What makes these games good?

[SuperLuigiBros]

I need to write some stuff about the Mario, Zelda, Metroid and Baten Kaitos franchises. Stuff like why people play them and what stuff. Also things like mario tennis etc.
Basically I need to explain to someone who doesnt play games at all why these games are good, what sets them apart, why they are so successful, and things like that. Things about the locations and stuff would be helpful aswell.

Also, i need to write like half a page on each one, so if you could be fucked, write as much as you can.

[bobo_ess]

it would help if you played them..then you'd truly undetstand

[OutlawAdidas]

the originality, the storyline, my giant wang.......anymore?

[SuperLuigiBros]

^yeh sure.

[neo999955]

When did Baten Kaitos become a franchise? Is this a homework assignment or something? But whatever - playing games is something you really have to try to appreciate, but if you have to explain it go for the more personal approach. Talk about your own gaming expierences and the specific moments you'll never forget. For example I'll never forget so many years ago when I played Metroid for the NES with my father. We could play for hours and my dad actually mapped out the entire game with a map that stretched about 60% the size of one of our walls. It was so much fun, for both my dad and I, and serves as not only one of my best gaming moments, but certainly one of my best father/son moments. I don't know what memories are engraved in your mind from gaming, but i know they are there - games take you out of this universe and bring you into a new world full of challenges and fun. And if violence in games comes up, and I reccomend you bring it up, mention real life violence portrayed in movies and what not, but more importantly tell them you have never been eaten by a flower when trying to fix a pipe.

[Flamin Scotsman]

im going to post a thread on this later, but i feel its the music... baten kaitos, zelda, golden sun..skies of arcadia... blablabla... they all have this amazing music.. its practically enchanting if the musics good the game can be boring but you will stilll enjoy it... why else would you prance around for hours on end in an rpg... if there wasnt any good music youde be gone!

[Shade Valkyrie]

I rather think it's the gameplay that makes you stick to a game for hours. ;)
But the music is important too, a great game will satsify you both visually, emotionally and through sounds\music etc., games are great because they are capable to satisfy all your senses, just like sex, well, maybe not on the same level, but you guys get my point.

[Shadow Voa]

Its quite frankly their stories which transfix gamers and leave then wanting to keep playing until they truly finish. Each of those games you mentioned and many more all have deep and in depth storylines that can catch you leaving you emotionally attached to them much like any great literature or poetry. But in this case its gaming which is quite developed story wise since the early days, with technologoy now we can impliment amazing music, gameplay that leaves you breathless and stories which force you to think and act in different emotional interpretations. But thats just my 2 cents, I really think apart from the whole package in a game its a driven storyline that sets it apart from all other games.

[Xer0]

What makes them so good? Well, lets look at the Mario franchise first. The first thing that one notices about this game is that it is quite possibly one of the easiest games to pick up, anyone can just play it from the go. Unlike other games were someone can pick it up and get frustrated at it, Mario never makes you feel stupid, it always makes you feel like you are in control. Then, there is the fact that it is extremely challenging and smart. First it hooks you in by being simplistic, yet at the same time provides a huge challenge for the gamer so that they don't just drop the game from being bored of it. If that were not enough, the level designs that keep the game fresh and new with each new world also helps imerse the gamer in a world that is not like our own. So with Mario, what makes it so good is its simplistic, yet amazingly challenging and rewarding, gameplay along with the fact that the level designs vary with worlds so you don't get bored. Also, the fact that it isn't too long so it doesn't get old too fast and thus makes the gamer revist the game over and over again, i can't tell you how many times i have played Super Mario world 3 and Yoshi's Island.

Anyway...

Next up is Zelda. Just as with Mario, it has a simplistic controls that you can just pick up and go. Again, as with Mario, it has challenging, yet rewarding, gameplay that makes the gamer keep on playing and not get bored too fast. Now were it differs from Mario is its puzzles. Zelda utilizes these puzzles very well. They are obvious yet at the same time not, and, most importantly of all, they actually flow with the world so it doesn't feel disconected and the illusion of you remaining in Hyrule remains intact. Then, also unlike Mario, Zelda games tend to have an actual storyline to them, which helps a little, but its not a big part of the game. So what makes Zelda such a great francishe is the fact that it is simplistic yet hard at the same time and its great use of puzzles, all these join to reward the gamer with an experience that he won't want to let go of.

Next....

Metroid is however different from these two. Controls aren't as simplistic, the game does make you feel stupid sometimes, and you will keep on going to the same areas over and over again. These are the exact opposites of what made Mario and Zelda so good so why is it different with Metroid? Well, because it just goes and makes sense. Metroid, is a great adventure game because it actually feels like you are in an adventure, actually in it and not on a controller. It does this by forcing you to go all the way to the end of the game to get an item in order to open a door in the begining of the game so that you can get a weapon that helps you beat a boss in the middle of the game in order to open a door to take you to the end of the game. It feels like an adventure in the fact that not everything comes in order and that the world treats you harsh, just as it should to a loaner. So what makes Metroid so great is that it feels exactly like the game it is, an adventure, and along with its puzzles that really force you to think and reward factore, make this a great game too.

Finally....

Baten Kaitos, well, haven't played this yet :aim:-p: