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[RCBH928]

I see what you are all saying,
and I can't argue with the puzzle games really, but I also never heard some one saying
"You got to play tetris on the gameboy!" or " Chess on the Amiga is a blast" , but I did here stuff like "Final Fantasy 7 was fantastic" or " I will purchase a gamecube just to play Eternal Darkness" .
The only exception I heard is the shooters radiatn silvergun and there was this another shooter for the dreamcast.

I also never said that story is the only important element. I think it is the MOST important element, maybe gameplay is second but by small margin.
I also want to make clear what I mean by the story.
It is the general story, the characters, and the setting of each level(in the dark jungle, flying over the clouds, etc..)

Reason why I do not think gameplay is the most important , because I think videogames are put in categorized genres , and most of these genres more or less play the same.
For example
if a platformer you expect "walk, jump, hit" buttons
FPS I do not even have mention that
RPGs stop, pick an attack or defense, apply.

and it is shared by most games, but what is different is the story in each one of them(story line , characters, level setting)

You can make an experiment. Think of a game with bad gameplay but with a story people want to see or play(Current Sonic) and a game with good gameplay but story not so popular(I have no example).

Now take out sonic and put character (x) instead, and lets see if this game sells. Take out the gameplay out of a good gameplay game, and add a story other people want to play(make it about halo)..will it sell?

basically, I think gameplay is repetitive in most games strategy, point and click, platformers are about jumping, so what makes you want to play this game over that game?

[futuramaguy42]

Well, the gameplay makes them better. If Mario's controls were clunky and slow do you think people would still play it? Lets say a famous writer writes a story for a game, but the game is horrible, wouldn't you have rather just read the writer's books? If you like a certain genre, you know most games in that genre are very different. Settings are important just so the gameplay environments don't seem the same.

Going back to Mario games, they have a really bare bones story, but they have stayed just as good as when they came out, because of the great gameplay. Nobody goes back to Super Mario Bros just to see the heartwarming story of a plumber going through castles to find a princess, but when he reaches the castle there is a twist, she is in another castle.

About the new Sonic games, they suck, they get horrible reviews, the only people that play are fanboys now. The original Sonic games had really solid gameplay, the newer Sonics have bad gameplay.

I guess character interaction to me is much more important then the actual story. Like in Gears of War, I don't really care about all the backstory, but the characters interact so well that it makes me interested in the story a bit more.

Your last bit, how most games are repetitive, I really don't think this is true. Halo 3, Call of Duty 4, and Brothers in Arms Hells Highway are all FPS games, but they all have very different gameplay, which is what makes me want to play them.

[marurun]

I would argue that Super Mario Brothers 3 is probably the best 2D platformer game ever. Sure, there's a story of sorts, but that's not what makes the game. What makes the game is the careful balance of powers Mario can acquire, meticulous and exacting level design, and the specific way Mario controls when you hit the buttons or move the pad. If the graphics were a little different the game would still be memorable and awesome. If the story was different the game would still play excellently and be awesome. If Mario's controls were sluggish or unresponsive the game would suffer greatly. If Mario's powers were ill-thought and didn't blend well with the levels the game would suffer. If the level design was half-assed the game would not be the spectacular work of genius it is.

Sure, there are lots of platformers where you run sideways and jump and get powerups, but there's a reason many of them suck, and it doesn't have to do with the story. The reason Super Mario Brothers 3 is the best of them doesn't have to do with the story. It has to do with the combination of control accuracy and physics and the incredible level and game design. So while story might be the reason people play Final Fantasy 7 (there isn't much else to make people play it) and story might be critical to role playing games, story is not very important to Super Mario Brothers 3, yet interest in the game still runs high. It sold incredibly well on the GBA even though it underwent minor modifications to make it slightly easier. It sold incredibly well when it was re-released on the Super NES as part of Mario All-Stars. It sold incredibly well on the original NES when it was released. And story had nothing to do with it.

[RemyC]

I can't argue with the puzzle games really, but I also never heard some one saying
"You got to play tetris on the gameboy!" or " Chess on the Amiga is a blast"

It should go without saying.

I also want to make clear what I mean by the story.
It is the general story, the characters, and the setting of each level(in the dark jungle, flying over the clouds, etc..)

The setting is an important aspect, outside of the story. The way the level has been setup for the player to maneuver around. How have the enemies been positioned? Where are the traps? Is there anything hidden that I should be aware of? The setting adds a complimentary atmosphere, that can be present without a script.

Reason why I do not think gameplay is the most important , because I think videogames are put in categorized genres , and most of these genres more or less play the same.
For example
if a platformer you expect "walk, jump, hit" buttons

You are oversimplifying this far too much. Their is a fine art that goes behind, "Walk, jump, hit". This fine art is something that I believe you don't comprehend, which leads you to believe that the story is what makes you enjoy your games.
Batman Returns for the Sega genesis. It is most peoples favourite 90's Batman movie (oooooo Michelle Pfeiffer). Clearly this game has an enjoyable story line. All you do is "Walk, Jump, Hit"....but why does nobody care about this game? "Thats right ladies and gentlmen", the gameplay isn't tight. You can play the game all day and be fantastic at it, but it just doesn't feel right. You'll be playing it, wishing that you were instead playing the shinobi Series...Which has a story, but no official script.

RPGs stop, pick an attack or defense, apply.

Pretty much, but their is alot of stuff that goes behind it that will either make or break the game. How are the turns determined? Are the attacks balanced? Is defense actually useful? Do you actually battle the enemies, or just use potions and outlive the enemy?

[Pullmyfinger]

A good story makes a good game better, however gameplay is more important. Story isn't too important, even in RPGs, really, most are like this:

-You start as (orphan/prince/rebel/great warrior/amnesiac soldier/the chosen one)

-Then you are (kicked out of/have to flee/must go on a mission to save) the (kingdom/town/village/world)

-Where you discover that (a dormant evil has waken up/an evil organization is taking over the world/your arch nemesis came back from the dead) and has kidnapped (the princess/your girlfriend/your childhood friend you had a crush on)

-So you must collect some (crystals/musical instruments/magical items/long lost relics) so you can (enter the villains castle/open the portal to the another dimension/re enter the kingdom/town/village)

-Once there you find out that (your father/mentor/brother) is there and (he is evil/died saving you/is about to lose an epic battle) but you manage to get his (sword/shield/gun/armor/good luck charm)

-You manage to find the source of all you troubles but he (transforms into a giant monster/is killed by an even greater evil you have to fight on the spot/is revealed to be your (father/mentor/brother))

-After a big battle all your friends celebrate, and you and you are (finally reunited with/mourning the death of) (the princess/your girlfriend/your childhood friend you had a crush on)

-THE END

Really, 90% of RPGs are variants of that, give or take a few things and people still don't mind. So story doesn't appear to be a big factor

[Ack]

Did I say I played RPGs much lately? Frankly one of the reasons I've grown apart from the genre is how often they reuse the same ideas over and over again.

[RemyC]

"The grand list of RPG cliches"
http://project-apollo.net/text/rpg.html

[KennerBoy]

Eh, with me I'm not quite sure what is most important. I just recently finished a game called Dark Sector for the 360. The story made no sense whatsoever but I still felt compelled to finish it just because the gameplay was so fun. Have any of you played it? The glaive is pretty neat.

[RCBH928]

Hmmm...
Do not understand me wrong, I care for gameplay a lot.
But, how can you chose your game based on gameplay? Shouldn't you purchase it first?
Demos were PC only, and now they are pc 360 only.

I think people go to buy Bioshock not because of gameplay, they do not know how the gameplay is they guess its good. But they buy it because of the story, at least they get the idea of the story from reviews and pictures. They want to be the warrior in the desert, or the tough gangster. Why are people still buying GTA4? Because the gameplay is different? I think it is more or less similar to the other GTA's but they want to be the new Russian in the big city. They want to smuggle or kill.

I think the more I discuss this, I come to conclusion that gameplay is more important in competitive games like puzzles(for high score) and multiplayer competitive , but story is more important in single player.

A lot of you thinking of the story as in just the story line. Again I say its more as of the setting and what you have to do and the different character types in the game. I remember in Riddick, you have to go into some kind of machine that would inject you with something that would make you regain health.Now that is a lot more interesting that drinking solution"x" . Mixing herbs in Resident evil is based on story and setting, and its interesting to do your next "mix" to save yourself.

[RemyC]

they buy it because of the story, at least they get the idea of the story from reviews and pictures

A good review will give you proper insights toward the gameplay.

They want to be the warrior in the desert, or the tough gangster

Sure...but if they handle like crap, and dont play very well, are you going to go back to that game, because its the only game where you can be the warrior in the desert, or the tough gangster?

Why are people still buying GTA4? Because the gameplay is different? I think it is more or less similar to the other GTA's but they want to be the new Russian in the big city

If the character were still some random dude that couldn't talk, people would play the game to be him. What people really want though, is GTA's gameplay. The gameplay for GTA has slowly evolved over the years. Many improvements have been made, and there were a lot of tweaks...enough has been changed to encourage people to purchase a new game.

Mixing herbs in Resident evil is based on story and setting, and its interesting to do your next "mix" to save yourself.

This is a gameplay convention. You can put this feature into any other game, with any other setting, with any other characters. It is not tied to the story, setting, or concept of the game.
If you really think about it the idea is a lot like the boxes of rings in sonic. The "10 ring box" was 10 single rings "pre-mixed" for you.

I think the more I discuss this, I come to conclusion that gameplay is more important in competitive games like puzzles(for high score) and multiplayer competitive , but story is more important in single player.

No.