Need a Recommendation Here

[Murais]

Hey guys,


I wasn't really sure if this belonged here, or the advice board, so I kind of took a shot in the dark. Anyway, here goes;


I'm bored out of my skull. I feel like my gaming experience is stagnating. Every game I own I have either beat several times, or just couldn't get through it. I'm a fan of RPGs mostly, but I won't turn my nose up at other genres, either. Some games that I've really enjoyed include Mass Effect 1/2, Dragon Age, KOTOR, God of War (all), BioShock, Fallout 3, etc.

I'm looking for something with an engaging narrative, I just really want something with a good story. Preferably with some sort of cinematic quality. I would prefer they be on the PC, but it's not a must.

Please recommend me some good stuff here, guys. I got a new computer recently, and I feel like it's going to waste.

 

[MellowFellow]

You may have played these games, but I would highly recommend Saint's Row 1/2 and any of the assassin's creed games. I have found all of those games very enjoyable.

 

[Johnnyallstar]

It isn't the prettiest, or the most story compelling, but Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind is a great RPG you can dump hundreds of hours into. Plus, on PC, it has an endless amount of mods and the construction kit allows you to make your own.

I highly recommend it.

 

[theguitarhero6]

Um, I'm the only person I've ever know that likes Lost Odyssey, but that is a pretty expansive RPG, (4 disks on the 360 if I'm not mistaken)
For the computer, get Diablo II, beat it, and then join the throng of people who can't wait for Diablo III to come out.

 

[Hazy]

Planescape Torment.

It's not as cinematic as something like Mass Effect, but it has some of the best writing in any game I've ever played.

If you can handle the incredibly slow pace (we're talking Shenmue covered in molasses) then I am inclined to agree.

Otherwise, S.T.A.L.K.E.R Shadow of Chernobyl and Call of Pripyat are excellent games with fairly engrossing stories.

 

[Murais]

With the exception of Lost Odyssey, I've played/owned all of the above. This is partly why I have a problem. Keep 'em coming, folks. I really do appreciate it.

 

[Hazy]

With the exception of Lost Odyssey, I've played/owned all of the above. This is partly why I have a problem. Keep 'em coming, folks. I really do appreciate it.

Time to kick this shit into overhaul:
New Vegas
Crysis + Crysis Warhead
ArmA 2 + Operation Arrowhead

Let me know if any of these click. I've got a lot more.

Oh, and I forgot: Dark Messiah - Of Might And Magic, and Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines.

 

[MisterShine]

Hmm..

Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura
Alpha Protocol
NWN 2: Mask of The Betrayer
System Shock 1 and 2
Dawn of War 1 and 2 (The original games are more focused on story, I love the expansions though too)


Adventure games, ho!:
Machinarium
Longest Journey
Day of the Tentacle
Grim Fandango
World of Goo

Judging by your gaming tastes (and they are excellent sir), I'm betting you've seen these before. But, just in case... also, may update later when I get home and can look at my collection.

edit:
Heavy Rain if you own a PS3 (Be warned though if you have children, this game is intense.
Metro 2033
The Witcher
Fallouts

 

[Judgement101]

Planescape Torment.

It's not as cinematic as something like Mass Effect, but it has some of the best writing in any game I've ever played.

If you can handle the incredibly slow pace (we're talking Shenmue covered in molasses) then I am inclined to agree.

Otherwise, S.T.A.L.K.E.R Shadow of Chernobyl and Call of Pripyat are excellent games with fairly engrossing stories.

Engrossing....stories? Can't really agree with that part but I highly recommend these as well.

 

[Hazy]

Planescape Torment.

It's not as cinematic as something like Mass Effect, but it has some of the best writing in any game I've ever played.

If you can handle the incredibly slow pace (we're talking Shenmue covered in molasses) then I am inclined to agree.

Otherwise, S.T.A.L.K.E.R Shadow of Chernobyl and Call of Pripyat are excellent games with fairly engrossing stories.

Engrossing....stories? Can't really agree with that part but I highly recommend these as well.

I can't be the only one who fell in love with all of the little, subtle narratives that the game created so well.

 

[Zaknifa]

How about these then:
-Chrono Trigger
-Hotel Dusk: Room 215
-Mount and Blade: Warbands (Pretty good game but lacks the state of the art graphics and still has a few bugs)
-Icewind Dale II (Great game and very long, good for D&D fans)
-Heroes of Might and Magic 3 (Amazing stratagey game)

 

[SL33TBL1ND]

Half-Life has some excellent narrative that isn't conveyed directly to the player. So I guess that makes it "cinematic". But only if you like speculating and reading into things. Gman's speeches can be very telling if you pay attention. Cryostasis is also an excellent game.

 

[Murais]

How about these then:
-Chrono Trigger
-Hotel Dusk: Room 215
-Mount and Blade: Warbands (Pretty good game but lacks the state of the art graphics and still has a few bugs)
-Icewind Dale II (Great game and very long, good for D&D fans)
-Heroes of Might and Magic 3 (Amazing stratagey game)

Hmm. Might have to give Chrono Trigger a go. I've had it recommended to me a few (hundred ) times, but I just never got around to it.

I couldn't dig Icewind Dale I&II, even with extensive background in Forgotten Realms. It's just something about the format, those, Baldur's Gate, most D&D games, even Neverwinter Nights. The only traditional games of that format that I ever enjoyed were Fallout 1&2. It's just a preference thing.

 

[warm slurm]

I don't really have a gaming PC, but I recently watched a playthrough someone did of the Blackwell series. They're short point and click adventure games about a medium (well, two mediums - Rosangela Blackwell in two games, Lauren Blackwell, her aunt, in one) but I found myself engrossed just watching the person play. The writing and overall story arch between the series so far (there's another one in development at the moment, if I'm not mistaken) is really interesting.

And not to advertise, but you can buy all three of the games thus far in a bundle for only $20. A steal, I say. :B

 

[Epic Fail 1977]

Murais, may I pose the same question back at you? It sounds like you value narrative (so do I) and have played more recent games than me. I've played ME1&2, but almost none of the others mentioned.

Bioshock has respawning enemies and a sort of steampunk/1950's feel to it, all of which are total immersion killers for me.

Fallout 3 is also steampunk/1950's and, from what I gather, many of the immersion killers from Oblivion are still alive and kicking in Fallout 3.

Dragon Age... well I watched some gameplay on YouTube after it came out. The player was mute (which is bad). They were standing outside a house, and the owner of the house asked them to kill some rats in her basement (which is really, really bad). I lost interest.

Oh, and I hate JRPGs. But pretty much any other genre is fine. Any recommendations?

I'm afraid I can't think of anything to suggest to you. I think the last time I got engrossed in the story of a game (before Mass Effect) was System Shock 2, but that's really old now and it hasn't aged well. I love it when a game has a good story, but it's so very rare...

 

[Murais]

Murais, may I pose the same question back at you? It sounds like you value narrative (so do I) and have played more recent games than me. I've played ME1&2, but almost none of the others mentioned.

Bioshock has respawning enemies and a sort of steampunk/1950's feel to it, all of which are total immersion killers for me.

Fallout 3 is also steampunk/1950's and, from what I gather, many of the immersion killers from Oblivion are still alive and kicking in Fallout 3.

Dragon Age... well I watched some gameplay on YouTube after it came out. The player was mute (which is bad). They were standing outside a house, and the owner of the house asked them to kill some rats in her basement (which is really, really bad). I lost interest.

Oh, and I hate JRPGs. But pretty much any other genre is fine. Any recommendations?

I'm afraid I can't think of anything to suggest to you. I think the last time I got engrossed in the story of a game (before Mass Effect) was System Shock 2, but that's really old now and it hasn't aged well. I love it when a game has a good story, but it's so very rare...

If you've yet to check out Knights of the Old Republic (KOTOR), you really have to. It's one of the best stories in gaming, with well-rounded and fleshed out characters, a long and engrossing story, and plot twists that you really don't see coming. The sequel is... not so much. But it's not terrible.

And I really have to defend Dragon Age here. I don't remember a single rat in the game, there might have been a quest, but it was probably for the trap-making skill. The story isn't original, but the characters make it. I found myself have some genuine empathy for a few of them, and they're all multi-faceted (Game-face personality, and something a little more sincere, though not always endearing). The pacing never made me bored, and there are some very unique quests and level design.

Though the mute hero does suck. They're supposedly fixing that in DA2. But in the expansion pack, I'd have to say that The Architect is a very complex character that is a mix between cold and calculating, and sorrowful and somber. I'd really give it a solid go if you have the disposable income.


And I just tried the demo for that Blackwell game, and the voice-acting is TERRIBLE. Distractingly so. I'd need a longer demo if I was going to debate shelling for that.

 

[Astalano]

Story and game? That's always odd, pairing those two words together, for me. Do you mean a well developed world or actual plot?

 

[MrMoustaffa]

Hey guys,


I wasn't really sure if this belonged here, or the advice board, so I kind of took a shot in the dark. Anyway, here goes;


I'm bored out of my skull. I feel like my gaming experience is stagnating. Every game I own I have either beat several times, or just couldn't get through it. I'm a fan of RPGs mostly, but I won't turn my nose up at other genres, either. Some games that I've really enjoyed include Mass Effect 1/2, Dragon Age, KOTOR, God of War (all), BioShock, Fallout 3, etc.

I'm looking for something with an engaging narrative, I just really want something with a good story. Preferably with some sort of cinematic quality. I would prefer they be on the PC, but it's not a must.

Please recommend me some good stuff here, guys. I got a new computer recently, and I feel like it's going to waste.

Singularity seems like it would be right up your alley. Long story short, its a "what if" of Russia developing the ultimate weapon in the 50's with a new element. It's so powerful it can warp the fabric of time. When you arrive at the destroyed facility in 2010, the island is sweeping back and forth between the present and 1955, and you are dragged in.

Anything more has MASSIVE spoilers. It'll remind you a lot of Bioshock, except in Bioshock you never could age a person to dust, stop time and dodge bullets, or steer bullets from a gun around a corner in slow motion.

Its by no means perfect, and its no Game of the Year, but its an excellent game, and the final twist is epic.

 

[Zhukov]

Amnesia: The Dark Descent.

The scariest thing to ever grace a PC monitor. Story isn't the best ever, but it's not bad. Has some delightfully fucked-up moments.

There's a demo available.

 

[Murais]

I had a premonition this morning (for some reason, it was the first thing that entered my head this morning).

I'm going to go pick up a copy of Beyond Good and Evil.


Confirm/Deny the amazingness of this decision?