Interesting. See I am attracted to the essential game systems and how that comes together into something fun. Like in WoW, I find the combat system very good, and the custom UI possibilities practically make the game for me. No other MMO I've played has as smooth a gameplay experience in terms of movement, ability execution, animation, etc.
Contrast this with say, God of War: a game built purely on an aesthetic and a presentation, yet the actual combat is an unresponsive, shallow, clunky, easy mess. I can't have fun with a game like that, while I can love Ninja Gaiden despite the fact that there is no story and completely lame, setting wise. But the system the game is built on is executed flawlessly.
Sure, no, I definitely can get really into a game like Ninja Gaiden. But after mastering the mechanics I start getting pissed off..."why the fuck did they have to such cheesy art style in a game with such cool gameplay? why the fucking cliches and unrealistic cheesiness? arachnid goddesses with huge boobs?
reaaallly?
It's all about immersion and... satisfying my need to be immersed in a fantasy world which I find compelling. Riven and the other Myst games, for example, try to do radically different things, have little in the way of that classic kineticism...but they polute my self-conscious like no one....in a good way.
I prefer fillet mignon over hamburgers, when it comes to videogames. Popcorn doesn't satisfy me as much as creme brulee. I tend to judge a game's quality very holistically. So the gameplay isn't the most addictive thing in the world...if it feels well balanced in all areas... gameplay, visual style (
not graphical "quality"), music, story...then it gets my vote.
I can usually tell if I'm going to like a game or not, based solely on what it hopes to accomplish. That's why you won't see me ever fainting over a game by Epic, for example. But Rez will blow my mind, even though the gameplay is still the same as Space Harrier or Panzer Dragoon, pretty much...it's about the whole experience.