What makes games good?

[Ezekiel86]

This is something I've been thinking of for a while, what actually makes games "good"? I understand this is a topic which is based highly on opinions rather than hard facts, so consider it an open-ended question.

Personally, I believe replayability is a large factor in rating a game as good. I know some of my favourite games had a high degree of replayability (Mario 64, Super Smash Bros Melee, F-Zero GX, Resident Evil remake).

What do you guys think?

[Ads]

[rich-69-50]

replayability is probably the same with me, but there should be plenty of action in the games as well, otherwise they get boring and i don't bother with them anymore...

[Flip]

I think what you're both forgetting, is that something about the game has to attract you, and has to make you want to play it again. Any game can be played over and over, but it's what's inside the game that makes it worth-while.

I would say a solid storyline, and great gameplay, make good games. A great game can get away with sub-par visuals, provided the characters and story are well developed, and suitable.

[Ezekiel86]

I think what you're both forgetting, is that something about the game has to attract you, and has to make you want to play it again. Any game can be played over and over, but it's what's inside the game that makes it worth-while.

I would say a solid storyline, and great gameplay, make good games. A great game can get away with sub-par visuals, provided the characters and story are well developed, and suitable.

I agree, games can get away with substandard graphics, as long as they have a solid, coherent plot, or excellent gameplay. I think Timesplitters 2 is a homage to this (it's graphics were certainly nothing to harp about, as the characters looked for the most part like gourad-shaded models as opposed to fully skinned models [or if they were fully skinned, they used some super-low-resolution skins which certainly look like gourad shading]) but having said that, Timesplitters 2 was so much freaking fun! Definitely one of the fastest blastfests on the console platform

[Flip]

Absolutely. And the best example of this, is the fact that we still to this day, play games from 10 - 20 years ago, despite (obvious, I hope) their simple graphics. If the gameplay is genuinely and truely fun and engaging. Everything else becomes irrelevant.

[Samster]

Well said Flip.

I spent two hours last night playing the original arcade version of Xevious - the father of all shoot 'em ups.............. from 1982!

What a game - I'd rather play Xevious with it's 1982 graphics that Grand Theft Auto any day of the week.

Games today are way too easy..........they don't present much of a challenge to me really..........Xevious is difficult, addictive, and you want to come back again and again and again........

If you're too young to remember.................. Xevious - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Lutenten]

It also depends on how much time one has to spend on gaming.

10 years ago, I would play a game for 12 hours straight because i had the time.
Now that I'm married and have kids, I am lucky if I can put in 30 minutes at a time. So 10 years ago, a game like Legend of Zelda would have been my choice to play whereas these days Wii Sports suits my purposes just fine.

Now if i can only get my wife and son addicted to gaming...

[Zessler]

Replayability is very important to me. also the fact that a game can be saved any time and anywhere. I enjoy playing games that has shor missions like Star wars Battlefield I, up to this day i have the game installed and enjoy playing it few times a week for 15 minutes. this is also due to the fact that I dont have much time for gaming anymore. But games that has lots of character interaction and good fight graphics attract me as well.

[DBloke]

TEH PICTUREZ MAKED TEH GAMEZ GOODER THAN MOZT

Gameplay
replayablity is nothing with out gameplay
If you dont like a game you wont wont to play it

[Ezekiel86]

Graphics seem to be important, but not super important (I still enjoy Resident Evil 2 despite it's stone-age visuals) but I suppose new games have to at least look somewhat "new".

Gameplay is crucial too. I also believe interactivity is important - True Crime NYC is a good example of this, during melee fights you can pick up pieces of broken furniture or even (in rather bad taste) severed limbs and heads to clobber your opponent with; although there's something strangely satisfying in beating some punk-ass down with a bloody skull