What makes a good game?

the guardian · Post by **the guardian** » Tue Dec 31, 2002 2:14 am

Eh, thats a tough cookie, because a good game can be a game with an exellent story behind him, or an addictive nature, or it could be a brain teaser, it depends on the genre.

Take PS:torment, now compare it with gobliins 2, or tyrian, or blood. Completely diffrent games, all are wonderful, but in a diffrent way.

requiem_for_a_starfury · Tue Dec 31, 2002 2:38 am

On one hand a good story, something that grabs you by the throat in the first few minutes and doesn't let go until... well never.

The game has to keep my interest, make me want to know what's down every corridor, behind every door, in every container. Something that makes me want to see what happens next, not what do I get to kill now.

I played the demo for Thief 2 and was instantly hooked, bought the game and played the first level was so bored I slung it in a drawer and not touched it since.

The interface has to be easy to use, what's the point of having a game where it takes longer to learn how to play it than to actually play it?

A game that makes you think, not just react, or go ohh look at the pretty graphics. A challenge but not an impossibility, I like the sense of accomplishment of finishing a level, but I don't like it when a game makes me glad when it's over.

On the over hand simplicity, one of the best games I've ever played was on the demo tape that came with the ZX Spectrum, the one with the bouncing ball and the brickwall. Simple addictive and fun.

boywoos · Post by **boywoos** » Tue Dec 31, 2002 3:00 am

Something which contains the addictivness of busrsting bubble wrap and peeling labels off beer bottles.

Mad Max RW · Post by **Mad Max RW** » Tue Dec 31, 2002 3:02 am

OK, the definition of a good game. Something that doesn't have any glaring faults and is basically good overall. A storyline that keeps you wanting to see what happens next. It doesn't have to be ground breaking or set in a fresh new world. Half Life is a "good" game. There's nothing amazing about it, but there's nothing bad about it. The same about GTA3. 90% of the games released in the last several years are good or OK. Only about .1% are great. The rest is crap.

A great game is extremely rare. It has everything a "good" game has but more. Fallout is the perfect example of a great game. You have a totally original world, awesome and addicting story, and sets itself apart from all other RPGs. Even if it has a glaring fault like annoying bugs it's still great. Doom is a great game. Quake, Command and Conquer, and Starcraft are great.

avenger69ie · Post by **avenger69ie** » Tue Dec 31, 2002 3:09 am

simple.

An original and entertaining concept.

the guardian · Post by **the guardian** » Tue Dec 31, 2002 3:39 am

avenger69ie wrote:simple.

An original and entertaining concept.

Thats not true, take the warcraft series, it wasnt original(dune 2 came before) and people classify it as an exellent game(s).

Originality is a perk.

requiem_for_a_starfury · Tue Dec 31, 2002 3:55 am

the guardian wrote: Thats not true, take the warcraft series, it wasnt original(dune 2 came before) and people classify it as an exellent game(s).

Originality is a perk.

Agreed an original concept is not always necessary but then the game needs to up the ante in terms of mechanics, gameplay, storytelling.

Pastorius · Post by **Pastorius** » Tue Dec 31, 2002 5:34 am

A good story, capable of drawing you in, well-developed characters, and the ability to leave you wanting more. For example: IMO, Dreamweb was a great game because it had those elements, despite the shitty graphics, the bad choice of perspective and being way too short.

Snake · Post by **Snake** » Tue Dec 31, 2002 12:35 pm

A good story
Fallout what more can I say
Deux Ex, Dreamweb Half-Life and other games where you are brought into the story is win
Another example of a great for me is Buffy on the xbox
It has all the actors from the show doing the voices, except for Buffy but the standin sounds just like her
And the whole flow of the game is like an episode of the show
All the witty comments and one liners are there
It has a nice combat system, looks and sounds good
Compare this to Blade 2 on the xbox
The voice actors don't even sound like the movie conterparts, I wonder if they are the voices in the Spiderman cartoons when they guested there
The combat system is ok and the game seems sluggish compared to Buffy
The story is some hodge podge of Blade I and II and comic book sillyness
Therefore it is an ok game and slaying vamps in either game is good

Kashluk · Post by **Kashluk** » Tue Dec 31, 2002 1:05 pm

The story. Fallout and Planescape: Torment are good examples of it. Without a cunning, depressive and surprising storyline the game MUST suck.

the guardian · Post by **the guardian** » Tue Dec 31, 2002 1:13 pm

Non of you ever listen, do you? You're all thinking about rpgs and adventure games, THINK ABOUT THE OTHER GENRE, did skyroads suck? Tyrian? Was doom a sucky game? Did super mario had any acual story which we gave a fuck about? Nah, we jumped on turtles and ate flowers, and it was fun... The story had nothing to do with it! We spent hours on those game(i did atleast, shut up), and there wasnt realy *a* story, it was just pure fun.

Storyline? That thing is for rpgs, or adventure games, not for ALL games.

Dont ever say that without a good storyline, a game must sucks, kashluk.

What a game needs is a thing , something that binds me to my chair... A good story behind him, an addictive nature, a realy good tune that never leaves my head, a fear effect, you fucking name it, you can always feel it, you know what it is, but you cant always name it...And its not always the same thing.

Jeff · Post by **Jeff** » Tue Dec 31, 2002 1:17 pm

Kashluk wrote:The story. Fallout and Planescape: Torment are good examples of it. Without a cunning, depressive and surprising storyline the game MUST suck.

Um, nnnot really; many games don't need a story at all, racing games and such come to mind first.

Different things make different genres good. The topic should be more specific, e.g. what makes a good RPG?

Kashluk · Post by **Kashluk** » Tue Dec 31, 2002 1:23 pm

The games that I play, that is. It includes strategy, rpg, fps and adventure games. No, there isn't any story in thelastestRallyGame200. No, there isn't any story in thelatestboringSuperMarioclone.

I've hated all Nintendo's Mario and Mario-clones since the 8bit Super Mario Bros. I played that one, because there was no competition around here. It was t h e g a m e, play it or play nuffin'. Same with doom, one of the few (and first) PC games I ever had. But as soon as I got better ones, I ditched it.

And to me, The Thing is equal to Storyline. I can't get the atmosphere in PS: Torment without dialogue! I don't feel sad in Fallout, if I can't read what the poor druggies mumble!

Of course, this is just my opinion, and everybody knows I'm fucked up. So, don't listen to me, figure out your own mind.

the guardian · Post by **the guardian** » Tue Dec 31, 2002 1:29 pm

Kash, try playing puzzle games, or silly racing games(whacky wheels comes to mind), or shooters... They dont need storylines to be good, think about it. Realy, i've had a lot of fun with skyroads, or flixmix, or epic pinball, even the new bejeweled game, they're fun, no storyline though.

Kashluk · Post by **Kashluk** » Tue Dec 31, 2002 1:36 pm

Such games you describe are "chew-through" for me. I don't start to wank with them for the next two years just to beat my last highscore or something. I play them for the 15 minutes they're fun and dumb them. If I don't find it interesting, there's no mind trying to go on and on and on and on with it until the frickin' doomsday. There are other, better choices out there. It's all about evolution, to quote MM RW: "We need to weed out the idiots", we also need to weed out the shit from the games and protect the pearls among them.

the guardian · Post by **the guardian** » Tue Dec 31, 2002 1:40 pm

YOU call it shit because you have not grown on it. You'd play guntlet and probably claim its bad because the story's a cliche', forget i even started this dicussion.

Kashluk · Post by **Kashluk** » Tue Dec 31, 2002 1:43 pm

Well, like I said: I'm all fucked up. Don't care about me.

Snake · Post by **Snake** » Tue Dec 31, 2002 1:45 pm

Well seeing as I don't really play racing games that much and play fps's and mods for them and Fallout 2
But you are right though killing/maiming are another great thing I like
I like Carmageddon and GTA but not most normal racing games
I like Speedball and some hockey but not most sports games
Plus I only like Hockey and can't stand other sports, save for Happy Gilmore
I like Fallout but I hate most rpgs, I just can't get into goblins and shit like that
So yeah a good story or bloodshed

Can't wait to get my hands on Death Row for the xbox
-I get to relive all my Speeball nostalgia with lots'o'blood

Jeff · Post by **Jeff** » Tue Dec 31, 2002 2:10 pm

Kashluk wrote:The games that I play, that is. It includes strategy, rpg, fps and adventure games.

Strategy games and first person shootes don't need a storyline though. For example, did you find Doom's "you're the sole survivor and you must kill them all" story cunning, depressive and surprising? No, the game's fortes were something else - it's fast paced action and tormenting atmosphere.

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What makes a good game?