What is a definition of a "good game" for you.

[Spiffor]

See sig.

[mrmitchell]

The most important part of a game is replayability, you don't want to spend $50 on something you'll only play for maybe 10 to 20 hours. You want a game that will give you lots of detailed storyline and environment, multiple difficulty levels, and then when you're bored of singleplayer, a multiplayer mode that will keep the game in CD trays (or consoles) for years after its release date.

Finally, once the original game has been beaten to death, and multiplayer hours have entered the thousands, more replayability comes with MODS. If the game can be satisfiably and deeply modified, you will never grow tired of it...ever.

Then, gameplay. Is the game anything revolutionary? Is it new stuff to master? Is it good to play?

Content and storyline. Is the game exciting? Do you feel like you're Parker, picking off Ultor gaurds? Are you really Cleopatra, and did you really just conquer the Mongols?

Graphics are a nice feature too. They don't have to be realistic, they just have to "fit" in with the game, for example, you don't want the new airplane simulation to look like pacman.

Learning curve/control--how easy is it to learn the basics, without being easy to beat? And, is the interface nice and crisp, or would you rather have a whale rammed down your throat?

Attention to detail, as well. It's often the little things that can take a game from ordinary to kick-ass.

Finally, a community can help extend a game's replayability by a full game-life-span. Usually the community requires replayability to begin anyway, but Civ meets the replayability requirements, and beats the snot out of them too (complexity, difficulty, multiplayer, modifiable, and community). That's why you still see an alive-and-well MP community even with the dinosaur known as CIV II.

[Carolus Rex]

A definition of a good game for me is a game where you start with, say, two settlers at, say, 4000 BC and the goal is, say, to found a Civilisation and make it thrive.

Carolus

[DrSpike]

You could be on to something there CR.........maybe you could make a quid or two out of your idea.

[flipside]

Originally posted by DrSpike
You could be on to something there CR.........maybe you could make a quid or two out of your idea.

Nah. A turn based empire builder. That would never work.What kinda people would be sick enough to play that. Sad ..
-*flipside-baying mob*-*baying mob-flipside*-

[Elias]

A good game has to get you deeply involved and has to have you think about it when your not playing a good game needs get you exited to play it and while your playing it. if it gets you to panic at some times that is a good thing. Graphics arnt always important but they are nice to have but it needs to go hand in hand with good game play a story line. my pc actually goes back to the 1980's and has been upgraded many times but there are still a few old games on there like starflight 2 and Larn you may know it better as rogue. well Larn has no graphics you are a little square and you are trying to save your daughter it was a favoriate game of mine its one of the best recreation's of D&D i have ever seen on the pc. Now for starflight 2 it has a great story line and is very diffucult and has a very deep plot that leves you gusing until the end. I wont spoil it for you but I suggest you get it I think it was made in 1987? well I think its older then me.

[da_hal]

imho, a great game is one that gives players imaginative freedom. i don't like most football games because it's basically an exercise in rock-paper-scissors. however, some games allow you to make your own decisions, and have an engine with enough room to allow different strategies to work.

for games where you have to find/do x, y and z in a particular order, i got bored of those about 10 years ago with daggerfall. however, i still play some of those games that have historical or wide sentimental value, such as ultima 4.

after i found apolyton, i'm sure morrowind and thief and deus ex will find their way to my harddrive. but until then, i can wait.