What makes a great game

For me a really great game has to:
- have a well written, engrossing storyline
- have enjoyable gameplay that doesn't get tedious or frustrating
- be challenging but not near-impossible
- have plenty of things to do in preferably a semi-linear fashion (ie a main story which branches off in different directions depending on your choices, with other smaller stories/quests as well)
- have good character development
- have an immersive atmosphere - well thought out music/sound, good art direction and level/world design, having decent graphics helps but not essential to be cutting-edge
- keep immersion breaking features or gimmicks to a strict minimum (no, I don't want to collect flags or diamond cases or anything else.)
 
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I hate MMO's that force you to level up, Been playing Darkfall recently and I only skill up doing what I want (you're rewarded wih higher skill gains through PvE) which put and end to the bloodwall (if you can imagine what that is :D).

No Levels
Complete accessability without any restrictions
a lot of 2D games for single player are more addictive and are generally my favorite.
Oldschool is better than the new school
most of the time the most simple concept works the best
Seamless world (no loading)
 
game play and that's it, well and some gfx, it only has to be ok though. Not even good or grate.

Some games don't even need a plot or story line.
And you certainly don't need gfx. Almost 100% of the omg look at he gfx games are always utterly rubbish to play.
 
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I'd love to be one of the guys that says "100% gameplay*. But the truth is Half life 2 wouldn't have been anywhere near as amazing as it was, without the awesome graphics. And I thoughrouly enjoyed doom 3, a large part down to the graphics.

Now there is a balance, anyone remember the game unreal 2? Incredible graphics for the time but just a terrible, terrible game. Which ruined it. With the good graphics it was intresting worth it for half price just to go "ooooo". Without them it would have literally been coffee coaster material.

I'd say a good game is all about covering all the bases - gameplay - graphics - sound - storyline - longivity. Obivously a game with great sound, graphics and storyline which is lacking in gameplay (silent hill series) can still be a masterpiece, as long as it exceeds in the other areas.
 
I like my fps games to have a lot of time spent on atmosphere and realism in the environment. The two best examples of this for me are MOHAA and Stalker, especially Stalker. Also, as with any great story, adding unexpected twists to the plot can pay great dividends, though not too many. I'm thinking FF7 and Portal. With Portal, the twist was dealt with very gradually with subtle hints along the way, and the game itself steadily ramped up the experience as you went. I'd say Portal is probably one example of a 100% perfect game.
 
my perfect game would be a Cross between World of warcraft and diablo.

the community, customisation, the amount of raids, dungeons and the depth of wow, then the View, graphics, achievments and new engines of the new diablo.

its a interesting question the more i think about it.
 
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LOL yer. RTCW MP had plenty of that.

Half Life 2 manages to create an excellent atmosphere so the graphics help there but so does the compelling story line and the characters in it. Quality stuff.
 
I used to think it was all about the story line but now I think interactivity is the key. Not just the players choices having a real impact on the gameplay but players actually being able to design stuff that is in the game, or like the mission architect system in CoX. Not everything like Spore which I soon got bored of because ironically I felt it was totally devoid of any real life and was one big pile of meh.

Having some real influence through control schemes. Doing something more than just moving forwards, backwards, left or right and aiming. Which is easy on something like the DS with Trauma Center for example but on the PC you could have things like drawing sigils/symbols with your mouse to cast spells, throw objects, swing weapons etc.

A decent crafting system or at least itemisation that has enough depth and balance so that the 100% lifesteal/100% crit isn't always the way to go. Or like Drawn to Life where something you actually draw takes part in the game. Having Batman running about helping these silly little anime creatures provided me hours of entertainment :)

The problem with the question is that very few games remain great and so once ideas have been copied or revised a few times then the same gameplay innovations that made the original great become run of the mill. Although sadly no one redone a Magic Carpet type game which would still show innovation these days.

So you have to do the basics well, controls, graphics, progression, interactiveness and give something extra to at least 2 of these areas plus some innovation somewhere to surprise and delight.

Get busy! :)
 
Developers shouldn't create games. They should create worlds. I don't enjoy linear 'fulfil this objective' grinds with limited mechanics at all.

And then you get gems like Braid and Portal. Take an ability that sounds really simple on paper and then grind it into an art.

Plus, giant robots.
 
These are key factors in making a great game IMO:

-Having a strong 'hook' to draw the player in at an early stage, get them interested in the setting and the characters. A well executed tutorial can do this, or maybe just throwing people in like some WWII shooters.
-Having multiple routes to achieve a goal, and perhaps rewarding players for achieving their objective in a 'cute' fashion via easter eggs or similar. This makes the player think "wow, that's cool, the developers thought of that and my ingenuity has been recognised!"
-Having a fluctuating pace and/or difficulty, i.e. have some situations where the player is on the edge of their seat with chaos going on all around the, but equally some quieter, more reflective periods (similar to what we see at the movies).
-Offers guidance or assistance to the player where required (hints towards objectives, ability to bypass very tough sections etc)
-Doesn't overly limit player creativity with artificial limitations (illogically invincible baddies that can only be killed a certain way, lets the player explore, backtrack and generally not follow the most basic path)
-Offers the players input into how their character(s) develop, e.g. via skill/inventory/upgrade choices, rather than just dictating it for the whole game.
-No severe bugs (TDU savegame corruption - I'm looking at you!)
 
Total immersion but how you achieve this i have no idea but elite is one such game that done it for me many years ago on the spectrum :)
 
For me its got to be a great story line, with stratagy, good graphics help to get lost in the game (if you can related to the graphics you feel almost in the game), and the perfect balance between ease and difficulty.

Some games I really love are Age of Mythology, because it requires forethought, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. because its immersive, difficult and requires a solid stratagy to not become walking lead. Unreal Tournament, because its not just about killing people, you've got to think which AI bots are going to be suitable for the next challenge. Morrowind because... well... its so HUGE you spend hours searching into one thing, its pretty much a world replacement with its own lore and everything :eek:

...saying that I still love Breakout which has no story line, poor graphics (by todays standards), and isn't overly challenging *shrugs*.

-Aura
 
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