Crytek CEO Cevat Yerli, whose Windows PC game Crysis shipped in November of 2007

When we're conducting an interview with a developer, the bulk of our time is spent discussing their current project. But after the voice recorder is turned off and the liquor is flowing, the conversation almost inevitably shifts to videogames made by other teams working in the same genre as that developer. For us, it's always fascinating to look at games through the eyes of those who make them, because they often see things through a different set of eyes than the typical gamer; the same can be said of reviewers who are particularly knowledgeable about a certain genre. As part of our ongoing quest to take the best conversations that are occurring in the shadows and bring them to light, we offer you the new occasional series Make or Break, which asks prominent developers and reviewers to share with us the five key features, details, methods or flaws that they look for from games in the same genre.

Our newest contributor is Crytek CEO Cevat Yerli. His company first won attention for the large, lush environments and open-ended gameplay in the 2004 title Far Cry, which was published by Ubisoft. Its second game, the military sci-fi thriller Crysis, was released last November to rave reviews for its landmark visuals. In today's installment, Yerli explains what he looks for in a first-person shooter.

2007 has been a fantastic year for gamers. A lot of excellent games were released, all fighting for my limited time and attention. Here are the qualities that kept me playing games even while crunching on Crysis. Every one of them is a make or break criterion; a potential stopping point for me whether playing or even when we're designing our own productions here at Crytek.

 Portal, developed by Valve Software as part of Half-Life 2: The Orange Box, and published by Electronic Arts

1. Make me feel smart

Why it matters: I like to feel smart, and I like to win. Games should account for this by balancing challenge and reward, skill and intellect, in the right mixture. The core gameplay should be easy to learn. One of the few games I actually finished and was sad to see end was Portal, although the song made up for it.

The core mechanic is deceptively simple--a gun-like device that makes two holes that the player can pass through--but it manages to give me enough complexity to keep me wanting to solve the next puzzle.

Who did it right: Portal introduces a simple core mechanic and evolves it over the game at just the right pace to keep me hooked. Another past all-time favourite is Super Mario Sunshine which has a basic mechanic that is so easy to learn and very rewarding to master.

 Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision 

2. Draw me in

Why it matters: When you’re a developer yourself, it can be hard to truly play a game and stop analyzing every detail. I like games that manage to make me forget I am playing and immerse me into a game world. Every gamer has had these moments--you start playing and when you are back in the real world you wonder where all the hours went. One sure way that works for me is to make me the hero inside my favourite movie--drop me right into the action and keep up the pace. Another way is to intrigue me with a story and a cast of characters full of suspense and plot twists that keep me guessing right up to the end.

Who did it right: Call of Duty 4 puts me on an adrenaline-filled roller coaster ride and makes me feel like the hero. For story and characters, I would go with the Metal Gear Solid series--it delivers a multi-layered and intricate storyline that serves as a major motivation for me. 

 Tomb Raider: Anniversary, developed by Crystal Dynamics and published by Eidos

3. Let me do cool stuff

Why it matters: I'm guessing this is one of the biggest reasons people play games--you get to do so many super-human things. But there are some things that can break that experience: Falling to my untimely death because I pressed the wrong button is not cool; doing a jump puzzle for the 10th time because I missed the last jump by a centimeter isn’t either. I want to do cool things and avoid doing steps over and over again because they are conventions.

I applaud Assassin's Creed for making a bold design decision to make the controls easier. Climbing and free running across the rooftops does not force me to mash buttons, and if I tell Altair to jump he does so as spectacular as possible. Tomb Raider relied on me to learn prolonged jump sequences by trial and error- and don’t get me wrong, back then I loved it. I think the Chinese wall section will be imprinted into my muscle memory forever, but times have changed.

Introducing new mechanics that go against established standards and conventions is always difficult. On that note, five years ago nobody would have thought that health packs would slowly and steadily be replaced by recharging health mechanisms. The good thing is that it makes games more accessible and presents players with an easier learning curve.

Who did it right: Assassin's Creed’s contextual climbing avoids button-mashing and makes repetitive jump puzzles look cool. Halo was one of the first major games that used recharging health and broke with the mantra of back-and-forth health pack trekking.

 Team Fortress 2, developed by Valve Software as part of Half-Life 2: The Orange Box, and published by Electronic Arts

4. Show me a new world

Why it matters: Let me experience a world that uses the visuals as a means to set the right mood for the featured gameplay. High production value should be given even to the seemingly small things in the environment. Players do notice these small things, and this was executed to perfection in BioShock. The whole world tells me about Rapture, the Plasmid abilities and gameplay actions are in sync with the visual representation and logical structure of the game world. Team Fortress 2 is another great example of an art style that enhances the gameplay--every character has a distinctive silhouette that is identifiable at a glance during a frantic fire fight.

Who did it right: BioShock and Team Fortress 2 stand out with their attention to art style and level of detail that enhances the gameplay experience. I would also note the Metal Gear Solid series that made me care about a cast of characters spanning multiple titles--the duel against Sniper Wolf is just one example. Ico and Shadow of the Colossus left a great impression because of their unique and atmospheric art style that spoke volumes and inspired exploration.

 Assassin's Creed, developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft

5. Let the game react to me.

Why it matters: I love it when a game reacts to me, instead of forcing me to behave in a certain way. I am the player, so whatever I want to do should be okay, right? If a game world and specifically the AI reacts even to my blunders and repetitive actions in a meaningful way it keeps me in the world. AI is looking smart by interacting with the environment using animations- taking cover, using objects and reacting dynamically to my actions.

Who did it right: Assassin's Creed makes the AI look smart by reacting to the player actions in relation to the environment and even manages to make it look good when I bump into an NPC for the 50th time.

 Crysis, developed by Crytek and published by Electronic Arts