What do you prefer in a game/what irritates you?

What do you prefer in a game/what irritates you?
What do you look/hope for/what do you wish
was left on the cutting-room floor?

Myself, I truly enjoy the 3rd person type adventure
and 'virtual novel' sort of feel.
Give me a good story-driven game
and medium to difficult but not
impossible puzzles
that actually add to the plot.
{No RPG's/FPS'/Slice-n-Dice}
Have no use for gratuitous sex/violence/language/gore etc
in a game or a flick.
If it isn't necessary for the story-line
then it doesn't belong there.
IMHO

Would be interested to know,
esp now that it's time to choose top favs.

The list to choose our top recommended games isn't till July.

Ana

I like to be able to save my game whenever I want. I like to be able to click through dialogs if I choose.

I don't like content so mature or violent that I feel I should only play the game after my son is asleep.

I don't like invisible triggers that mean that something in the gameworld suddenly becomes interactive when it wasn't the first time I searched the screen -- unless the game gives me a very obvious hint that this has just happened.

I don't like timed challenges that force me to replay the same thing over and over until I finally am fast enough at it.

I don't like things that slow the game way down -- like lengthy loading screens, or player characters that walk very slowly across each screen.

My personal favourites are 1st person, all Myst's, Sherlock Holmes etc., in fact, IHOG's are gradually creeping more towards this style. The hidden object screens don't seem to be playing such a big part.
I don't enjoy timed challenges or having to perform quick movements on keyboards using a multitude of keys. Panic sets in!!

I second Becky's dislikes with one addition,
I don't like unlocking the same door every time I need to go through.

I like solitary exploring.

I agree with all of the above. One thing that sometimes makes me abandon a game is constant running from location to location and back again in order to complete a task or puzzle. That is just plain boring and I suspect has been put in just to make the game seem longer (in fact, sometimes it just seems endless!).

Becky's list does most of it for me, too !!

I echo Becky's post.

I too echo Becky's list of frustrations in my games and I add - that I like puzzles like The Tower of Hanoi, Sliders, and some mazes too - remember way back when I hated all of these but found I enjoy the challenge and have fun doing them. There may be others but can't think of them right now. What do you all LIKE in a game?
Love, Betty Lou

I echo katbear50's preference for 3rd person "virtual novel" type games. I actually favor a more mature storyline, but then I would put the Gabriel Knight games in this category, and I don't consider these games to be gratuitous at all. Others may disagree, I'm not sure.

And I suppose I'm odd in the fact that I actually like and prefer a lot of dialogue and optional dialogue. For me it helps flesh out the story and characters' worlds. I do prefer the option to click through it a second time if I've already heard it, however.

I don't mind sex or language, but I do get squeamish when there is too much violence. Phantasmagoria was a bit too much for me, so I suppose that means I am easily disturbed. I loved Still Life, though.

I do enjoy the lighter comedic games quite a bit as well, though they generally don't make it to the top of my "favorites list."

Like most here, I do not enjoy timed sequences, though I will put up with them if I must for a game that I really want to play - and then keep several saved games at that point after I finish these sequences.

Wow, this thread has great reverb. Hello (hello, hello)!
You'd think with how common some gripes are, developers would learn to avoid them.

I happen to love the dark, mature 'n' spooky stuff (although the subtly creepy typically works, too ;)). Horror/thriller games are my all-time fave: supernatural, paranormal, grisly and gruesome. With such content, there is, of course, always a balance to be mindful of (pass a certain extreme, and you cheapen the impact, and thus the effectiveness), but if it feels natural given the situation/mood/characters, I'm all for it. For all its narrative missteps in the latter acts, Fahrenheit handled the adult themes - sexual and otherwise - with admirable taste, and I'm expecting Heavy Rain to do the same. I don't believe Still Life would have made quite the same impression without its aftermaths of graphic violence, and their macabre marriage with art. (And like Se7en, you don't actually have to see the violence; the implication/result is enough.)

Consequently, most of the popular "cartoony" adventures aren't usually my cup of, er, tea, Broken Sword and Syberia being about my only exceptions. I'm just not really a fan of the - intentionally - absurd antics and crazy-combo inventory puzzles. Which, I know, is what one typically thinks of as an "adventure game"! As an example, I was hoping to play a proper crime thriller with Art of Murder, but instead ended up with even more of a thinly-disguised-standard-adventure-game, than Still Life was.

For the most part, I prefer contemporary settings with - relatively - believable obstacles to overcome. In other words, I'm boring.

Mechanically speaking:

First/third person doesn't bother me too much; I think certain games lend themselves toward each perspective, and I'm willing to go either way.

I definitely agree that puzzles should complement - and weave themselves into - the plot, not be present for their own sake, and shouldn't detract from the game's flow.

Same with dialogue/exposition: if it interferes with the natural pacing of the story, relegate it to the sidelines. Yet make sure all the necessary information is readily at hand without having to keep pages upon pages of notes or backtrack across 10 screens (i.e., an in-game journal/documents screen). It may sound lazy, but I'm playing the game to be immersed in the world, and to enjoy myself, not to obsessively jot down every little detail.

Some degree of nonlinearity is always welcome, but not necessarily a must. Branching paths, multiple endings, or at least a few choices with meaningful consequence (or the illusion of such) all do wonders for replay value - and if I like a game, I'll be replaying it a lot.

Otherwise, agree with all points above.

I totally dislike Too much Dialog... Where it has nothing to do with the game....

I dislike, mazes, too many mechanical puzzles.

I dislike sexual things in an AG.

I dislike not being able to run.

I Love large inventories.

I Love Logical puzzles

I Love to put things together

I Love, drama, suspence, creepy, spooky,mystery,icky,horror..Games

Ana,
I've been trying to re-word that last statement
to convey my thouhts,
a looking back over the last years' hits-n-misses,
surprises & disappointments...
and why you felt that way.


Very well said!
That's why Steven Spielberg's flicks are so awesome,
he has a way of activating/captivating all your senses
w/o ever touching you.

I am a fan of third person puzzle games especially ones with humor like a Monkey Island, Simon the Sorcerer, Discworld, etc. If you throw in a plot like the Gabriel Knight, The Longest Journey, Black Mirror, etc. you also have my attention.
The only thing I really do not like is timed puzzles and music that loops. For some reason I don't enjoy the first person games that much. I just think the character interaction of the third person games makes me feel as if I am really in the game. There have been a couple of first person games that I liked ( Faust and Shivers) and that was because they set a very unique and creepy atmosphere.

One thing that aggrevates me is the failure to
include an option to skip the games that are completely
Example in point : Nancy Drew : 1,2,3,........

IF the game has some kind of plot to it, I like it.

I don't like timed, color, or sound puzzles(like ND's games. I used to love her games,but now It's like if you played one you've played them all. Her games was one of the first ones I played on the PC.)

I love to solve mystery games, they are my favorites.:)

Me too, amlamb
I love Mysteries.
Give me a good page-turner any day!

Very interesting post, Feeb88! I agree with you that puzzles are best when they are woven seamlessly into the story. For the most part, I think the Gabriel Knight games did an excellent job with this.

I wish I could enjoy Fahrenheit and Heavy Rain as you do. Story-wise, they are right up my ally, but they are ultimately too action oriented for my tastes.

I'm curious, though - do you consider Syberia to be a cartoony game? Because I would have considered it a more "serious," albeit whimsical game.

@ Katbear - do you mean action-type mini games? Because if so, I'm with you. I prefer the option to skip that sort of thing.

venus,

A timed quick-reflex type game comes to mind here.

Re : ND Crystal Skull the marble puzzle

http://www.gameboomers.com/wtcheats/pcNn/NDCrystalskull/JrMarble.jpg

Azada the robot

http://www.mobygames.com/images/i/44/42/617542.png

And forever deliver me from the cursed 'slide' puzzles

ND Message in a Haunted Mansion

http://www.gameboomers.com/wtcheats/pcNn/NDMHM/NDslider.jpg

I think every one here as said it already and so as not to bore any one first and formost a d-- good story and point and click .I so miss Tex Murphy and George Stobart and Gabriel Knight .I must say though there are quite a few I have liked recently .I really enjoyed playing Tree of Life

Well, "whimsical" is probably a better word; I think I was just lumping them all together in contrast to the more "realistic" games.

I liked the Broken Sword games but Dragon Tree of Life is a new game for me. Is it similar to Broken Sword? I could not find a review for the game.

Katbear, yes that kind of thing annoys me, too. And I'm definitely with you on the slider annoyances.

Feeb, I see what you mean - there is a definite fairy tale feeling to the Syberia games, though I would consider them a very different style than say, Monkey Island.

Gandalf, maybe you are looking for Chronicles of Mystery: The Tree of Life?

I agree with everything Becky said. I don't like anything that involves boredom. I don't like sitting around waiting for something boring to finish before I can act.

I'd much rather have snapshot style movement than have to wait for a long transition between clicks. In games where you have to move between screens a lot during exploring or inventory searches, I don't want to have to wait for a slow transition for each screen.

I don't like when 3rd person games have "long screens" and you have to wait while the character walks toward the edge of the screen and the camera pans. I'd rather click on a screen exit and get where I'm going fast.

I'd much rather play a game with puzzles that are fun to solve than play a game with boring "puzzles" and non-puzzles that "fit with the plot." I don't play games for realism. If I wanted realism, I wouldn't be playing a game at all.

I don't like conversation puzzles. They take too long to play out and aren't really a puzzle -- just trial and error.

I don't like optical effects that force blurriness of distant objects. In real life my eyes focus on what I'm looking at, whether it's close up or far away. I don't need a game telling me I'm not supposed to look at the distant objects.

I don't like seeing optical effects that only take place inside a camera, like ***lens flare***. You don't see these effects with regular eyeglasses which do not have multiple lenses.

I don't like when a game gives me motion sickness -- especially when the motion is unnecessary. I don't like when the camera shakes around and the picture blurs, supposedly to imitate the character's state of mind. If a developer wants to include these types of effects, they should definitely be optional. I don't play games in order to feel nauseous and throw up.

I should probably print this thread out and post over workstation huh? LOL! Very helpful!

Oh Billy! Don't change a thing! I love your games.

Ana

Billy, your games have none of these problems.

I miss Tex,Gabriel, and George too Dragonuk44. I just read Rushes review of Tree of Life and I am on board. I also like games that are visually stunning. I remember thinking Legend of Kyrandia was the best looking game that I had ever seen and then along came The Longest Journey followed by Syberia. Even though I loved the Gabriel Knight games I was very frustrated by the blocky graphics of GK3. Bad graphics can really hurt a game in my opinion.

billy....Don't ever change your games...Please...Don't try to fix something that never was broken

HUGS

Actually I'm playing a game now with a few things that cheese me off about games. Rhiannon:
First of all not being able to pick up things unless you trigger something; not sure I've run across that in a game before.
And why can I put a ladder in my pocket but not a two page letter (unless it's because of my first gripe; let me know)? I hate having to make copious notes all the time: I just want to sit and click and relax. And this game has a lot of "notes".
Also I'm finding that I never really know what to do next. I think I do but I can't pick up the item.
Really wanted to enjoy this one too as I'm a fan of the legend.......
caz

cazziejoe, Rhiannon is well worth finishing IMHO,
just stick w/it girl!

Jenny, was gonna quote arts of your post and respond,
but found I wanted to AMEN all of it
so on target!

Billy, are you LHOD?
Amen to the don't change!
It has however been refreshing to see that developers
are monitoring our site for feedback.
Unlike so many others I have checked out, Boomers
are real people with real lives
not bored gripers with some who seem to
like to make others lives as miserable as their own.

katbear, Love you girl but I no idea what you're talking about(lay off the Gumbo lol; love it though).
But you know it doesn't matter; trades on the way.
caz

Gandalf It is the follow up to the Scorpio Ritual .Chorinicles Mystery.I think this game is well worth playing if you like Gabrial Knight.There is an hint system on it to if you cant find the hot spots .More relystic to life and yet still fantasy .The search for eternal life .Gabrial was there to

I think what bothers me is when they put a game out there without testing it properly & it's very buggy. second, when the sequel does not live up to it's expectations such as Still Life 2. If the first one worked, why completely change the second, & third, when you're promised the story will continue in the next game, but it doesn't happen, they just leave you out there hanging such as GK3 & Darkfall.

This has turned into a most interesting topic,
I have enjoyed reading all the different input
from different perspectives.
Thanks for all the input.