For most games, gameplay should come first and foremost. For me, games exist so I can have fun playing them. Things like story, graphics, etc. help make a game a more "complete" experience, but fun, engaging gameplay is absolutely necessary for me to enjoy them. That's why I'm usually disinterested in the AAA market; those games seem to value everything else over the gameplay, and I don't like that.

The exception to this is the visual novel, where there really isn't any gameplay to begin with. In such a case, VNs obviously need a riveting story and great art/sound direction to be successful.

Fun and replay value. Once i have those I'm good. Everything else are layers that add to the gaming experience for me.

900p and 30fps

Ambition.

Devs SHOULD be trying to give us the best games they can... These games stand the test of time while others don't (the ones that are able to realize their ambition at least, lol).

Story is the most important. I like realistic games like GT etc. too. But anything that has a really good story. Pretty much any genre is a must, for me. I want to play in stuff that I could never do. I don't really care about graphics that much, DLC, or the extra fluff. A solid game like Uncharted is great. Having online Co-op also gives the game more points to me.

Depth. Both in gameplay and story. Something that you keep discovering as you play. That's why I prefer RPGs in general. ARPGs even better if done right because they have additional fun factor without sacrificing the depth.

If I can't play it online then I end up hating the game over time. I need to be able to interact with real people or it seems pointless to play the game.

Something challenging. Not too hard to be frustrating, but difficult enough to keep me playing. A game that kicks your ass but still teaches you to be a better player. Kind of like tough love, but in video game form. Probably the reason why I'm such a big fan of the Souls games.

How many pixels are on screen, of course!

To be completely serious, I enjoy having a sense of progressing as a character, getting better and stronger at a perfect pace throughout a game like Cave Story and Mega Man.

Fun...

...but that doesn't mean that all the other stuff isn't worth discussing