Gaming is heading down a slippery downhill slalom of graphical performance and gimmicks. Every console is guilty of it, and if gaming must be truly renewed as a form of expression, then changes must be made.
1. Artificial Intelligence
Why should every enemy react in a similar way? Why doesn't one flee while one stays still? This is the bane of modern gaming as performance increases in hardware. The performance increases still cannot replicate the randomness and complete unpredictable nature of the real world. If developers truly want to create worlds that live and breathe, then they need to do much better than a bunch of lifeless NPCs roaming aimlessly.
2. Physics
If two barrels explode in exactly the same way, then there was obviously no calculations involved. The position, environment, and stimulus must all be taken into account when displaying something on the screen. Having a world that feels real and obeys the laws evident in nature is the true way to experience gaming.
3. Controls
Attempts at making a unique form of controls have been futile. The Wii was a good attempt, but the lack of proper utilization and annoying abuse of motion-based controls bogged down any innovation that preceded the astronomical load of crap and very little substance found in many Wii games. On the contrary, the Xbox 360 and PS3 did not make any significant changes. Ultimately, the keyboard and mouse are the best control scheme for first-person shooter games as well as strategy and MMORPGs as well. The normal control layout of analog sticks, a d-pad, two triggers, and four buttons is becoming dated.
4. PlotIf you're going to try and make a game with an engaging plot, don't make a movie; that being said, don't try to make a story and then completely botch the fun of the game by spoiling it with some ill-conceived plot twist only meant for an M. Night Shyamalan film. The challenge with developing a decent plot in a game is that it must subtly push a player through the game without restricting their freedom too much. This section is all about personal preference in games, but the general premise of true plot development in gaming feels somewhat lacking.5. Art DirectionBelieve it or not, graphics and art direction are two separate beasts. For example, what makes a game like Super Mario Galaxy in its standard-def glory more appealing than many high definition games? It's more to do with the way in which the game utilizes the benefits and works with the quirks of the hardware and truly delivers an experience without necessarily requiring the most cutting edge graphics chip set to run.6. DRMIf Spore wasn't bad enough, the future of gaming can only be plagued with the crap that's already infiltrated the music and movie industry: DRM. They need to figure out another way to keep pirates away rather than nagging legitimate consumers.7. SoundSome games do it well, some games make you turn down the volume. However, it is almost inexcusable for a game to ruin the fun by making your ears bleed. Either way, the requirements for this one are rather self-explanatory. Orchestrated music is best, and good compositions vary with levels and match the flow of the game.8. Voice ActingSelf explanatory.9. Levels
Levels in a game need to be interesting and nonlinear. If the levels are linear, then there should be some sort of challenge to traversing them. It is pointless to wander around simple fetching one item and going to another area throughout the duration of a game. Games that properly reward exploration and encourage backtracking also give more value to the game with only a slight addition of code. A platformer game that relies on the process of playing individual levels in order still needs to add some nonlinear elements. For example, Mario games have been throwing in secrets for decades.
10. Bosses & Difficulty
Ever fight that one boss that falls unconcious as soon as you press one button? Perhaps that one boss that made you quit playing a game because you just couldn't find yourself getting past the son of a gun? Most likely, you're not alone. Video games have a tendency to take their bosses too seriously. The problem being, sometimes developers intentionally tone down their bosses simply to appeal to the casual crowd. Adjustable difficulty is the way to go. People who jsut want to play a game can go easy, while the truly gifted can try the extremely hard stuff. Whatever the case, difficulty is something that very few games really master.