What are you looking for in games?

[GrayWolf448]

just out of curiosity (and possibly helping me get a better idea of what to include in a game if i ever make one) what type of features do you look for when it comes to video games?

im mostly talking about game play elements not things like the community or active developers (since im pretty sure that everyone likes active devs)

[Amducious]

I'd say realism with gun shot wounds and how bullets impact people. Actually having bleeding damage from gun shots (since well cod and all that is just unrealistic).  Gore since taking a point blank shot from a shotgun would blow off half of your body. Head shots, because getting shot in the head will kill you (seen this too many times in games,were you shoot someone in the head and they don't die).

Just realism in general with guns and etc., since getting knifed in the foot won't kill you instantly. Something that's fun too and pleasing to play. Good storylines and backstory to the game (lore etc). Open world and being able to not be limited by "invisible walls" and being able to interact with things. Lots of weapons and a even playing field.

These are just some ideas

[GrayWolf448]

ya realism with getting hit is diffidently one thing in games i like. its also very entertaining when you hit someone, wait a few seconds, hit again, wait, again, and after 5mags they are somehow still alive (nice way to troll enemy snipers in battlefield though)

as for open world and invisible walls thats why i love procedural map generation.

though the idea of what happens to the body when hit by a weapon wasn't something i thought of in my game idea notes so i'll defiantly add that. would make the game a little more messy, though hopefully it might discourage players from going on mass killings in games (i get kinda annoyed when people run around in game killing everything) though of course add an option to turn it off (dont want to lose sales from countries that ban games like that)

though for both of those ideas ill need to come up with an idea of how to make it not too punishing for the player in a survival game. my idea does involve magic/spells so i guess thats an option to heal.

[HazardJackal]

WARNING: THIS POST CONTAINS REAL OPINIONS!!!  AVERT YOUR EYES NOW IF THAT'S SOMETHING YOU'D RATHER NOT SEE!!! 

Here's what i'd like to see in more video games.  I'm mainly talking about FPS games here, but what makes a good shooter might not be what improves a different type of game.  (For example, good characters are wholly unnecessary for a game like Burnout.)  I also am mostly talking about the single-player or co-op enjoyably of these games, as i am not a big multiplayer gamer.  Additionally, if you don't see a game mentioned that would be an obvious example for the points i'm making, it's probably because i haven't played it yet.  I also would like to add that any game i am bringing up here i HAVE PLAYED TO COMPLETION, with the exception of Singularity, Rage and Dishonored, but i'm working on those!  One last thing.  No matter how much i might nitpick here, every game i've listed is one i would gladly play again; i'm simply pointing out where i think certain games shine, and where others fall short of what i'd like.

So, with all that out of the way, i believe that a good game should have:

Likable and memorable characters. 
(Like in Gears of War, and Bulletstorm.^A  NOT like in Singularity, or Far Cry 3^B.)

Good sound effects, particularly with firearms.
(Like in Halo 4, or Bioshock.  NOT like in Singularity.)

A story that keeps you turning the pages in gleeful anticipation.
(Like in Bioshock, or Gears of War.  NOT like Borderlands 1^C, or Rage.)

A soundtrack that makes whatever you're doing seem incredible.
(Like, Halo CE/Halo 2, and CoD Black Ops 1/2.  NOT like Skyrim^D, or Half-Life 2.)

Awesome jaw-dropping moments that make you want to call up your bros and tell them every detail, even if it's 4am.
(Like Bulletstorm, and Gears of War.  NOT like MechAssault, or Skyrim.)

A great sense of exploration and discovery.
(Like SKYRIM, nothing even comes CLOSE.  NOT like Fable 2/3, or Far Cry 3.)

Boss fights done RIGHT.
(Like Gears of War, or Borderlands 2.  NOT like Halo 2, or Skyrim.)

Loot and gear that stays relevant long enough to be worth getting in the first place.
(Like Borderlands 1, and Fable 2.  NOT like Borderlands 2, and Skyrim.)

Worthwhile and exciting gameplay ideas to keep things fresh.
(Like Singularity, and Bulletstorm.  NOT like Halo 4 and Fable 3.)

Tight controls so when you die, you blame yourself, not the game.
(Like in Far Cry 4, and Rage.  NOT like in Gears of War^E, or Skyrim^F.)

The ability to deal with a situation YOUR way.
(Like in Far Cry 4, and Dishonored.  NOT like Fable, or CoD Black Ops 2^G.)

Puzzles and obstacles that make you think outside the box.
(Like Half-Life 2, and Singularity, NOT like... actually, i can't really think of anything truly BAD for this one...)

Simplicity where it's needed, and no lame gimmicks that distract from what REALLY matters.
(Like MechAssault, or Halo CE.  NOT like in CoD:AW or Singularity^H.)

Good checkpoint placement and level design.
(Like in Bulletstorm^I, or Gears of War.  NOT like in Halo 4, or MechAssault.)

And lastly, i love it when a game has a an options menu with more than a handful of settings.  Customizable controls are always nice as well.
(Like in Skyrim, and Dishonored.  NOT like in Gears of War, or Borderlands 1.)

^AAlso of note, pretty much every Nintendo game ever.
^BI might feel differently if we got to see more of the two most awesome characters, Vaas and Hoyt.
^CThey fixed that with the later games though.
^DI have nothing against the soundtrack itself, but the way it is implemented seems far from perfect.  Epic fight music playing for a mudcrab, for one thing.
^EDon't get me wrong, i adore Gears, but the controls seem to have a mind of their own sometimes.
^FThe controls aren't BAD, but i really feel like they could be more responsive.  Could just be me, i dunno.
^GSure, there's more choice than the other CoD games, but it's not even close to what they promised it would have.  Better than nothing though, i'll give em that.
^HI don't hate Singularity, i just feel like it falls short in so many areas that it really didn't have much reason to.
^IYou've probably caught on by now that i'm a big fan of that game.  As hard as i try to find something wrong with it, i just realize even more than as far as i'm concerned, it's damn near gaming perfection, like it was made just for me.


If anyone has any questions about my choices, by all means, ask me in PM.  I spent LITERALLY over an hour typing this all out, so i'm in this for the long haul, and anything that comes with it.  That's implying that i'm ready to answer questions if there are any...  I'll just stop typing now.

[GrayWolf448]

ya i tend to get into typing this like that quite a bit, funny how i can type as much but i have trouble typing a single paragraph for school work. though anyway thanks for the response.

the game idea that iv got in mind would be mostly a survival game (though with far more options/items than every other survival game) though sadly due to my limitations of being a single developer of a game the idea that i have will have to be 2d/top down in order for me to get anywhere near the ideas that i have. i have come up with random ideas to add multiple layers to the environment, to give a sense of the world having a y-axis though until that game actually gets made i dont really know how it will turn out.

[Doc]

My personal opinion is this: you need a good soundtrack. The Mass Effect trilogy, which I have played to completion at least three times each, has an amazing soundtrack and would not be nearly as enjoyable if it wasn't for the Galaxy Map music. Also, Halo CE and Halo 2's soundtracks make everything I do seem awesome. One more thing, realism with guns is great. Fallout 3, New Vegas and 4 are great examples of this and include total limb seperation, if not total bodily destruction, like when you use the Fat Man on a group of Super Mutants.