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

[Donpablo]

a good game has to be engaging. Story line can help draw you in, but there need to be compelling game play mechanics and a way to get you involved with your character.

[Althazina]

1. Story
2. Soundtrack & gameplay
3. Appealing art
4. Graphics

My inner bookworm can't stomach a terrible story, no matter how good the gameplay is. I try to ignore bad stories, but it always eats at me whenever I play. Soundtrack and gameplay are both tied at number two because I love music, and if you've accomplished a good story and soundtrack I'll almost always try to finish the game no matter how bad the gameplay is. At the same time though, I definitely value being able to actually have fun which is directly connected to gameplay. Good art design must also be there, although it's not as necessary.

Graphics is last because I don't mind playing games that look cruddy as long as they are fun. Hell, I still play Morrowind occasionally. Plus, my computer isn't all that great and doesn't have a monster graphics card. So it's not like I can play the really pretty games anyway.

[Fus Ro Yay]

Music. if the music is good, im happy no matter what.

[Ynna]

Gameplay above everything. Pokemon and Fallout 3 are two of my favorite games of all time and yet they don't have the best stories in the world, but the gameplay is so great that I don't have time to think about the story. Although people saying Graphics aren't important are dead wrong. I doubt I would've felt the way I do about Skyrim if it had Morrowind's graphics. I mean the graphics and the beautiful areas were what made that game so immersive. Now as the graphics get better and more realistic looking I think the impact of graphics will be lessened, but atm they are still very important. Story is a different. Unlike gameplay, story usually cannot hold me by itself. The only game whose story was great, but gameplay wasn't (talking about the shooting and driving, not interrogations) was L.A. Noire, but that is a very special case.

Overall I would say

1. Gameplay
2. Story
3. Graphics

1. Pokémon has good gameplay? It's been the same for about 10 years now.
2. Graphics don't matter, aesthetics do. Sly Raccoon wasn't pushing any boundaries in terms of polygon count, but it distinguished itself by choosing for a distinct, cartoonish look that ages very well. So also: Team Fortress 2.

My inner bookworm can't stomach a terrible story, no matter how good the gameplay is. I try to ignore bad stories, but it always eats at me whenever I play.

How about games without a real story?

[bloody251]

1. Pokémon has good gameplay? It's been the same for about 10 years now.
2. Graphics don't matter, aesthetics do. Sly Raccoon wasn't pushing any boundaries in terms of polygon count, but it distinguished itself by choosing for a distinct, cartoonish look that ages very well. So also: Team Fortress 2.


How about games without a real story?

Well, Pokemon is one of the most successful franchise ever made. As long as they make profit from the game there is no reason to change anything :P

[Nightstormer]

Having Riven or not. >.<

[Ynna]

Well, Pokemon is one of the most successful franchise ever made. As long as they make profit from the game there is no reason to change anything :P

Success has never equaled good. While I enjoy the games, the gameplay leaves a lot to be desired.

[Digglett]

1. Pokémon has good gameplay? It's been the same for about 10 years now.

Why change what's not broken? And what was broken from Gen1, or the previous Gens, have been fixed. So to say it's exactly the same, is sort of untrue. Just sayin'.

[anveena]

Gameplay is the more important thing for graphics would be the last.

[Wildmoon]

Deep gameplay&unique graphic. I don't really play single player rpg much because it lacks deep gameplay.

[Himora]

-Current Graphics
-Swords
-Almost naked armor for female characters
-Depth & Twists
-Exaggerated Combat
-Interactivable Vehicles
-Age Restriction
-Challenge

[Deleted]

-Punishes the less intelligent, awards the smart and creative (for example PvP zones where you can kill players and loot them or ways to buff your damage really high or defense really high or play as a merchant and so on)
-Open world, lot's of options (Skyrim, Runescape)
-Realism (by that I mean stuff that just doesn't happen is minimized, for example a shopkeeper standing in one spot 24/7 or WoW style flying mounts)

This is pretty much what I look in games I play long term, more than a few weeks-month

For short term games it's more like

-Good story
-Great visuals/atmosphere
-Relatively easy so I can focus on story

[Poppincaps]

1. Pokémon has good gameplay? It's been the same for about 10 years now.
2. Graphics don't matter, aesthetics do. Sly Raccoon wasn't pushing any boundaries in terms of polygon count, but it distinguished itself by choosing for a distinct, cartoonish look that ages very well. So also: Team Fortress 2.


How about games without a real story?

It's my opinion and I know many people in real life and on the internet who agree with me that Pokemon is great. I honestly don't want them to change anything.... except make the pokemon 3d like the gamecube games. As for Sly Cooper, that isn't a very good example. It had very pretty good graphics for its time. I should've clarified, though, what I meant by graphics wasn't graphical power, but the look and atmosphere that you get from it. Skyrim was very good at using it's graphics to create a certain atmosphere in every dungeon. Plus, I put graphics at the bottom of my list if you didn't notice. To say graphics aren't important is stupid, because if I paid 60 dollars and got a game that looked like Pokemon Red, it would bother me no matter how good the game was.

[KCguy]

Game play. I don't give a damn about graphics. Yes, they enhance the game's look especially in FPS's like Call of Duty etc and when it all comes together, graphics are the cherry on top, but to me that makes up a very small percentage. If the game play is awful, the graphics won't mean a thing. Yes, I get that graphics are always being pushed because the better technology, the more it's going to entice people to go out and spend 60+ bucks, but just remember, some of the best games ever made are pixelated nightmares.

[Skelington]

It's my opinion and I know many people in real life and on the internet who agree with me that Pokemon is great. I honestly don't want them to change anything.... except make the pokemon 3d like the gamecube games.

Skelington can agree with that. Pokemon is fun, and aside from minor improvements(like TMs being permanent in B/W), it really shouldn't change.
It'll probably have neat-o 3d graphics for the 3ds. A style like that "spoiler" picture thing of Zekrom vs Reshiram would be perfect.

[Althazina]

How about games without a real story?

Like Minecraft or something? I can enjoy those as long as I'm with friends. Although sometimes not even friends help. Like WoW, for example. I didn't like a good chunck of its lore, but stayed for a few friends. After a year it got pretty stale. (not WoW-hating or anything. it was fun for a tiny little bit but didn't have lasting appeal for me.)

[Polygons]

Atmosphere, immersion.

Stalker CoP does this well with texture packs
Limbo's atmosphere is one to be noted
Skyrim, nuff' said

I also can't wait for The Last of Us

[tomehere]

Fast Loading Times

you would think thats a big issue for some, but not me... lol

my thing is i cant get bored with it. it has to have a good pace

[Ajax Epic]

Single Player: Epic story, great gameplay, FUN FUN, and character customization (full race/gender/ect preffered but games like Assassin's Creed I'll settle for picking gear and what color I'm killing you in).

Multiplayer: Smooth easy to pickup gameplay (easy to learn hard to master), team oriented (I'm not a lone wolf), character customization s BIG.

These are very broad ideas as there are so many types of games and I look for diffrent things in each kind. But just a quick 2 cents

[Mavecryst]

Gameplay first, followed closely (very closely) by Story. Thus my enjoyment for RPGs, particularly those with tons of sidequests and a nice over world to explore. Graphics is important too, but not in the typical way. I can appreciate cartoony art styles, like that of Tales of Vesperia, as long as it's done according to what I feel looks cool and fits in with the game.