Good characters, are those which we can identify with, those which we understand. For the few moments which the character is the focus of whichever medium is telling the story (be it a book, film or game) we should feel what they feel.
The best films and books, with the most iconic characters, make the viewer understand the character, what the character does and says corroborate our understanding of the human psyche from our own experience.
Of course the question then becomes, 'What are the means to this end?'
Fundamentally, the script/story needs to be solid, with the words spoken by each character being contextually sound in relation to what we know about that character so far.
In films and games, an extension of this, is that the acting must be good. With a good script, a good actor will understand the feelings behind his or her character and that will bring out the best acting in them.
Visually a character should look as we perhaps somewhat stereotypically expect them to based on their personality. Although we shouldn't stereotype, to ignore this phenomenon when fleshing out a character would be naive.
A solid back story doesn't go a miss either. Knowing what a character has been through, and what has brought them to this point is crucial to understanding them. When connecting with a new friend, much of the conversation is based on your life and anecdotal points about ones self. This is vital in films and games too.
Different types of films and games require different levels of believability however. A comedy for instance will require less suspension of belief than a dramatisation, due to the desired response from the audience.
A character which has not been well thought and planned sticks out like a sore thumb. The viewer/user has no empathy for them or understanding of them as if they were a real person.
Hopefully as graphics and cgi in films levels out, the focus can shift on to better character development!
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