Best Game Story / Plot
- Thread starter CTU_Agent24
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Totally agreed there. The Marathon Trilogy has the best story in my opinion. Durandal is still one of my favourite characters of all time. To bad it's an old Mac-only game (made by BungieAnton P. Nym said:
) so it totally doesn't get the attention it deserves. The amount of text in the game is a small novel for christ's sake. Second is Deus Ex. Starcraft and Starcraft: Broodwar are doing a pretty good job to. And I feel the Myth series has a pretty solid story to.
Totally agree on Uncharted Drake's Fortune and MGS series.
Probably Uncharted 2 will have an enjoyable plot aswell.
Probably Uncharted 2 will have an enjoyable plot aswell.
Warning, this post is long. I have almost NOTHING to do with my time.
I don't know if thread revival is looked down upon here, but I'm sure that I'm about the find out. I found this thread because I'm desperately searching for games, old and new with good, or at least decent narratives.
Here's my list.
SPOILERS BELOW.
MGS:
It's ridiculous, overcomplicated, and melodramatic, sometimes to the point of making me wince during certain cutscenes involving Meryl, but at the time. i'd seen nothing like it. I actaully cared about the characters, Snake was uber-cool, and the damn thing was like a mix between a generic spec ops movie and some weird comic book. It doesn't hurt to have Pyscho Mantis, Revolver Ocelot, the cyborg Ninja, and Revolver Ocelot in the roster of bad guys.
MGS2: Yes, Snake has a Mullet, Yes, switching him with Raiden has got to be one of the stupidest blunders in gaming history, and yes, this game took the series' tradmark overcomplexity and ridiculousness to soaring new hights, but there's also a lot to love here. Snake is still baddass, Otacon is still a lovable dork, and the story is still got that epic qaulity to it.
Mgs4: (I'm really not interested in Big Boss, I really should go back and finish MGS3 though). I thought that this game had the most glaring flaws of any of the games in the series. The gameplay really isn't the best in the series, and there isn't that much of it. Out of all the games in the series, this one's shows Kojima's complete inability to balance story with gameplay and keep from annoying the audience with exceedingly long cut scenes that have way too much fat. Melodrama and confusion return, and yet I enjoyed it.
The scene where Raiden is hugging at Snake's leg while they both ***** about how who has had the worst life, or two separate occasions where Otacon is crying (it wasn't that he was crying that annoyed me, but the way in which the acting/dialogue was executed) pissed me off. They pissed me off because the rest of the story is actually pretty entertaining, with only these vomit-inducing scenes to hold them back (seriously, Kojima needs to get his brain off meth. Or crack, or whatever mixture of whatever he might be using to sabotage his own work.)
Ironically the very thing about the series that I thought I would hate, I ended up liking. Snake is much older than he should be, and it ands a level of legitimate drama to the story I chuckled at the thought of Naomi, Snake's "Muderer" actaully gasping emotionally as she gazed at his aged body. Making him older highlighted his inner-badass. Seeing an old man force his way through a radioactive hallway was one of my favorite moments in the series. I really liked the love-story thing that had going on in the first game (even if it was the corniest element of the game), and MGS4 callously destroyed it. In the end, that solidified who and what Snake really is. The "no happy ending for snake" element played on players emotions, while staying true to Solid Snake. At the same time, Meryl got her much deserved and much comical "special someone" in Johnny. It's not the way I would have liked things to pan out, but looking back at it, it's the way things should pan out.
-----
The Legacy of Kain Series.
There are about five games in this series, only two that I would be able to recommend to my friends. Blood Omen and Soul Reaver haven't aged well, and Blood Omen II was just bad. Defince might have not been the very pinnacle of gaming mechanics when it came out, but I had a lot of fun with it, and when you start getting into the story, that's where you really start to get sucked in. This is one of the few action series that I've played that rival's the complexity of MGS's story, without the melodrama.
You've got two time-traveling vampire protagonists. The bloodthirsty, Ruthless Kain; and the noble, somewhat Naive Raziel. The heartless and cruel will lament about how Kain becomes increasingly more neutered (look to GOW for a more brutal protagonist), but I was more of a Raziel fan anyways.
The SR2 is also one of the most beautiful PS2 games I've seen, aside from FFX
Deus Ex:
No one I know has even heard of this game, but it's one of the best I've played. Despite horrible load times in the console version, this the game that finnally got me to turn my head and look at first person shooters. (Still haven't played Half-life, but I've been doing some reading, and I really want to check that one out.)
I think it could have used slightly stronger character interactions (it's harder to care for anyone other than JC, the main character) But at the time, I hadn't even played an FPS that was more than just about shooting things up. The ability to walk up and talk to bystanders ads a level of complexity to the backstory while at the same time grounding you more into the story. This, with the combination of scripted events, choices you can make,and information you can pick up here and there, makes this one of the best examples of a game that balances gameplay and story. It's there and it's complex, yet it stays out of your hair.
FFVII-FFX
I rented FFVII to see what all the hub-bub was about, at a time when Syphon Filter dominated my whole gaming experience. I instantly thought it was ugly, boring, and that turn-based combat was retarded. Thank the gods for second chances. I am now completely, and hopelessly enamored with a series and a genre that to this day is leagues deeper than almost all other games that I've played.
Everyone disagrees about which one is the best, but I've haven't played a main-series title (save for FFX-2) that I've disliked, and I'm completely in love with the newer titles.
Silent Hill - 1-3
I thought the movie, and the newer additions to the series were very unfortunate, but this remains to be one of my all-time favorite game series. The first game is short, and what little dialogue there is to be had is poorly delivered, but still managed to be one of the most psychologically deep, thought provoking games of it's time. While it's not my personal favorite, I'd have to agree that the second IS better in most ways to the first, no small achievement. Then finally, The third installment slacks off in quality in some areas, but deepens the overall plot-line, and I consider Heather to be the most interesting main protagonist in the series.
Assasin's Creed I and II
Some people thought the first title was to repetitive. I agree to some extent, but I still had a LOT of fun with this title. There's a lot this game did right, and seeing the evolution of Altair go from cocky and ruthless, to a much more respectful and respectable killer kept me going.
The second one doesn't suffer from the same shortcomings as the first, and the gameplay is revved up. Even better is that the plot line is even more complex and involving than the first. I thought they dropped the ball mid-game though, the momentum kind of dipped off, and I really hated seeing the story told over a series of decades. Still, I loved it, I want more, I can't freaking wait for Assassin's creed III.
Fallot 3:
There is no current-gen game that's blown my mind more than this game. Period. It's a perfect marriage of superb first-person shooting and rpg character management with massively involving narrative. It's many side-quests will have you completely immersed in the post-apocalyptic world of the former Washington DC area. The story's only fallacy is that the side characters and stories are more immerse than the main quest itself. Actually, the main story is quite boring and very short, but the side quests and the world itself MORE than makes up for that quirk.
There are a few games that I've played that have received and enormous amount of hype, but when I actually sat down and played the games, I've found myself somewhat underwhelmed.
GOD OF WAR - Im going to get barbecued for this. I liked the game, enough to play the third installment, but I don't know why people are always citing the story as being so groundbreaking. It's not a bad story for an action game, I liked it, but there are too many better examples out there. I liked the gameplay, but again, for all the hype and praise it got, I was expecting it to be better. Despite the camera issues, I really prefer the gameplay of the first Devil May Cry to that of God of War (and if you examine it closely, you'll see a lot of glaring similarities, such as the way they use orbs and their meters.)If it does anything better than anything else it would have to be it's game play, the fact that it even has a plot, it's intriguing puzzles, and the platform elements. It's a cut above most games. Im just not so sure it's as far as most people say it is.
Bioshock - again, I enjoyed this game. I was hoping that it was more of a survival horror than it really turned out to be, but that's not important. My beef with Bioshock is that I don't think having an interesting setting and it's visual appeal really put it that far ahead, at least not enough for it to win "game of the year" in about bazillion magazines. "But you can use special powers and telekinesis an stuff!" Yeah, you can do crap like that in about a BILLION games out there. Telekinesis was pretty fun to use in LOKefiance, and I don't think that game would have deserved GOTY either. People are always citing it's story, but quite frankly, I don't think there's all that much there, and the idea of finding files and shit to get back story isn't exactly new--Resident evil anyone?
Overall the game was fun and I'm definitely getting the second, but lets be realistic. It was short as hell and had few in-game characters. Then again, I might be wanting another game like Deus Ex too much to critique this with a clear mind.
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
I liked it. What I think set it apart from other FPS games was just how intense the battles were, and how MANY bullets were flying through the air. Other than that, it's doesn't do a whole lot else more for me than any other FPS game I've played recently (then again, I've been playing some good ones, like Bioshock, Fallout 3, and Fear 2roject Origin.) The only thing that I don't like about this game is that it's short, REALLY short. Infinity Ward's decision to cut out the fat has made for a game that's really intense, but only for a moment. As far as plot line is concerned, I don't expect it in every game, and certainly not in a 'war sim' type FPS, but I can see how this game could improve on just a few more lines of dialogue here and there. Price and Jackson are characters that you could actually care about, except Jackson don't talk and there simply isn't enough of Price to go along. I haven't played MW2 yet, but it needs more Price, dammit. lol.
Normally I'd edit this post to calm down my MGS-fanboysm and clumsy writing, but there's a little boys birthday party waiting and I've yet to buy a gift.
I don't know if thread revival is looked down upon here, but I'm sure that I'm about the find out. I found this thread because I'm desperately searching for games, old and new with good, or at least decent narratives.
Here's my list.
SPOILERS BELOW.
MGS:
It's ridiculous, overcomplicated, and melodramatic, sometimes to the point of making me wince during certain cutscenes involving Meryl, but at the time. i'd seen nothing like it. I actaully cared about the characters, Snake was uber-cool, and the damn thing was like a mix between a generic spec ops movie and some weird comic book. It doesn't hurt to have Pyscho Mantis, Revolver Ocelot, the cyborg Ninja, and Revolver Ocelot in the roster of bad guys.
MGS2: Yes, Snake has a Mullet, Yes, switching him with Raiden has got to be one of the stupidest blunders in gaming history, and yes, this game took the series' tradmark overcomplexity and ridiculousness to soaring new hights, but there's also a lot to love here. Snake is still baddass, Otacon is still a lovable dork, and the story is still got that epic qaulity to it.
Mgs4: (I'm really not interested in Big Boss, I really should go back and finish MGS3 though). I thought that this game had the most glaring flaws of any of the games in the series. The gameplay really isn't the best in the series, and there isn't that much of it. Out of all the games in the series, this one's shows Kojima's complete inability to balance story with gameplay and keep from annoying the audience with exceedingly long cut scenes that have way too much fat. Melodrama and confusion return, and yet I enjoyed it.
The scene where Raiden is hugging at Snake's leg while they both ***** about how who has had the worst life, or two separate occasions where Otacon is crying (it wasn't that he was crying that annoyed me, but the way in which the acting/dialogue was executed) pissed me off. They pissed me off because the rest of the story is actually pretty entertaining, with only these vomit-inducing scenes to hold them back (seriously, Kojima needs to get his brain off meth. Or crack, or whatever mixture of whatever he might be using to sabotage his own work.)
Ironically the very thing about the series that I thought I would hate, I ended up liking. Snake is much older than he should be, and it ands a level of legitimate drama to the story I chuckled at the thought of Naomi, Snake's "Muderer" actaully gasping emotionally as she gazed at his aged body. Making him older highlighted his inner-badass. Seeing an old man force his way through a radioactive hallway was one of my favorite moments in the series. I really liked the love-story thing that had going on in the first game (even if it was the corniest element of the game), and MGS4 callously destroyed it. In the end, that solidified who and what Snake really is. The "no happy ending for snake" element played on players emotions, while staying true to Solid Snake. At the same time, Meryl got her much deserved and much comical "special someone" in Johnny. It's not the way I would have liked things to pan out, but looking back at it, it's the way things should pan out.
-----
The Legacy of Kain Series.
There are about five games in this series, only two that I would be able to recommend to my friends. Blood Omen and Soul Reaver haven't aged well, and Blood Omen II was just bad. Defince might have not been the very pinnacle of gaming mechanics when it came out, but I had a lot of fun with it, and when you start getting into the story, that's where you really start to get sucked in. This is one of the few action series that I've played that rival's the complexity of MGS's story, without the melodrama.
You've got two time-traveling vampire protagonists. The bloodthirsty, Ruthless Kain; and the noble, somewhat Naive Raziel. The heartless and cruel will lament about how Kain becomes increasingly more neutered (look to GOW for a more brutal protagonist), but I was more of a Raziel fan anyways.
The SR2 is also one of the most beautiful PS2 games I've seen, aside from FFX
Deus Ex:
No one I know has even heard of this game, but it's one of the best I've played. Despite horrible load times in the console version, this the game that finnally got me to turn my head and look at first person shooters. (Still haven't played Half-life, but I've been doing some reading, and I really want to check that one out.)
I think it could have used slightly stronger character interactions (it's harder to care for anyone other than JC, the main character) But at the time, I hadn't even played an FPS that was more than just about shooting things up. The ability to walk up and talk to bystanders ads a level of complexity to the backstory while at the same time grounding you more into the story. This, with the combination of scripted events, choices you can make,and information you can pick up here and there, makes this one of the best examples of a game that balances gameplay and story. It's there and it's complex, yet it stays out of your hair.
FFVII-FFX
I rented FFVII to see what all the hub-bub was about, at a time when Syphon Filter dominated my whole gaming experience. I instantly thought it was ugly, boring, and that turn-based combat was retarded. Thank the gods for second chances. I am now completely, and hopelessly enamored with a series and a genre that to this day is leagues deeper than almost all other games that I've played.
Everyone disagrees about which one is the best, but I've haven't played a main-series title (save for FFX-2) that I've disliked, and I'm completely in love with the newer titles.
Silent Hill - 1-3
I thought the movie, and the newer additions to the series were very unfortunate, but this remains to be one of my all-time favorite game series. The first game is short, and what little dialogue there is to be had is poorly delivered, but still managed to be one of the most psychologically deep, thought provoking games of it's time. While it's not my personal favorite, I'd have to agree that the second IS better in most ways to the first, no small achievement. Then finally, The third installment slacks off in quality in some areas, but deepens the overall plot-line, and I consider Heather to be the most interesting main protagonist in the series.
Assasin's Creed I and II
Some people thought the first title was to repetitive. I agree to some extent, but I still had a LOT of fun with this title. There's a lot this game did right, and seeing the evolution of Altair go from cocky and ruthless, to a much more respectful and respectable killer kept me going.
The second one doesn't suffer from the same shortcomings as the first, and the gameplay is revved up. Even better is that the plot line is even more complex and involving than the first. I thought they dropped the ball mid-game though, the momentum kind of dipped off, and I really hated seeing the story told over a series of decades. Still, I loved it, I want more, I can't freaking wait for Assassin's creed III.
Fallot 3:
There is no current-gen game that's blown my mind more than this game. Period. It's a perfect marriage of superb first-person shooting and rpg character management with massively involving narrative. It's many side-quests will have you completely immersed in the post-apocalyptic world of the former Washington DC area. The story's only fallacy is that the side characters and stories are more immerse than the main quest itself. Actually, the main story is quite boring and very short, but the side quests and the world itself MORE than makes up for that quirk.
There are a few games that I've played that have received and enormous amount of hype, but when I actually sat down and played the games, I've found myself somewhat underwhelmed.
GOD OF WAR - Im going to get barbecued for this. I liked the game, enough to play the third installment, but I don't know why people are always citing the story as being so groundbreaking. It's not a bad story for an action game, I liked it, but there are too many better examples out there. I liked the gameplay, but again, for all the hype and praise it got, I was expecting it to be better. Despite the camera issues, I really prefer the gameplay of the first Devil May Cry to that of God of War (and if you examine it closely, you'll see a lot of glaring similarities, such as the way they use orbs and their meters.)If it does anything better than anything else it would have to be it's game play, the fact that it even has a plot, it's intriguing puzzles, and the platform elements. It's a cut above most games. Im just not so sure it's as far as most people say it is.
Bioshock - again, I enjoyed this game. I was hoping that it was more of a survival horror than it really turned out to be, but that's not important. My beef with Bioshock is that I don't think having an interesting setting and it's visual appeal really put it that far ahead, at least not enough for it to win "game of the year" in about bazillion magazines. "But you can use special powers and telekinesis an stuff!" Yeah, you can do crap like that in about a BILLION games out there. Telekinesis was pretty fun to use in LOK
efiance, and I don't think that game would have deserved GOTY either. People are always citing it's story, but quite frankly, I don't think there's all that much there, and the idea of finding files and shit to get back story isn't exactly new--Resident evil anyone?Overall the game was fun and I'm definitely getting the second, but lets be realistic. It was short as hell and had few in-game characters. Then again, I might be wanting another game like Deus Ex too much to critique this with a clear mind.
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
I liked it. What I think set it apart from other FPS games was just how intense the battles were, and how MANY bullets were flying through the air. Other than that, it's doesn't do a whole lot else more for me than any other FPS game I've played recently (then again, I've been playing some good ones, like Bioshock, Fallout 3, and Fear 2
roject Origin.) The only thing that I don't like about this game is that it's short, REALLY short. Infinity Ward's decision to cut out the fat has made for a game that's really intense, but only for a moment. As far as plot line is concerned, I don't expect it in every game, and certainly not in a 'war sim' type FPS, but I can see how this game could improve on just a few more lines of dialogue here and there. Price and Jackson are characters that you could actually care about, except Jackson don't talk and there simply isn't enough of Price to go along. I haven't played MW2 yet, but it needs more Price, dammit. lol.Normally I'd edit this post to calm down my MGS-fanboysm and clumsy writing, but there's a little boys birthday party waiting and I've yet to buy a gift.
I've only played the second Halo. It's a good game, but Im having a hard time beleiving that it's story is it's defining feature. Then again, I need to play Halo 1, 3, and ODST (two of those I have, just haven't gotten around to playing.
I forgot to mention KH. Im not a big Disney fan, but damn if that wasn't a stellar series.
I forgot to mention KH. Im not a big Disney fan, but damn if that wasn't a stellar series.
To Deathhond (Because quoting would be too long)
You've made many interesting points although I can only comment on a few from your list.
MGS 4 - This is the only MG game I've played and I found it surprisingly enjoyable. While it's not perfect I like how Kojima directs it how he sees fit. While this can cause problems I found playing MGS4 similiar to the Shenmue series. They are not just entertaining they are an experience. In a sense MGS4 is a risk, the designers personal creative ambition going ahead of the gameplay.
Deus Ex - What I enjoyed most from this game was being able to return to my office several times after missions with the enviroment changing. Usually I don't like backtracking but I found this quite immersive and it felt like I actually worked there, which was true from a narrative perspective. The story was very good and for me the success lies in how it's implemented in the gameworld (like you said it stays out of your hair). It's possibly the opposite of MGS 4 in that the gameplay takes the centre stage and your actions are the main driving force of the narrative. My one problem would be that your capture by MJ12 is scripted. Despite overwhelming odds the designers didn't assume that some players would succeed thus they are forced to conceed and be captured. Its odd because they took into account every other thing the player could do but at the same time its understandable as it would require a seperate mission to get the narrative back on track.
Fallout 3 - Again I agree that the side missions are longer and more detailed but I find that the main missions ultimate goal - to provide fresh water - is one of the better aims in a videogame.
In response to your question of games old and new and decent narrative and suggest the RTS Homeworld. Checkout the first 3 levels if that doesn't convince you to see it all the way through nothing will.
And to the world in general I'm throwing Sonic 3 & Knuckles as a contender for best game story. Its simple, no words, no speech because none is needed. A hero, a villain, the two of them constantly battling each other at the end of each act. The hero liberating the land piece by piece and finally a very dramatic ending, Sky Sanctuary, Death Egg, Dooms Day. Your imagination can fill in the blanks. A different retelling everytime.
Sonic 3 & Knuckles the best game story...ever
You've made many interesting points although I can only comment on a few from your list.
MGS 4 - This is the only MG game I've played and I found it surprisingly enjoyable. While it's not perfect I like how Kojima directs it how he sees fit. While this can cause problems I found playing MGS4 similiar to the Shenmue series. They are not just entertaining they are an experience. In a sense MGS4 is a risk, the designers personal creative ambition going ahead of the gameplay.
Deus Ex - What I enjoyed most from this game was being able to return to my office several times after missions with the enviroment changing. Usually I don't like backtracking but I found this quite immersive and it felt like I actually worked there, which was true from a narrative perspective. The story was very good and for me the success lies in how it's implemented in the gameworld (like you said it stays out of your hair). It's possibly the opposite of MGS 4 in that the gameplay takes the centre stage and your actions are the main driving force of the narrative. My one problem would be that your capture by MJ12 is scripted. Despite overwhelming odds the designers didn't assume that some players would succeed thus they are forced to conceed and be captured. Its odd because they took into account every other thing the player could do but at the same time its understandable as it would require a seperate mission to get the narrative back on track.
Fallout 3 - Again I agree that the side missions are longer and more detailed but I find that the main missions ultimate goal - to provide fresh water - is one of the better aims in a videogame.
In response to your question of games old and new and decent narrative and suggest the RTS Homeworld. Checkout the first 3 levels if that doesn't convince you to see it all the way through nothing will.
And to the world in general I'm throwing Sonic 3 & Knuckles as a contender for best game story. Its simple, no words, no speech because none is needed. A hero, a villain, the two of them constantly battling each other at the end of each act. The hero liberating the land piece by piece and finally a very dramatic ending, Sky Sanctuary, Death Egg, Dooms Day. Your imagination can fill in the blanks. A different retelling everytime.
Sonic 3 & Knuckles the best game story...ever
Mass Effect. The world and story and everything just made me go
I like Chrono Trigger's plot.
Phoenix Wright (of what I played) is pretty well told. Because the "Oh I'm stuck. BUT NO WORRIES MIA IS HERE TO SAVE ME") moments.
I like Chrono Trigger's plot.
Phoenix Wright (of what I played) is pretty well told. Because the "Oh I'm stuck. BUT NO WORRIES MIA IS HERE TO SAVE ME") moments.
I love you. And agree.Fappy said:
to think that I thought that I was one of the few people who noticed that. I'll succumb to the fact that bioshock is supposedly system shock II but with a steampunk setting, but I like the fact that it was done in the style of writers during soft science golden age, b/c cyberpunk books never really did take the time to ask the big questions.thebobmaster said:
also I like silent hill to say the least. I wonder why horror stories in other mediums can't have as much emotional weight as silent hill 2. or am I mistaken
Beyond good and Evil was mentioned and I can't help but not agree but not disagree. I don't know, the story was kinda obvious, and it felt weird with all the accents flying around for no reason