Video Games Video Game Must Haves?

[HeavensNight]

My friend and I argue about it all the time, bless her heart, as she prefers games that look good with a good mechanic and I prefer games that look however with a good story. I just like hearing people's preferences and why. Thank you.

 

[AlexneushoornTheGreat]

I prefer games with good gameplay that isn't too gimmicky. Story would be in second place, and graphics in third.

 

[Jannah]

Gameplay and story are mainly what I look for. Everything else is secondary.

 

[Zenko]

Gameplay is the most important thing- if it isn't fun then none of the other things matter

 

[AaronMk]

Is it tasty? Because I don't play a narrow enough range to give a list. I can't say I look for anything within a "gameplay" set because I play games like Kentucky Route Zero, Pentiment, and Night In The Woods which while all being brilliant games are scant in what is considered by-and-large "gameplay". All their weight is in the visual aesthetic and the story telling. There isn't even a Fail-Safe (well less so with Night In The Woods which has an in-built Roguelike game within its own universe which has a fail state and is very much a game with gameplay, also it's bass-only Guitar Hero Mini-Game; but it's hilarious to recommend the game on the merit of those two).

On the other hand I play TF2 and Deep Rock Galactic known for their lax story, all gameplay. Or also Civ 6 and Total War.

So honestly at the end of the day I just say you shouldn't stay in a niche you should cultivate a wide range

 

[Whitespacer]

difficulty. games that are hard to be good at. preferably with a lot of options on how to do things. my brain is usually too fried to focus on stories in games because the times outside them i mostly spend writing.

 

[CHUUYAS_HAT]

Quality cutscenes!!

I hate realistic games but then a cutscene just shows a purely edited fake "sparkle blast" or whatever element / power someone has - only for those fantasy, combat, RPG style etc stuff

 

[Hyde.]

Replayability is a big one for me.

Does the game have multiple path, options, etc., that significantly influence the story or gameplay in one way or another? You'd think I would be talking about something like Until Dawn or The Quarry, but actually, I mean the exact opposite. I'm talking more like Elder Scrolls or Fallout, or if you're into something more easygoing, something like Minecraft or Stardew Valley. Heck, even some of the newer Fire Emblem games have a few gameplay loops and paths that tickle my brain in just the right way. I'm pretty poor, so I can't be going out buying any new console or game, so I need a game that I can pay $60 for and then play it for ten years without getting bored (thanks Fire Emblem: Awakening and Skyrim!).

 

[Warrior Spirit]

My friend and I argue about it all the time, bless her heart, as she prefers games that look good with a good mechanic and I prefer games that look however with a good story. I just like hearing people's preferences and why. Thank you.

I'm playing the Witcher 3 right now and I am genuinely not enjoying it. I prefer my game worlds to be pleasant.

I love Skyrim and hated Fallout 3 because Skyrim has a great world while Fallout is the embodiment of suicidal depression.

Roleplaying video games to me are escapism. And escapism means I must get lost in beautiful and interesting worlds, not spend time fighting my way out of hell like the Soulsborne series.

 

[Idea]

I place the kind of games I like in two camps. An interesting story is required either way and very seldom do I play a game that can't be played for free.

The current kind of game I play most are games with the ability to play themselves that otherwise appeal to my tastes (as in externally from it being a game) in some way. As a student in university with a bit of difficulty dealing with FOMO it's very important to me that a game allows me to make progress and get the things I want without needing to devote a significant amount of attention to it. I can devote time, but that's so long as I can do other things at the same time. This characteristic has kept me as an Azur Lane player for a while, on top of the cuteness that initially attracted me to the game and the intriguing (if admittedly convoluted) worldbuiling, characters and story that I eventually found it had.

The second class of game is games that give me a wide breath for customization. A lot of the way I like to play games tackles what is in Magic the Gathering slang is called my "Johny" side. Johnys are a type of player for whom the point is less winning or showing off, and more finding your own path and your own way to do things and potentially achieve victory. It's, in a sense, about self-expression and exploring creativity, as opposed to efficiency or the catharsis of doing big impressive things. I've had my eye on games I hear have deep character customization, I like starcraft especially in campaign mode in which you can further customize your army and I very much enjoy the likes of digital trading card games, especially currently Shadowverse, which can kind of be almost the ultimate customization game because you can customize your whole deck.

I suppose a third pseudo-category could include games I've just heard a lot about and managed to get for cheap on some discount, or those games I still have a strong sense of nostalgia for.

 

[Crit_Happens]

I think it's really about synergy - in the end, story is most important to me, but the game mechanics have to be able to support that story. If it's not enjoyable to look at or play, then there's not really enough time for the story to hook you.

My favorite game is Hades, even though I don't typically like rougelikes, because it is gorgeous and has such an interesting setting and characters. I started playing for the story but then got really into the gameplay mechanics because it feels so rewarding when you get to advance the plot. Each aspect of the game really works off of the others and makes the others better - the plot justifying and benefiting from the roguelike format, for instance, makes it make sense and stops it from being frustrating and repetitive.

 

[SilvaTungDAngel]

The Immersion.

If a game can make me care about the NPC's, the player character's goal, and the entirety of the worldspace, then it is a phenomenal game.