I had a moment to think about why I like certain games, and I have figured out some criteria for myself,
- Vibrant colours
- Simple/Cartoon-ish looks
- Mid/High level of complexity in mechanics
That’s why my current favourite game is Splatoon 3, followed by Minecraft, and the list consists mostly of Nintendo games.
What’s your criteria?
The first thing I check for is if a game is Terraria. If it isn’t, I play Terraria instead.
All kidding aside, I tend to enjoy games that involve exploration, character development, and pleasent visuals. Good sound design is also a must, and I prefer games to be at least somewhat action oriented.
None of these things are hard and fast rules for me, of course. I like a lot of different games.
I just realized sound design is probably also an important thing for me. A lot of the games I like also have great soundtracks.
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As I’ve gotten older and had more sporadic time windows to play games (kids, work, life), I’ve gravitated more and more to rogue-like/lites and soulsborne style games. Having games that have a core gameplay loop that is 20 minutes to an hour is perfect for me, and I can kind of pick up and put down whenever I want without losing my place in a grand overwhelming open world that is miles wide, but inches deep (Starfield, I’m looking at you…).
With the rogue-like/lites, I can do a run and just go to bed and say “I’ll get further next time”, while with soulsborne games I can clear out an area and do a boss, then come back to do the next area/boss another time. If the lore seems interesting, vatividya will probably have a video on it some point to catch me up on whatever I missed.
The Factory. Must. Grow.
I’m really into Factory games atm. Factorio, Dyson Sphere Program, Astro Colony…
Same
Those games are also very cool. I have Mindustry.
The Crust https://youtu.be/6TH6JAz2nNA
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https://piped.video/6TH6JAz2nNA
Piped is a privacy-respecting open-source alternative frontend to YouTube.
I’m open-source; check me out at GitHub.
I like shooters and other combat sims that have matchmaking and allow me to enter a flow state.
I’ve got a twitch channel with exactly one fan. No idea who it is. They seem to like Mechwarrior 5 (ie they show up quick whenever I play) so I’ve been playing a lot of that.
It’s so fun because it’s actually kind of a slow-paced game. But it does have a flow. Something so satisfying about locking onto enemy after enemy and dispatching them according to the rhythm of my recharging weapons.
Also it’s a pleasant surprise that Mechwarrior (this is the first MW game Ive played) is the board game Battletech, which I used to play in the 90s. I never realized these were the same game with all the same rules.
I can stand in forest to make shots miss me, I can use my lasers to cut down trees, I have LRMs and autocannons, I can stand it water to dissipate heat faster.
It’s my fortune to have an eidetic memory, so I remember Battletech as clear as day despite not playing it since the 90s. It’s kind of fun to load up my personality from when I was 9 and show him the video games of the future, where I’m playing that same board game but in real time.
Ah. I can see a gamer very happy about their game. Good for you!
I only really play VR games anymore, so that narrows things down considerably. Is it a shooter? If so, does it play just like every other shooter? Does it have bullshit that breaks immersion? Does it have co-op? Does it offer standard VR mechanics/preferences?
Those are the key things I look at. Sadly, very few companies understand how to make a good VR game.
It’s not even that hard honestly. Like I would pay good money for new levels of games I already have. It’s got to be cheaper to simply use the same everything except for map, than to build a new game. I’d spend so much money, ongoing, for new battlefield maps for example.
I don’t care about new game mechanics at all. I just want new places. New buildings. New variations on the same theme.
If one video game were one instrument, I just want more piano music. I could spend a lifetime enjoying more and more piano music and it would never get old as long as the actual sequence of notes changes.
I wish we played with our VR headset more. We have had an occulus rift for years and have barely used it. I was really enjoying the new half-life game too. We just forget about it in our home
I love Trackmania because you drive tracks of 20-60 seconds, one constantly improves in details, it’s quick to learn but still has a high skill ceiling. I encountered it in a YouTube video, discovered some streams and downloaded the game. Not really based on criteria because I’m not a fan of F1 for example.
Generally it’s down to genre and mechanics. I obviously have my preferences so I’ll always keep a lookout on those that interest me. As well as avoid those I don’t.
I generally don’t have a preference for art style (I appreciate a wide variety of them), though I confess, I am getting a little tired of pixel-art games.
I feel the same towards the pixel-art games, but I understand that they are one of the easiest ways for devs to put their cool ideas into a game very quickly.
I know, that’s why I don’t begrudge them, but at the same time, I do feel a little weary on the inside when I see another interesting game that’s pixel art. xD
Usually gameplay mechanics that I like. For example I suck at puzzles and feel like they awkwardly break up a game a lot of the time so I avoid Resident Evil style games that feature them. Same thing for any game that uses a card based gameplay system. I get them a lot in Humble Bundles.
I stray away from fantasy games because I feel like learning the background can sometimes be a challenge.
For me it’s mostly first person single player games with decent soundtracks. If it’s got a bit of grittiness and companions you grow close to I like that.
Speaking of which if any of these games sound like they were recently (past 6ish months) in Humble Bundles comment the game below and I’ll probably be willing to give you the code.
It’s hard to pin down because I like different types of games.
I like:
Puzzle games that are 100% logical, difficulty increases, there is no timer running and ideally there is a way to improve my solution (Zachtronics games hit this perfectly but also games like Human Resource Machine, Hexcells)
Automation Games like Factorio
Simple and fair arcade on iOS, with high scores I can compare with my brother or, if I’m really good at it, the global leaderboard. Examples are Ollies Arcade, Jetpack Joyride, Tiny Wings, …
Sneaking games like Alien Isolation, Metal Gear Solid, Sniper Elite,…
„Realistic“ jobs that I can tune out to like Shipbreaker, Mudrunner, transport missions in Elite Dangerous.
Rhythm games on PSVR2 (though I hate that I have to buy the music)
Good old point and click adventures
City builders
But I will try and may like many other games that don’t fall into those categories and, for some reason or another, get me excited.
How a game looks rarely matters to me but I won’t consider games that look unfinished or cheaply made (exceptions exist like Prison Architect)
In general I don’t like games that are too hard, too long or too artsy. I don’t enjoy online multiplayer anymore and I will certainly not play anything that wants me paying more and more money to progress.
I think in general I tend to ask myself these questions:
- can I role play as someone else?
- is there a branching storyline that can be replayed in different ways?
- is there an open world with tons of nooks and crannies to explore?
- can I dress up? :)
- is there a fun and novel gameplay mechanic?
Usually I’m invested if it ticks several boxes. I love long, story heavy rpg’s like BG3. But also visual novels like Roadwarden, open world like Shadow of Doubt, or more experimental like Book of Travels.
Have you played the Shadowrun games? They also have some custom campaigns in the steam workshop.
Oh yes, definitely!
Though I haven’t thought of trying the custom campaigns. Thank you for reminding me! :)Some of them are really good. Same quality as an actual game.
My mood.
Do I need to shoot some stuff or do I want to chill and grow crops or something? Technical specs aren’t really that important as long as it doesn’t make me sick. That being said, I do enjoy seeing realistic and beautiful detail in games.
I dislike difficulty that borders on punishment and games that think they’re scary (yawn).
Usually nostalgia wins big time over me.
I was just playing Dragon Ball Z Legends for PS1 in my Miyoo Mini lol, a game that I have finished endless times.
Other than that I usually play games I got for free (patient gamer) one by one and often none at all.
Might be an unpopular opinion, but I hate retro marketing. They feel very uninspired, and look like a bad way to fill up the market. Remakes, remasters everywhere. Like, yeah I know this game is cool but do you really need to make the exact same thing twice/thrice/more than 3 times? Charging nearly the full price (Looking at you Nintendo)?
Definitely an unpopular opinion… but yeah, retro market most likely will be more appealing to the older gamers.
There are very different kinds of remakes and remasters though, some are very low effort while some others are exceptional.
I usually go back to the actual retro games though, not remake or remasters, unless they are really really good.
I like games about descending further and further into the earth. That’s why my favorite Elder Scrolls is Morrowind and my favorite Fallout is 3. That’s why World Adventures is the best expansion for any Sims base game, that is why I love roguelikes, that is why I’ve been playing Dwarf Fortress and Minecraft for a decade and a half and will probably never stop.
You might like the original Torchlight as a laid-back Diablo style game. The entire game takes place in a town with a mine and that mine is the dungeon you go down all game long
Oh I played it at release and still go back every couple years for a replay.
Hollow knight is a good one for that
Not that hard for me, but it’s a process I’ve developed over the years. I like RPGs, open worlds, exploration, space themes, things related to historical stuff I like. I like a little strategy in gameplay, some puzzl solving. I also like innovation (new ways of playing a game), and good storytelling driven games such as Detroit Become Human. I dislike multiplayer, so I always go for single player. Not a big fan of FPS, but if it’s not the sole dimension of the game, I’ll tolerate it.
My game selection process is quite easy though : I watch game trailers, I remember those that feel good to me. Then I look/wait for gameplay trailers, which is quite important. The more I’m excited about it, the more likely I’ll buy the game.
I will exceptionally preorder a game. Otherwise, I’ll look for the “Before you buy” type of reviews. If I’m still convinced, I’ll buy it the day it comes out. Otherwise I’ll give it some time.
My favorite game are Mass Effect series, Assassin’s Creed Series, lots more also. Right now, I’m having a blast with Starfield.
