What makes a game amazing?

[Fencers]

Gameplay. There is nothing else to consider. Every non-gameplay element of a video game can be terrible, desperate elements don't even need to exist actually. A great game can have a blank screen, no story, no sound. But a game can no be without gameplay.

It's actually harmful when players confuse the art of video games with the elements of other media. Low thought, unsophisticated audience.

[Daws001]

Out of curiosity, when do you "beat" the game. When you finish the storyline? or when you do everything possible in the game. I'll continue with FF7, did you feel the game was over when you defeated seph, or when you had killed the omega boss's and bred a golden chocobo and had all the summons?

With FFVII, it was over after mulitple play throughs, obtaining all the summons, etc.

[Bigbamboozal]

Hmmm according to E.A. charging an assload of money....

[Arrowstormen]

How it feels.

[Uwibami]

I thought this question would be hard to answer, but in reality, isn't the answer ridiculously simple?

If a game is amazing - It'll leave me wanting more. If I put down the game and think "Damnit, I want to play more" then the game is doing its job.
It's entertainment, it's meant to capture your time and make you enjoy it.
It's needs nothing else, than leaving you wanting to play more.

[Ynna]

Gameplay. There is nothing else to consider. Every non-gameplay element of a video game can be terrible, desperate elements don't even need to exist actually. A great game can have a blank screen, no story, no sound. But a game can no be without gameplay.

It's actually harmful when players confuse the art of video games with the elements of other media. Low thought, unsophisticated audience.

I wouldn't say that a game needs a story or soundtrack in order to be great, but those things can greatly add to the experience. Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2 wouldn't be half as good without the soundtrack, if God of War didn't have a story, I would have probably never finished it and if Team Fortress 2 didn't have the wacky aesthetic, it wouldn't have been as good.

Gameplay isn't the end all of a great game. It's very important, sure, but the story gives you clear objectives and the flavor of a game makes it more understandable. The music makes everything more exiting or relaxing and the aesthetics do a great deal of helping the atmosphere of a game.

[Gandrake]

I think it is more about how the elements synergize... but you play a game precisely because it is a game and not an interactive movie - is what they are getting at.

But I could be wrong, it's happened before!

[wariofan1]

Good gameplay is the core of all games, it is very genre dependant though. RPGs and Dungeon Crawlers are very dependant on a good story too, while platformers and other genres are dependant on a good soundtrack for the sake of atmosphere, while MMOs are dependant on all those things plus something new and innovative instead of simply ripping off WoW. The games should always bring something new to the board, we've seen too many FPS games which simply put more maps/different weapons into the game, because there's only so many ways to make an FPS game really, which is why I dislike FPS games. It has become quite popular for platformers to feature 2-4 player action these days with New Super Mario Bros. Wii and Kirby Wii, which is why those games feel fresh, even though build on an old concept.

[Fencers]

I wouldn't say that a game needs a story or soundtrack in order to be great, but those things can greatly add to the experience. Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2 wouldn't be half as good without the soundtrack, if God of War didn't have a story, I would have probably never finished it and if Team Fortress 2 didn't have the wacky aesthetic, it wouldn't have been as good.

Gameplay isn't the end all of a great game. It's very important, sure, but the story gives you clear objectives and the flavor of a game makes it more understandable. The music makes everything more exiting or relaxing and the aesthetics do a great deal of helping the atmosphere of a game.

No, no. Gameplay is actually the end all of a great game. Those other elements are nice. But you can not present to me the greatest narrative, greatest of visuals or deepest of immersion and have a great game without great gameplay.

However, one can present a great game without narrative, visuals or immersion present.

It doesn't "work both ways". It isn't a "combination of everything" or "depends on genre". These are false notions, and more over, belong to other mediums.

[Ynna]

No, no. Gameplay is actually the end all of a great game. Those other elements are nice. But you can not present to me the greatest narrative, greatest of visuals or deepest of immersion and have a great game without great gameplay.

However, one can present a great game without narrative, visuals or immersion present.

It doesn't "work both ways". It isn't a "combination of everything" or "depends on genre". These are false notions, and more over, belong to other mediums.

I'll give you that you can't have games without gameplay. It's like doing a painting without using visual mediums.

But you've probably noticed that games are trying to tell stories, nowadays. Games don't have to to be great (Tetris comes to mind), but if they're going to tell a story, and tell it badly it's still a bad game. If they're using music or visuals wrong, it's a bad game.

[Kaosbringer]

Story and game play IMO. Graphics are secondary.

[Fencers]

I'll give you that you can't have games without gameplay. It's like doing a painting without using visual mediums.

But you've probably noticed that games are trying to tell stories, nowadays. Games don't have to to be great (Tetris comes to mind), but if they're going to tell a story, and tell it badly it's still a bad game. If they're using music or visuals wrong, it's a bad game.

That kinda doesn't hold true. If it did then only the latest games by virtue of tech would be considered "great" games. There are/were inherently limitations on the presentation of visuals, narrative and sound with each successive generation.

This isn't too far off from saying film needed color, sound and high fidelity effects to be "great films". Well that is flatly untrue. Film by turn also needs no narrative, sound or fidelity to be film, or a great film. Film only needs light.

[Ms Andry]

I wouldn't say that a game needs a story or soundtrack in order to be great, but those things can greatly add to the experience. Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2 wouldn't be half as good without the soundtrack, if God of War didn't have a story, I would have probably never finished it and if Team Fortress 2 didn't have the wacky aesthetic, it wouldn't have been as good.

Gameplay isn't the end all of a great game. It's very important, sure, but the story gives you clear objectives and the flavor of a game makes it more understandable. The music makes everything more exiting or relaxing and the aesthetics do a great deal of helping the atmosphere of a game.

I'm going to go with this. People spit at graphics and environment too much. People put hard work into that, and music and atmosphere can really make a game. Bastion would be the best example of this. By itself, the gameplay isn't too amazing. It's good, but with the unique story and narrator + that soundtrack, the game is amazing.

[Caiada]

When I forget I've got a controller or kb+m or whatever in my hands, then the game's amazing.

[Thelxi]

Customization. I also like games that are complicated but rewarding once you figure it all out; not complicated because of terrible (usually Asian) design.

[Ynna]

That kinda doesn't hold true. If it did then only the latest games by virtue of tech would be considered "great" games. There are/were inherently limitations on the presentation of visuals, narrative and sound with each successive generation.

Well, no. There are plenty of games that stood the test of time, both through gameplay, music, story, aesthetics and combinations thereof.

Old movies didn't get better because the technology improved, but a medium naturally improves over time as people learn how that medium works, and newer technologies help the creator to make their vision a a reality.

And yes, a film needs only light. A good film needs a lot more than that.

[Poppincaps]

Atmosphere, story, and gameplay. In that order. I think people really underestimate the atmosphere of a game. Many games just aren't very atmospheric, and they bore me after a while. I just what to put my headset on, tune everything out, and play. It's atmosphere that makes a game immersive... which is something Nintendo needs to realize.

[Ciddy]

Also sound. I've heard a lot of people say that sound/music tends to be less important when judging overall quality of a game. I'd ask those people to play something like FF7 completely muted and still tell me sound/music are less important.

I'll occasionally play WoW with the music turned off so I can listen to my Winamp playlist instead, but that's only after I've been in that raid/zone so many times I'm sick of it. If you never went into Naxx or Kara with the music/ambient sounds enabled, you missed out.

[BananaInsane]

The sense of importance makes a singleplayer RPG amazing to me.

[Fencers]

Well, no. There are plenty of games that stood the test of time, both through gameplay, music, story, aesthetics and combinations thereof.

Old movies didn't get better because the technology improved, but a medium naturally improves over time as people learn how that medium works, and newer technologies help the creator to make their vision a a reality.

So then retroactively these older films or games ceased to be great? Or exemplary?

Wither Defender or Space War?

I can't think of a single highly regarded game that "stood the test of time" with poor gameplay.

And yes, a film needs only light. A good film needs a lot more than that.

That is false though. And would not hold true for any other medium.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stan_Brakhage

^ one of the most important men of the 20th century.