Video gaming - which element do you find most rewarding?

Another two in one question thread from me I'm afraid. I'm just interested to know how the membership of the wall thinks. I'm guessing with the MWO focus of this board that the swinger for most here is the multiplay element.

As above, which element of gaming gives you the most reward and makes you want to come back for more?

By element, I mean, which part do you seek out and desire the most? Is it the single player campaign? The PVP element of multiplayer? Or the ability to co-op vs some AI or other players?

I'm more of an online co-op guy. Hard to say why. For some reason I would find it more rewarding to crush innumerable AI opponents in say company of heros with a friend or friends, than I would to single handedly slay two dozen human players in hand to hand combat in age of chivalry.

Similarly, I always found single player campaign games a bit empty and lacklustre. Halo, COD2/MW2/3, even Metro and Crysis. Don't get me wrong, they were epic fun and it is truly like being part of a movie it is intense. But once it is over, I always feel a bit disappointed because well, I've finished it now. That ultimate bad guy/boss/level is over, I've survived, saved the world/galaxy/run off to fight another day and it all feels a bit like a deflated balloon. Never felt the same with any of the STALKER series though, immensely replayable, another chance to brave the zone and explore, trying to survive. I would set myself goals and rules like never carrying too much ammo or weapons or equipment. I'd set a weight limit and how far I would expect to travel before resting or sleeping. Very rewarding and I would encourage others to adopt a similar attitude in games like Skyrim or Oblivion.

I do enjoy multiplayer modes where it is very team orientated though. I would often play MW1 or 2 for hours on end with friends and have a whale of a time using team talk and tactics etc, regardless if we won or lost. The only thing that would really spoil it was team killers, or god-like lone wolves who make the game too one sided.

Can we safely say then, that if developers asked, 'what do you really want?', it would be a solid multiplayer mode, with possible team or co-op options, or at least a single player game which was open world and very varied.

Feel free to discuss.

Ollie

 

The story. It's always about the story. I love a game that offers up a story that is able to draw you in and keep you entranced through your entire play-through. I can overlook glitches, bad graphics, occasional crashes, etc if there is a story that keeps pulling me in. I've played many games that have been like this and they have been the ones that I go back to and revisit on nostalgia all because I like to remember the story. Planescape:Torment, Morrowind, Baldur's Gate, Deus Ex, Fallout...all games with amazing stories but had some sort of problem with the game, in some way, shape, or how. Yet I still have the original discs and still install and play the games every now and then.

 

Variety/Replayability and co-op.

 

The feeling of adventure. Its a little hard to define this for me. Any game that makes me feel like I'm really in another world will get my vote. Morrowind was the first to do this for me. The world was believable and truly alien at the same time. Everywhere you went had some new thing to see or do, and the whole game was set up so you could play 50 times and be little different every time.

Recently, Terraria, Skyrim, Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet, and Dark Souls have been my top games in this category.

And yeah, Trev, a unique style can be really awesome. Shadow Planet succeeded almost purely on this area.

 

You can pretty much take taakes answer verbatim and it applies to me.

I also enjoy intelligent enemies, I like to outthink opponents. I don't frequently go for coop because most games just pile on volume and factor up the hp rather than really make the enemies smarter.

 

There are basically three game types which I specifically seek: those with a compelling story, those with deep tactical (preferably turn-based) combat, and those with a strong co-op component. Much like Taake and Tuonela, I absolutely love games with a well-crafted story, particularly if they are single-player focused. Most of the favorite games are in this category: Mass Effect, KoToR, Bastion, Deus Ex, etc. As for tactical combat games, they really appeal to my obsessive-compulsive nature. While I do love this type of game, it is sometimes difficult for me to find new ones that I actually like. Some of my favorites include Final Fantasy Tactics, Blood Bowl (board game and PC version), Space Empires IV, Civ 5, etc. However, I also greatly enjoy playing co-op games with friends over Skype. Myself and two friends once spent literally 24 hours straight playing a single game of Civ 5. In addition to Civ 5, we also play Borderlands 2, Minecraft, and Company of Heroes on occasion.

Those aren't exactly shining examples of good single player campaigns (though the first Modern Warfare was pretty good). if you are particularly into shooters, try Spec Ops: The Line.

 

I can appreciate a good story and also variety, anything that makes you 'live' the game is also good. Some games feel too much like a point and click adventure. A good example of how to avoid this feeling is what I found in Assassins creed 2. Not only does it look pretty sweet it plays well and fluidly. But also, more importantly the missions add variety and the ad-hoc nature of how it is played is quite fun.

I can't get into Civ 5 though I really would like to. I'm starting to wonder if things like Sins of a Solar empire or the X games might be worth a punt.

Co-op wise, I can agree with Minecraft and certainly company of heroes. Would fully recommend the RC_Realism mod. Check it out. The game takes on a whole new dimension when the scale is upped

 

The irony in this post.....:unamusedcat:

 

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