Looking for a well written story

[defcon 1]

I like Half-Life 2 allot and I think the reason why is that it's quick, and still leaves control to the user. It's a nice feeling and i can't imagine what would happen if it were all cut scenes.

God Of War has an interesting plot that comes in so often in the game. I embrace the scenes with open arms since they generally come after pulse-pounding battles and adds emotional depth. It's good enough to make me wonder what happened.

I don't know why but I really like the story from Paper Mario's and Final Fantasy X. I suppose that type of game play by it's lonesome would be dry. I also seem to take a liking to characters I know allot about and grow some weird kind of relation with. I do keep trying to ignore the fact that Tidus is a really unlikeable character.

 

[werepossum]

My wife plays adventure games and LOVED Siberia and its sequel for their stories and graphics.

And I love shooters, but I can't imagine wanting to shoot children and stray dogs.

 

[Bocca]

Half-life, in my option its the best game ever made. And i suggest Deus Ex (First version not Invisble war!!) too. The story is exciting and theres humour. Its like a ActionRPG game but theres only small rpg elements. Each gaming time is different.

 

[defcon 1]

hold on now, I didn't say I hated him for complaining. like you said. Personality and I didn't like the voice acting. I also never got the 1000 years thing. Did his father let him live? Assuming that's so: if Sin attacked Zanarkand and Braska killed Sin, then is Ject.... Sin one again?

 

[Terramax]

Wow, the amount of posts since my last one is unbelievable.

OK, Planescape Torment and System Shock 2 have come through the post.

I've got Max Payne 2. Better gameplay, but loses the grittiness and the story isn't quite as good as the original, but I've played it to death so that proves I really like it.

I will get round to Assassin's Creed sooner or later, but not now. Firstly, I'd like it on PC. Secondly, I'd like it cheap and when the hype has died down.

Also to be bought will be one of the Vampire: The Masquerade games, but only if cheap enough. I don't like stories with Vampires, as they're all cliched (but I WILL be buying A Vampyre Story).

Seen the Syphon Filter games, or at least the ones on the PSX. Didn't do it for me, sorry to say. But my friend was nuts over the first two.

Shadow Hearts 1&2... my god. I remember the original Shadow Hearts on the PSX (Koudalka it was called I think). I've heard good things about these games, but I'm not grabbing if I'm going to have to spend hours levelling up. Maybe if I get one of those cheat CDs I'll consider it.

I have to ask though, how can you say you dislike sci-fi, when you liked Metal Gear Solid AND are looking forward to playing Bioshock, System Shock 2, and Deus Ex?

I'm pretty sure I made it clear I don't like sci-fi with spaceships and cliched stories.

Metal Gear Solid is only boarderline sci-fi. Which is more than I can say for the sequal (which on the whole I disliked).

I've played the demo of Bioshock, and again, I wouldn't call it pure sci-fi but more horror and fantasy.

System Shock 2 I'll play because it's been heavily hyped and it's a horror, and I do like my horror games. Deus Ex I only tried to play because I have it for download on Metaboli. But considering the demo and the metaboli version don't work on my pc, fat chance of me ever playing it.

I'm staying away from God of War. I've seen some cutscenes... no, make that a lot of them, and I know I couldn't get into that, despite being a fan of Sword of Berzerk on the Dreamcast.

I've got Gabriel Knight 1 and I just can't get into it. I resent myself for it. I can't understand why I can't get into it. It's a terrific game. Pretty good voice acting, the music is the best midi music I've heard (bar Final Fantasy Tactics Advance) and the story is intriguing. Maybe again because it's so heavily hyped... I'm hoping one day I'll get in the mood to playing it and suddenly everything will just click with me.

Realms of the Haunting is a game I tried playing but I couldn't (I think it was a download though). I've read a lot about it and it does indeed seem very interesting. I heard graphically and in terms of story it was ahead of its time? But now the graphics look quite dated. I'll have to youtube it and see if that can sway me.

And finaly, Final Fantasy X gave me the same feeling I got when starting Zelda: Twilight Princess. That 'oh no, not the same checklist gameplay, visuals and story style'.

I enjoyed FF7, 8 & 9 because they felt unique and I loved the pre-rendered graphics, but I'm not putting myself through another group of androgynous heroes trying to save the world from sorcerers whilst trying to deal with their love lives all over again.

I own FF12 though. I haven't played it yet, but I'm giving that the benefit of the doubt because it's by the makers of Vagrant Story, Final Fantasy Tactics and Tactics advance (plus its compositions are by my fav game composer - Hitoshi Sakimoto). I don't expect FF12 to be all that, but at least FINALLY they've dropped the turnbased combat. I don't mind RPGs if there's some strategy to the battles, but 95% of the time with FF it's not that deep, and I stand my ground with that statement.

 

[dan_the_manatee]

I found Vampire the Masquerade: Redemption to be very buggy (even compared to Bloodlines), and it has an awful difficulty curve for a supposed RPG. I can't overstate how disappointing I found that game (I played it after VtM:B by the way).

"Sure the themes are different, but everthing else feels cloned. Once you played SS2, you won't care to finish Bioshock."
Nah. Bioshock is great (if I could clone any game, it'd be SS2). The story stands alone (SS2 benefits from having played SS1 - noone seems to ever point that out), and as far as I'm concerned, the protagonists are much more interesting in Bioshock. Plus, the art design in Bioshock is peerless; SS2 could never make that argument.

 

[Terramax]

So Dan, you'd say the second Vampire game would be worth getting first?

I'm glad you said what you did about Bioshock. Sure, the game mechanics may be the same, but both look wildly different, and from what I've experienced from the Bioshock demo and what I've read from SS2, the stories are completely different too.

 

[dan_the_manatee]

With System Shock 2 and Bioshock, it's not an either or thing. You should play them both. I love the pair of 'em, even if liking Bioshock proves that I've become a console 'tard.

VtM: Rdemption I just didn't get into. the first chunk of it is medieval in period, and that for me, defeated the entire point of VtM- these were modern vampires, in a world of guns, cars, drugs and erm, other iliicit stuff. The olde-worlde stuff just made me think of Anne Rice's flouncing Goths. I also found the VtM game to be rather harsh after the first couple of quests: I'd killed some great big Tzimisce queens vamp, no probs, then got killed repeatedly by a monk with a stick on the very next quest. Doh.

Bloodlines is a good game though. Parts of the story are better appreciated if you know some of the World of Darkness back story (the pen and paper RPG the game derives from), and there are novels from the WoD that really do use the game as part of the arc; anyway, it stands alone, and player choices can influence the outcome (5 endings or something like that). That may weaken the narrative a bit, but it's a solid game with interesting characters, and some nice little twists to the plot. Get the patches though: it was notorious for bugs on release.

I don't think there's any continuity between Redemption and Bloodlines, and I think Redemption makes some departures from the WoD canon. Bloodlines is quite amazing for a licensed game - it fits with the original lisence fabulously well.

 

[DrmChsr0]

Speaking of Interactive Fiction...

I don't know if this is the right place to say this but if you like sitting around for hours clicking through a novel's worth of text in the same time it takes you to play a somewhat more fufilling game (RPGs, etc...) then I highly suggest the following:

Tsukihime (18+, also has english patch)
planetarian (probably the saddest thing you'll ever read, no it's not interactive, but I'm using the term loosely here)
Narcissu (Free)
Red Shift (Free)

Don't say I didn't warn ya.

Yeah, I know they're all in Japanese, and one of them is pretty much out of stock, go do the Internet mojo thing. Google and wikipedia are your friends.

 

[InvaderAvon]

I would have to recomend the Hitman games, although they dont hit their peak untill blood money they offer a unique gameplay and planning as well as a story that while a little vegue you can loose yourself in. I would reccomend reading the book as well as seeing the movie if you can but only after the games first, and dont pay for the book. just read it at barnes and nobile. it is a one time read type thing. but does pull in some good eliments to the hitman universe. if you are just looking for a good story read the Dark Tower series. yes, king is an ego beast. but if you get past his giant head you can find many many good things to soak up in those books.

 

[dreamshark]

Realms of the Haunting is a game I tried playing but I couldn't (I think it was a download though). I've read a lot about it and it does indeed seem very interesting. I heard graphically and in terms of story it was ahead of its time? But now the graphics look quite dated. I'll have to youtube it and see if that can sway me.

The graphics were advanced for their time, but of course they are somewhat dated now. The main reasons to play it are the story, the immersive atmosphere, and all the amazing details you will learn about Saxon mythology and the politics of archangels (it's a well-researched game). This is definitely a horror title. But it's a subtle psychological horror based on suspense, skillful use of sound, and gradually unfolding ghastly revelations rather than gore. I don't think you'll really get much of a sense of what it's like to play the game from You-Tube. It's kind of a slow-moving game. You spend a lot of time exploring the corridors and courtyards of an endlessly expanding haunted house, and a fair amount of time backtracking. I'm sure some people would find that boring, but for me that kind of thing makes a game more immersive. I've had lots of dreams like that.

 

[Terramax]

Yes, sorry, I didn't expand on Realms of the Haunting. When I meant dated, I should have elaborated in that it was dated in such a way that the controls would be very clunky.

Further more, I've heard this is a looooooooong game. I do appreciate games that try to be deep, but I have a low attention span, and I quickly tire of games if they take too long to complete.

But again, I'm fairly sure it's near impossible to get working on XP(?)

 

[Lord_Ascendant]

I have but one thing to say

FINAL FANTASY 7

If you don't like FFVII what the fuck is wrong with you and you must be banished from the gaming community.

Close runners up: World in Conflict
"I need artillery, whose in charge here. What do you mean 'I am'?"
BEST LINE EVER

The Half-Life Series
It brings you along on a great roller coaster ride. From harmless scientist to everyone's favorite mute with a crowbar.

Myst: A World within a book, a world that wants to kill you. Come on, is that NOT awesome. It turned me into the reader I am today. (I still scour every inch of every library searching for a Linking Book. Just in case.)

 

[tobyornottoby]

Zelda: Majora's Mask
it's a unique game, and in no other game the world and characters came to life so vividly.

This because of the 3-days system, actions had a real effect. If you didn't help an NPC, he/she could truly become unhappy. Usually in games your role is very 'artificially', scripted. MM felt alive

 

[Terramax]

Never played Majora's Mask. I never bought because I hated the idea you were on a timer. The same reason I've been weary of Fallout and the up and coming adventure 'Sinking Island'.

I'm not sure if I can take another Zelda. It's just too formulaic. Since the Wii has turned about my judgement of Ninty has taken a complete U-turn. I was hoping this new console would bring innovation to gaming on all aspects, not just the gameplay style, but obviously not.

FF7 was a terrific game. Panzer Dragoon Saga rates slightly higher IMO for its originality. Despite this, I can't help but feel the FF series has been getting even more arrogant, self indulgent and cliched with every new instalment.

Close runners up: World in Conflict
"I need artillery, whose in charge here. What do you mean 'I am'?"
BEST LINE EVER

I thought this was an RTS? Can it really have a great plot?