With all of the money invested in market research, play testing and actual game development - you’d think that the good folks who churn out the mass majority of mediocre games would have a friggin’ clue what gamers want.

We want good games. How simple is that? Many of you have likely read editorials and interviews with industry insiders who state that making a good game isn’t important as long as it sells. I’m sure this sounds like a good business plan in the boardroom, but in practice it doesn’t work and never has. Take Enter the Matrix, a decent game based on the hottest license to hit the game scene since Tron - it’s not selling nearly as many copies as they anticipated. Why not? Because we’ve seen it all before, seen it executed better and been surprised when it was better than licensed games that had been hyped from the beginning of their short development cycle.

Pay close attention, suits - this is the equation to video game success:

BAM - You’ve got a game phenomenon on your hands, you sell a billion copies, and you get to buy that gold-plated Ferrari you’ve always wanted. Now I know you’re whining, “Oh sure, but how the hell am I supposed to make a good game?” Well shut up, bitch, because I’m going to tell you!

But first, let’s look a few legendary games and see what made them so great:

Closing in on a decade after its release, this game is still considered by some to be the gold standard in console First Person Shooters. A hearty mix of real-world weapons (with alternate names to keep license fees down) make this game a joy to play. Whether playing the robust single-player mode or the near perfect multiplayer mode, a player can make maximum use of his weapon by taking into account the accuracy, firing rate and magazine capacity. Many Bond games have been made since, but none have captured the fun factor that persists to this day as the number one reason to keep your N64 in working order.

By tweaking the Quake 2 engine and adding elements like blood splatter, wall and glass deformation and a slew of beam and particle effects - Valve proved that adding new visual elements to a game can increase the quality of the gameplay experience instead of just adding empty calories via eye candy. Scripted sequences allowed for story elements that unfolded within the game, instead of taking the player out of the action for a cutscene.

Another unlikely element elevated this game from excellent to legendary: a free game development set. Nearly five years after its release, Half Life is still the most played game on the gamespy network thanks to a slew of user modifications (most popular being Counter Strike). The addition of so many great single player and multiplayer mods has allowed this game to remain on store shelves, to this day pulling $40 a copy.

An admirable game by any standard, GTA3 defined ‘open-ended gameplay’ to the masses. Sporting a gritty story and a huge world to explore, this game is as fun as it is edgy… and it’s damned edgy. As a testament to a great game design - this game ensured the enduring success of the PS2 console despite its grainy graphics and a very unstable framerate. The sequel to this game came as even more of a pleasant surprise, packing more substance and style into what is sure to be the most successful game franchise of the next decade.

Highly refined combat, awesome graphics, immersive story and environments. Halo showed off what the XBOX could do, and not just graphically. Mixing in strategic elements such as a rechargeable shield and a nice mix of vehicles, This game looks and feels fresh from start to end. It’s interesting to note that the next generation of First Person Shooters will not catch up to Halo graphically until they begin their release cycle this fall, nearly three years later.

There are plenty of other worthwhile games, but these games made an assload of bread and basically made their associated game systems. Now that we’ve got some good examples, lets run through some common no-no’s that keep getting done over and over and over…

Most gamers hate escort missions and jumping puzzles, but somehow they remain a staple of typical game design. A good rule of thumb would be to limit escort missions to one per game and unless you’re making a platformer, only use jumping puzzles to lead to secret areas.

And then there are the crates. If you need a place to put goodies, try and use common sense. Place first aid kits in restrooms or infirmaries. Shotguns and revolvers should be found in the closets of rednecks, and military personnel should drop a standard issue weapon, while terrorists should drop a wide variety of different submachine guns and rifles. Sounds easy, right? Realistic? Don’t put your powerups and weaponry in wooden crates, that’s not going to cut it anymore.

You get what you pay for. I recently saw a documentary where game designers were forced to sit and smile while six morons gave vague, uneducated criticism concerning their project. Do not just pull your average citizen in off the street to test your game. Average citizens know dick. Get someone who is going to tell you that your choice in texture doesn’t bode well with your bump-mapping scheme, not tell you that your game looks like crap.

Bottom line, find people who know about the technology and artwork that goes into making games and hire them on full-time. If they can’t sit down after a game session and write 500 words concerning the graphical style of the game and cite examples of possible influences, send them on their way. I’ll admit that beyond written reports and documentary footage, I’ve never been to a play testing session - but from what I’ve seen you can’t rely on your run-of-the-mill focus group for this job.

Why not trade development teams to play test each other’s games? Publishing houses have access to a lot of gaming muscle, and it might give either team new ideas.

I’m not going to make a list of crappy, unpolished games… I’d be here all friggin’ day. Don’t release a game before you get it right. Don’t release a game to make the movie release or the Christmas season. You’ll sell more copies in the long run if your game is polished and bug free, if all the annoying crap is nixed and it’s fun people will want it. If it’s a good game and still carries enough demand to stay on the shelf come Christmas, guess what?