2. Complex Morality
Video games like to think that they've become increasingly morally complicated over the years, but in reality, it is still an idea very much in its infancy. This is proven in Fallout 3, where the prime moral dilemma of the game - whether or not to blow up Megaton - is signposted in the most delineated means. Rather than offer up a complicated, transfixing moral stew, it was easy to see what the "right" decision to make was, and as a result the narrative ended up seeming forced regardless of what decision you made. These games, with their vast worlds, need a suitably ambiguous morality system to go along with it; the real world is not comprised of simply good and bad, and in a landscape like this, the lines between would become even more blurred. I don't want to be presented with a good and a bad option ala Mass Effect - I want to decide for myself what is good and bad. Emotional complexity is one of the biggest obstacles still troubling games these days, but with a smart writing team, this is something that can be overcome. Get rid of the moustache-twirling baddies and goody two-shoes heroes; I want something more realistic, visceral and emotionally gratifying.