Game With the Best Story? (For school assignment)

[TheStatutoryApe]

So the title pretty much says the main idea. I do need some help with an argumentative essay I'm writing on the subject of "Can Video Games Be Art?". I'm arguing for it.

I'm sure that through all of these pages of responses (that I don't really want to read) you have probably gotten more advice on what game to pick than I could give. I would like to point out that the idea of artistry in games is not new. If you have not already written it in or taken a look into it perhaps you should. Board games were huge at one time and there have been several produced. Most of them are very similar but there were many board game designers were praised for their creativity and originality. As a classical example most of "chess composition" (the creation of chess problems) is made up of "artistic" problems rather than instructive, that is to say they are board positions that you would hardly be likely to actually wind up in and are designed for their "beauty" (solution-wise, not necessarily visual). I even found a wiki article on "joke" chess problems [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joke_chess_problem], which are supposed to contain elements of humour in their solution and/or position.

 

[Wilco86]

Didn't Extra Credits cover "Games as art"?

Planescape... Had only one thing going for itself. Story.
The combat was Meh, the visuals so-so, the setting wasn't innovative in any way (As it was based on already existing lore) and all in all it didn't have much customization for an RPG (You were stuck with One look.)

But the game was and is Amazing. For it's story alone.
I could talk about it for days, but in the end, I'll do it just as they did it:

Planescape: Torment asks one single question.
What can change the nature of a man?

And spends the entire time you play it answering that question.

(And if for no other reason, the games script is 800,000 words long. Nuff said)

Edit: Also note that Anyone who is Not mentioning Planescape: Torment has in fact not played it. Simple as that. (Yeah yeah there are outliers)

Planescape: Torment has a great story, but sadly many players overlook that game. I had a friend of mine to try it out, and he didn't get out of the starting area, the Mortuary, before quitting the game - the game doesn't start with explosions or damsel in distress, so some can find it a bit boring before the story truly kicks in. Hell, after getting out from the Mortuary I spent an hour just talking to people in the Smoldering Corpse Bar, gathering lore and I was having a blast all that time.

Also, in P:T player can actually do evil things, like selling team members to slavery, sacrifice them to a sentient giant pillar made of talking skulls, and talk to zombies and skeletons WITHOUT HAVING TO FIGHT the friggin' undead each and every time. Zombies have feelings, too...

People can say that Mass Effect has a great story and all, but when I played it as quickly as I could to add a renegade Shepard to Mass Effect 2 import, I found the main story quite shallow (there are great quests, but you can't call them "story"). Also, I liked MGS4 and all, but did the series have to consentrate on nanobots; in MGS2 Vamp is a truly supernatural enemy, and in MGS4 they just say it's all because he has nanobots (do nanobots help to control peoples' shadows like in MGS2? Really? Had End and Sorrow also nanobots in MGS3? Probably not because the story happened in the 60's!).

No, I have to go with Planescape...

 

[Rblade]

deus ex had a pretty neat story.

and I think, even though it's stretched mighty thin and MMO's don't lend itself to real story telling, the overal warcraft story is pretty epic to me.

if you line up the story from WC3 till now it's pretty original and rather epic

 

[Kappukzu]

I don't know if its the BEST story/narrative/work of art out there, but if you use the first God of War game, the folks at Extra Credits have done half your work for you here:

http://penny-arcade.com/patv/episode/no-redeeming-value

EDIT: My bad. Corrected the link.

 

[saucecode]

Halo. Its got a huge universe all recreated. Its a very rich story. You should try read little bits of it on the "Halopedia".
(Google it)

 

[Souplex]

Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective.
Not only are its story and gameplay great, but they weave together perfectly.

 

[Naeras]

Just pick Deus Ex: Human Revolution. The ending is a bit meh and the bosses are more than just a bit stupid, but it's a big mainstream title out right now that actually does moral choices well, it takes up its theme in a mature and reflected way and the worldbuilding is overall astounding.

 

[SL33TBL1ND]

If you have steam, download The Stanley Parable [http://www.moddb.com/mods/the-stanley-parable] and install it. I can't tell you anything about it without ruining it, but just give it a go.

 

[Theseus32]

Xenogears. Without question the best plot to any game ever. You can tell squaresoft ran outta money halfway through, but the plot is still amazingly tight. Persona 3 gets a mention for much the same reasons. And Planescape: Torment was good as well, as are any games by black isle/trokia/obsidian.

Honestly though, if this is for a paper, I'd strongly recommend Xenogears. An epic love story, (in the literal sense of the term) stretching, again literally, across thousands of years. Leading up to a punch up with certainly the most powerful force on the planet, if not the entire universe. The character development is outstanding, particularly considering that you get something like 12 characters to play around with. This was back when square was good at character development. None of this scowly hero/heroine who's tough because they have to be. Your character isn't out to save the universe, it just kinda ends up being dropped in his lap. Truly epic.

 

[Theseus32]

Some people are recommending Planescape: Torment, which is ancient. (relatively)

Not if you're past puberty. Just because it's old doesn't mean it's not good.

 

[rob_simple]

Resident Evil 4 - Most people don't realise it's an allegory for the Spanish Inquisition.

 

[Gazzoid]

Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars
Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon
Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers
The Beast Within - A Gabriel Knight Mystery
Gabriel Knight 3: Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned
BioShock
Grand Theft Auto IV
Max Payne
Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne
The Longest Journey
Dreamfall: The Longest Journey
Grim Fandango
Red Dead Redemption
The Adventures of Alundra
Discworld Noir
Grand Theft Auto III
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
The Pandora Directive - A Tex Murphy Adventure
The Darkness
Half-Life 2, Episode One and Episode Two
Final Fantasy VII

 

[Smurf McSmurfington]

Planescape: Torment.
Though, granted, there are MANY games with excellent storylines, where the narrative is masterfully weaved into the game, rather than just being tacked on.

 

[WaderiAAA]

If you want a gam you can play through in a few hours that still has a good story, Braid wouldn't be a bad choice. Alright, a lot of its story is told through text, but it is also told through the games main mechanic and the ending is really good.

 

[SL33TBL1ND]

Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne

Never understood the subtitle for that game. I'm pretty damn sure Max fell pretty far in the first game.

 

[fbdbh]

Myst series. Non-violent, creative. Set in different artistic "Ages", worlds that were written by a writer (with an ability to give life to his writings). It focuses on family. Very beautiful series.

Outcast: A science team was sent to a parallel universe and they ended up arriving in different times, so that creates some confusion. Also, the protagonist is a funny, intelligent soldier, and he is seen as a messiah to the people of this different universe. It incorporates many themes: religion, language, culture, oppression, revolution, myth and reality, time and space. It is huge.

Thief series: politics and religion are very strong themes. The atmosphere is amazing. Medieval steampunk, pagan rituals, forgotten and buried cities, secrets, shadows.

 

[sramota]

Didn't Extra Credits cover "Games as art"?

Planescape... Had only one thing going for itself. Story.
The combat was Meh, the visuals so-so, the setting wasn't innovative in any way (As it was based on already existing lore) and all in all it didn't have much customization for an RPG (You were stuck with One look.)

But the game was and is Amazing. For it's story alone.
I could talk about it for days, but in the end, I'll do it just as they did it:

Planescape: Torment asks one single question.
What can change the nature of a man?

And spends the entire time you play it answering that question.

(And if for no other reason, the games script is 800,000 words long. Nuff said)

Edit: Also note that Anyone who is Not mentioning Planescape: Torment has in fact not played it. Simple as that. (Yeah yeah there are outliers)

Planescape: Torment has a great story, but sadly many players overlook that game. I had a friend of mine to try it out, and he didn't get out of the starting area, the Mortuary, before quitting the game - the game doesn't start with explosions or damsel in distress, so some can find it a bit boring before the story truly kicks in. Hell, after getting out from the Mortuary I spent an hour just talking to people in the Smoldering Corpse Bar, gathering lore and I was having a blast all that time.

Also, in P:T player can actually do evil things, like selling team members to slavery, sacrifice them to a sentient giant pillar made of talking skulls, and talk to zombies and skeletons WITHOUT HAVING TO FIGHT the friggin' undead each and every time. Zombies have feelings, too...

People can say that Mass Effect has a great story and all, but when I played it as quickly as I could to add a renegade Shepard to Mass Effect 2 import, I found the main story quite shallow (there are great quests, but you can't call them "story"). Also, I liked MGS4 and all, but did the series have to consentrate on nanobots; in MGS2 Vamp is a truly supernatural enemy, and in MGS4 they just say it's all because he has nanobots (do nanobots help to control peoples' shadows like in MGS2? Really? Had End and Sorrow also nanobots in MGS3? Probably not because the story happened in the 60's!).

No, I have to go with Planescape...

It should even be noted that

Spoiler

The last boss can be beaten Without fighting him. With enough intelligence, you can, in fact, talk the Transcended One into giving up, in various ways.

 

[The_ModeRazor]

Planescape: Torment. I played quite a few videogames, and I do believe it had the best story I've ever come across. Personal opinion tho. Those differ between people.