-Deep, logical story that covers its own tracks and is respected in the player's actions*
-Good control scheme that makes the game enjoyable to physically play, as a work of art is meaningless if it requires an orbital perspective to properly view
-Rewards that you need to work towards to obtain**
-Sprawling layout or structure that provides plenty of ways to progress, yet clearly marking which way forwards the story if there is one.
-Artistic style looks nice when combined with the graphics capabilities of the platform the game is intended to run on.
*This is not a defining feature of a great game. Open-world sandboxes like Minecraft and Blockland have been some of my favorite games of all time.
**The effort required to progress in a game is part of what makes a game like Blockland or Minecraft more enjoyable to me than a game like Garry's Mod. The former two games allow you to do virtually whatever you please, but you must put in some effort into your creations, as they almost require a kind of talent. Garry's Mod, however, does not do very much for me when it comes to enjoyment because you get all the rewards with zero effort put in, making them worthless.
It all depends on the kind of game I wish to buy.
