Gameplay oriented. Games can have good stories but that doesn't help that I often feel detached from scenario the game is trying to present because I'm not in full control of the character. In most games, in my opinion, the least amount of story the better.
Role-Playing games often make me cringe because of this. You assume the role of _______ and if _______ does something that doesn't agree with your morales or does something that otherwise feels like your common sense is being ignored, the detachment sets in and I don't feel like I'm playing a game anymore but watching an interactive, pixelated movie.
Also cutscenes often make me feel like I'm a seperate entity from the game and the immersion is lost. Immersion is very important to me and once that's broken, I seldom ever feel like playing a game thru. There are some exceptions but they're rarely done in a way that holds my attention.
I like silent heroes, your Cronos, Freemans, Links, because they're much easier to project yourself to.
Finally, in my opinion, the most important qualities in games include pacing, controls, stability throughout, and fun gameplay. Most of which aren't affected directly by a story. Pacing does but it's often not in a way I like.
Pixel Art can be fun.
