Hm... This is MY list of what I think is important... It is in order of the most important to the least important, but they're all still important.
1. Easy-to-use Interface
It has to be easy to navigate controls. After all, if I'm too frustrated with the controls to play...it doesn't matter
how good the rest of the factors are.
2. Story
This is absolute in any game that has the
potential to be the best. The story must be interesting. It must captivate you. And more importantly, with any game...it must have a goal to work for. Not only this, but the ending HAS to be fulfilling. I HATE it when I play a
really good game only to be left feeling incomplete at the end. What happens between him and soandso? I MUST KNOW!! That is unless you make a sequel...
3. Story Telling
It must have great story telling. It will send you into the game and make you feel as if you really Are the character.
4. Character Development
What would a game be without interesting characters? Everyone has their own quirks--obvious and hidden. Everyone has a different history, different things that lead up to where you come in in the game. Everyone has their likes and dislikes. It's important for you to convey these well, or how else can someone fall in love with a fictional character? And how is that fictional character supposed to fall in love with you? You have to make it believable.
5. Descriptive Choices and Logical Actions
This is VERY important. When you allow someone to choose different things, the result must be logical. And do not make choices vague; you must make them so that the player will basically know what his character is going to do before he clicks the choice. I'll put it this way--if I am the character, I want to do what
I want to do. I don't want to choose something thinking that's what I want my character to do and then find that my character is doing the exact opposite of what I wanted him to do. It doesn't happen often, but when it does...it completely takes me
out of the game and I realize that I'm playing a game. And then I have to go
back just to choose what I
really wanted to do.
6. Correct Spelling and Grammar
This is also a factor that will decide whether you can stay involved in the game or realize you're playing it. If I have to think once about what the heck they were trying to say, the mood's gone. Things in the story that would devastate you, make you happy, make you cry, etc. will no longer affect you if you're not in the mood. All you notice is this confusing sentence.
7. Options
The game should have options to customize things such toggling on and off music, sound, and voices. Saving option...I prefer for it to save EXACTLY where I left off. I don't like having replay/skip a lot to get back where I was.
And that is my list of importance. Now for the order optionals should go in...
1. Art
You must visually express every characters emotions. If soandso is angry, make them look angry. If they look depressed, make them look depressed. Doesn't matter how good the art is, just convey everything correctly.
2. Music
Music is definitely a
huge plus in captivating players. It helps set the mood.
Most importantly, it conveys your character's feelings since you cannot see your own face most of the time.
3A. Sounds
It definitely helps you mentalize(I think I just made that word up, lol) the surroundings. There are three things that completely captivate a player. The emotions, the visual surroundings, and the audial surroundings.
3B. Voice Acting
I thought I'd add this to 3 since the reason for using it is the same. However, I thought I'd separate it from Sounds and put it after it since it is less important but needs separate rules. When you are going to use voice acting, the important things are as follows (they're all equally important):
- Natural
The voices must sound natural, or you will feel like you're watching young Anakin Skywalker.
- Emotions
The emotions must be conveyed, and MUST be believable. I don't want to laugh at the character that's supposed to be crying... P=
- Matching
The voice MUST match the character. I remember watching this flash movie of some really cool gun-wielding secret agent. There were all these cool fight scenes. The art was great, so was the sound. And then, !!BLAM!! He talks...and he has a very stereotypical southern accent. I mean, I just had to close the window... It didn't fit the character at all, and it ruined the mood. In real life I wouldn't be so judgemental, but it's a game!! If you can't match the characters correctly, just don't voice act the game at all. It will be better off.
That's my list...P=