What makes a video game good?

[wolflet7]

Well, I would love a game that tries something new.  For instance, not too many First Person Shooters allow you to change the camera view from first to third person and vice versa.  I mean, there are a few like the Metal Gear Solid series, but you have to hold down a button to go to first person (I may be mistaken though, I haven't played a MGS game before).  I would love a shooter that allows you to go from first to third person and vice versa with just a press of a button, like it zooms into first person view without affecting much or any of the gameplay and also for zooming out into third person view.  Many shooters don't have button sequences either, which is quite a shame.  I love button sequences in a video game!  I would also love bosses that have more than one "puzzle" or way of defeating them.  I loved the Resistance bosses from both games and the Okami bosses, but I hate bosses that are linear (like the Leviathan from Resistance 2 where it isn't really a boss fight).  I haven't/rarely seen a game that pins you up against 2 bosses at once, which would be very very interesting, challenging, and fun.

What about you guys?  I've got some more but I can't think of it at the moment.

[Huscarl]

Originality and/or storytelling are what makes a game great IMHO.  Which is why the Zelda series has always been my favorite franchise, every game does things you'd never expect so every new iteration is always fresh while retaining the elements that made you fall in love with the series to begin with.  The stories in them are also extremely well told and well written, it makes you feel like your actions in the game really have an impact, adding enormous satisfaction to completing them.

Another series which I think mastered the art of storytelling was Shenmue, unfortunately I highly doubt Shenmue III will ever be made, but they remain two of my favorites and I always sign whatever new petition someone draws up to send to Yu Suzuki to try and get him to finish it.  It's also a very original game in the way it tells its story

Indigo Prophecy was another project that was very interesting because of how it told its story.  Most of the game is in a sense an old fashioned point and click adventure game only you control your avatar more like a modern game would, somewhat of an interactive movie but not quite, and you could control certain elements of the story.  I'm excited about the directors next project but I'm afraid it might only come out for the PS3.  Anything by Bioware is also excellent in that department, games like KOTOR and Mass Effect told very good stories and the universes in which they took place were wonderfully fleshed out.  Never got into Final Fantasy but I hear those stories are very good as well

Your thoughts on switching from first to third person in a shooter are interesting, have you ever played the Metroid Prime series?  When Samus switches to Morph Ball mode it seamlessly zooms out into third person perspective, but when you transform back to normal mode is seamlessly transitions again into first person view.  They are all very good games, and the first two are being re-released on the Wii so you can use the Metroid Prime 3 control scheme, when released all three games will cost the same as one normal game, so if you have a Wii and haven't played them it's a must own

And while storytelling is what really grabs my attention I also love games that know they are just games and try to just have a blast with it.  Nintendo I think is the best at just having a ball, games like Super Smash Brothers and Mario Galaxy show that when they set their mind to it they can make games that are simply a blast to play.  Many other games, like Marvel vs. Capcom, come close to achieving the dizzying amount of content that is exhibited in SSB but Nintendo's simply too good at developing to be outdone

[wolflet7]

I know what you mean by originality.  I have never seen any squad based gameplay from that of Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 and I have never seen so much action from none other than Uncharted:Drake's Fortune.  Whew, that game is crazy!  Can't wait for the second one to come out this October. 

Resistance: Fall of Man has to be one of the most epic games EVER!!!  I have never in my entire life seen weapons such as those.  The idea of putting in 4 unlockable weapons on your second play through is genius and you can't get more original than that!  I also liked how it was its own identity and not a Halo clone.  I hate Halo gameplay.  Absolutely no skill at all.  The thing about Resistance, though, is that it has so much content and story stuff in it.  An example would be the different enemy types and how the intel and cutscenes include the actual names of the enemy types!  I can't tell you how many video games put different enemy types in their games without even mentioning them throughout the game!  I'll never forget when my teammates yell out, "Leapers!" or "Stalker!"  It's just so priceless!  Even though Resistance did probably copy some elements off of other games, I have never seen so much polish and pacing in a video game.