Drag and Drop inventory system. If not introduced, popularized by Diablo. Since then, nearly every western RPG uses a similar if not exactly same system. Localized Damage. And thus the headshot was invented. Pushed to incredible heights by Soldier of Fortune's GHOUL system, allowing the user to shoot off any limb. Public…
Figured with some of the really awesome games I've played lately, it'd be neat to start listing game design elements that make a game that much more interesting and fun to play. I'll start~ Body part targeting systems - allowing the player to manually select what areas of an enemy to target works in a great pen and paper…
Open Level Design - You have a target to reach, and there's not just one or two ways through the level, but countless--all depending on your play style and exploration tendencies. Popularized by Thief and System Shock
Inventory system in FPS games. Remember when you had a belt of cool items that could do neat stuff? We haven't had such thing in a while in the FPS realm (and I don't mean just 'grenades', and I don't mean action-rpgs either)
Personally I hate unlocks in competitive games, they inherently unbalance the game and feel like a really cheap way to keep you playing. Perks on the other hand are nice, as others have mentioned customization elements are satisfying. I quite like the melee system in cod4, it's a bit overpowered but its so fun :D
Good, Well thought out, Cooperative campaigns. L4D has really affirmed the fact that I don't always enjoy shooting other people (in halo, CoD4, TF2, Unreal etc). And that I actually like to run through a game with a team or friend. One of my biggest disappointments in CoD4 was no coop play. Since I'm also hooked on how…
Multiple ways of finishing objectives is great, being rewarded for different approaches is, um rewarding... Kind of falls into the sand box approach, GTA, Far Cry, Fallout3. Strong use of silhouettes to define enemies and level of threat. Never under estimate humor in all its forms and at unexpected times. Well thought out…
Multiple pathed levels. (Deus Ex, System Shock, Vampire Bloodlines) Open world is neat but often sits at odds with story progression. Multiple controlled paths depending on playstyle allows the best of both worlds, I think. Hybrid Health Recovery. (Resistance) I hate the "hide in a corner to regain health" stuff in games.…