Save anywhere is important to me, because without it I have to just leave my system on and running for a long time because I dont have time to finish the dungeon and I can’t frigging save. I hate save points, but I don’t mind save systems where you have to ‘pay’ out points of some sort to save, like in Lunar 2.
I like the option of having a place to fight and level up. While I think Chrono Trigger is an almost perfect game, there aren’t any good places to just fight. Sometimes, I just have an urge to grind babeh.
It drives me crazy when you have several party members but can only have 3(or whatever) available to fight with, and it doesn’t explain where the other guys are. Like, if the game was really happening, then the people would be there. At least in BoF2 the extras were kept in a town and you knew where they were. BoF4 had a good system for fighting in this regard, I must say.
I like really good definitive musical score. I can listen to songs from Lunar and Breath of Fire games on my computer. That’s a good thing.
Sorry but Sword of Mana has proven that there’s no such thing as a “perfect” game.
Haphazardly combining good ideas into a single game regardless as to how they function together is a good way to get a shit game. Just like what Sword of Mana did when it combined every gameplay idea that the series had seen up to that point. The result was the single worst game in the series where every system’s flaws played against every other system and all the options were unnecessary to begin with.
This is of course highly subjective. Things I like to have in my RPGs include:
-The ability to save at any time.
A good communication system (more than simply “hit X and get a comment from an NPC”.) Examples I liked: Talking with your party while camping in Breath of Fire 3, getting tips during battle from your party in Dragon Warrior 7, “negotiating” with Demons in Persona, etc. Makes it feel more like a story.
-Visible monsters, so you can avoid them if you’re bored of fighting them, or kill them all so you can then explore the room quietly afterward.
Tactical combat, where things like movement and location count (but NOT in “real time!”) Auto-combat options for when you’re bored of grinding helps too.
Extensive ability-learning systems, such as Blue Magic in FF.
No. Stupid. Puzzles! (Traps are OK.)
Bosses than have good AI. And aren’t immune to all status effects for no reason other than they’re Bosses.
Lots of choices: Who to get in your party, variable endings, etc.
As for the story, in general I like them smart: Original concepts (for worlds, magic, etc.), villains with believable motivations and plans that make sense, heroes who win by doing more than just killing everything in their path, characters you can like and care about, etc.
No, really- get this and you’re set. Have some sort of never-ending challenge- not a clutter quest, maybe some sort of territory war type of thing- or randomly generated dungeons and plenty of them. Something to keep the game fresh and new.
Obviously I don’t know what exactly or I’d be in game desing, but put it this way- Oblivion was deep enough to keep me hooked for 180 hours, and probably would still have me in its clutches if it weren’t for Fallout 3.
However I do believe a perfect game can exist it just has to be fun , replayable and if it lacks anything (not really grounds to imperfect) it can have it in the sequel… can you imagine it? the perfect game part two… his will be done:hahaha;
One of the things that is important to me is being able to pick the game up and play till you decide to quit, without being made to wait, be it by save system, unskippable cutscenes, loading time or slow text (cf. Zelda:ALTTP).
As for the story, it’s not necessary for me. A consistent setting or interesting characters are often more rewarding than a grandiose story or what have you.
Okay moving on… I also agree the characters need to be interesting , but for me thats all apart of the story. (:hint: Baldurs Gate 2 = An awesome game)