Assuming you can identify one thing, which is most important to you?

[GladDog]

1 - Depth of story i.e.: lore, signature characters/villains and things of that nature?
2 - Mechanics i.e.: gameplay powers and the way they interact in combat especially concerning buffs and debuffs?
3 - Graphics i.e.: the way the physical world and particle display of each powerset looks also the way the actual animation is shown while casting such ability?
4 - Character Creator i.e.: I want my character to look the way I imagined it, and to have a backstory that I’ve created.
5 - Something else – I tell you in the forums

[GladDog]

I voted mechanics. Good mechanics will carry a game much further than pretty graphics and crappy mechanics. Honestly, one of the great things about CoH was that you wrote your own story, so I place a little less priority on the story, although I am looking forward to what the team is going to be presenting!

[Golden Ace]

Went with - Character Creator i.e.: I want my character to look the way I imagined it, and to have a backstory that I’ve created.

While I realize the other items are important. for me it's the character. I want my character A hero with golden armor, with the backstory I created who's sense of morality is just slightly off kilter.

[Avatar PDM]

me too
I am a creator type of guy and having freedom in realizing the character (with lair and everything HINT) is the gateway for a positive gaming experience ( I mean DC and Marvel had a lot of graphic and tech stuff going too - but I simply didn´t like the character creator and so the games couldn´t hold me)

of course I believe in great mechanics and graphics too but I don´t agree with G.D.s opinion, that the story is less important than the rest. Of course CoH was able to give people their own way to creativity and was quite flexible in many ways, but until that happens people would just run around without any meaning and sense hitting other people and thats it! To get into the heroic feeling the lore and stories need to be great and the Devs started it by creating the lore of the city ships already anyway

What I think though is, that mechanics and graphics are something only the Devs can work at while the lore and stories could be something where the Devs could and partly do use the creativity of the community to collect thoughts which they can channel or use as a base

[olepi]

I went with other.

For me, a game is a virtual world that I virtually live in, so the "look and feel" of it is the most important. My first character in CoH was picked not for his powers, but for how he moved and how the powers looked and felt. Then I discovered that I had picked an ice/ice blaster.

It's not just graphics, it's the whole world, and how my character moves, and what the powers look like and feel like. Story is far less important.

[Warhead]

It is really hard to pick just one because they are all kind of interconnected; however if pressed, I would also go with character creator. I feel that the character is how I gain my individual creative connection to the game. I also agree with the above that I think lore and story are very important. I take time to read through all the mission texts and get into the stories. Otherwise, it just becomes quickly clicking through to get to the fighting. If the lore isn't interesting, it just becomes repetitive and I lose interest. This recently happened for me in Never Winter Nights. The overall mission stories just weren't grabbing me and I got bored. But I feel the lore and the mechanics are closely tied together. I remember one of my favorite missions in CoH was the one where someone was impersonating you and in the end you had to fight your imposter.

[Actjcksn]

I went with Something else – I tell you in the forums.

For me, it's the feel of the game. The community, mechanics, graphics and lore are all vital to the overall feel of the game. And, of course, it starts with the character creator. I guess the one thing most important to me is the cohesion of all the mentioned items with an inviting community.

[Red5]

my 2 cents...

yet another good/hard poll! Tbh if it was an option I would pic all the above, as each IS important.

I, however, lean towards Character Creator because:
The story can be blah and I will make my own.
Mechanics can be blah and still have fun....there are many game I could site as examples but will spare ya lol.
Graphics can be meh and I can still have fun...again many a game to site as example...some purposefully go 8bit'ish
However if toon(s)/character(s) are too limited (i.e. everyone looks the same, etc.) then this type of game is not delivering what I was wanting from it.

I guess I am saying IF I had to pic one... Character is most important, but I hold the dev's to a higher standard of ALL is important. Master the whole pie and not just one or two slices