Your favourite gameplay element?

Hey I just wondered what everyone's favourite gameplay element is in games. Obviously this is a very general topic and it's difficult to narrow it down but I thought I would post it as I realised what mine was today: Mini-games! These are things I define as a departure from the main method of gameplay. In some games they are used constantly and others not at all.

Why are they my favourite? Well often they are a surprise... they are things that the developers didn't need to put into their game but did because of their love for the game. Obviously for some games they improve the game tremendously and are used often (God of War). And in others they are just a fun, often exhilarating detour from the main game. Games like Jak 3 (my favourite series) are full of these, so full in fact that they can't really be called mini-games but become variations in the gameplay, from capturing wild animals so they can be tamed to riding a missile and directing it to its preferred destination. Beyond Good & Evil has the Shells and Discs minigames. The lock picking minigame in Thief Deadly Shadows (used a lot) and the many mini-games in Kya:Dark Lineage (excellent game, not well known). All create refreshing and enjoyable detours in the game that make the overall experience more rounded and more fondly remembered.

Well that's my favourite gameplay element. Now what's yours and why? :) 

Hey I just wondered what everyone's favourite gameplay element is in games. Obviously this is a very general topic and it's difficult to narrow it...

pillaysteven

Interesting (and fun) question, though a tough one to answer since it's one of those "depends on the game/genre" things.

To get specific for a second, I guess melee combat is one of mine - that is, melee combat that's based on skill, whether it be dexterity or thinking. Specifically what I had in mind was something like the boss battles in a typical Zelda game, or the supremely quick combat in Ninja Gaiden. (The combat in God of War is fun, but since it's slightly button-mashy it's not as intriguing to me as that of Ninja Gaiden's.) There's nothing like the visceral thrill of decimating opponents, but the sense of accomplishment of is much greater when you know you've gotten through it using either extreme finger dexterity, clever brainwork, or both.

Another one would be micromanagement in many JRPGs, such as Espers / Materia in Final Fantasy VI / VII respectively or the Sphere Grid in Final Fantasy X. Pokemon would be a prime example, but admittedly I have never ever played a Pokemon game. Perhaps Pearl/Diamond will be my first. I suppose it's because I like to tinker - it's why I like fiddling with my PC and PC games, and so building up parties and evolving my player characters and their skills give me that similar sense of satisfaction. 

I'm a big fan of environmental puzzles, the kind you find in Prince of Persia or Zelda games. However it's hard to choose a favorite gameplay element, I rarely play a game and think to myself "oh snap I love when designers do this thing right here!" It all kind of blends in for me, good game design is good game design.

I'm a big fan of environmental puzzles, the kind you find in Prince of Persia or Zelda games. However it's hard to choose a favorite gameplay element, I rarely play a game and think to myself "oh snap I love when designers do this thing right here!" It all kind of blends in for me, good game design is good game design.

viberooni

Ah, that would be another one I like - though I enjoy (for example) Zelda's boss battles slightly more than I do its environmental puzzles, it's all very similar in terms of that satisfaction when you figure out, "A ha! That's how I'm supposed to do _______!" Another one would be adventure and exploration (Oblivion, how beautiful you are), though that is much more specific to certain games than my other favorites simply because some games do the exploration thing in such a monotonous way that I can't enjoy it.

I just thought of another favorite, and a big reason I love a good adventure game: choosing dialogue options and having quality conversations with NPC's.

It may not be terribly exciting and few games do this well but when they do (Monkey Island, Planescape: Torment, Grim Fandango, Day of the Tentacle, KOTOR) it really makes a game world come alive and gives personality to your character. I like wanting to interact with every inhabitant to the fullest just to get their reactions/see what they have to say. Great voice acting makes this even better.

Interesting (and fun) question, though a tough one to answer since it's one of those "depends on the game/genre" things.

To get specific for a second, I guess melee combat is one of mine - that is, melee combat that's based on skill, whether it be dexterity or thinking. Specifically what I had in mind was something like the boss battles in a typical Zelda game, or the supremely quick combat in Ninja Gaiden. (The combat in God of War is fun, but since it's slightly button-mashy it's not as intriguing to me as that of Ninja Gaiden's.) There's nothing like the visceral thrill of decimating opponents, but the sense of accomplishment of is much greater when you know you've gotten through it using either extreme finger dexterity, clever brainwork, or both.

Another one would be micromanagement in many JRPGs, such as Espers / Materia in Final Fantasy VI / VII respectively or the Sphere Grid in Final Fantasy X. Pokemon would be a prime example, but admittedly I have never ever played a Pokemon game. Perhaps Pearl/Diamond will be my first. I suppose it's because I like to tinker - it's why I like fiddling with my PC and PC games, and so building up parties and evolving my player characters and their skills give me that similar sense of satisfaction.

MrCHUP0N

I've never actually played any Ninja Gaiden games... I'm starting to feel like I'm missing out. The combat in God of War is my favourite of any game to date, probably because the animations are so fluid. And as already stated the mini-games :D. I must pick up Sigma when it's released. Is the combat system that good? The game looks pretty tough and split second reactions seem to be very important (or so it seems from the gameplay vids). Wonder if I'm up to the challenge.

I'm a big fan of environmental puzzles, the kind you find in Prince of Persia or Zelda games. However it's hard to choose a favorite gameplay element, I rarely play a game and think to myself "oh snap I love when designers do this thing right here!" It all kind of blends in for me, good game design is good game design.

viberooni

I'm also a fan of environmental puzzles. I loved the Statue puzzle in POP:TTT. I'd say it's my favourite puzzle in any game to date (I haven't played any zelda games...haven't even played a Nintendo system in my life.)

*Slight GOW2 spoiler*

I just bought GOW2 today and got to Theseus. When you beat him, the part where you slam his head in the door was the most exciting and visceral pieces of gameplay of my entire life. I know it was just mashing O but I loved it. I actually laughed. Was brilliant. :D

*End Spoiler* 

A great combo system for fighters and beat em ups.