The Big Picture: Off the Charts
- Thread starter MovieBob
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after the relative success of Prince of Persia I'm willing to be a tiny bit more optimistic about video game licensed movies...it's just that I don't give a crap about Uncharted and I wanna see my Legend of Zelda movie already! I think if it was something between Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess it could have a chance, but just like we gave the Prince of Persia a name, we're going to have to accept a voice for Link. Unless we're being hilariously ironic I don't think we can make a feature length film where the main character doesn't talk...
Well this flew under my radar.
So they are making a movie. Based on a game that steals plots and ideas from movies.
Could they not just make another Indiana Jones movie? And can this one not suck as bad as the last one?
So they are making a movie. Based on a game that steals plots and ideas from movies.
Could they not just make another Indiana Jones movie? And can this one not suck as bad as the last one?
Rewatch the video, he says he hasn't played the game BUT he has watched all the cinematics on YouTube. So have I, and tbh that is perfectly valid for reviewing the merits of that games story. Sure some of the nuance and banter of gameplay is lost, but honestly watching them I saw what was a coherent and self contained story. Decent, no obviously terrible points, some fridge logic moments, but palatable and mildly amusing.samus17 said:
To all those trumping out examples of great game stories, examine them closer. Mass Effect (my favorite games ever) and DA are great, but the main plots are 31 flavors of stupid. It's great for the characters. Same goes for most of the other examples. In pure narrative terms the stories are b-rate at best. Read the works of Asimov, Tolkien, Doyle, Tolstoy, etc. and see how the stories compare. About the same as TV and film, which is usually poorly. See if we try to judge games by great stories in literature they will always fail, like movies have. Where they can elevate them to the same level, is by playing their strengths. The Godfather, the story isn't what makes it great though it is good. What makes it great is by using the effects of a movie to draw out the world to life.
The Lord of the Rings as a novel has an immensely rich, nuanced, and fantastic story. The depth propels it to levels of greatness which modern fantasy rarely rises. What it excells at is providing that sense of history and place. Go back and read it though, read the fight in Balin's tomb, or Helms Deep. It is 'they killed 20 orcs and ran down the stairs', or 'Gandalf appeared with the riders of Rohan and saved the day'. The action sequences are terrible. As a movie though much of the sense of history is lost, or only appears to those with a deep knowledge of the books. What it improves on though is the ability to provide tension from direct conflict, combat being but one aspect of it. Boromir's betrayal had more weight for having seen his looks at the ring, where it is portrayed in the book, but to less effect.
tl;dr great stories for a game mean different things than great stories. Great game stories we've seen are NOT great stories, but often have great elements in them.
Watch Babylon 5, that's the closest we'll probably ever get to a Mass Effect TV series. It's pretty clear B5 was a huge inspiration to the ME devs.themilo504 said:
When you\re being paid to talk about media, on a gaming site, and you choose to discuss games I'd expect you to do your research. Bob's Nintendo fanaticism clouds him from any interesting discussion on the subject, as was just as evident here as its always been. He doesn't even give examples of these apparently [or at least implied] superior games that tell a story. It couldn't be anything from Nintendo [unless he really believes Mario's a good story and wasn't joking in his Game Overthinker videos], the Final Fantasy games are well known for not telling a great story - same goes for Metal Gear Solid, so what he's trying to discuss I'm not sure...they're not terrible gaming stories, as a plot to get you from A to B - but they aren't strong stories with a sense of character such as the likes of the Assassins Creed series.bahumat42 said:
Yeah, I'm sure that'd go over real well rather than turn into an even larger flamefest.Fappy said:
Amusingly enough, when I look at how much people are complaining about this one remark - one that isn't even wrong, they just don't like how it's structured - I can't help but feel like they're missing the big picture.
That's right. I went there.
After todays news, would've liked a reference to the Akira movie.
I agree the "for a western developed video game" line. Though western developers continue to perfect the *methods* of storytelling in games beyond the usual cutscenes and textlogs, (Half Life 2, Mass Effect, Heavy Rain) the Japanese developers excel in the sheer variety and quality of the stories (Ace Attorney, Okami, Persona 4). Bioware may have a lot of stories, but they all feel more and more like more refined versions of a winning formula. The east also has a better Quality/Quantity ratio of good stories compared to the brown shooters and übermasculine power fantasies that flood the western market.
Both sides have their share of bad games and cliches (i.e. angsty teenagers fighting satan, gruff grizzled men with a thing for hugging walls, REALLY big swords etc) But I think japanese games have the redeeming features in storytelling that make up for this.
I agree the "for a western developed video game" line. Though western developers continue to perfect the *methods* of storytelling in games beyond the usual cutscenes and textlogs, (Half Life 2, Mass Effect, Heavy Rain) the Japanese developers excel in the sheer variety and quality of the stories (Ace Attorney, Okami, Persona 4). Bioware may have a lot of stories, but they all feel more and more like more refined versions of a winning formula. The east also has a better Quality/Quantity ratio of good stories compared to the brown shooters and übermasculine power fantasies that flood the western market.
Both sides have their share of bad games and cliches (i.e. angsty teenagers fighting satan, gruff grizzled men with a thing for hugging walls, REALLY big swords etc) But I think japanese games have the redeeming features in storytelling that make up for this.
The preferences on how gaming presentation is just that: preferences. Anyone who disagrees is probably riding ego. Did there really need to be a one-line-caused debate? o.o
But as long as I'm here, IS there a string of conversations on this thread that keeps true to the (intended) topic? D':
But as long as I'm here, IS there a string of conversations on this thread that keeps true to the (intended) topic? D':
Well, I have to agree on this:
- The Story of Uncharted is pretty damn generic.
- Nathan is an uninteresting protagonist - it still baffles me that he was created by the same guys who gave us Jak and Daxter.
However, Bob, WHY would you want to see a Nintendo licensed movie? Characters like Link and Mario have about as much personality as a sack of potatoes. We know you are a Nintendo fanboy. We know you said that 'fanboy' doesn't deserve to have a negative connotation. But come on, most Nintendo games are as shallow as a dried up mud pool.
- The Story of Uncharted is pretty damn generic.
- Nathan is an uninteresting protagonist - it still baffles me that he was created by the same guys who gave us Jak and Daxter.
However, Bob, WHY would you want to see a Nintendo licensed movie? Characters like Link and Mario have about as much personality as a sack of potatoes. We know you are a Nintendo fanboy. We know you said that 'fanboy' doesn't deserve to have a negative connotation. But come on, most Nintendo games are as shallow as a dried up mud pool.
I like how you said that you haven't played either of the games from beginning to end, yet go on to criticize the story after only watching clips of the game. That's like if I wrote a review of a movie after only seeing the trailer.
I don't even know why I watch these anymore...
I don't even know why I watch these anymore...
Before he had great insight on a lot of topics but the past 2 episodes his logic has been a bit wierd to be honestthemerrygambit said:
Way to just make a controversial statement without any kind of reasoning or explanation behind it to back it up...If you make a remark like that, and I think based on his previous works it pretty clear Bob's attempting to troll people, expect to get called out on it.Shjade said:
Do explain, just why is that comment "not wrong".
The "intended" discussion is so lackluster and has been done to death many a time - go find one of the million and one threads already created on this area.ProjectTrinity said:
I'd say that is pretty subjective. I *have* Bioshock and it didn't grab me anymore than a 'generic' JRPG. Not saying it's beneath JRPG stories - far from it, but that is simply an opinion being stated there rather than fact.D_987 said:
95% of Western developers can't do write a good story if it was handed to them already complete as he said its good FOR a western developer. Compared to say I don't anything with a mute protagonist and not trying to piss people off here but pretty much all console "exclusives" and what not generally have bad story as with the Call of duty games but that doesn't stop the from being fun. He's just saying compared to the average (in all honesty 85%+) of western video games Uncharted is good story wise.