As Steampunk said, music is very important to me. I think it has the ability to create a sense of atmosphere and convey emotion much more than graphics and dialogue. This is one of the reasons I'm such a big fan of Nobuo Uematsu and the Final Fantasy series, because stories, characters and settings that are good to begin with were brought to life in ways that the hardware of the time (SNES and PSone in particular) just couldn't. That's still true IMO, even with much better graphics, animations, etc.

I'm not really a fan of realism or bogging a game down with practicality. Despite all of the above, I also like a game to acknowledge that it is a game. This means that gameplay mechanics don't need to be hidden, character and world designs can exist in such a way that doesn't require an explanation (i.e. I prefer things like ornate costumes whose only function is to make characters stand out from the crowd, skinny-armed teenagers can dual wield swords twice their size, etc.) and the laws which govern a game's world don't necessarily need to be infallible (the game can bend the rules to accommodate story, for instance).

Going along with the above, blow my mind when it comes to characters, worlds, abilities, etc. Using the Final Fantasy series as an example (yeah, again), I've visited futuristic (occasionally dystopian-esque) cities, a floating continent, a crystallized lake, a castle made up of memories, been into space.. twice, have seen a villain actually destroy the world, etc. Compared to that, realistic medieval fantasy doesn't quite cut it. These are video games, where the worlds you create are limited only by your imagination. Better yet, we actually have the ability to explore these worlds. Get creative.

Other than that, it's hard to say. Obviously my post was geared toward RPGs, and there isn't really one style of gameplay that I'd say is perfect for me. Just as long as it isn't first-person.

Right back at you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8Kyi0WNg40

There are quite a few rules I like in a game.

1. I have to be able to get immersed in a game.
2. There has to a form of creativity to the game, where I can modify my character and the world around them through in-game actions.
3. It has to have an easy to learn mechanics, but mechanics that lead to complex ideas later on in the game.
4. The storyline needs to be unique, being the 'chosen one' to save the world in a game really makes me hate a story.
5. Game would have CO-OP and multiplayer....however! it is just as feasible to play the game as single player and prehaps mix the too.


I actually like a great range of games, I'm a huge CoD fan, but I also enjoy RTS games (Ages of Empires is my favourite of them), in depth RPGs (Morrowind, New Vegas), simulation (Simcity) and other (Minecraft).



EDIT: Im actually really involved with this, since I'm studying games development and want to start making my own indie games outside of an IT job after university.

Not gonna blame you, as he makes it seem like Christ's second coming.

I don't know..I've played exceptional games, but none were 'perfect'.

Actually. there is a preferred type of game that I enjoy most, and that is a traditional RPG, like say, Thousand Arms.

See, why not just accept the advice that he gave you without the snide remark?

My perfect game would be a Total War game with a selection of ANY time period.

What I specifically look for in a game really depends on the genre.

As a general rule though, for a game to be considered truly great in my eyes, it has to have a profound impact on my life, creating memories i'll never forget and will always look back on for the rest of my life with an intense feeling of nostalgia. I have to be able to look back on the time I spent playing it and think "those were some of the best moments of my life".

A lot of games have left me with a strong feeling of nostalgia, but only one has had such a great impact (MOHAA). At this point, i'd say it's completely untouchable as my no.1. In fact, my second favourite (Morrowind) isn't even remotely close.

Think Cowboy Bebop meets Firefly/Serenity with a RPG skill based 1st and 3rd person perspectives and a solid vehicle/flight/space combat simulator.

Fly around the solar system, dock at stations or land on the surface, able to get out, walk around, goto a bar and get into a fight after sleeping with the barmaid then get away by stealing a police cruiser because the barmaid's hubby is waiting at your ship with buddies. All the while wearing Elton john sunglasses.

so, meets Saints Row as well

Everything can be built and everything can be pimped; space stations, ships and vehicles, weapons, gear and personal bling like those Elton John sunnies I mentioned.

Any role you want to take on in the game is basically open to try, although not all of them might be fun to do

-Wanna start a company and make it big, then the game emulates the Tycoon series, with your company's actions impacting the game world (advertising, availability of products or whatever..)
-Wanna be mayor then the game becomes a poor mans sim city
-Wanna be planetary governor then it's like Alpha Centauri/Civ,
-Wanna rob banks and evade the cops in high speed pursuit? --> Need for speed/GTA

If you make it big in the game you can opt to become a target yourself -multiplayer option

I have more, but this is the core of it

1) infinite world exploration, or very large world (at least 4 times the size of Oblivion)

2) be an rpg or a sandbox game

3) have a massive variety in weapons/clothing appearances, massive being more than 100 options for each.

4) no definative storyline, does not force any thing on me. by which i mean an ending.

5) has as much replay value as i feel like investing into the game.

Here are my criteria, impossible as it may be to reach them all:

A deep story that manages to stay interesting
A soundtrack that works with the gameplay, and doesn't fade into the background or overpower it
Interesting characters
A good loot system
Random tasks to do without becoming repetitive
An open world, yet a directed one
If weapons are present, make them unique
The graphics don't need to be the best, but jagged edges and blocks are a no-go
It needs to have a good pace
The ability to see my feet would be nice

Seems generous. And possible with time.

The game varies depending on my mood, but overal imagination, exploration and hidden rewards/Easter eggs...Basically whatever makes Pokemon appealling to me.
A game with more realistic issues and a fight for survival, like Fallout, is great too but if they'd add consequences then they'd be perfect.

So summing it up, a Fallout world with Fallout affairs being solved by epic Pokemon battles - there we go
http://www.vgcats.com/comics/images/080629.jpg, they'd be uncatchable since they've mutated

LoL Papafern you make me chuckle! Madman.

A western rpg would be a godsend.

Look at rdr, it's not an rpg, but it sure comes close to it. Imagined if it was focused on rpg elements equally in mind.

It's still my favorite game ever

A game that I can play over and over again and still find it as fun as the day I bought it.

Why thank you young man, now put impact behind those words.
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Jmty_NiaXc]

Let me guess, thats the pokemon battle theme? ha ha i bet.
Why do i need "impact", what I am saying is true, Facts are all I need.

You're killing my immersion!
This was the kind of stuff people would say before a battle in-game and that's the original battle music, CLICK IT!

The time for chitchat is passed, you shall submit to my power!
Go Arcanine!
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAOTnhL_TTY]
Admittedly a roar would have been cooler than a cry

He does indeed, I might just have to give it a try.

I was thinking of Fallout: New Vegas until the last point. I personally think GTA IV could also fit this barring the good loot system.

atm sf is the best game

i cant pinpoint what because im just interested n seeing how can the devs woo me with their art

i want it to be challenging, good dlooking, awesome music/sounds, customization, multiplayer, social enkoyment, i wanna have fun watching and others to have fun watching, make me ethink, mess with my emotions and feelinnhgs, get some chemistry in me going. im interested in the game getting my chemistry goin if u kno what i mean

Imagine a normal life, but with cheats.

I've thought about this question for some time today and have decided I can't really answer it. Not because I think there could not be a "perfect" game for me (some games have come pretty darn close), but more because I don't know the exact reasons why I think a game is so awesome. eg, I like to tinker, build, experiment, and explore a lot more than I like to quest/be directed. I prefer it even over general combat. But that doesn't explain why I might like one game that has those elements and dislike another game that also has those elements.

Baldurs Gate, Morrowind and FalloutNV=great fun to me. But Baldur's Gate2, Skyrim and Oblivion = meh.
Casear3, Roller Coaster Tycoon, Age of Empires, Stronghold = great fun. But Starcraft, The Sims, Total War, Civilization series = meh.
Diablo and Borderlands = great, but Torchlight and many other games with similar elements = meh.

I like a game because I like it....there may be features I know I like/prefer, but just because a game has those features isn't a guarantee I'll get into the game. There's some kind of emotional/vicarious reaction that I crave, and I have no true idea what really triggers it.