Sky Captanio said:
I've been noticing online that a lot of people seem to hate games like Mass Effect because there's too much dialogue. But why? I think any game that can pack enough backsory to have as much dialogue as Mass Effect
So what are your thoughts?
I haven't played Mass Effect, so I'll use Fallout 3 as an example, because I think they're pretty similar in terms of those messy dialogue trees.
I don't mind picking my dialogue- it's nice, sometimes. But making me choose dialogue is just one more chore for me, like quick time events. Not only that, but it tells me that the game developers wanted me to forge my own experience through choosing dialogue, which tells me that THEY don't know what kind of experience I want, so they want me to make one I might like, instead of they themselves making a magnificent script and letting me enjoy that while I recline and soak in that form of effort.
I understand how folks like open world game, and 'choose your path' situations, I really do. But personally, I really DON'T like it. It's never truly 'open world'. There's always going to be one invisible wall, or one blocked road- because there's always a goal that must be accomplished, and they can't have you stray too far. 'Choosing your path', e.g. Fable, Fallout 3, is always an illusion, because no matter what choice you make, something is going to happen that you can't control your character to do otherwise. Can I run away from Maze at the start of Fable and join a group of bandits? No, because the plot wants me to become a hero. Can I join league with Lucien and bring a new world in Fable 2? No, because the plot dictates he's evil, so the only way I can interact with him is to defeat him.
Creating your own story I find is overrated. I'd rather have a great experience made for me with consideration, something that doesn't need massive dialogue trees or morality choices to help me connect with the game. Also, the plot tries to make me into a hero- so why, if I'm immersed in a game like Fallout 3, would I go about telling everyone to kiss my arse, if I am at the same time trying to help save them? It makes no sense. If I were such a complete jerk, I wouldn't be helping to cure the world's water supply, I'd be leaving my father alone and hunting ghouls. But I can't, because it's not that 'open world'.
In the end, dialogue trees are useless. It's more reading than neccessary. Sure, it might lead to a slight plot alteration, or one of three different endings, but in the end, it's basically the same experience everyone else had. Not to mention these dialogue choices can often be cheesy, way out of character (unless you have no character at all) and give the speaker no voice, because since there were so many lines to choose from, they couldn't all be voiced, so all you are reduced to is a camera man with a gun.
Sorry if I ranted and didn't answer your question.
