The Rest of the Story

[Rassmusseum]

So, has this column fallen by the wayside already? I'm a huge fan of it, so I hope not!

 

[Taunta]

You guys have access to at least a couple people who think that storytelling in game is a very important part of the gaming experience (The Extra Credit folks)... and you put 3 people who's opinion can be summed up to 'meh, story.' together to discuss the point, a bit disapointing .

I think they said at the beginning of the last story-related Extra Consideration that James and MovieBob are preoccupied at the moment and are therefore unable to participate.

Ocarina of Time is wholly inferior to Majora's Mask. Now... FIGHT!!

I will be happy to take up this debate with you, sir.
I don't think it is wholly inferior, but it has some problems where MM excels. I think MM has a better story, and I still enjoy playing the game now and noticing all the subtlety that went over my head when I played it as a kid. It explores a lot of themes that I think kids wouldn't notice, and were a nod to older Zelda fans, and I can respect that, whereas OoT's story is a straightforward hero's journey tale, which is not to say that it's bad, but doesn't have as much depth.

Now gameplay-wise? I'd have to say OoT is superior, even if just because of the variety and number of puzzles, dungeons and boss encounters. OoT is good at giving you tools one by one, teaching you how to use them in that dungeon, and then making sure you mastered them. By the end of the game, you will have to use and know how to use all of your abilities if you want to succeed. The mask mechanic in MM is, while inventive, a lot of the masks are only used once, and then never mentioned again. I can think of several that are only useful once, then are purely cosmetic afterwards.
And maybe I'm just scarred from having the moon drop several times the first time I played it, but MM is freaking hard. I'm not sure it's possible to complete the main story 100% without a strategy guide, which is not exactly a point in its favor.

 

[Taunta]

What about the Bulletstorm method? Other than the couple of cutscenes, when something dramatic happens that needs paying attention to, you get a button prompt which gives you a good solid look at it, and an incentive for paying attention (awesomeness points), which I thought was a good idea, at least.

Idk, maybe I just have a misconception about the game, but I didn't think Bulletstorm could really be held up for it's great storyline. I thought it was more based on multiplayer, like someone took Team Fortress and shoehorned a story in so they could say they had one.

Devil's advocate now: I'm not sure that giving the player options, different endings, etc is really a good path to travel down. It seems to me like it's a new fad, but if both methods (one ending as opposed to multiple endings) were done well, the game could be great either way, and having a choice system isn't make-or-break, nor does it alone make a game good. I can't think of a single choose-your-own-adventure novel that has been accepted as literary canon, and there are certainly less amazing CYOA books than there are regular books, with only one ending. Discuss.

 

[DrLombriz]

Idk, maybe I just have a misconception about the game, but I didn't think Bulletstorm could really be held up for it's great storyline. I thought it was more based on multiplayer, like someone took Team Fortress and shoehorned a story in so they could say they had one.

Devil's advocate now: I'm not sure that giving the player options, different endings, etc is really a good path to travel down. It seems to me like it's a new fad, but if both methods (one ending as opposed to multiple endings) were done well, the game could be great either way, and having a choice system isn't make-or-break, nor does it alone make a game good. I can't think of a single choose-your-own-adventure novel that has been accepted as literary canon, and there are certainly less amazing CYOA books than there are regular books, with only one ending. Discuss.

Bulletstorm's story wasn't great, being mostly a loving amalgam of every sci-fi cliche in the books meshing together for a guilty-pleasure as a backdrop for getting awesomeness points, but I liked the method of pointing out important developments to the player without sacrificing player control. Come to think of it, Gears of War did it as well.