Poll: How do you judge your games?

[Burningsok]

If I'm putting in several hours a day into the game, and having a hard time taking a break, then it's good by me; as long it's consistent for a couple weeks.

I like my replay value, a lot.

 

[Kevonovitch]

why is anything involving fun never an option? seriously..mechanics only? tsk tsk.

 

[Frozengale]

In my eyes a game with crap writing, horrible graphics, and just a bad overall aesthetic can be redeemed if it has good Gameplay. I'm less likely to play the game for long if it has all those things but if there is good Gameplay in there then have at ye!

 

[Shadeovblack]

All of the Above.

 

[Crazed_Puppeteer]

Depending on the genre, for me it's the combination of the presentation of a good storyline and the execution of a good gameplay mechanic. How the graphics and aesthetics meld together are important, but not vital. I could care less about TEH GUNZ, and value is too tough to gauge when concerning what an audience will find as "valuable", so even though it's helpful to me, it's not very helpful to a game.

 

[Plinglebob]

I have 2 things I used to judge games.

1) Is it fun? This is why for me something like Lego Harry Potter will always score higher then Red Dead Redemption despite RDR being better made in all areas.

2) Does it meet the expectations I have for it? This is slightly more difficult to explain, but I'll use Fainal Fantasy XIII and Portal 2 as examples. In FFXIII, I bought it expecting brilliant graphics, a well told story and more grinding then I could ever hope for and this is what I got. With Portal 2, I was expecting a funny and inventive puzzle game, but instead I got less humour, annoying puzzles and even more annoying platforming. This means on my list of favourite games, FFXIII will always be higher.

 

[Trolldor]

Replayability.


The more times you can replay the game, the greater it is in every category.

 

[Frotality]

immersion.

all the listed elements contribute to it, but its how they work together that really counts. as with all artistic mediums i suppose, im looking for something that can draw me into the story/setting/whatever and get me interested about what happens in it; or for video games, what i can do in it.

sandboxes like morrowind/oblivion, RPGs like baldur's gate and planescape torment (which ive only recently discovered to be AWESOME); even a good game of civilization against a competent AI. these are the kinds of games i enjoy the most, because every aspect of the game, from the gameplay to the aesthetic to the narrative to the damn loading screens all fit together and contribute to a unified tone and pace that i cant help but get sucked into.

sure i enjoy other games (super smash bros is maybe my favorite multiplayer game ever, and one of few that i actually enjoy), but im primarily looking for the same thing in games as i do with films or comics or books or music; something that can draw me into whatever fantastical experience it has to offer and make the experience interesting.

 

[Vault101]

Story , length (value for money) , and of coarse is it fun to play? also is it good for single player?

I dont care what anyone says you aint long enough you aint getting my money

 

[Vault101]

Replayability.


The more times you can replay the game, the greater it is in every category.

while this is definetly a good thing, I can never really get into the whole replayability thing

because it seems Im always eager to move onto the next thing to play

and If I try to relay an RPG by being evil...well it get upset because I dont like being evil

however I have replayed the ME series alot...same way every time too

 

[Nautical Honors Society]

Aesthetics, story, and gameplay. If those are good then I know I will enjoy the game and if I enjoy it then that means it is good for me. Which is really all that matters.

 

[SL33TBL1ND]

On how fun they are, or, gameplay!

 

[Gaiseric]

Enjoyment because, as a lot of other Escapists have mentioned, it's a game and if I'm not having fun something is wrong.
Story(characters, world, plot)
Game-play(no bugs, no crashes, UI, controls, sounds, immersion)
Value for Money(length/replayablity/possible DLC)
Aesthetics

...So I guess a little of everything

 

[iblis666]

game play but even more important game length and replayability since it could be the greatest game ever but if it only lasts 10 minutes and replay value isnt there it just isnt worth it

 

[LittleBlondeGoth]

For me, the best judge of a game is simply "would I play this again?".

There are some games that I honestly can't bring myself to complete, others that I've completed and enjoyed. But the true greats are the ones that, even years after release, I have played through again and again and again, and not got bored even though I know what's going to happen. Mass Effect, the first Dragon Age, most of the Final Fantasy series... All these have had repeat playthroughs, regardless of any control issues or outdated graphics.

 

[veloper]

Gameplay is right at the top, but ultimately every purchase comes down to value for money.

Everyone expects more from a full priced game than a $10 indie game. That cheap game still needs to be fun to play, but features may be dropped, like advanced gfx and VOs.

 

[Someone Depressing]

Usually atmosphere. Especially in a horror-game.

If it's not really a "arty/atmospherey" game, then I'd usually get what I can out of the gameplay.

If it's a story-based game, you kind of have to judge it by that, since it's smashing you over the face with the book of "[Game's Name]'s Story".

 

[StormShaun]

The gameplay over everything, if it aint fun, whats the points...

then story...

then...whatever.

 

[Grouchy Imp_v1legacy]

Atmosphere, immersion, gameplay, it all adds up. Basically if I start to play a game, blink, and suddenly realise it's five hours later then I chalk it up as a good game - if I put a game down after an hour or so and do something else because I'm bored, I chalk it up as a bad game.

 

[Hamish Durie]

how much fun and enjoyment I had