what really makes a good game?

[Guild McCommunist]

You totally missed story

Gameplay is still more important than story. If they made a video game based on the story of Hamlet, but the gameplay was that of ET for the Atari 2600, the game would suck.

Well that's one example. Plenty of people love Bioshock but acknowledge that the gameplay is clunky as hell. They play it for the story/environment (although overall I didn't find the game that fascinating).

See, to me that's ridiculous. Metal Gear Solid has a great story, but if it wasn't fun to play outside of the cutscenes, I wouldn't waste my time with it at all.

MGS, MGS2, MGS3, and Portable Ops at least were terribly clunky. I mean you could control the game but shooting was a bitch and it definitely feels very dated nowadays. They're still great stealth games but there's definitely issues.

Bioshock wasn't broken by any means, I'd say it has the same level of FPS control as Fallout 3. I'm just saying there's times you'll ignore negative gameplay aspects to go through a good story.

EDIT: Minor typo.

 

[Ikki]

You totally missed story

Gameplay is still more important than story. If they made a video game based on the story of Hamlet, but the gameplay was that of ET for the Atari 2600, the game would suck.

Well that's one example. Plenty of people love Bioshock but acknowledge that the gameplay is clunky as hell. They play it for the story/environment (although overall I didn't find the game that fascinating).

See, to me that's ridiculous. Metal Gear Solid has a great story, but if it wasn't fun to play outside of the cutscenes, I wouldn't waste my time with it at all. If I just wanted a good story and didn't care about gameplay, I'd go watch a movie.

It still is an element that exists in most games. And some people place it on top of everything else.

 

[Waflix]

Like 54 others: Gameplay. Surprising, huh?

 

[KingAsix]

Three things matter to me in a game
-Story
-Gameplay
-Graphics
In order to give me a gaming experience I will never forget I need these three things in prefect harmony. Graphics never did mean much to me and I wish it didn't to other people or we could have even more good games.

 

[blackdragonbaham]

the gameplay makes a good game. a good thought out story is just a aid to make the atmosphere tighter, but in the end not even graphic matters . these won't make you play through a game if the gameplay sucks like hell. otherwise games like mario and zelda won't celebrate such high sells. or looking at tetris or super meat boy. first one you can't add a story to, the gameplay is brilliant though, second one don't offer a timely graphical presentation, but its just somehow the style of it, though i've beaten it.

 

[KingdomBlade]

What makes a good game? The different aspects of a game that makes it suitable and perfect for the player. PEOPLE HAVE DIFFERENT TASTES. Some don't care if a game has shit graphics and story. (Retro fanboys) Some people love graphics above all else. (Graphic whores) And some people don't care if a game looks like shit, as long as it plays good.

 

[Sterling]

Let me compare a good game to a good woman. I have this great looking gal. God this woman is pretty, and she likes to tease me, but never puts out. This is a game with good graphics and full CGI cut scenes, but these are the only things it has running for it. The game is incredibly shallow, and can only truly say its pretty. So I move onto the next woman, She is pretty as well (perhaps not as much as the last), but she puts out, and she likes to talk, and she likes to get to know me more. This is a game which not only has good graphics, but has less emphasis on cut scenes and more of a story focus. Next woman is bearable at most to look at. She likes to talk and get to know me, and she puts out. Whats great though is she is really fun in bed. This is a game with sub par graphics, but has good story, and game play. The perfect game is never perfect like a woman is never perfect. You take the good with the bad, and if you enjoy just having a teasing trophy wife then good for you.

My ideal womangame is: Good looking, with a great story to tell, pulls you in, and entertains you... All night, long.

 

[Hop2089]

Gameplay especially replay value that's why most of the Gundam, Macross, and Another Century's games can get away with average and below average graphics, because the gameplay is exceptional. It's also the reason the Tales of games are excellent, the stories in most of them are generic but it's the gameplay (characters, and the skits) is where it's at. for most RPGs it's the gameplay and characters, if I don't like the characters, no sell, if the gameplay is too generic, there better be some excellent characters to back it up, if it's a harem RPG the females must be attractive (the male protagonist can be generic, a loser, or wimp though since it's a harem and you won't see many Leicester Maycraft type characters if any in them).

 

[narutofan777]

when everything in the game (all area's) are astounding (music, gameplay, graphics).

 

[machomuu]

What makes a good game? The different aspects of a game that makes it suitable and perfect for the player. PEOPLE HAVE DIFFERENT TASTES. Some don't care if a game has shit graphics and story. (Retro fanboys) Some people love graphics above all else. (Graphic whores) And some people don't care if a game looks like shit, as long as it plays good.

True, but there is such thing as a game that is good by fact based on various factors and not how many people like it, although I don't think it's really possible for us to determine what game is factually good or not, so people instead just say a game is good or bad based on if they like it, which is factually wrong. It's not people's tastes that determine whether a game is good, it's the facts...which we can't really know/judge.

 

[Cloak519]

I think replay value applies to pretty much every game. I haven't yet met anyone that likes a game to finish when the story finishes. I found this very irritating about Spider-Man: Web of Shadows. I spent the whole game upgrading my abilities only to be unable to use them upon completion of the story. I felt robbed.

 

[Law]

Punching people.

The ability to punch people really fast.

The ability to punch people so fast you stun them then suplex them to hell.

 

[Nujui]

I think what makes a game good is innovation. I don't care about the graphics as long as they're not god awful.I don't mind much about music either as long as it's good. All I care about in a game is if it's good or not.

 

[Cloak519]

I think what makes a game good is innovation. I don't care about the graphics as long as they're not god awful.I don't mind much about music either as long as it's good. All I care about in a game is if it's good or not.

Agreed... though I think a decent storyline is a bonus.