Well, if either's really good that kind of excuses failures in the other department for me. Planescape: Torment has terrible gameplay but a superlative story, and Super Smash Bros has great gameplay but basically no story. Both are good.
Poll: Poll: gameplay or story
- Thread starter dcrane
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Both. But whereas in these modern times good gameplay is expected as standard, decent storytelling still has to be sought out and is therefore more valuable in my eyes.
Yeah, I got the point of the poll, but I find it "forced".waive said:
No decent developer should compromise one or the other, not in this day and age.
As I said before, there aren't many things a dev can't build nowadays, and since they no longer have to restrain the story to fit the gameplay... there shouldn't be a choice between story or gameplay.
Story all the way, although I also like to observe the gameplay systems and how they can compliment the story.
Most games these day are either all story or all gameplay and can't find a good balance between the two. Mass Effect has been the only game that I've played that had a good balance between narrative and gameplay, but it's not quite there yet.
Not to say games like Oblivion, Halo, or Call of Duty are all one or the other, but I haven't experienced many games with a truly fair balance between the two.
Not to say games like Oblivion, Halo, or Call of Duty are all one or the other, but I haven't experienced many games with a truly fair balance between the two.
In my ideal game the gameplay is there to help tell a good story.
The two go hand in hand, only, the one hand pulling the other should always be the story, the gameplay needs to be good and fun but it needs to MEAN something, otherwise this isn't anything more than a toy. You can have entertainment but games can and should strive to be more than that.
Now, being more than that CAN be achieved through cutscenes...but I believe it is best done when a melding of storytelling, cutscene segments and gameplay all intermingle...like those times in the older final fantasy games where a pre-rendered cinematic would play but you would still be able to move around with your guys...that transcendent experience is what all games should aspire to.
The two go hand in hand, only, the one hand pulling the other should always be the story, the gameplay needs to be good and fun but it needs to MEAN something, otherwise this isn't anything more than a toy. You can have entertainment but games can and should strive to be more than that.
Now, being more than that CAN be achieved through cutscenes...but I believe it is best done when a melding of storytelling, cutscene segments and gameplay all intermingle...like those times in the older final fantasy games where a pre-rendered cinematic would play but you would still be able to move around with your guys...that transcendent experience is what all games should aspire to.
Ideally, it would be a proper mixture of both. But having to choose one:
Gameplay.
Mario didn't need a story that takes more than 2 sentences to summarize, and it's the icon of video gaming. Story is nice, don't get me wrong. But gameplay is essential. And having a great story is all well and good, but if getting from one point of the story to another is a tedious chore to do, than it's just not worth it.
If you have good gameplay but a bad story, the game still be considered good. Not great, but good.
If you have a good story but bad gameplay, the game will be considered bad. Not terrible, but bad.
Gameplay.
Mario didn't need a story that takes more than 2 sentences to summarize, and it's the icon of video gaming. Story is nice, don't get me wrong. But gameplay is essential. And having a great story is all well and good, but if getting from one point of the story to another is a tedious chore to do, than it's just not worth it.
If you have good gameplay but a bad story, the game still be considered good. Not great, but good.
If you have a good story but bad gameplay, the game will be considered bad. Not terrible, but bad.
Those are some ugly poll results.
60% prefers wasting their time with the most mediocre of stories, that no publisher in any other medium (books, film) could get away with.
Expect the stories in games to get even worse and the gameplay to dumb down even more. Shit sells afteral.
60% prefers wasting their time with the most mediocre of stories, that no publisher in any other medium (books, film) could get away with.
Expect the stories in games to get even worse and the gameplay to dumb down even more. Shit sells afteral.
Story is what usually draws me into a game, sure gameplay is nice, but I'd like a well developed story.
One of the reason why I believe Bioshock was a great game, sure the gameplay was good, but what kept me playing the story.
One of the reason why I believe Bioshock was a great game, sure the gameplay was good, but what kept me playing the story.
IMO, gameplay over story.
To me, playing through a game isn't fun if the gameplay isn't good, regardless of the strength of the story. Story is a very close second though.
To me, playing through a game isn't fun if the gameplay isn't good, regardless of the strength of the story. Story is a very close second though.
Gameplay.
i can handle an average story (oblivion, put a good part of a year into that) but i cant stand terrible gameplay.
i can handle an average story (oblivion, put a good part of a year into that) but i cant stand terrible gameplay.
The thing is that living a mediocre story through the way of gaming is still a superior experience as a whole to watching it or reading about it.veloper said:
95% story. If I'm not shocked, enraged and brought to the brink of tears by a game, I've no interest in it.
Gameplay, I really don't care too much about story, a good story is a nice addition, but I play games for gameplay. If I want a good story, I'll watch a movie. I'm surprised how people care more abut stories in games than actual "game"play, the meat of the game...
Third choice: Story is gameplay. Gameplay is story.
Or: Definitely need both. You can't tell a story if the gameplay turns the player away. It's the equivalent of making a movie using only dutch angles or shooting it on a cell phone. Maybe you can make that work for some kind of art film, but you'd need a wealth of talent to make it anything but frustrating and boring.
That said, a good story is obviously a positive. A lot of older games are worth playing for the story alone, and if you want your game to be memorable in any way you'll need to at least make a few good characters. Besides, there are certain types of storytelling that are only possible in this medium. To not embrace that isn't wrong, it's just kind of disingenuous.
Or: Definitely need both. You can't tell a story if the gameplay turns the player away. It's the equivalent of making a movie using only dutch angles or shooting it on a cell phone. Maybe you can make that work for some kind of art film, but you'd need a wealth of talent to make it anything but frustrating and boring.
That said, a good story is obviously a positive. A lot of older games are worth playing for the story alone, and if you want your game to be memorable in any way you'll need to at least make a few good characters. Besides, there are certain types of storytelling that are only possible in this medium. To not embrace that isn't wrong, it's just kind of disingenuous.