Graphics Vs. Performance Vs. Innovativeness Vs. Replay Value etc etc etc ...

[dude677]

A very serious poll for sure.
Nintendo is going a different route with its bussiness, focusing on innovative ways of playing games. The sub-question is, does that matter to you.

Graphics-Alot of people like nice graphics, whether nicely drawn sprite or how many pixels are crammed into a guys head. Life-like to cartoony, this is one factor in games.

Performance-if you are the proud owner of a PC Gaming rig, you are very keen to find games that can run well on your PC, or if you are a console gamer, whether there will be any noticable slowdown during the big SFX parts. Another factor. If there's too much lag, the game is deemed unplayable.

Innovataveness (Yes, a real word)-Games are usually rehashes of yesteryears games, with not much originality or groundbreaking aspects to it. That's where Nintendo steps up. Do you want to play a game that you have never done before. Vote here.

Replay Value-The longer the game, the happier we usually are. Side-missions, extra characters, and unlockables are what keeps gamers playing the games released years ago. We don't want to shell out 50 big ones for a game that entertains us the first 30 seconds.

Entertainemnt-The fun factor, do you care about games hwere all you do is blow up zombies one after the after, or do you want a game of where you pilot a plane dodging missles? If you care about your Fun Meter, you have to vote for this.

Price Point-Is this game really worth that 50 big one? Is this game worth more than that Player's Choice 20$ price tag? Vote here if you think so.

Story-Do you want a reason for blowing up that oil tanker? Vote here for yes.

Memorability-Do you want a game that will give you a lupm in your throught, give you thousands of insperations for fan fictions, or keep you awake at night? Vote here for a yes!

Sound/Music-Big Musical Numbers and Great Voice Acting is a must in most RPGs. Play it up!

Familiar Series-Pac-Man, Mario, and all those gaming superstars that you love dearly can be a factor in game picking.

Gore-Blood and decapitations may appeal to you. Large guns and chainsaws may as well.

Puzzling Puzzlers-Games that make you think can be a factor. Whether how to open a door from the other side of a room, to grabbing that key through SOLID BRICK, this is a factor those big brains may enjoy.

Multiplayer-Solo games can be fun, three more friends over is a party!! Choose this if you care about the number of guys you can stuff into a game.

So really guys and gals, what do you really care for in a game?
If you have any more factors you care about in a game, post them up.

[SolidShroom]

That was really hard! I chose Story, since I like games like Metal Gear and PM:TTYD with amazing stories that keep me interested for hours. My second choice was entertainment. I play games to have fun, so I want a fun game. That's pretty easy to understand, right? Innovative games are important too, but sometimes, I like the saying "if it isn't broke don't fix it". Replay Value is important too, but I usually play games twice or more just for fun. Performance isn't too important, as long as the lag isn't headache-inducingly slow. Graphics:See last sentence.

[Vidgmchtr]

I believe I chose Entertainment and Story.

I chose Entertainment, mainly because I'll play it as long as it's fun. Doesn't matter if the graphics aren't up-to-date, I'd rather play a fun game with out-of-date graphics over a bad game that was beautifully rendered.

I don't know why I chose Story, the only choice I really liked was Entertainment, when everything else didn't really matter. If "Music" was a choice, I'd definitely choose that, because it's fun to listen to catchy tunes.

[PaperLuigi]

This is an awesome topic.


If I had to choose 2 out of everything you've listed, I'd have to pick Entertainment and Story. It's hard to explain, but to me, a game is nothing without an awesome story to go along with it. (Paper Mario is at the top of my favorite game list because of it's story.) It just adds to the entertainment, which is also a key factor.

I guess replay value would be 3rd. What good is a game if you can't play it again?

[Hirocon]

I chose entertainment and replay value.  Story is the wild card.  I love a good story, but very few games have stories that really interest me, and the ones that do almost always have low replay value.  For example, the best stories are usually in RPGs, but RPGs are the sort of game I'll play through once and then never touch again.  In contrast I still enjoy Super Smash Brother Melee to this day, but it doesn't have any sort of story.

Sound/Music should be a choice.  I wouldn't have picked it (it's not as important as entertainment and replay value) but an epic musical score and detailed surround sound effects can add a lot to the atmosphere of a game.

[G-Dawg]

This was really hard, are you sure you can't select 3? Or at least put a remove vote as the voices inside my head battle it out...I already want to change one. I chose enertainment (of course), and performance...which I want to change to graphics now...or replay value...or something.

[BP]

I picked entertainment since it covers a lot of the other choices, like Story and Performance. I mean, the story entertains you.

[Insane Steve]

Entertainment and replay value. The former would seemingly encompass most of the other choices in some facet; for example, an RPG's story can be a major factor as to whether it's entertaining, or a novelty game's innovativeness. There's a bit of a blurred line.

EDIT: Huh. It appears BP beat me to this point. Ah well.

[Markio]

I chose entertainment and replay value, too.

I don't mind bad graphics much, hence why I still play my N64 all the time.  Also, MK:DD has oddly bright colors and the characters are always shiny, but I don't mind.  Or Banjo-Tooie, which seems as though they graphics cram a lot into one view, but it's still a fun game.

Regarding the performance of a game, a temporary slowdown doesn't seem like much in a big game.  In Super Mario 64, in Jolly Roger Bay, at the start of the level whenever I long jump onto the cannon, the camera always slows down for a second.  Slowing down doesn't matter to me as long as the game is playable.

I don't care about innovativeness.  I will play the same junk with a different title who knows how many times.  Either something's wrong with me, or I'm a sucker for familiarity.  Innovativeness is alright though...

Replay Value is very important.  It's why people keep games.  So you can play them again.  If you can't afford the newest game, at least you can fall back on your old ones that way!

Entertainment is why we play games.  To be entertained.  If a game's not entertaining, there's be no point in playing it.  That would be like going to a movie you already don't like.

I know of games that don't cost a lot that are still worth as much as an expensive game.  At least I buy old games for like ten bucks that still rock.  I mean, they make expensive games in genres I don't like.  Just because they're expensive doesn't mean I'd like it.  I'd hate it at first for being expensive, anyway...

A story is always good, because usually you can't just skip past those cutscenes and you're forced to watch them.  So they might as well be good.  But a good stroy isn't everything.  I mean, they make Harry Potter into games, and I don't think those are very popular, while the stories are.  Or Super Mario 64 is about how Bowser stole the secret stars and sealed of paintings or something.  I don't care that much, I just want to go down the slide in Tall Tall Mountain.  Or Super Mario Sunshine.  I thought it was a lot of fun.  I was partly embarrassed while Peach tried to work out why Bowser's son thought she was his mother, but once that was over, I could go back to collecting red coins on a giant bird of sand.

I like to sleep at night, so memorability probably isn't my cup of tea.  I mean, good characters are ...good, but sometimes they're nothing but a vessel for the player to control.  Like Diddy Kong Racing. Who's this Pipsy mouse girl?  I dunno, but she's good in a cart, so I'll use her!

In conclusion, what I wrote above is what I think on all topics.  And I'm bad at conclusions.

[TEM]

Entertainment and EDIT: Multiplayer although my vote is currently for replay value.

[dude677]

In terms of entertainment, I meant the fun factor in that game. Some have larger ones than others. Some games aren't made to be "fun", but to see a result. Stuff like brain age. It can be fun in a way, but that's not how it really is.

[dude677]

I've added a few more choices. I wonder why you can't remove your vote? It was done in other polls...
If you would like me to remove all votes, just say yes.

[Glorb]

I can't believe I'm the only one who voted for multiplayer! I'm a complete multiplayer nut. I also like (or rather, don't un-like) violence in games, as long as it's tasteful. For example, Resident Evil 4's was, most of the time, fairly conservative in its gore; Quake 4's main focus, basically, was gore. But I liked its multiplayer, so it's like some sort of vicious circle.

[Kojinka]

I pick Entertainment and Price Point.  The majority of stuff that's important to me falls into entertainment in my eyes. Music, Replay Value, Story (with the exception of the SSB games.  They don't have much story, but it's still my favorite fighter series), Memorability (I've written a few fanfics), Innovativeness (Wii love originality :P)

Price Point because I'm trying to make sure I'll still have enough money by the time upcoming games and consoles I really want (ie TP, SSBB, Wii) come out.  The only times I buy a game before price drop is if it's a long-awated title of one of my favorite series, or if it's a highly praised game that appeals to me.