Best Of
Video games are now releasing literally every day of the year.
Even many Triple-A titles tend to flop, even if they’re from acclaimed series.
Just what is it that determines which games are great and which ones are going to be forgotten?
Below are five features that drive the most famous video games ever made.
Content Management
The first big contributor to a game is the plans that come after release.
DLC has become a regular part of the industry, as have live service games likeGenshin Impact.
Good games have a roadmap for their post-release content.
You will also notice that most of these games are fairly balanced without any pay-to-win walls.
DLC and live service games can be great.
Sleek Mechanics
How many games have you tried with clunky or seemingly unfinished mechanics?
One of the major features of gaming is the controls themselves.
Even worse happens when you face a clunky UI that’s hard to navigate.
Upgrading abilities in these games and inventory management can turn into a complete nightmare.
One of the worst features to come across is empty open worlds or an endless line of fetch quests.
It can be even worse if side stories focus on characters who don’t get any positive character development.
This can often be found in RPGs where the characters are a main focus.
Gamers have always enjoyed have access to good content that doesn’t just revolve around the main story.
Intricate Soundtrack
One of the most expersses features in gaming is the use of music.
Other games, likeSaints RowandGrand Theft Auto, even use radio music to create their soundtrack.
This can be seen with Power by Kanye West, that plays during a big scene inSaints Row 3.
Games with scores that match an atmosphere often tend to heighten players emotions.
A bad song choice can make a sad scene offputting and a horror scene comedic.
Bad sound design in gaming is a nightmare.
Sometimes using the wrong tracks can even annoy players enough to completely stop plating a title.
Fulfilling Lore
Another huge factory in popular games tends to be there lore.
While simple stories can be winners, usually the most popular games tend to have complex lore.
This means that game througly fleshes out it’s world using any means neccasary.
By giving everything in the world a story players feel more invested in whats going on around them.
Elden Ringand theSoulstitles in general are great examples of this feature.
While you may think the world feels empty at first, you quickly learn that the lore runs deep.
Games like these set out to pull the player into a complex world with a robust history.
In the case of games where your choices change things around you, replays are more likely to happen.
This means that you could learn more about the world by playing through the game again.
Likewise you could do this without feeling bored of seeing the same events over and over again.
Jessica is a resident otaku and Genshin-obsessed writer.
Jess is an industry veteran who takes pride in working with JRPG and indie developers.
