17 replies to this topic

[Mysticgamer]

When I first played JOD I wasn't to impressed just curious to see what was about and then I saw the opening and was blown away. Unfortunately, then the FMV ended and then in game graphics took over. Then even worse Owl took over as MC as Omochao as hated Sega characters on my list. I was bored and not looking forward to playing anymore when suddenly an evil dream clown body slammed Nights into the dream door, disrespected me as a woman, (his comment to Helen) then kidnapped my dream court jester friend and vanished like a phantom into the night. Awesome. From then on I had to keep playing just to see what would happen next despite some of the worst controls I've ever played in a flying game. What about you guys?

[Ventro]

Well, it determines by my interest in the game as well. I can be happy with a game with great game play, but little story (aka: Mario! Sonic early verision of games). Overall, if the game has bad gameplay, I don't care how good the story is, It's not worth the stress if you can't control your character to get through the story. Overall, gameplay has to come first before story and graphics. That will determine if I'm going to atleast have any fun playing it. NiGHTS is an odd acception, it doesn't have a difficult story (it's pretty simple), but for some reason I like it especially the characters like Nights and Reala.

[Penelopi]

Gameplay, I'd say. After all, that's what videogames are made for. The story, as great as it is in some games, is extra when you come down to it. It's put in there to try to immerse the player into the game more, but it won't work if the gameplay stinks in the first place. I do enjoy a great plot, though.

[Innotech]

frankly, NiGHTS doesnt have much of a story, and I usually get so eager to play a game that I just skip the cutscenes and storyline altogether if it is possible. In NJOD's case it isnt so I paid a bit of attention to it.

[trueBLUE]

Gameplay.

Because sitting on your ass and staring at a TV screen for ten minutes and hearing a story you don't want is annoying.

[animejosse]

Gameplay. A good story is a nice bonus, but not always needed.

[Kentilan]

It depends on the game. There are games I like because they are fun even if they have no story at all. But there are also games I like because they have a deep, interesting story, even if the gameplay is flawed (I wouldn't like a game with abysmal gameplay, though).
JoD was fun, but I liked it mostly for the story.

Though when I say "story", I don't mean just the story. It includes the characters, the universe, the atmosphere, and many other things.

[Hoban]

Gameplay is most important in my opinion, but in a lot of cases both story and gameplay should be equally as important, like in JOD. The game set itself up for a nice story just by adding voices in the first place, I'm just disappointed because there were so many loose ends in the plot. Still an awesome game though, and I'll never understand how it could have sold so poorly.

(And personally, I didn't really have a problem with the new controls, it was kinda exciting for me. But I stuck to the good ol' joystick because I'm more familiar with it)

[viperxmns]

Unfortunately I think it's pretty plain to see why JoD sold poorly; not much marketing, plus the vibe of the game, especially in those very cut scenes is distinctly 'youth-oriented', to say the least. And many older NiGHTS fans were even turned off because of the many changes JoD has over NiD. But I digress,

A great game needs great gameplay. A great story can only help, but good gameplay is the foundation for any video game to succeed. Everything else is icing. If you just want a good story go watch a movie. Or read a book.

[Nemoide]

Some "visual novels" (ie Phoenix Wright) are fantastic despite having minimal gameplay and I think most folks can agree that Tetris manages to be great without having any story at all. Having either one is good enough for me.
NiGHTS is an interesting game as while it does have a story, things are vague. The mystique adds a lot to it, I think (I have yet to play JoD so I'm basing this on the first game). While the gameplay is the main function of the game, the story element adds a wonderful flavor, making it something beyond "Sonic with flying".

To tell the truth, I think "gameplay" is a bit too vague a term because, while a game without a story could be imagined (Tetris) a game without gameplay cannot. Gameplay cannot be separated from the story. I have heard Phoenix Wright praised for its fun gameplay (in the investigation sequences) and even though this is minimal, it is still technically "gameplay" and since it is fun (because of the story) it can be called good gameplay. (I don't even know if this makes sense but I am now getting lost in my mind?)

[Kat]

Both have to be present in my opinion. :/

[JAZZ-man]

i put my money on gameplay

[Purgatory]

I'd say if the gameplay stinks, you're not keeping my attention. So gameplay for me.

[DAiLiGHT]

Gameplay. The storyline could suck eggs but if the game plays smooth as butter I'm playing it all the way through.


Hence the reason I liked Shadow the Hedgehog. Story sucked but I found the gameplay fun. A four foot hedgehog blowing sh!t up with a gun three times his size. Shweet.

[Dreamer#96]

it depends,if its a platformer,story kinda matters,if its a rpg,store matters ALOT,if its a sonic game,its mostly about gameplay *although,that has changed for the worse* NiD,half story half gameplay, JoD,More importance on story,less importance on gameplay *except for the music level *

[iLLViLLAiN]

I'd say a balance between gameplay and story. I didn't even know NiGHTS had a story the first time I played it but I loved it for it's memorable gameplay. I just went in and played. The story is very simple and the reason it felt complicated and clustered to a lot of people in JoD was because SEGA tried to turn something simple into something much larger and in my opinion they failed at it.

[marymont]

In the general sense, gameplay is more important. However, since I don't have a wii I went looking for JoD video clips just to find out about the story, but now that I've seen it I agree they would've been better off to keep it simple/vague like in the first game.

[Zero-Shift]

Gameplay is virtually always the most important aspect for me, although sometimes gameplay can be trumped if a story is so engaging I can overlook other problems. Good examples would be Killer7 or the Metal Gear series, for me anyway.