What makes a great game to you?

[Wrench Ninja]

To me, a great game is made when many aspects meld into one well-oiled machine. A good story, high replayability, good control scheme (a bad one can take you completely out of the gaming experience.) And throw some curveballs in there...get inovative! If it isn't an open-ended game, I don't want to do the same thing over and over...and if I have to grind, make it interesting at least!

Good graphics/sound/music do contribute, but they are just icing on the cake. While I do enjoy the fact that some games look and sound good, it doesn't make or break a game.

I'm glad that Minecraft is being used as an argument against "good graphics=good gaming". I've played many a game that looked good, but ultimately were broken games.

Make it work, then make it look good.

Me? I'm a completionist, so I fancy some unlockables...and when Xbox360 introduced Achievements...let's just say I'll be busy for a while.