Features that make you love a game.

[Quindiana Jones]

AC4 has a fully customisable HUD. Absolutely PERFECT. If I had the authority, I would make this mandatory in all games.

What relatively small things have had a disproportionately large impact on your opinion of a game?

[black orb]

>>> A customizable Sphere Grid..

every game should have one..:luca:

[Ayen]

The Create an Arena in WWF Attitude was my favorite part about the game.

[Vermachtnis]

Dyable armor; I love character customization in general, but a lot of games don't let you customize your clothes.

[Skyblade]

New Game+

Should be absolutely required for almost every game, yet so few feature it.

[Wolf Kanno]

Cohesion of design, it's what I love about the MegaTen series cause these guys get it and it's one of the reasons Monolith Soft's Xenoblade gets so much love as well, the overall game design has such splendid cohesion and everything works into everything else.

A 3D camera, I have to say I prefer having a moving camera cause if you're going to have some poor background 3D artist slaving away at their desk for months on end, I want to be able to appreciate it. :cool:

[Pete for President]

Tenchu 2's mission creator had me busy for dozens of hours. Loved it.

[Quindiana Jones]

Oh, wearing clothes and armour, a la Morrowind and Dragon's Dogma.

[Flaming Ice]

Readable text or audio....it's hard to read stuff on a small tv when the games are formatted for something bigger....(especially since the text is white and sometimes they have the most awful backgrounds).

Ability to sort items by what they are (not just have a bunch of random potions and things mixed together so you have to go through a long list of stuff to find something).

[Flaming Ice]

Oh, wearing clothes and armour, a la Morrowind and Dragon's Dogma.

Yeah, tried to put them both on in oblivion/skyrim



I want to wear robes :(

[Masamunemaster]

Nobody has mentioned references to previous games? That has to be one of the better thingsnin gaming.

[Madame Adequate]

I'm a huge sucker for a good aesthetic. Something that's coherent and well-designed will make me put up with a lot of mediocrity.

[Iceglow]

Collectibles that have more effect on the game than say "collect 400 different flags for 20 gamerscore" make a collectible worth collecting. However, do it in a sense what won't break the game. A fair few games now do this but often they make the game so broken when they do it's unbearable.

[Laddy]

Customization. A game with an attractive visual design that also lets you capitalize on by being able to customize things it's ideal.

Also, games like Dark Cloud and Tony Hawk Pro Skater's Create a Park features will have me hooked.

[Mercen-X]

Yes. I like games that let me customize things. Character design and outfits, towns, vehicles, weapons, attack animations, etc. That's why I got such a kick out of playing games like Dark Cloud, Armored Core, Deadly Arts, Legaia, Fable, San Andreas, etc.

A game that let's me customize everything would be awesome.

[DanielCLFFF13]

For me like, well I don't know what to call it, it's some kind of selectable conversation like Mass Effect, Skyrim and Kingdom Of Amalur Reckoning. Customizable character, import save game from the first game to the second one, open world, new game+ content, lots of things to do and buy and every decision the player made in the first game have its effect on the second the third so on. The combine of Mass Effect, The Elder Scroll, Final Fantasy and Grand Theft Auto would be awesome the best game ever. Mass Effect for its awesome gameplay and features, The Elder Scroll for its big open world, Final Fantasy for its battle system, Grand Theft Auto for lot of things to do and buy. But this is my opinion :)

[Loony BoB]

Innovation.

Well, a guy can dream!

[Jiro]

And what form would that take? :greenie: That's even vaguer than saying you want a game that has gameplay.

[Scotty_ffgamer]

Gameplay. :chocobo:

[Bolivar]

Yeah, think some people have missed the plot:



What relatively small things have had a disproportionately large impact on your opinion of a game?

This goes across all games on the platforms, but I like how Sony handhelds save your game state if you run out of battery power. This lets you pick up where you left off when you recharge without saving and is immensely appreciated, given the plummeting battery lives of modern handheld devices.

[Skyblade]

Yeah, think some people have missed the plot:



What relatively small things have had a disproportionately large impact on your opinion of a game?

This goes across all games on the platforms, but I like how Sony handhelds save your game state if you run out of battery power. This lets you pick up where you left off when you recharge without saving and is immensely appreciated, given the plummeting battery lives of modern handheld devices.

Actually, that isn't the case. Sony devices go into sleep mode before they totally drain, which extends the battery life considerably. But once fully drained, your current progress is just gone (as is your date/time setting, which I find annoying). It is a nice system, I think. But, while it's a great design element, I don't want anyone to think it actually builds a save state for you or anything. It's the same as closing the top screen on your 3DS or DS, except the system does it automatically.

[Botchmun]

I used to play a game way back in the day called Sacrifice. Dunno how many of you childrens have heard of the game but two features of the game that made me love it are the replayability and the the musical cues. When a game can fluidly shift tunes based on the events unfolding, I'm very happy. When the game makes me replay it years after I beat it, I'm very happy.

[Pike]

It's just gotta be fun.

That's really all I care about.

[Masamunemaster]

Another thing that is really awesome, when you get new weapons and armor then your sprite changes.

[Mercen-X]

Yes. Also good. I like games that allow you to see how an equippable item affects your image. If it's large enough to be obvious, it should affect your avatar. I don't care about rings or necklaces or shoelaces, but my boots, gloves, pauldrons, and belts should affect how I look.

[Skyblade]

FFVII did something like that with weapons. That was why you couldn't toss the Buster Sword or Gatling Gun: because it would necessitate changing Barrett and Cloud's overworld sprites.

[Masamunemaster]

How about the old days of knowing a characters element by the color of their clothes?

[Ayen]

Alternate costumes in fighting and wrestling games. God do I miss alternate costumes in wrestling games. Why are there four Mick Foleys!?

[Jiro]

Yeah, think some people have missed the plot:



What relatively small things have had a disproportionately large impact on your opinion of a game?

This goes across all games on the platforms, but I like how Sony handhelds save your game state if you run out of battery power. This lets you pick up where you left off when you recharge without saving and is immensely appreciated, given the plummeting battery lives of modern handheld devices.

Actually, that isn't the case. Sony devices go into sleep mode before they totally drain, which extends the battery life considerably. But once fully drained, your current progress is just gone (as is your date/time setting, which I find annoying). It is a nice system, I think. But, while it's a great design element, I don't want anyone to think it actually builds a save state for you or anything. It's the same as closing the top screen on your 3DS or DS, except the system does it automatically.

How do you fucking turn the PSP off?​ I still can't figure this out.

[Skyblade]

Yeah, think some people have missed the plot:



What relatively small things have had a disproportionately large impact on your opinion of a game?

This goes across all games on the platforms, but I like how Sony handhelds save your game state if you run out of battery power. This lets you pick up where you left off when you recharge without saving and is immensely appreciated, given the plummeting battery lives of modern handheld devices.

Actually, that isn't the case. Sony devices go into sleep mode before they totally drain, which extends the battery life considerably. But once fully drained, your current progress is just gone (as is your date/time setting, which I find annoying). It is a nice system, I think. But, while it's a great design element, I don't want anyone to think it actually builds a save state for you or anything. It's the same as closing the top screen on your 3DS or DS, except the system does it automatically.

How do you smurfing turn the PSP off?​ I still can't figure this out.

There's a power slider on the right. Hold it up for several seconds, and it will fully power off instead of going to sleep.

Which frelling sucks, because I have done that accidentally while working Arcade Battle Chains in the Dissidia demo.

You can also pull the battery.

[Shorty]

http://i548.photobucket.com/albums/ii325/demosthynes/8_zps9103013e.gif

[Jiro]

Jesus egg huh. I'll take it.

[Ayen]

This reminds me of another feature.

:cool: Easter Eggs

[Mercen-X]

There's a power slider on the right. Hold it up for several seconds, and it will fully power off instead of going to sleep.

Which frelling sucks, because I have done that accidentally while working Arcade Battle Chains in the Dissidia demo.

You can also pull the battery.

How does it work on the Vita? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

[Skyblade]

There's a power slider on the right. Hold it up for several seconds, and it will fully power off instead of going to sleep.

Which frelling sucks, because I have done that accidentally while working Arcade Battle Chains in the Dissidia demo.

You can also pull the battery.

How does it work on the Vita? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

Power button on the top left. Press and hold. So much more sensible.

Also, that was a terrible movie.

[Miss Mae]

I'm going to echo what a lot of other people have mentioned and say customisation. Customising a town/village? I'm sold. Dying the colour of my armour and having the change be visible outside the equip screen? Sold. When it comes to little features that increase my love for a game by an unruly amount, customisation has to be it.

[Kalevala]

My ex would spend hours customizing characters or other things, even when the options weren't as intricate as something like Skyrim.

Do we consider story or writing to be a feature? If so, I'd have to go with that. I'll sit through some of the worst gameplay just to experience a worthwhile story.

[Quindiana Jones]

I would not consider story a small thing, nor would I consider its effect on the value of a game to be disproportionately massive. :|

[Kalevala]

I should have elaborated a bit more. I mean in cases where the story is mostly implied or hinted at by things such as easter eggs. Games like Limbo, Left 4 Dead 2, or the Trials HD riddle.

[Mercen-X]

I would love to play a game in which the character doesn't need to change their base weapon to increase their stats (like in Legend of Dragoon) but can be changed for aesthetic purposes and even customized in a smithery to make it unnecessarily pretty for mere preference alone. Some people don't like being relegated to a single weapon but that's all about aesthetics as well more than usually so having a system to save multiple templates so that you don't have to go back and spend hours designing your weapon would be awesome in and of itself. Also, weapon changes could be necessary for job class changes (trading a sword for a spear).

[Quindiana Jones]

I should have elaborated a bit more. I mean in cases where the story is mostly implied or hinted at by things such as easter eggs. Games like Limbo, Left 4 Dead 2, or the Trials HD riddle.

Aha, then I very much accept your answer, because I love this method of story... acquisition (?) also! :D

[Bolivar]

Actually, that isn't the case. Sony devices go into sleep mode before they totally drain, which extends the battery life considerably. But once fully drained, your current progress is just gone (as is your date/time setting, which I find annoying). It is a nice system, I think. But, while it's a great design element, I don't want anyone to think it actually builds a save state for you or anything. It's the same as closing the top screen on your 3DS or DS, except the system does it automatically.

I know with my PSP Go, the system had a save state function and it would automatically create one when the battery runs out - it wasn't just sleep mode. Was this feature not on the regular models?

I assumed this is how it works on Vita as it won't let you power back on the system. I assume you'd have to let it go uncharged for quite a long time before it lost that information.

[Kalevala]

I should have elaborated a bit more. I mean in cases where the story is mostly implied or hinted at by things such as easter eggs. Games like Limbo, Left 4 Dead 2, or the Trials HD riddle.

Aha, then I very much accept your answer, because I love this method of story... acquisition (?) also! :D

Yeah, I'm not sure what to call it either. When done correctly in can boost a game's potential for immersion exponentially.

[Mercen-X]

I've never thought about that before.

[escobert]

One simple feature makes DayZ what it is. When you die, you are dead. There are no second chances or lives.

[Quindiana Jones]

I also enjoy ruthless games that force to you accept the consequences of your mistakes, recklessness, foolishness and just plain bad luck. It just makes every single action have such greater value.

[escobert]

Exactly, and then add in the human element. People will literally kill you over a can of beans. Or because a lot of people play with the "If I don't kill you, you will kill me" mentality.

[Skyblade]

Ok, I know I mentioned it earlier, but I have to bring up New Game+ again. Mostly because I just beat Dishonored, and if there was ever clearer evidence of how much a game's replayability can be ruined by lack of New Game+, I don't think I've seen it (outside of Pokémon, anyway). This game doesn't even give you enough Runes and Bone Charms to unlock everything by the end of the game, it rewards you for not using any of the runes, and then it gives you no way to go back and mess around with all the powers once you beat it. Heck, since Bone Charms are random, you can miss getting some of the really cool ones just because the game doesn't give them to you. Dishonored was fun, but I would enjoy it so much more if it let me go back and start over with everything I had already gathered.

[Ayen]

Being able to change the window bg color. I love that about the older Final Fantasy games.

[Masamunemaster]

I also enjoy ruthless games that force to you accept the consequences of your mistakes, recklessness, foolishness and just plain bad luck. It just makes every single action have such greater value.

Like dragons dogma, with who shows up at the final fight:/

[Quindiana Jones]

God damn, I love DD. Have you played Dark Arisen?

[Mirage]

New Game Plus.
Multiple main scenarios, with a choice of main playable character.
Character creation/customisation.

[Ayen]

I also like the armor customization in Mass Effect 2 and 3 as well as being able to change outfirs while in the Normandy.

[Mercen-X]

This is fairly off-topic, but I had this idea once. By now, it's been done somewhere most probably but by whom I know not. Anyway, it's something between a Generational game (like Agarest) and a Tactics game, I suppose. You start off as a "custom" character, that being you choose your gender, "ethnicity", and base stats (choosing from a selection of pre-established stats created by beta testers) and you go through a training regimen to get used to the controls and further personalize your statistics. Then you'll be thrown head-first into the game. Each time you die, your final stats will be "merged" with another set of base stats of your choosing. Dying a second time, you can choose to merge the stats of your first two play-throughs. Because this is akin to birthing a new character, you aren't able to choose ethnicity or gender. You'll then pick up where you left off prior to dying.

Also, post-credits gameplay. Not quite New Game+ which let's you start over with everything you had the end, but just let me back in to explore the world for anything I may have missed (for people who didn't have access to a game guide). Also, it's great when at least a couple of extras are tossed in. Extra bosses, extra dungeons, preferably with their own narratives. Seriously though, POST-credits. What's the point an optional boss before you beat the game. If you beat him, you already know you'll own the final boss.

Just occurring to me: a fighting game where after using a character to play through the tournament, that character gets New Game+ options like not having to beat the final boss and unlocking branching battles.

[Mirage]

So these are things that make you love a game?

[Mercen-X]

The latter, yes. I'm sure there was a game that has done that... except for fighting games, probably not-so-much.

[Vermachtnis]

Just remembered something I loved about Bravely Default that I think should be the norm for navigating menues in all games. Right to accept and left to cancel. I love that, especially in battle.

[Tigmafuzz]

Echoing customization, of course. And when games are focused on humor or just being fun for the player, rather than being wrapped in its own storyline or otherwise just feeling too serious about being a game. I like humor in games. Especially fourth wall humor.


Oh, wearing clothes and armour, a la Morrowind and Dragon's Dogma.

Also seconding this, and complaining that the Set of Queen's Garb counts as both for some reason and won't let you equip any other accessories or clothing/armor while you have it on because it's a "full outfit." Not that it matters since it's the most useful armor for female characters for at least half the game anyway even without being dragonforged or upgraded BUT STILL


Being able to change the window bg color. I love that about the older Final Fantasy games.

Aww yeah. Wild Arms, Symphony of the Night, Final Fantasy, Chrono Cross, even Pokemon. I love being able to customize little things like that, or even just have a choice.


God damn, I love DD.

We all love Jake.


Have you played Dark Arisen?

Anyone who hasn't moved on to Dark Arisen by now is the epitome of a filthy casual.

[Quindiana Jones]

I want to use your Pawn. What system you on?

[Mercen-X]

Games in which "no" means "no." Like in Suikoden. Specifically Suikoden IV where you can choose not to leave the island you're stranded on and you get stuck in an infinite loop of doing absolutely nothing until you load your last save. Though I would have preferred a bit more of something to happen on that island. I also loved that when you chose to execute someone, it wasn't just a test of character but actually happened.

[Skyblade]

Games in which "no" means "no." Like in Suikoden. Specifically Suikoden IV where you can choose not to leave the island you're stranded on and you get stuck in an infinite loop of doing absolutely nothing until you load your last save. Though I would have preferred a bit more of something to happen on that island. I also loved that when you chose to execute someone, it wasn't just a test of character but actually happened.

Golden Sun

"Will you take this quest to save the world?"
"No."

...And the world drifts to its inevitable demise. -GAME OVER-

Awesome.

[Wolf Kanno]

Metal Saga has the best example of that, because it happens five minutes into the game.

MC MOther: Do you really want to go out into the world and become a tank operator? You could just stay here and live a quiet life.
MC: I'm going!
Maybe You're right... <-
You live out the rest of your days in uneventful bliss...

[Masamunemaster]

I have unfortunately not played dark arisen, dd was my ex roommates. I'm on 360 if you want to use mine.

[Mercen-X]

Metal Saga has the best example of that, because it happens five minutes into the game.

MC MOther: Do you really want to go out into the world and become a tank operator? You could just stay here and live a quiet life.
MC: I'm going!
Maybe You're right... <-
You live out the rest of your days in uneventful bliss...

I own Metal Saga and I do indeed find it awesome to be able to end the game the second it starts. I actually like a lot of games that have some kind of marriage scene (as long as it's not overly drawn out like in FFX).

On topic, being able to choose which character you're controlling (if you have a party).