameplay
Sound
Controls
Aesthetics
Story



MASS EFFECT 2
Gameplay - Exploring the universe, RPG, structured missions, walking between sections, cover based shooting, dialogue trees used to unfold a storyline.
Aesthetics - Various alien races, futuristic look, Alien yet familiar locations, Strong character design.
Sound - Large use of human voice acting, voice samples repeated during battles, ambient sound.
Controls - Complex radial menus for special attacks, combination of control stick and 4-8 buttons.
Story - Epic unfolding storyline with character based side quests if the player chooses to follow them.

In this case the sound is way down on my list. The voice acting in Mass Effect 2 was mixed, the ambient sound was sometimes repetitive and distracting and the repeated voice samples did not add to my enjoyment of the game. Aesthetics, particularly the character and alien design was of most interest to me. Although the story had a lot of effort put in to it I got the most enjoyment from the cover based shooting aspect of the game.

So for Mass Effect 2 I would rate -

Aesthetics
Gameplay
Story
Controls
Sound

FOR GENERAL DISCUSSION - (GAMES AS ART)
Personally I feel aesthetics are most important to any game I like (Ico, Parappa the Rapper, Kirby's Epic Yarn). If I don't like the way a game looks I just can't always enjoy it. Sound, although you'd think it was unimportant can add immensely to the enjoyment of an average game (Robotron 2084, Doom) (like the soundtrack to Star Wars adds immensely to the enjoyment of that movie). Gameplay has to be there but we've all played terrible licensed games and still gotten some enjoyment out of them (Star Wars game, 007 games) so I'm not so sure it's as important as it seems. Player can learn the eccentricities of a difficult control system and still enjoy a game (Shadow of Colossus). And Story really seems way down on the list for what makes a game actually good (Tetris, Pacman) although occasionally it is the game (Pheonix Wright, Chronotrigger).

So if games are going to be art, maybe aesthetics are the way to go?

EDIT 2 - Changed Gameplay to Game Mechanics

 

[icame]

Shouldn't controls be part of gameplay? Whatever...

If we are including controls, then that is 3rd next to story and gameplay.

 

[Phlakes]

Shouldn't controls be part of gameplay?

Gameplay is the mechanics of the game itself, such as if shooting someone is fun or if certain weapons are overpowered. Controls are the layout of the controller.

3rd is aesthetics, but gameplay and story.

 

[gritch]

My vote:

Gameplay - If the main concept of the game doesn't work or isn't fun it basically ruins the entire game. If it's not fun to play I don't care how great the graphics or the story are.
Story - A good story is absolutely essential for me to fully enjoy a game. Sometimes a good enough story can make what would've been a bad game good for me (see Knights of the Old Republic)
Controls - I can definitely overlook a game with bad controls if it has a great Gameplay premise or story (see Monster Hunter Tri)
Aesthetics - Great graphics and art style well they can definitely make a good game better do not make a game good on its own.
Sound - Definitely the least important. The own game I've ever played whose sound made a significant impact on my enjoyment was Persona 4.

 

[hailfire]

gameplay is my #1 story is #2 and controls is #3 for me

 

[floppylobster]

My vote:

Story - A good story is absolutely essential for me to fully enjoy a game. Sometimes a good enough story can make what would've been a bad game good for me (see Knights of the Old Republic)

So you don't enjoy games like Tetris, Pacman or Doom? (I understand if you don't, I just didn't expect story to be as high on any players list of essentials, yet everyone else seems to agree with you).

 

[xFullmetalx]

Gameplay and story, good controls help too.

 

[Vault101]

I know Im in the minority here but charachters and story

thats why I can play a game like Dragon age

the charachters and setting are what make left 4 dead so awsome alongside the co-op gameplay

 

[Fenring]

Controls are a subset of gameplay. If the controls are shit, the gameplay is damaged. The Darkness has a fine idea for gameplay, but the gameplay is made unfun due to the controls being shit.

So gameplay, I play most games for fun.

 

[trooper6]

1. Story
2. Gameplay (but I'm not all that excited about the way gameplay is being defined)
3. Sound (but sound and gameplay are almost equal)
4. Control
5. Aesthetics (good aesthetics trump poor controls, but poor aesthetics won't kill the game for me if the controls, etc are good)

 

[gritch]

So you don't enjoy games like Tetris, Pacman or Doom? (I understand if you don't, I just didn't expect story to be as high on any players list of essentials, yet everyone else seems to agree with you).

Note that while I do think story is very important I did place Gameplay higher on the list. If a game is very fun simply because of its gameplay I can overlook a lackluster story. Games like Tetris or Pacman (which I do enjoy)are fun enough to stand up without any story at all. But for more complex games (Halo, Mass Effect, etc) story is very important for me.

 

[Valagetti]

Mass effect 2 nice choice. Portal has to be mine. One of the only games that I enjoy, that isn't revolved around some form of combat. Take note other game designers. Story is always No. 1.

 

[-Samurai-]

I hate to be "that guy", but a good mix of them all, combined with re-playability.

I don't think one is more important than the other. You need all of them to make a good game.

 

[Oilerfan92]

The ability to continue playing it as log as possible. Replayability.

I've bought WAY too many games that were really fun. But faded out horribly.

 

[Tdc2182]

Playability.

I want it to immerse me and keep me coming back. It also needs to have an easy fighting style that tricks you into thinking its complicated.

 

[Itsthatguy]

Gameplay - everything comes second to gameplay since.....frankly..... its a game

 

[Mallefunction]

Story is the most important factor...but I admit that wonky camera angles or fixed cameras are the BANE of my existence!

 

[Silent Biohazard Solid]

Most to least:

Story: I've quit some pretty polished and well acclaimed games because I was bored with or disliked the storyline. Resident Evil 4 can go to hell.

Aesthetics: Graphics aren't as important as actual artistic direction. I'm sorry, but I have absolutely zero interest in De Blob, even if it is a solid game.

Game Mechanics: I just don't play certain genres. I suck at First Person games, and usually just pretty much need to have my character on screen. I like story-based games, which means I have no interest in multiplayer, or sports or racing games, beyond the casual 5 minutes of fun.

Sound: A good soundtrack or voice overs will raise my opinion of a game.

Controls: Vice Versa from Story. I've grinded my way through some really awful games, which had good storylines, and will do so again. Still, if the controls are absolutely impossible, and I can't physically finish the game, then to hell with it. This means you, Red Ninja.

Neither of these are UNimportant, I'd rather have everything about a game be good to awesome. And usually those are the games I end up playing.