I've seen some talk about what a game should be about on HLP before, and what a "real" game is, but that's not what this topic is for. There is no what a game is "supposed to be", it's subjective. I am simply curious about what people here look for first in a game. Thus the poll. But of course you can all feel free to talk about what your first and foremost requirement is in a game, and I'll be very interested in that too. I hope we can have an interesting and fun poll and discussion.
The options I've chosen, I don't know if you can edit in more poll options, but if something comes up that I've missed, I'll add it if I am able. The options seem pretty clear to me, but I'll add some clarification for what I see them encompassing:
Gameplay - This one is pretty obvious, everything you do and are allowed to do in the game, but I would also say replayability would fall under this category.
Graphics - Quality of visuals, smoothness of frame rate, art style...
Story - The story of the game, the World, the characters and their development, immersion and atmosphere...
Sound - Quality of the music soundtrack, effects, and voice acting quality would come under this too, along with it's simple presence if you hate games which make you read.
Originality - I think this deserves it's own section. If you're always on the lookout first and foremost for something different and unique, and love games which break the mould, this one is for you.
Snuffleupagus - Strange tradition of HLP that if I don't put in, people will moan at me.
The Game Developer - The track record of a company can mean a lot. Do you go for companies with a good track record? Are you loyal to a specific brand or group of brands first and foremost? This option is for you.
So there you have it. I think this will be interesting to see where the votes fall, and to listen to people talk about why it's important to them. For me, it's gameplay first and foremost. I play a game to play a game. I love a good story, but I can watch a movie or read a book for that. A game with fantastic gameplay and no story or a bad story will trump a game with a fantastic story and nothing special gameplay every time. I also actively hunt games thatnot only have that good gameplay, but a high level of replayability. I love a good bargain, and I love squeezing every last drop out of my games. And the perfect scenario is a game where it's pure pleasure all the way for hundreds of hours of gameplay.
This would be the ranking of the points for me:
Gameplay is vastly more important to me than the other 4 points. Story after that is much more important than the other 3 points. Then it's graphics, which again is much more important than the other two, with the exception of a magnificent soundtrack. And then soundtrack, which is much more important than originality. Originality will attract my attention, but the other fundamentals must be in place before it will exert any weight on my decision whether to buy or not. Originality in a game which scores high in gameplay will enhance the experience for me. Gameplay trumps all. Make a game with excellent gameplay, and I'll be very forgiving of other flaws. And you can make a game which is excellent in the other 4 categories, but I will not buy it if the gameplay is mediocre, or the game is short. Say hi, Asura's Wrath. The outstanding example of this. Of course there are exceptions to how low you can go in a specific point. It won't matter how good a game scores on the other 4 points if the framerate is unplayable or the soundtrack makes my ears bleed...
So, over to you...