3. Innovation is Key
Gamers are a fickle people. Were demanding, hyper-critical and more often than not, were spoiled. Were spoiled by the awesome games of our generation, by the incredible amount of choice that there is today. I imagine unveiling a new game to us is similar to a frightened wife revealing tonights dinner to an abusive husband. The problem with us as a group is that were unbelievably picky. Theres been so much innovation in the gaming industry over the last five to ten years that if a game seems to be reverting back to old trends, features outmoded limitations or elements that have otherwise been bettered elsewhere, well jump online to tear it a new one before its even managed to make its way onto the shelves. Games really have to be innovative these days, they have to offer something we cant really get anywhere else, otherwise whats the point? True its hard to be innovative all the time, but if Valve can conjure Portal out of thin air, surely Call of Duty can include a new feature (other than different guns) every once in a while. For a game to be considered awesome and not just decent or sh*t, in my eyes, it has to innovate, even if its only to a small degree. Too often new games dont even bother trying, and to those games, I say no thank you.
Offenders: Mafia II, Call of Duty Series, Any Movie Tie-In