Games with great story but bad gameplay

[snappydog]

Shadow of Memories, which I believe was released as Shadow of Destiny in the US.
Amazing story, it really is, but the gameplay is... it's not so appalling that I couldn't make it through six or seven playthroughs trying to get as many endings as I could, but it isn't exactly brilliant either. I mean... to be honest, it could have been released as a point-and-click and it wouldn't have made any difference, the only discernible thing that sets it apart from a point-and-click is that you actually control the walking from one item to another and so on. (As far as I remember. It's been a while.)

 

[Ren_Li]

Oh hi, every-Bioware-game-ever.

Oh alright, that's a little bit unkind, but with the exception of Mass Effect 2, where I rather enjoyed the combat as well, I've almost always viewed Bioware's actual gameplay as something to get through so I can enjoy the next conversation scene.

Damn, I was about to post just this.

Yeeup. I wouldn't call the gameplay "terrible" (oh, okay Jade Empire, for you I will make an exception) but looking through my Bioware games, I would agree that the gameplay is definitely just something to hold the story and the dialogue together.
Although I though ME3 was better, in gameplay terms, than ME2. (Possibly I'm biased because ME2 could never "pull me in" even with the characters. Three conversations with Garrus on the ship?! THREE?! And someone turn off FemShep's autoflirt before she beds someone I didn't want her to!) I'm currently re-playing the first Mass Effect though and arg frustration.

Back on topic, I'm also going to agree with the comments on Dragon Age: Origins. The second game, as glaring as it's flaws were, made the combat feel much more fluid and alive. Not great, but BETTER.

I love Bioware games. I've yet to play a none-Bioware game that held my attention for as long as a Bioware one, or that I came back to as often. But take away the story, the conversations, and the characters and leave me with just the gameplay, and... Yeah.

 

[Tanis]

The Longest Journey
GREAT story, good characters, nice music, interesting locations.
Too bad it was BORING to play, with most puzzles being 'look up the FAQ because this thing is broke yo.
-Hell, and I LIKE point-n-click adventures.

Oh, I've been meaning to find out about the Longest Journey. Is it great, I just bought but I'm not sure whether to install it?

It's one of those weird games where the logic 'this goes with this to open that' puzzles aren't very, well, LOGICAL at times...

But it's still a classic that one should play if can.

The characters are pretty good and, at the time, were PUSHING THE ENVELOPE.

Hell the first HUMAN you meet is a lesbian that talks about her sex life.
XD

 

[deviltry]

Mass Effect - the most bland gaming experience ever.
Spec Ops: The Line - way too generic.

 

[xshadowscreamx]

NEIR had a good story
as for gameplay? well i think a seasoned jrpg'er will have a more valid opinion but it was not too bad infact pretty good and the boss fight where interesting, it was just the mostly boring sidemissions and boring locations, but the grind back to old locations was horrible, well particularly if you did alot of the side-missions.

 

[OpticalJunction]

Geneforge, all of them. Actually spiderweb games in general tend to have crappy outdated gameplay features and amazing storylines.

 

[Nazulu]

Bioshock. Incredibly well written story, floaty easily broken combat.

I'm surprised this didn't pop up sooner.

I don't know about broken but the combat does feel very clunky and I noticed some of the enemy's didn't take damage straight after the first hit. I would like to go back to it but I just found the game play really mediocre.

Are there mods for this?

 

[Saviordd1]

Oh hi, every-Bioware-game-ever.

Oh alright, that's a little bit unkind, but with the exception of Mass Effect 2, where I rather enjoyed the combat as well, I've almost always viewed Bioware's actual gameplay as something to get through so I can enjoy the next conversation scene.

Eh, Mass Effect 3 and Jade Empire were enjoyable. And DA was to me (Then again I know I'm in a huge minority there)
but overall this.

I might have named a few exceptions but when you come down to it all the way from KOTOR up had combat that made me fall asleep (ESPECIALLY Kotor).

 

[Saviordd1]

The Walking Dead Game.

Wait, there was a game attached to my favorite "Choose your own adventure" comic?!?