What pulls me into a game is graphics and design. I'm an artist at heart, so what seems interesting to me visually is what goes first. So now I've bought the game. What keeps me playing that game is mechanics. If the controls are bad, I'm out. I don't care about anything in it after that. Case in point. Epic Mickey. Loved the art design of that game so much, I got it day-one. The camera was epically bad and so I traded it in. Then I got it again years later just so I could look at it. I'll do the same with Ni No Kuni no doubt.
Oh yea, story. I really like story in games and spend time following it carefully. I admire writers on games too and have a list of favorites I follow. But if the gameplay doesn't feel right to me, I'm out. Case in point. I love writer Antony Johnston but I don't like the controls in Dead Space. I will not suffer through it for the story.
So it's Design, Mechanics, then Story for me; although, if I was developing a game, I would start with the game engine, then get an artist, and then a writer. Mechanics are the most important part of a video game, despite what my artist mind desires.
