You already know well in terms of graphics/aesthetics I like old school graphics and I like cute, anime inspired aesthetics and androgyny. In the sexuality threads I've repeatedly stated I like androgyny, and one of my favourite Western cartoons is a show about technicolor ponies.
But aside from that, I really, really like character interaction. Especially if the gameplay is related to it. I hate feeling alone in most video games and I get to feeling lonely in them real quick. There's a reason I'm an internet forum addict, despite the fact I have plenty of real life friends. I like the feeling of being around other personalities. So a game that makes me feel a bit like I've made new friends always leaves me feeling better by the end of it. I guess people who are loners would also like to be alone in the game world, but not me. If I'm playing a game alone, I'd rather be surrounded by characters I like to interact with on a constant basis. It obviously doesn't hurt if they're cute, androgynous, anime, or all of the above.
It's hard to admit because it raises a lot of hate, but I often get into most media, characters first. I actually like fictional characters more than video games. And I often read books, watch shows, and play games, based around whether I like the characters. For instance, what first drew me into Harry Potter? The characters. Harry and company seemed like a fascinating bunch of people to read about. Of course the fantasy helps, too. But the characters along with the fantasy were what sold it.
Aside from the actual gameplay itself, characters are probably what sells me most on a game. If the characters are fascinating, I'll put up with any gameplay to get more of them.
For the gameplay, I really like side scrolling. Megaman X got pretty perfectly something smooth I liked about the genre. You really felt like X, and sliding and slipping around is a very addictive feeling. All that jumping and sliding and shooting, it was a very compact experience where you felt like you could interact with everything around you very well.
I also liked the mix of elements in Kingdom Hearts. You got exp. gain, you've got action combat, and you've got good 3D platforming. Makes the world feel fairly alive. And you really feel a lot stronger by the time you can fly. I like the idea of an RPG where the stats you gain aren't just in basic battle mechanics, though I do like turn bases games, too, but in how you can jump and move around.
Oh, and the more objects you can interact with, the better. I hated the aesthetic in Oblivion(mostly the faces, the terrain looks beautiful), I also hated how clunky movement was and the like. But one thing that was amusing, you could stockpile items and move them around, I spent most of the game just stocking my Choral castle, and interacting with the residents. Moving the clothes wherever I liked, and buying and stocking lots of food and wine. After a few textures like XeoSP, Modular Beautiful People/Lop Ears Elf, or Ren's Beauty Pack, it was pretty fun just to hang out in my castle and act like I was playing the sims. And of course venturing out to an Oblivion gate from time to time. As well, how in Minecraft and Terraria, you can interact with and move nearly every object.
In Terraria, from scratch, I have moved nearly ever block on the map. I literally have flooded hell due to hundreds of water pumps and gigantic waterways and oceans in the sky(the amount of iron I've searched for is numbing...). Despite the evaporation mechanics. And resulted in me having gigantic, huge houses in the underworld. The much true freedom and ability to interact with everything is a lot of fun. It gets a bit lonely and I want to get back to playing my jRPGs before long. But games really should allow you to be able to interact with as many things as you can afford. And one thing I respect about the wRPG is the ability to personalize. I think games like Minecraft and Terraria do the sandbox better than wRPGs, but I do like the idea of just being able to rearrange EVERYTHING in the world.
I'd be pretty happy if somebody out there could take all the best stuff in games like Chrono Trigger, Tales of Symphonia, and Terraria, and somehow put it into one game.
xPixelatedx said:
-Multiple levels that are all complex and interconnected so that both collecting items and backtracking are necessary to get through the whole game (Metroidvania)
-The ability to make your own stuff (Minecraft will end me)
-Solid platforming
-Creative fighting games with creative fighters (Bloody Roar/Killer Instinct/Zero Divide/etc.)
-Sprites
-Puzzles mixed with monsters attacking, in 3D worlds specifically (basically Zelda)
-Video game music that doesn't try to sound like a movie soundtrack, but actual video game music.
-Horror games that are actually unnerving and not mindless action schlock with gore. (The original Silent Hills)
-Mascots (Mario, Sonic, Gex, Crash, etc. were all MUCH better then the boring everyman we now play as in every game)
-Japanese story telling (because only they could take something like Disney, and turn it into something like Kingdom hearts)
-MegaMan (If they keep doing what they did with 9 and 10, they could push it all the way to 90 and I would buy and enjoy every single one. Speaking of witch I am totally dying without my fix right now)
-Pixelated photos passed off as game sprites (I think Mortal Kombat looked its best in 1, 2 and 3. I even liked the way the Street Fighter Movie game looked. I also liked the clay animation stuff from Primal Rage)
-Dinosaurs (man I missed when every game was about dinosaurs and not boring zombies. I am SO GLAD I grew up during the Jurassic park boom)
So yeah, basically everything not in games right now! ...God I'm depressed.
I hold a LOT in common with this list. Maybe except for a few things like the photorealistic sprites.
Beautiful End said:
-Medieval/fantasy setting that's fresh and original, if only slightly (I know that's a self contradicting statement, but you get it).
-Good cutscenes. Stuff like Final Fantasy where the characters look unbelievably realistic and the scenes help drive the plot forward. They don't take too long, they're there in the right places and they don't overstay their welcome. MGS4's cutscenes were awfully long! They hd a reason for being so long...but still!
-Interesting characters and the ability to interact with them, either via choice or by cut-scenes. This is why I didn't like Half-Life 2 a lot; it's almost as if I was a ghost.
-Character customization and the ability to see my character's face from time to time (Well done, Dragon Age)
-Fluid gameplay and controllers. No one likes a clunky game.
-Adequate music.
-Colorful graphics, whether its 2D or 3D.
-Well-done dialogue and a deep plot. I don't mean something like Metal Gear (Again, I love MGS). I mean something like a good plot that has a reason for being. Sprinkle some good dialogue and you can have all my spare time forever.
-Swords and cool outfits. Sorry, I'm just a sucker for those. Am I right, Final Fantasy?
-Steampunk. Very few games do this successfully, though.
-A good XP system that's not overwhelming. Diversity's good, but I don't wanna spend half of the game developing every quirk about my character. I'm looking at you, Skyrim.
-A LONG GAME. I cannot stress this enough. I have those FPS that only last about 5 hours. What's that? Those games are meant to be that way? Well, fuck that. No thanks. That's why I lean more towards RPGs. I'd like to think I spend 60 bucks on a game that I won't finish in about a week. (Replay value is not that important to me)
-Side quests are nice.
-Cell shading is also nice.
-Romance is king. I'm a sucker for well-developed and believable love stories. What can I say?
Overall, I'm almost immediately interested in: RPGs, action/adventure, pseudo-stealth, some FPS, and side scrollers.
This list, as well. Good to come across comrades, of sorts.
Like, definitely that part about romance.
