The Greatest Story Ever Told?

[ScrabbitRabbit]

I know it's a cliché, but it has to be Planescape: Torment. The characters all felt so real to me and my quest felt like it had real meaning. I've seen a couple of people say about other stories that they "like the characters but not the story" or vice verse, but in PS:T the characters ARE the story. It's such an intensely personal narrative; it's not about the world, it's just about you and the people you care about.

After that is probably Silent Hill 2 and maybe Gemini Rue. Both similarly personal, low-level stories.

 

[Bad Jim]

I think... probably... Kingdom Hearts and Metal Gear Solid. The franchises as a whole, though the inaugural installments stand well on their own merits.

I'm not really sold on Metal Gear Solid. They talked way too much. Don't get me wrong, I like a bit of well written dialogue. It's just that I was supposed to be preventing terrorists launching nuclear weapons. I was supposedly in a bit of a hurry. Every time we stopped for a deep meaningful discussion on a topic tangential to the matter at hand, I wondered if Snake and his backup team were taking the situation seriously.

 

[JaceArveduin]

A personal favorite of mine is Ace Combat 5. Seriously, when things happen in that game, you start caring.

 

[Angelous Wang]

Lost Odyssey.

The game even had entire reading sections of back story for Kaim, sections I actually wanted to sit through and read.

 

[The_Echo]

I'm not really sold on Metal Gear Solid. They talked way too much. Don't get me wrong, I like a bit of well written dialogue. It's just that I was supposed to be preventing terrorists launching nuclear weapons. I was supposedly in a bit of a hurry. Every time we stopped for a deep meaningful discussion on a topic tangential to the matter at hand, I wondered if Snake and his backup team were taking the situation seriously.

When it came to the first game, yeah. Some of the Codec calls were kind of ridiculous. But as I recall, they had somewhere in the order of four or five hours before launch?

Other than that, the only time it felt like they were talking too much was the massive Codec call at the end of MGS2 (interesting as it was). I mean, Solidus was basically just hanging out on that roof for ten minutes.

 

[KoudelkaMorgan]

I'd pick Final Fantasy Tactics for a lack of any better ideas at the moment.

 

[Kaendris]

Lost Odyssey.

The game even had entire reading sections of back story for Kaim, sections I actually wanted to sit through and read.

Now there is a game that I wanted desperately to like. I loved the story, as far as I got in it, but something about the combat just ruined me. Seriously, I was terrible at that game. I think about picking it back up every once in a while. see if I have gotten any better with age, but I never do.

Glad to hear at least the story seems to have fulfilled it's promise.

 

[Kaendris]

I know it's a cliché, but it has to be Planescape: Torment. The characters all felt so real to me and my quest felt like it had real meaning. I've seen a couple of people say about other stories that they "like the characters but not the story" or vice verse, but in PS:T the characters ARE the story. It's such an intensely personal narrative; it's not about the world, it's just about you and the people you care about.

After that is probably Silent Hill 2 and maybe Gemini Rue. Both similarly personal, low-level stories.

There are no cliches on this one, only things that give meaning to the gamer.

You know, there was something about Mort that always bothered me. Now again, I confess I never beat Planescape, but I just always found the floating skull odd. Right there with you in the beginning, all smiles and jokes, but oddly sinister. The characters in that game did seem to have an incredible level of depth.

Wasn't there a burning man, I seem to recall something about a guy on fire.

 

[nuttshell]

How often was Planescape: Torment mentioned?
Ah good, you can take one more.

Planescape: Torment

No contest. The overwhelming ammount of "exceptionally good" in long and short stories in that thing, can't be found anywhere else to date.

 

[Mobax]

Hrmm... I'm thinking of all the titles I've played, and none of them jump out and say "I'm the best" That's not to say I haven't enjoyed some great moments in the stories of various games. Some of the strongest moments in games I have played are the ending of Red Dead Redemption, the chopper crash in MW1. But I wouldn't say either of those games tells a greatest every story. I have enjoyed the Hitman story arc, I appreciate how it carries over all the games, I've played the last 4, and I think Blood Money was my favorite chapter of the story.

I see that I'm just rambling here and not really giving a definitive answer. I think my answer will be Morrowind, the first time I played through the game, I really felt engrossed in the world, I read the in-game books to learn the lore I was fulfilling. To me that level of immersion is the product of a good story.

 

[Winnosh]

Xenogears That is all

 

[Arqus_Zed]

I would say either Final Fantasy IX or the combination of the first two Shadow Hearts games. Both have a large cast of interesting and vastly different characters set in a unique world, where the protagonists are pushed through a series of both tragic and comedic events.

Final Fantasy IX - Some of the strongest female characters you'll ever see in any medium - also, they have a "princess" character becoming an actual queen halfway through this game. A story that is a lot darker than some people think it is (simply because the art style is rather lighthearted). Every character (except for Quina) has at least one arc that raises some truly interesting points - food for thought and whatnot. Also, the pacing and plot twist of the main storyline is simply really, really well done. The only thing that kind of sucks, is the ending, because I don't think it works for everyone (most notably Vivi, Freya and Amarant).

Shadow Hearts & Shadow Hearts: Covenant - These games can get pretty damn dark, but at the same time, they know exactly when add some humor so it doesn't turn into a pile of angst. The game takes place in an alternate past (right before - and during - the first World War) where all the occult stuff is true (magic tomes, demons, vampires, you name it). The reason I like this story, is the same as with FF IX: a great cast in an amazing storyline that has perfect pacing and some nice plot twists. Also interesting is that the first game has both a good and a bad ending - and they chose to go with the bad ending as a starting point for the second game. And while you can play the second one without ever playing the first one, it adds so much more gravitas to the main character if you do (in my opinion at least).

That said, concerning more "abstract" presentations of storytelling, I've always liked the story of Rez.

 

[IronMit]

Yet to find 'the greatest story' but some stand out;

Metal gear solid 3 - The pacing of it was brilliant. All those codec talks, going from forest to swamp to mountains to the tunnel to Grozni Grad. What an epic sense of progression. It felt like I had been through so much by the end of it, it's not often you can share the same progression of time and character development as your protagonist. Even most movies can't pull it off because they have to be over in 2 hours. A few that do include Sam&Frodo hopelessly trudging along in LOTR and Bicentennial man.

The Last of us - Does a similar thing to MGS3 for me, but even more character driven. spolier - Everything that happened made me slaughter fire flies without question at the end. And I'm normally fuming at Ludonarrative Dissonance. I bought into the dog eat dog post apocalyptic world and how my character kills in an otherwise morally messed up way.

Fallout 3- Masterful at conveying lore and current story to the player whatever order they do things. Most rpg's even mass effect 1 (I love btw), have you exhausting dialogue with npc's to get across the story and lore in a way a writer intends you to. Not fallout 3- hear rumours of Supermutants? what's that? nvm- too much too take in. Then you find out properly later whatever direction or side quest you go in. And it all feels so natural. What are they up to? depends what convo you overhear and what you notice. All whilst these stupid enclave bots keep flying around.

Dark souls - you are just as clueless and hopeless as the character you control. Go hollow in real life- go hollow in the game. Decide to observe the lore and surrounding and read descriptions...your character benefits.