What makes a game great?

[Space_hamster]

A great game is that, which removes the content from the screen, where it shouldn't be, and gently puts it between the players ears and in his heart, where it should be.

 

--

I appeal to everybody to make a similar statement to what makes a game great. Also, please feel free to add a small picture.

 

May all your dreams come true.

[Elerond]

Excelent story companied with good gameplay mechanics in intresting and believable world added with elements of exploration, discovery and heroism/villianism and all this must be paced with appropriate rate of action, story telling, character development and threat.

 

This of course is when we speak about fantasy rpgs.

Edited November 1, 2012 by Elerond

[Churchwarden]

A great game compels the player to immerse himself in both the narrative and mechanical aspects of the experience, intertwining the two in such a way that he becomes a passionate fan of each.

 

[Space_hamster]

Thank you, Elerond. Your post makes me wonder. Is a game more than the sum of its parts?

 

My claim is - you speak of life. And a worthy adventure that is.

[rjshae]

I'm sorry, are you in the right room?

[Space_hamster]

*looks around himself* I'd say so Because the gameplay mechanics does involve player-game interaction. But if a moderator disagree, please feel free to move this thread. All feedback is welcome.

[Elerond]

Thank you, Elerond. Your post makes me wonder. Is a game more than the sum of its parts?

 

My claim is - you speak of life. And a worthy adventure that is.

 

Yes and no.

 

Yes because strong emergence says that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

And no because reductionism says that a complex system is nothing but the sum of its parts, and that an account of it can be reduced to accounts of individual constituents.

[Space_hamster]

A great game is that, which encompasses an idea, and explores its options to its fullest in a safe environment.

[Osvir]

What makes a game great? Hm..

 

 

Telling more than it shows letting me tell, a fictive narrative of the imagination (when playing Baldur's Gate with my friend we added narrative on the actions of our group, painting the situations with words, creating dialogue between our characters and made our own personal quests with the material provided to us in-game).

Edited November 1, 2012 by Osvir

[Space_hamster]

That is a wonderful heart. I can see an eye in there somewhere.

 

A great game is that, which lets the player play it without fear of being manipulated.

[JFSOCC]

Good story (Makes you think, is believable, character driven, consistent world and narrative)

Engaging game-play (Diversity, little or no hand-holding, empowers the player, intuitive and responsive controls)

Unforced (Pacing, choice, no invisible walls)

Great visuals (not the same as graphics) and sound. (Distinct art style, colourful, diverse, detailed)

Supports a community (Moddable, centralised information -wiki;filesite;forums)

Polished. (little to no bugs, exploits, forced cutscenes, pathing issues, responsive, attention to little details)

[mstark]

A game that tells a story as beautifully as a good book; a game where you cannot wait to turn to the next page.

 

A game that makes you think; a story that you engage in because you choose to, not because it forces a narrative.

 

 

 

A game that is like a good friend—always there for you—never intrusive.

[jivex5k]

Broken down to it's basest form:

• Is challenging, but not cheaply so.
  
• Makes me care about the characters.
  
• Gives me a reason to continue playing.
  

If I talk about a great cRPG

• Offers good PC customization
  
• Has a balanced tactical combat system
  
• Offers many dialogue options
  
• Has a good amount of world lore
  
• Fleshed out NPCs
  
• Elegant UI
  

[BetrayTheWorld]

Story depth, and options. Lots and lots of options. Dialogue options, customization options, gameplay options, lots of feats/perks...it all adds to the replayability and immersion of the world, in my opinion.

[Hassat Hunter]

Might be shallow, but a great game is a game that never becomes a chore to play, and is always fun and a good time spend.

[Sacred_Path]

I like turtles, personally.

[Monte Carlo]

Violence.

 

Hate.

 

Loathing.

 

Despair.

 

Combat.

 

Pain.

 

Hot Elf Chicks.

[Space_hamster]

A great game is that, which lets its inhabitants observe the twin soulmirrors of Good and Evil, only to see their own mirror image returned back to them - without bias. All this time the Watchers observe silently from afar.

[Osvir]

I like turtles, personally.

 

Check this thread out :D

 

EDIT: forgot to "linkage" it

Edited November 3, 2012 by Osvir

[LadyCrimson]

I guess I don't think too much about what, exactly, it is about a game that makes me latch onto it. Which is why I'm lousy at thinking of suggestions for such things. All I really know is if it sparks my brain in all the right pleasure centers, I will become completely and totally obsessed with the game, to the point of forgetting to eat dinner or going to bed.

 

It could be some particular gameplay mechanic - phat loot worth hunting for, the OCD task of leveling up professions and exploration just to "see what is there", or the fun of building something that works well (strategy/sim games).

It could be some story aspect - a companion whose story I relate to enough to make me start to care about them outside of what combat prowess they add to the party

It could be a sense of humor that matches mine, where you're going through the game and semi-frequently something makes you LOL

It could be visceral combat combined with a great music score that, for me, enhances the mood and fun of the battle scenarios to make them very memorable and thus I want to keep going to experience it again.

 

...and so on and so forth.

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

• Mechanics that function well and compliment other mechanics
  
• Interesting and well executed concepts
  
• Functions well for it's purpose. A RPG should at least allow role-playing, for example.
  
• Replayability
  
• Content that doesn't scream "filler", and a good amount of good content(I like at least 20 hours)
  

[Space_hamster]

Oh well. To each his own.

 

Thank you all - you've been creative beyond words. Did something come out of it? I hope not. At least, don't tell me.

[Hormalakh]

A great game is that which makes issuing commands to your protagonist as if you were the protagonist yourself by utilizing an intuitive control interface. You are thinking about what you want your character to do, not what mouse buttons/keyboard keys to push to make that happen.

[Sedrefilos]

Developers that know what they're doing

[Metabot]

One thing that can make a game great is having things and mechanics that you might not discover until years after.