1. Gameplay - If the game plays lousy, it's not worth playing.
2. Social Aspect - This shifts a bit, depending on the game. I do love my online multi-player though, so this is really important to me. Some genres are exempt, however.
3. Sound - While I don't need a beautifully conducted orchestra or an epic soundtrack, I do like my sound functional and immersive.
4. Innovation - This is part of gameplay, I feel. If the innovation is well-executed, it's a huge perk, but if it's done poorly, then we've got some more shovelware.
5. Graphics - I've played games on every system since the NES and guess what? I had a blast on each of them. Graphics are nice, but completely unnecessary if the game is fun. I once said that there was no need to go beyond what the original XBox was capable of, and I stand by that statement.
