What is it about a game that enthralls you? What really gets you hooked? In the last game that truly had you, did you identify with the characters, or did you latch on to the comedy?

What has always remained a constant, if anything? Do you notice certain similarities between the games you adore?

We aren’t discussing, of course, how Mythos and Titan Quest are close copies of Diablo, but the similarity of two or more games sharing a common area of your focus. Be it the beautiful scenery, the action and adventure, the fast paced battles, or the roles and storyline.

What sticks out for you? Do you notice a pattern? Is there no pattern, but a smattering of details that catch your attention and capture your heart?

That’s a lot to digest right there, I know. But it’s important. These details are what decides whether we buy the retail after the trial, whether we pick it up for ourselves after playing a friend’s copy, and whether we continue playing something we blindly bought or sell it to the secondhand shop in a week.

My own personal constant in any game is the gameplay itself, which is comprised of several elements. If it is smooth and responsive as well as having good movement and comfortable battles then it will generally follow that I am pleased enough to immerse myself further. If upon further inspection I find nothing else entertaining, however, I have no choice but to let the title go.

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure, so they say, and for many game details this is truly the case.

How many times had I been told the card games of the Final Fantasy series were awesome fun and a great distraction from the overall theme? How many times did I wonder why people praised it, as I sat perplexed and annoyed at the systems?

It just didn’t catch me. Simple as that.

Does it take just one stellar detail to keep you playing? Or do you require that most of the parts come together to form the whole?

A game with wonderful performance and immense insect-destroying fun factor that I have thoroughly enjoyed is Jet Force Gemini for the Nintendo 64. The controls were beautiful and seamless, so much so that gameplay was never a thought in my mind. It just happened. And it also just happened that I found the character models adorable, loved their special unique abilities, thought the scenery intriguing, and could play friends in the immersive PvP realms for days on end.

Vela in the space station with the Tri-Rocket Launcher? Absolutely.

Without all of these features, I’m afraid the game would not have kept my interest in the remarkable way it has over the years, let alone during the first attempt at playing it.

So, what grabs you?

Are your favorite details inherent in the game, or do you create the situation by pushing yourself to the limits?

For several friends, Final Fantasy was much more interesting if played through with their main character left at the lowest level possible for an encounter, and all other party members disabled by intentional death.

Can you imagine the thrill? Level 40 Zidane vs Ozma, with no backup.

While it adds a whole new dimension to the series, it may not be up your alley. Maybe you’re the type who strengthens your characters to max level before adventuring toward the last battle.

Perhaps you love forming unusual teams of characters. This concept brings to mind the all-Paladin Karazhan runs of World of Warcraft, or how my party in Pokemon consisted of only Oddish and its two evolutions.

Many people find that doing things you aren’t technically supposed to gives them a thrill and makes their day. Are you one of them? Does the idea of soloing that high level monster at level 1 by using the terrain to keep it at bay excite you? Chances are the developers would find this to be violating their intended rate of play, but for you, nothing is off limits.

Being the bad boy or bad girl your thing but not necessarily in the realm of game mechanics? Maybe Grand Theft Auto is appealing to you for its focus on theft and brutality to police, or Saints Row for its depiction of gang wars.

Personally I could rarely be mean to a story-related NPC in any game. It’s difficult for me, and I’ve chosen all options to simply help them all out. You can imagine watching me play GTA is especially boring, I’m sure.

Instead, I would much rather take out any extreme gaming aggression on other players, particularly in group sieges on player-controlled castles. The War of Emperium event of Ragnarok Online stands out in my memory clearly.

Imagine if you will, a heavily fortified castle brimming with hostile players hailing from a rival guild. Thirty of them, in their Majestic Goat coverings and their Arc Wands glistening with magical power. And in this vision, a rogue party of three - the stoic Knight, blessed Priestess and devilish Assassin - trample them all to bits, steal their Emperium, and gain control of all their assets.

And then promptly make a sign in the direct center the main economic city of the world announcing the opposition’s demise. And laugh, a lot.

Another popular method of releasing aggression is button-mashing. Who has not bent their fingers out of shape on their controller or keyboard at one point or another after being bounced quite frustratingly by the castle boss?

Games that implement such dynamics in their play are quite fun, but can be as stress-inducing as they are stress-relieving. Remember the sword fight between Zidane and Blank, played out in quick button sequences at the beginning of Final Fantasy IX? Yes, that’s exactly what’s on my mind. It lends me a quite an unhappy feeling in the pit of my stomach, so I will promptly move on.

The Wii platform puts a new twist on this feature, with the Wii Remote being shakable, twistable, spinnable, and Lord-knows-what-else. Mario Party is a prime example of a single game combining the best movements made with the unique controller. Polaroids can’t handle that shakin’. Can you?

Or, maybe you’re a speed junkie, striving to beat your current best time record? Racing games would probably appeal, but somehow managing to find ways to speed things up in other games also represents the ultimate challenge.

You know who you are, of course. You’re the one who uploaded speed runs of Resident Evil and Tomb Raider to YouTube. You’re the one who farms and crafts whole Primals in 30 seconds. Yep, that’s you.

Perhaps you are mostly visual and love to lose yourself in the scenery and the design. Do you prefer more realism or a cartoony animated feel?

Crysis or Pikmin? Maybe a unique blend of both, as seen in the Warcraft series? Or do you feel that it simply depends on the game, with some styles working best to achieve a particular feel and ambiance?

Maybe you will sit for prolonged periods simply staring at the graceful reflections on masterfully rendered pools of water, such as those presented in The Lord of the Rings Online. I certainly have.

Or instead, you fell in love with the happy-go-lucky cell-shaded art style of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker? Count me in, there.

What about creep-factor? Where are the goosebumps? That’s what I ask myself when choosing a new scary title. Are you the same? Do you live for the night?

I will share with you an anecdote from my Zelda universe, one which is highly embarrassing and comedic. To me, there is nothing like walking through the twisting corridors of the Forest Temple, emerging through a doorway into a warmly lit room of concrete slabs ready for the great jumping exercises Link excels in so wonderfully… Only to be caught from the ceiling and lifted into oblivion. Tossing the controller at the television in fright, I declared then and there…

Wallmasters scare the piss out of me.

Are you in to horror?

Do zombies, like those in Resident Evil bring the fright fest to your screen? The mindless farmer drone with a chainsaw? Hordes of infected humans and walking cadavers clamoring for your flesh? The near-invincible stalker Nemesis and his almost inescapable rocket launcher?

Or perhaps the supernatural slices you with cold fear.

Silent Hill’s suspense built and unleashed its terror around every corner, culminating in your face-off against Pyramid Head, a truly menacing mutilation.

Fatal Frame’s premise and storyline, combined with the most blood curdling and terrifying ghosts ever created - such a combination had me believing the hair on the back of my neck would never sit back down.

Now, saving lives and being the hero. Could this be the life you’ve always wanted?

Escorting, caring, protecting? Being the good knight, the champion, or the unwitting savior?

Many games feature rescue missions, such as saving Ruto from the belly of Jabu Jabu in Ocarina of Time. Or escorting Tooga the turtle in World of Warcraft hundreds of game miles safely back to his wife, across barren desert wastelands where monstrous carnivorous birds and scorpions house their nests.

My attraction to the PlayStation 2 game Ico had been the main character’s protective relationship with the princess of the story. My sole reason for wanting to play this game initially had been how your hero, Ico, must lead Yorda by her hand through the treacherous environment. While the game had practically no dialogue, that physical contact between these two characters is what formed that protective bond.

Or perhaps emotion is what draws you in?

The heart-wrenching story of a heroine pulled from the world by a tragic and violent murder, as seen in Final Fantasy VII.

Friends coming to your rescue in your time of need, showing that love and caring and friendship can kindle the hope needed to survive the onslaught.

The first kiss after all evil has been defeated.

Do these stories resonate with you? Do they draw you in to their imaginary worlds?

An emotional mechanic writers often use is the betrayal of a loved or important character, twisting their representation of good into that of evil.

The foul turn of the Lady Aribeth in Neverwinter Nights into a dark paladin and harbinger of death, for example – forcing you to destroy your once-trusted ally in a duel.

Sarah Kerrigan’s transformation into the Queen of Blades of Starcraft. Speaking to Jim Raynor she tells him, “You should not have come” showing her sad recognition of this chilling altered state.

Her tainted and nearly obliterated humanity. His lost dear friend who could have possibly been more.

That is simply memorable.

So, let me ask, what do you love that I have missed? What aspect of your favorite game have I set aside, unnoticed?

Now that you have been dwelling on this subject, do you see a pattern? Are you predictable? Are games predictable? Or are you surprised each time you open a new title?

I am usually surprised, one way or another.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 28th, 2008 at 11:05 pm and is filed under Game Design, Editorial. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.