Must have good writing and strong story...these two things are not quite the same. A good example of a games that have both would be something like Grim Fandango and the Mysts.
I like atypical and interesting heroes/heroines (more Mannys fewer Nina Kalenkovs)
Good musical and sound effects scores are of great importance too.
As for voice acting- I'd rather read subtitles than sit through poor voice acting, so I could take it or leave it. I'd rather they put the work into the music and sound if it is a toss up between that and acting. Of course, that said, good voice acting makes a game very, very enjoyable.
As for puzzles...I don't insist on any particular type of game play, I just insist puzzles be seemlessly integrated into the story. An example of how this is NOT done correctly is in Tunguska, where the story is almost an afterthought and the puzzles are both numerous and pointless. It's a souless combination.
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