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Hey I was curious to hear people's opinions on this.
What do you guys think are the elements that make up a "perfect gaming experience" and why? I'm less interested in reviews of certain video games, or what games you guys have played, rather use this thread for that.
What are some of your favorite series, and why are they your favorite? I'm most interested in this part, so please don't just list some of your favorite games, and if at all possible try not to just be super generic and say "games that are fun" because that tells no one anything and is way too vague.
I'll start off; the things that I value the most in a video game are world building, freedom for the player, and a challenging streak. Not necessarily just one of those, but to me a perfect game ideally has all three. My favorite games have been metroidvanias, or sandbox style games like Dishonored, or immense open world games like Skyrim (though honestly only Skyrim of Bethesda games would really rank up there as some of my favorites). Worldbuilding is huge for me, and I don't mean like, open world world building like Fallout or Breath of the Wild, but worldbuilding as in you just simply forget that you're even playing a video game. A game that you forget what your objective is, and all you want to do is explore more. Metroidvanias are perfect for that type of exploration, because you'll encounter so many upgrades that you are unable to access at the moment and you'll have to come back, so you better remember where the upgrades are that you saw. If you get stuck on a boss? Exploration, find some more missile upgrades or get the Shadow Cloak ability in Hollow Knight, or some other upgrade that may make a boss fight easier. To me, the little details are what can make or break the game. I remember the first time I played Metroid Prime, and you could see Samus' face when steam appeared on her helmet, or could see her hand in her arm cannon whenever you used the Xray Visor. Being able to connect these beautifully crafted worlds within the context of the game environment seamlessly, and just get lost in it. Dishonored is another example of this world building, with minute details like being able to influence events in previous levels. One example is during a level you enter a party, and you can sign the guest lodger with your name. Later in the game, there are newspapers and other notes that reference how you visited the party and to be on the lookout. Lore behind finding the bonecharms or runes and being able to connect the dots as to how those particular items got there, why they're there, or even clues in notes on how to get hidden items everywhere.
Freedom for the player is something that's super important to me as well. I think that a well-crafted game is not just a linear progression, that's more akin to a movie, or a book. Freedom to forge your own path, but not necessarily unlimited freedom to do what you want, is essential to me to immerse myself in the gameplay. Dishonored does this very well, with multiple avenues and paths throughout the game to do what you want, but it still confines you into a sandbox but disillusions you into believing that you have complete control of the levels. There is a linear path, but its like walking through the woods and getting from point A to point B, you can go any direction and still be able to get out if oyu just keep pressing forward. Metroid games do this very well as well, sequence breaking is by far my favorite concept. I don't particularly like sequence breaking in the prime series because it is almost always unintentional, but it can be done through glitches or some tricky maneuvers. In the 2d metroid games though the player has a ton of freedom to pick up random items out of order and find a new path through the game. The best levels are ones where the developed has like, an invisible hand, pointing the direction of the way throguh subtle cues that aren't outright telling you no, and then providing some creative means to bypass those cues.
Lastly, I really like games with a challenge. Something that doesn't necessarily have to be provided by a certain skillset, like Smash or other fighting games, but just something that tests the players skills that they acquire throughout the game. Dark Souls series' are excellent at this though often tend to fall flat once you get the hang of the bosses your first time round; they really punish the players for their mistakes but reward heavily for being able to think ahead and act reflexively. Again, the Prime series is possibly the perfect example of this I can think of, a game that you can limit the challenge yourself by collecting minimal upgrades and health containers and just dodging everything you can, and even if you get a good amount of upgrades then there are areas that are still incredibly difficult and push you to your limits to where after you beat them you wonder how anyone can stop you (Phazon Mines, Quadraxis fight). More importantly though is not just a hard wall level of challenge, but something maleable that the player can work around. A boss is beating you in Dark Souls and you don't know what to do? Farm souls and level up, and come back until you beat him. Use items to buff your sword, develop strategies as you memorize the boss moveset. Metroidvania boss kicking your ass? Try exploring more and finding more upgrades so you can beat them.
Post your thoughts below, let me know what to you makes a perfect game. Give exmaples if you want, but don't make that the only part of your post, in fact try to only briefly touch on the examples as this thread should be more about game design than video games as a topic.
approved by Martin
What do you guys think are the elements that make up a "perfect gaming experience" and why? I'm less interested in reviews of certain video games, or what games you guys have played, rather use this thread for that.
What are some of your favorite series, and why are they your favorite? I'm most interested in this part, so please don't just list some of your favorite games, and if at all possible try not to just be super generic and say "games that are fun" because that tells no one anything and is way too vague.
I'll start off; the things that I value the most in a video game are world building, freedom for the player, and a challenging streak. Not necessarily just one of those, but to me a perfect game ideally has all three. My favorite games have been metroidvanias, or sandbox style games like Dishonored, or immense open world games like Skyrim (though honestly only Skyrim of Bethesda games would really rank up there as some of my favorites). Worldbuilding is huge for me, and I don't mean like, open world world building like Fallout or Breath of the Wild, but worldbuilding as in you just simply forget that you're even playing a video game. A game that you forget what your objective is, and all you want to do is explore more. Metroidvanias are perfect for that type of exploration, because you'll encounter so many upgrades that you are unable to access at the moment and you'll have to come back, so you better remember where the upgrades are that you saw. If you get stuck on a boss? Exploration, find some more missile upgrades or get the Shadow Cloak ability in Hollow Knight, or some other upgrade that may make a boss fight easier. To me, the little details are what can make or break the game. I remember the first time I played Metroid Prime, and you could see Samus' face when steam appeared on her helmet, or could see her hand in her arm cannon whenever you used the Xray Visor. Being able to connect these beautifully crafted worlds within the context of the game environment seamlessly, and just get lost in it. Dishonored is another example of this world building, with minute details like being able to influence events in previous levels. One example is during a level you enter a party, and you can sign the guest lodger with your name. Later in the game, there are newspapers and other notes that reference how you visited the party and to be on the lookout. Lore behind finding the bonecharms or runes and being able to connect the dots as to how those particular items got there, why they're there, or even clues in notes on how to get hidden items everywhere.
Freedom for the player is something that's super important to me as well. I think that a well-crafted game is not just a linear progression, that's more akin to a movie, or a book. Freedom to forge your own path, but not necessarily unlimited freedom to do what you want, is essential to me to immerse myself in the gameplay. Dishonored does this very well, with multiple avenues and paths throughout the game to do what you want, but it still confines you into a sandbox but disillusions you into believing that you have complete control of the levels. There is a linear path, but its like walking through the woods and getting from point A to point B, you can go any direction and still be able to get out if oyu just keep pressing forward. Metroid games do this very well as well, sequence breaking is by far my favorite concept. I don't particularly like sequence breaking in the prime series because it is almost always unintentional, but it can be done through glitches or some tricky maneuvers. In the 2d metroid games though the player has a ton of freedom to pick up random items out of order and find a new path through the game. The best levels are ones where the developed has like, an invisible hand, pointing the direction of the way throguh subtle cues that aren't outright telling you no, and then providing some creative means to bypass those cues.
Lastly, I really like games with a challenge. Something that doesn't necessarily have to be provided by a certain skillset, like Smash or other fighting games, but just something that tests the players skills that they acquire throughout the game. Dark Souls series' are excellent at this though often tend to fall flat once you get the hang of the bosses your first time round; they really punish the players for their mistakes but reward heavily for being able to think ahead and act reflexively. Again, the Prime series is possibly the perfect example of this I can think of, a game that you can limit the challenge yourself by collecting minimal upgrades and health containers and just dodging everything you can, and even if you get a good amount of upgrades then there are areas that are still incredibly difficult and push you to your limits to where after you beat them you wonder how anyone can stop you (Phazon Mines, Quadraxis fight). More importantly though is not just a hard wall level of challenge, but something maleable that the player can work around. A boss is beating you in Dark Souls and you don't know what to do? Farm souls and level up, and come back until you beat him. Use items to buff your sword, develop strategies as you memorize the boss moveset. Metroidvania boss kicking your ass? Try exploring more and finding more upgrades so you can beat them.
Post your thoughts below, let me know what to you makes a perfect game. Give exmaples if you want, but don't make that the only part of your post, in fact try to only briefly touch on the examples as this thread should be more about game design than video games as a topic.
approved by Martin