This is kind of going to be a rant, so if you're not into that sort of thing, you'd best be leaving lol.

Whenever someone tells me some game that he/she played was a great game or "The best game," or whenever there's a top 10 or 100 list or the like (*cough* IGN *coughcough*) there's always times where I'd disagree, either a bit, or just completely disagree.

This is especially frequent whenever someone is more of a gamer of a different genre of games, or if they're fans of a series or console that I don't really care about or like. For example, I'm more of a Nintendo fan. I'll play stuff like CoD or Halo and stuff like that, and I'll enjoy it. But the fact is, I tend to like Legend of Zelda or Metroid, etc. over CoD and Gears of War and other things like that, because honestly, I feel like games like those are just more engaging than stuff like that.

Another example of this is a friend of mine who is a uber fan of RTS games (especially Starcraft). Don't get me wrong, I love RTS games, I just don't think they're the best (except Age of Empires II is one of my faves). My friend on the other hand, pretty much completely worships RTS games like they're his source of living. He pretty much tells me that anything that I play is inferior to Starcraft II (Ocarina of Time, FFVI, VII...etc., Metal Gear Solid... Mario games... the like. All inferior to Starcraft.) It just  makes me wonder why people would be so narrowminded and not give new things a try.

Or, whenever anyone I've ever talked to in person about Final Fantasy would tell me they absolutely adore the Playstation/Playstation 2 era Final Fantasy games, but whenever I even mention FFIV or V or VI, or anything before that for that matter, most of the time they'll say they're "not interested in them." Why not? What's wrong with them that you wouldn't even give them a try, or you won't even finish what you've started? It just baffles me.

Then I realize that nowadays people are more inclined to like games that just look really pretty and look incredibly fantastic, or games with flashy FMV, or games that have addicting multiplayer. I think that's a shame. Graphics or Multiplayer shouldn't be the ONLY deciding factor to whether or not a game is great.

But that's just my opinion. Maybe you think so. That's why I wanna find out what makes video games great games. In the poll, please choose A FEW of the choices on what factors make an incredible game, one that's worth mentioning to all your friends and one that you'd recommend to anyone. And comment and give me some examples too! Don't just do the poll and say what makes a great game, give some examples of those factors in question in games that you found to be perfect or amazing or anything like that.

It really differs. Do you mean a great game in general? Or a good game in a specific genre? By the way, my post is going to be a rant too.


In my opinion, no game will ever, ever, EVER be the "best game ever". There will be BETTER games, but it's impossible to fill in every single gaming aspect into one single game that would actually be good. You can have a roleplaying game like Zelda that has puzzles in it, but that hardly makes it essentially a puzzle game in full. Puzzles are only how you work around dungeons, and almost very little anywhere else. And Zelda is of course not an Real time strategy, so how can it complete to a real time strategy and be better then it?



In my opinion, a great game is a game that preforms the intended roles it was designed from properly and well. And for a roleplaying game, that is to have an enchanting and addicting story that wants you to play the role of that character, and where you feel you are actually controlling that character to help them reach their objective. This in my opinion is what makes The Legend of Zelda Majora's Mask so enchanting, and I will use this game as a vivid example.

You play as Link, you are Link, and you are damn well pressured to hurry your butt and complete those dungeons quick. The world is on your shoulders and you don't have a lot of time. You feel that pressure, and if Link was real, you can bet he would feel that pressure too. Many people don't think that way, and they hated the game because of that. But I loved it for that because in my opinion, it greatly enhances the roleplaying aspect. Saving the worlds in 3 days isn't supposed to be easy. You have to constantly restart over and over again, making piece meal changes in the flow of time every day. And if Link has to struggle through that, why shouldn't the player have to feel that frustration and helplessness too?


It's things like this that make me so much engaged in roleplaying games, and I think having to suffer through those struggles and frustrations make a roleplaying game good.


It can be taken the same way in first person shooters. I suppose so many people like first person shooters because you have to experience what they do in a much more sensual way. What the character sees, you see. And you have absolute control of that character. In Call of Duty, it simulates very well war. You have to tactically think, move, and act quickly. When battle comes, you feel that adrenaline and tension. And when you are sneaking and on the verge of being caught, you feel yourself tense up in nervousness. It makes people feel more alive. I believe Left 4 Dead does this very well too in a way, as it absolutely defines team play. When you get trapped by an infected and are rendered helpless, you feel helpless, and you thank the person who comes to you aid. You feel the bond of team work when you go and help save one of your teamates as well, or help aid them by giving them an item or even using your very own, extremely precious medkit to make sure they make it. And at that, when things are going very badly and there's a horde of zombies, there's a dread that you or your team may not survive the battle. I've played versus a lot in Left 4 Dead, and it's always a joy to see other human players panic as I'm one of the infected, and throw a careless molotov to clear a horde of zombies when they are blinded; not even realized they are roasting one of their own fallen teammates.


And for RTS people, I believe it's the thought of as if you are actively playing a game of chess; always trying to be one step ahead of your opponent. There's a thrill of out smarting another player with your strategy and countering your enemies. I personally don't like RTS myself because I do not like the constant pressure of always having to think while acting, so I can't say much for this thrill.


In the game I'm designing, the story is a roleplaying action game. But the main purpose of the game itself is supposed to tell the enchanting story; but the gameplay will help make that story a much more pleasurable and realistic experience. You will become one with the main character, and will have to actually endure the struggles that he goes through; not just hear of them. And the music is made to help match the feeling that the main character has to make the experience even more real. This in my opinion will make the game good, because it will not only have unique and fun gameplay, but the game itself will be an experience.


My final thought on this topic is that games only become great, when they fill out their role well. You can have a game have excellent voice acting, but things like that only make the thriller sweeter. It's only icing; if there's no cake for the icing to be on, or if the cake is stale, then the icing is not as good as well. But we all know that some people love the icing much more then the actual cake itself and will general eat the icing without the cake if given the choice. And of course, cakes come in several different flavors. Everyone one of us enjoys different kinds, of flavors and designs, but there may be one that we just don't like.

Vincent Swiftstrike : I agree that a game can't be "the best." That goes without saying. But despite that, you could still probably place certain games higher than others right? I absolutely get what you're saying and I agree that a game that fulfills its specific genre well makes it great, but there is still a way to compare games of differing genres and rank them against each other. In fact, I could probably go ahead and say that it's possible to rank certain genres above other ones (if you take only into account the best of each genres. For example, if I want to compare the RPG genre with the FPS genre, I can't just take all the crappy JRPG games out there into consideration. The same goes with FPS, as there are so many Halo and CoD clones in existence.)

And about what you said at the end, you put it into words pretty well with the cake analogy, but my main problem is the fact that people now seem to care more about "the icing" than the actual cake itself. Things like graphics and voice acting and physics engines are incredible and I love seeing stuff like that put into action, but when it comes down to it, certain elements about the game itself are more important. However, people don't think like that when they see an old game. They don't want to play something like that, just because well, it's dated. It's nothing against today's standards. Of course, there are plenty of games that defy the test of time, ones that even now, have a timelessness to them that you could play them today and still feel that it has potential to compete with today's juggernaut franchises and "blockbuster" games.

...but that's just my opinion.