What makes people enjoy one title over the over - even if both titles have similiar quality?

In other words how do you develop preferences?
There are people on this forum like on any other who seem like they have played games for a long time and had many platforms - you can see that by the way they express their opinions.
And then there are those who clearly seem to be gamers since 2000 , some since ' 95 and some since half the current cycle and so on.
So the question is:

Does it depend on how much you' ve seen or played before?

I bet you can rimember some old comedy that you laughed at and now it just looks stupid.
Why?
Because you' ve seen more sophisticated or more crazy and funny ones by now.

But that doesn' t explain why, for instance some people prefer Outrun 2 than Burnout 3 (just an example) .
There are both experienced gamers who would prefer O2 and experienced gamers who think B3 is better.
I wonder is it possible that it doesn' t matter how much you' ve played games before and those preferences come from somewhere else?

It does ofcourse matter how much gaming experience you' ve had but it still makes you want one fantastic game over the other.
Gamers who play games since almost day one , are less forgiving (bugs , frustrating moments and such) I think and they don' t get into hype as much as the rest.
They' ve seen overhyped games over the years and they just know how the industry works.
They' ve seen a few " NEXT GENERATIONS" and they pretty much know what to expect from hardware companies like Sony , Nintendo and now Microsoft.

I think that every single one of us cares for different aspects of games - I' m for instance looking at gameplay in say 75% then Sound 10% and Graphics 15% (it' s not exactly like that but you get the idea)
That percentage is different for every one I think.

I love to see a gorgeous game but I wouldn' t finish it without really good gameplay (at least 8/10 with that level of graphics).
Game that has 8/10 gameplay with poor graphics might as well be ignored by me, but
9/10 gameplay is enough for me to finish a game with mediocre looks and 10/10 gameplay means I don' t care for graphics at all
- that' s why I still love to play 2D Mario games ( but they do look nice after all so it' s not the best example).
That said I hate games that are bugged and not polished so when I say poor graphics I mean just crappy looks but not imperfections like lame objects interaction , bugs and shit.
Still 10/10 gameplay can make me tolerate much more than normally (like terrible framerate issue on the first level of Perfect Dark for N64 - I still rate that game 10/10 overall since both gameplay and graphics + sound were pure glory)

It could' ve been two posts acutually but...

What makes you choose one good game over the other?

Is it that different Gameplay/Graphics/Sound/Presentation percentage?

How would you rate your personal Gameplay/Graphics/Sound/Presentation ratio and how long have you been a gamer?

A little long winded for a forum post innit?

I see what you' re asking but perhaps editting it so it' s a little more comprehensible would be a good idea.

for me it' s 50% (gameplay + control + ai), 30% graphics, 20% (music + voice + sound effects) and i won' t beat a game unless it has a minimum of 85% , and i won' t play a game unless it has a minimum total of 75%


there is one thing i' m sure of gangsta,

some people try to look cool by doing things that others don' t, it' s like they' re lying to themselves

take the exemple of Mario 64 vs Mario bross

both are killers when they were first released , speacialy mario bross it was may be some sort of a revolution back then , but still Mario 64 for many gamers is the best mario ever, that you can play tile you beat it even today, and you wanna beat it because it' s so fun not only because it is just a challenge or nostalgia or a game that you want to add to your long list beaten games.

so there are gamers who say that mario bross is better than mario 64, just to sound cool, a way to show that they are wise or something , you know they like it the old way...

gamers SHOULD NOT call a game the best in its category just because it has some nostalgia, or because it reminded them of the old time, they should be more objective...

i played Outrun on my Spectrum zx Sinclaire like hmmmm 16 years ago, when the game was released on the xbox i was extremly happy, i hurried to buy it although it didn' t get high scores but most of the time average reviews... i wanted to buy that game at least to hear a specific soundtrack while playing it, that reminded me of the old time, but after 2 hours i left the game and i was more intrested by Burnout 3... who said that outrun is better than burnout ???

Lenght,i hate finish off a game like halo2,feeling like i waited for like almost 3 years for just playing 10 hours in the SP...
Or in a RPG not having enought side quest etc.

Its hard to talk about mixing things together for a percentage and how much each thing weighs.

Obviously gameplay is the most important thing. But everything can compensate for something else, super graphics can awestrike me, and take my mind of mediocre gameplay, sound is the least important aspect, but it still isnt good with weak sounding guns, or bad actors (original RE for PS, oh my god that sucked)

Iv been playing games for many years, around 16 or so.

As whether or not old games are better than new games, and or vice versa. its a matter of nostalgia in most cases, people could argue that Outrun is better than PGR3, but if both games were released at the same time, PGR3 would be the highest rated game. So people saying that Outrun is a better game its simply because the played it with fond memories and continue to do so.
For a new gamer, who just begun playing games and plays PGR3, if he sat down with Outrun, never having played it before, he would must certainly put down the controller and play PGR3 instead.

Thats the probably reason why film licensed games doesnt work,they care only for graphic...
Heck even narnia looks great,but it still sux.
Gameplay is the most importent,but to say gameplay only matters is wrong.
A lot of FPS would lose their feeling withput the top notch grahic.

that' s why my total should not be less than 80%

god of war, according to my first rating for each aspect then it' ll have

40/50 gameplay, graphics 30/30 (for a ps2), audio 20/20 that make it 90%, and yes i beat that game and i loved it ... you guys should not forget teh rpesentation as well , sometimes very important (cut scences, CG etc)

But in FF there isn' t good gameplay...the battlesystem is okay,and its cool to see limitbreaks but that is all...
The story/music was much more importent to me in that game.

Unfortunately I can' t give a more indepth reply right now since I' m not home, so I' ll do so when I get home later but I will say that being a long time gamer, I seem to be more forgiving of games than most people I come across on the net ;).

As for my percentage breakdown, the most important elements in a game to me are Gameplay, followed by Music.. Last place is Graphics... Don' t get me wrong, I like a nice looking game, but great music is more important to me than great visuals.

What would make me choose one game over another?
Well Genre for starters..
If I were at a store and only had enough for one game that week, I would NEVER, EVER in a MILLION YEARS pick an RPG or FPS over a horizontal/vertically scrolling 2D shooter. I don' t care how fantastic the RPG and FPS supposedly are, and how much better their production quality are. Never Ever!

....for me, EVERYTHING has to be excellent....

...great gameplay... ..doh, this is the most basic requirement of any worthwhile game!...

...it' s the EXTRA EFFORT that some developers go to which really makes a game truly great....

...pant wetingly good visuals show that the creators are really trying to make their game the best...

...along with a proper score... ..like ID getting Trent Reznor to create some truly moody ingame music for Quake.... ...or Bugie getting some talented musicians to create arguably THE best ingame theme tune of recent times....

...all these parts must have INSANE LEVELS OF DETAIL... ..that' s why i have so much respect for Japanese developers, ' cuase they have a certain culture of craftsmanship, which is generally unknown in the west..... ...just look at Team Ninja or Kijoma-Productions...

...longevity... ... when a great game world is created who wants it to end?... ..things like Internet co-op, multiplayer, extra content, unlockables, secret characters, bonuses and rewards for the ' hardcore' gamer (read: REAL GAMER) add to the feeling that the game hasn' t been thrown together at the lowest cost, just to make a quick buck to please some co*k sucking shareholder....

..but that blood sweat and tears have been shed in order to captivate the creators audience...

...art in other words... ..like great films and music....

Actually I think 2D mario games (maybe not MArio Bros but Super MArio Bros 3 or world) are better in my opinion.It' s more about being a different game than MArio 64 (which is to cool to measure).

Quez FF games have outstanding gameplay - it' s the fights , responsive controls and mostly things you can' t describe - check sudeki if you want to know how RPG can lack gameplay.Unfortunately I didn' t find that kind of cool gameplay in FF 12 demo ...man what a waste it may be...

Guys about Outrun Vs Burnout - that was not the point - it was just an example :) (I' d rather play O2 than burnout actually :) )

Terry You' re very oldschool - especially since you find Dural sexually attractive (yeah I remember your post in beauty contest u sick bastard :) )

The fights in FF are random and quite boring to be honest,however they are easy to get,and easy to master,and is a way that is allright for their great story

I truly think that different genres will need, for more effect, to weigh more heavily in some areas than others. (for me)
Some games just won' t keep me if they don' t this versus that.

But I still think gameplay is most important(usually).

IN a FPS, for example, it has to have great graphics because they are not always appealing to gameplay wise.

A RPG has to have great presentation, but as with the FPS, gameplay can override this to a playable point. Both negative and positive
(Can' t be ridiculously ugly where you know that there is no excuse except suck developers.)

But there are, as I see, more gameplay specific genres such as 2d versus and shooters.
Graphics does matter, but at a lot lower level, as well as presentation.

Gameplay, for me, is tied into all areas of a game.
gameplay can messed up for a lack of ability to see what ' that' is and other such things.

Nostalgia will corrupt a person' s view if it doesn' t get checked.
Some people say Street Fighter II is the best in the series, which by the way I used to love, but I must disagree.

The fights in FF are random and quite boring to be honest,however they are easy to get,and easy to master,and is a way that is allright for their great story

I ..HATE YOU ...

:)

Seriously you think you' ve played 50 hours of FF8 even though the game was low on gameplay?

50h man is not 10 h (it' s 5 times more!!!) and after 20h mediocre gameplay culd just kill your game but 50?

The battle system is the best that I know of next to Grandia series- you' ll realise that when you get ff12 where it' s completely different :)

ahum...
Played and finished FF4-FF10,i probably spended over 700 hours in the serie... :P
The battle system is okay,cause it works,and you want to continue the story.

final fantasy 8 along with FF10 have awesom combat system awesom

I can' t give a more indepth reply right now since I' m not home

Sheldon called and told me that he is PISSED at you for using his internet on his time. Be prepared for the axe.

Anyway I agree that music is a very large part of hooking me to a game. If a game has a great soundtrack, I' ll be more likely to keep on playing just to hear more. Of course gameplay is the most important.... responsive controls being the key factor. Graphics help but these days most games look the same, with few ever really standing out in any way. Game music has also taken a turn for the worse since it no longer concentrates on melody and instead tries to set an ambient mood or match the action like a movie soundtrack. That' s fine every once in awhile, but more games need actual melodies that get into your head.

Terry, I don' t think you can really say you' re very forgiving, considering you' ve pretty much excluded two WHOLE GENRES right off the bat! I understand what you mean, though, as far as not " nit-picking" a game to death and just playing it.

I think art direction is the MOST important aspect of a game. It' s like cinematography in a movie. It just draws you in and makes you care about the characters and the world that they live in. Of course it' s also REALLY subjective. Which is why I find Advent Rising very cool, while others regard it as crap. The thing about art direction is that in encompasses the WHOLE of the game, from the graphic style, and the music, all the way down to the menus (which is why that Okami game looks so cool!)

Terry, I don' t think you can really say you' re very forgiving, considering you' ve pretty much excluded two WHOLE GENRES right off the bat! I understand what you mean, though, as far as not " nit-picking" a game to death and just playing it.

True, but the weird thing is, while I don' t care at all for FPS games on consoles & PCs I' ve actually invested a significant amount of time in two of the PSP' s first-person shooting games. I seem to be a lot more welcoming to genres I' m not crazy about when I experience them on the PSP for some reason..

Same goes for RPGs.. My favorite RPG released during the past few years is Kingdom of Paradise for the PSP! I was shocked when I played and finished the Japanese version of the game on my own despite the language barrier. Got the U.S. version, easily ran through it a few times (4 playthroughs was my last count).

And then we have Metal Gear Ac!d, a game that mixes multiple gameplay elements that I' ve never been crazy about: Turn-based battles, Card based gameplay mechanics, and Strategy. Yet when I played Metal Gear Ac!d I was instantly hooked!

I honestly couldn' t see myself investing even 15% of the time I spent with the above PSP games on console versions of the same games... So while FPS games are definitely excluded from my console diet, and most RPGs are as well, I' m open to giving them all a try on the PSP & DS.

Speaking of game music, I always used to pass Hitoshi Sakimoto off as someone who was definitely good, but could be better. His Gradius V soundtrack, although a departure from typical Gradius music, was really pretty cool! And then I found out he did Gauntlet IV and Midnight Resistance for the Genesis along with a whole bunch o' others. Damn he was good back in the day! The music in Gauntlet 4 is TOTALLY what draws me into the game.