Things that every game should have

[Trucken]

Thought of some more.

Multiple saves. Most games these days have this, but it's really annoying when you stumble upon a game that doesn't. Especially if you want to play co-op with different friends and starting a new game will mess up your old save. Which brings me to...

The ability to name your saves. Saints Row 2 allows multiple saves, but not the ability to name them, which turned into a problem when I played the game by myself and with three different friends online. I honestly had no clue about which save I was supposed to load, the only option was to load the save and see if it was the right one. Very annoying.

 

[Super Toast]

Skippable tutorials, subtitles, different language options (or at least foreign subtitles) and a robust manual should all be mandatory.

 

[Silent Biohazard Solid]

Options, simply put.
I don't think every game should have EVERYTHING, I think horror games benefit from restricted saving, but I think it's a matter of taste, so... If there are subtitles, have the ability to turn them off. If there is a HUD, have the ability to turn it off. If the Y Axis is reversed, have the ability to invert it, if there's a certain unique control scheme, have it be changable.

But if I had to be a selfish jerk and change the industry for better or for worse, I'd say, every game should have third person controls (being able to see your character on the screen during gameplay, and yes I do accept the fact that this would eliminate FPS games from existence) and elaborate camera angles.