I still cannot get enough 2-D, low-res, exploration, side-view type games. I love just hopping around and exploring the world.

Examples are cave story, lyle in cube sector, knytt, nubs' adventure.

Of course, the first ones hold a special charm, but each one I play is a little different and adds something unique. I don't seem to tire of it as quickly as other genres.

I also like fast-paced, puzzle action games and slower-paced "Incredible Machine" type games.

Your turn.

I'm not sure that my preferences fit neatly into any particular genre, but there are some common traits I look for in a game:

• It must be fairly cheap; I can no longer justify the expense of buying the latest AAA blockbuster, as I don't have the time or inclination to sit down for longer play sessions and get my money's worth. Most of the games I play are AU$20 or less -- often significantly less. On the flip-side, I do want a quality title I can enjoy and I don't think any of them were 99c apps either, although a couple are free-to-play with the "freemium" model of offering IAP.
• It must be playable in short irregular sessions. I'm busy and don't have a lot of free time to play, and I have a pregnant wife (due in 6 weeks!) and two-year old daughter who both need some of my free time.

Most recently the games I've been playing most often are The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth, Triple Town, and Plague Inc.

Currently -

building / management / simulation

Examples of what I have played in last 6 months ... SimCity 4, Dungeon Keeper 1 & 2, Alpha Centauri, Salvage Yard Simulator, BlockLand, Bridge Constructor, MineCraft, Space Engineers, Gnomoria, Prison Architect ...

Edit: Most expensive game I have bought in the last year were $5 USD or less ...

Historically my favorite genres are RPG and RTS games. Lately, I find myself most desiring of a game with an excellent narrative and interesting characters. I want to get absored into another world, and find it increasingly difficult to find a game with those qualities.

Roots, have you looked at the adventure genre (in the sense of games like Gabriel Knight or Memoria, not the sense of "action-adventures")?

I don't know what types of narrative or character you might like, so it's tricky to make recommendations, but offhand, and from my own tastes, I might recommend the aforementioned Gabriel Knight games, Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller, and Resonance. (I haven't yet played Memoria or the recent remake of the first Gabriel Knight, so I'm not in a position to recommend for or against them.)

Links:

Gabriel Knight: TV Tropes entry ----- GOG pages: 1, 2, 3; the remake of 1

Cognition: TV Tropes entry ----- GOG page

Resonance: TV Tropes entry ----- GOG page

To answer the question for myself, I would say that adventure games, RPGs and occasional action games are my general preference, and that remains little changed. Right now I have some desire for a Rogue-lite of some sort for my 'phone (I'm contemplating Delver), but I'm also rather looking forward to getting into the new Shadowgate game (I haven't played the original, as far as I recall).

I love adventure and RPG games, with some action and relaxing elements at the same time. I've been playing a lot of Cave Story lately (just got it and it's simply fantastic), Half Life and The Binding of Isaac.

One of the things I consider crucial for me nowadays is the replay value, otherwise I somehow feel I'm wasting my money. Multiple endings, different story branches, procedural elements, I just love that all.

My favorite games tend to be RPGs that leave me feeling as though it's been an enriching experience in some way, like reading a good book. After becoming a parent I don't really have time for those anymore. Can only play in short bursts now and the game has to fit that. The longer a game takes to load, even if it's just a few seconds, the less likely I am going to be playing it. Sometimes I have maybe 60 seconds to play and that time spent waiting for the game to start is a decisive factor.

Currently playing Twitchy Thrones which has taken my attention away from Game Dev Story which took my attention away from Net Hack. Recently bought Hitman Go which was enjoyable for a bit but I haven't played it a 2nd time because I wanted to play Carcassonne. I was enjoying Carcassonne before I got distracted by Game Dev Story but a round of that tends to take longer to play than I have. I expect that if I don't get distracted by something else I will probably be back to regularly playing Net Hack sometime within the next two months.

Sometimes I miss playing longer games that you can really immerse yourself into but the time for those games will come again when my kids get older and don't want to hang out with me anymore.

The open-world sandboxy types of games have gotten to be my favorite this year. I simply don't have as much time to devote to many story-focused games to finish the plot. I tend to favor the RPGs that are open-ended, where I can simply go explore the world and slaying monsters without thinking about the main quest.

Second to that are the 4x/resource management games. I want to get Civ Beyond Earth eventually, since I found the science victory in Civ V to be anti-climatic :P

I love exploring. RPG/Adventure that leaves time for wandering around, just to see the beauties of worlds. And it should feel like good book.

It shouldn't give total freedom, that feels like you're not needed to anyone, and that you can miss something interesting.

Most favorite: Anachronox, Mass Effect trilogy, Deus Ex (the very first).

I'd kill for a new pet breeder tycoon game. ^_^; I love puzzles like the Grow series, and interactive story RPGs. I love tactical turn-based combat RPGs and CCG RPGs. Time management (e.g. Ranch Rush) and Myst-style adventure games are good too. MMOs are in theory my favorite genre, but I haven't found one worth playing recently. T_T