Best Game Story / Plot

[Hunt3r_of_3vil]

The Lunar Series.

Edit: I would be cheating if I didn't admit to really enjoying the original Max Payne as far as story goes; not that there was much of it, but the presentation won a lot of bonus points from me.

 

[Jay Cee]

gotta say psyconaughts had a good one
and FFIX is overlooked when compared to the rest of the FF series but i enjoyed the story

OH!
Finally, someone who finds Psychonaughts as orgasmic as I do.

It was phenomenally inventive and still holds a spot as my 3rd favorite game of all time.

 

[GuerrillaClock]

A lot of people will disagree with me on these. Fortunately, I don't give a crap.

Resistance : Fall of Man. Any plot that follows such a logical procession up to what would be considered by many to be an impossible situation is a good game in my view.

Goldeneye : Rogue Agent. Say what you will, it still had a better plot than any of the Brosnan movies.

Hitman : Silent Assasin.

LOZ : Majora's Mask. I found the interweaving stories of each character and how they all reached a crescendo within these three days to be one of the best plots of the 5th generation of consoles. That and the subtle plot within a plot of Terminia's hubris and doom.

GOW, both I and II.

So true about Goldeneye: Rouge Agent,
The game it's self is bad but the plot is great.

Really? I mean, it was about a guy with a Golden Eye, and i could never get around the rather shameless attempt to shape a plot around the name of a much better game. If it had been about just a normal rogue agent I might have been less cynical towards it, since it's a neat idea.

Anyway, my favourite plot of all time has to be Majora's Mask. The sadness and atmosphere of it, coupled with the intense mystery behind much of it (debates about it still rage on today almost 10 years on) and the fact that so many of the threads went unexplained left a nice ambiguity to it. I've never seen a game tackle so many themes so well - love, fate, death and rebirth, and most importantly healing.

It helps that it's an excellent game too. I can't believe I agree with Indigo, either.

Special mention goes to Killer7, which is probably the most outright 'adult' game I've ever played. It makes no attempt to compromise any of its' messages, and I always admired it for that despite the fact it breaks the number 1 rule in gaming and had more style than substance. It's testament to the craftsmanship behind the game that I still enjoyed it despite this.

 

[Alcookie]

Dark Earth. Absolutely awesome game from a while ago.

 

[humanizer]

Funniest: Ratchet and Clank series
Best what the fuck is going on: Metal Gear Solid
Best manly story: Gears of Guts...I mean War
Best Plot twist: Bioshock
Best OMG I Cant belive what just happened: COD 4 Modern Warfare (you know BOOM)
Most Eco Freindly: fallout 3 (If your a good little Last Best Hope for Humanity)
Best what are they talking about?: GTA 4 (especially LJ)
Hardest to explain: Final Fantasy 7
Best decision making: Mass Effect
and last
Worst Excuse for an "ending": Halo 3

 

[timmytom1]

How can Grim Fandango not have been mentioned?! Amazing story... Tim Schafer is a genius...

Agreed

 

[DragonChi]

The Dig from LucasArts

 

[Vrex360]

Halo series comes close but is not the greatest even though as a trilogy as a whole it is truly amazing. It isn't just a generic 'kill theze alienz' setup. The alien religion is carefully based on actual religious texts like the Ark and the Flood as an example, the aliens are shown with human characteristics and with conflicting loyalties and backstabbing and of course the character of the Arbiter. Combine that with some more great literature referances, the lead being a symbol of power (Misterchief) strong acting, some epic set pieces, some mystery and branching story threads, and a few odd bits o' wit every now and then and you get something great. A good solid trilogy in games that I like so much.

I think that it sits next to Bioshock and Mass Effect in terms of some of my favourites, but my number one favourite is actually Otogi: Myth of Demons. Because although not the most imaginative it is presented as ancient Japanese legend complete with referances to spirituality and shintoism and an ancient painting style aesthetic help keep it feeling unique. Seriously people, don't wait.... if you have an Original Xbox, get Otogi.

Especially YOU.

 

[notyouraveragejoe]

Definitely Bioshock, Deus Ex and I agree with FFIX. So underrated.

I agree whole heartedly with Bioshock. Haven't played the other two games but I've heard good things about Final Fantasy IX. I also really liked the story for Skies of Arcadia: Legends.

 

[S-Unleashed]

Story-wise, Halo (all of them), Jak (all of them), KH (all of them) and Bioshock. Oh, and FFX.

 

[gremily]

The Legend of Zelda. More specifically Wind Waker and Twilight Princess.

 

[E.v.a.n.g.e.l]

Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of The Betrayer.
That was probably the most epic Neverwinter Nights game. The story was grim, dark, and filled with dying evil gods.

 

[Mackinator]

Zelda: Majora's Mask and Ocarina of Time: Both Stories were absolutely brilliant. They all gather so well in plot and the whole Link doesnt talk is a good thing. Him talking now would just cause trouble.
The Halo Series does have an amazing plot if you aren't 12 years old and skip all the cutscenes. The story was very good and when Halo came out it was one of the best attempts at Space travelling Humans ever.

I liked Lylat Wars

Ok lets be honest, it didn't have much of a story other than a few other characters radio'ing you every 5 seconds. But I loved that game.

 

[GeoPB]

Need for speed underground... And for those who don't get sarcasm, this is it.

And I thought Assasin's Creed had a great plot, despite the tedium.

 

[hannarr]

Somebody is going to hate me for saying this but FFX.

 

[Chimpzy_v1legacy]

Deus Ex, System Shock, Planescape Torment, Half-life series, Grim Fandango, lots of possible contenders.