I'm a complete sucker for:

Been a while since I posted on here and I wanted to get back into the groove, so here's a quick topic. Just had a conversation with my friends about specific aspects we look for in games that keep us compelled to play. So... 5 things I'm a sucker for:
 
1. Ragtag teams assembled by fate to overcome outrageous odds and save either a world or the entire Universe. Mass Effect 2 can't come soon enough!
 
2. Aesthetically pleasing, strong yet vulnerable female characters. Since I can remember I always go for the opposite gender when given the option to create my own character. There's something particularly engaging about a beautiful woman who brings the pain on the side of justice, but has the capacity for kindness.
 
3. Swordplay. This is something that I still feel can be generally improved upon in games. Anyone remember Bushido Blade? Hopefully someday we see another game that is dedicated to various techniques of sword fighting.
 
4. Survival Horror. Its a whole genre, I know. So to be more exact, I get off on the tiny doses of adrenaline that are produced when you guide a lone survivor through bloody corridors where something horrible is bound to happen again and again. I've met a lot of people that steer clear of these games because their nerves can't handle it. If you ask me, if a video game can rattle you or simulate fear then its a winner. 
 
5. Sound. A great soundtrack and sound scheme is crucial to the culmination of any great game. I want to point out an example: after playing Fallout 3 for 260+ hours I realized that I memorized most of the lyrics to the old songs from the 30's and 40's that Three Dog would spin on Galaxy Radio. I appreciate how these songs were deliberately chosen to produce a unique contrast to the wretched post nuclear wasteland, and the pleasant nature of each track managed to make everything that much more desolate and haunting. Now I have those songs on a play list in my media player because I have subsequently grown very fond of them. 
 
So there's my spontaneous subject. Floors open.
 

Too bad Survival Horror has been dead for years.

I agree completely with your 1, 2 and 5 but I have to disagree with your 3 and 4. Swordplay doesn't manifest well in games and the best examples I can think of so far are Mount and Blade or (shudder) Wii Sports Resort. For survival horror, I actually prefer to play games that aren't survival horror since I'm more or less allergic to them. Show me one survivor horror game or movie and I basically can't sleep for 2 weeks.