Some companies seem to go above and beyond the call of duty (accidental pun) in the realm of story telling, as for some companies a story is something tacked on, something incredibly generic, with no risks taken so as not to lose any sales. So I'm asking you, as my fellow escapists, which company do you believe takes the biggest risks involving story?
Best video game company for story telling
- Thread starter DK412
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Obsidian. They try to make your choices actually effect how things turn out. Instead of going the Bioware/Bethesda route of simply saying thats what you do, but in reality it has little effect on anything.
Doing that, and actually having it work out well is a huge-ass risk.
Just wish they would actually test their damn games though.
Doing that, and actually having it work out well is a huge-ass risk.
Just wish they would actually test their damn games though.
Who takes the biggest risks? Grasshopper Manufacture. How about games where the main boss is parody of Batman where the developer makes a point about how crappy a character Batman is. Also, just about everything about Killer7 is messed up in some way.
I would say that Bioware takes the least risks.
I would say that Bioware takes the least risks.
Aren't stories themselves inferior to a complex simulation? It's like the difference between wrestling the sport where you have some guys testing their skills against each other and Smackdown type wrestiling where it's basically a fakey melodrama.
So I would say that taking an beneficial risk with a storytelling would be discarding it where it's not needed or making it entirely a product of the players input.
So I would say that taking an beneficial risk with a storytelling would be discarding it where it's not needed or making it entirely a product of the players input.
Bioware is good, but they're main plots suck.
Reapers and Archdemons? Pfft.
But the planet/town specific plots are very good. Like with Feros in ME1, and the Redcliffe castle quest in DA:O. It's just the main plot holding it all together that is weak.
For strong main plot storytelling?
Rockstar.
They've always had a very good understanding of satire. They managed to make a believable scenario out of burning down a field of weed for a crazed hippie.
They can tell a story, and a joke, without pulling you out of the game.
Reapers and Archdemons? Pfft.
But the planet/town specific plots are very good. Like with Feros in ME1, and the Redcliffe castle quest in DA:O. It's just the main plot holding it all together that is weak.
For strong main plot storytelling?
Rockstar.
They've always had a very good understanding of satire. They managed to make a believable scenario out of burning down a field of weed for a crazed hippie.
They can tell a story, and a joke, without pulling you out of the game.
Making a story totally reactive to the player takes a lot of effort. Games that go more for that like Heavy Rain or Alpha Protocol tend to be weak in other areas, maybe as a result of divided priorities. But that isn't inevitable. On the other a hand a linear story that bookmarks gameplay "episodes" is a good way to give context to actions and take a breather.Halo Fanboy said:
Not entirely sure what you mean by this, since I don't really see how story telling is a risk. It might be risky if you take on a controversial subject matter, but that has nothing to do with whether or not the sort will be good.DK412 said:
Now as for what company I think is the best at telling stories through video games, I'd say Valve. Now some of you are probably going to tell me that Half-Life 2 doesn't really have an exceptionally good story. I'd agree that it's a rather basic plot, and while that's not bad it isn't really stunning either. But what makes up for this is how the story is told. Valve takes this relatively simple story of overthrowing an oppressive regime and manages to tell almost all of it through set pieces and other visual elements. You are allowed to interact and observe the environment first hand. Telling a story this way is something that video games can excel at, and it really can't be done with movies or books since you aren't in control of them. So I think Valve is the best at telling video game stories because they tell stories that take actually take advantage of the assets of videogames rather than relying solely on cutscenes or textdumps. A lot of companies tell perfectly good stories, but these stories could have translated into a book or movie and been just as good. Half-Life 2 is one of the few games I believe would have a substantially worse story if it was not a video game.
I mean just think about the opening sequence; you learn almost everything about the world you are in and what is going on with almost no dialogue whatsoever. You get everything you need to know by simply observing the environment around you. That, in my opinnion, is really good storytelling.
Bioware does tend to bury their more interesting plotlines, characters, and races in favor of the magical overlords and supernatural builder crap a bit too much.Onyx Oblivion said:
However, like you said, they are great short story tellers. They also create some truly memorable characters.
Internet Kraken said:
I mean in the sense that a lot of companies know that having a game in which you're a soldier, and you kill stuff, and then explosions, sells. But a company in which the game is a different matter, something deeper, for instance Heavy Rain....I don't think I explained myself very well, I think it's more, which companies are willing to make a story based game, instead of a game with lots of glitz and glamour but no substance.
(P.S. I also made the mistake of saying 'which company' implying that every game they've ever made has been some form of art
although admittedly I totally agree with you on the valve front, they seem like a company of gamers, making games for gamers)
For me, Obsidian (at least with the few games of theirs that I've played) and Troika (except for TOEE, but that wasn't an original story anyhow). I'd love to add Bioware but they don't grip me in terms of story but more in terms of interesting characters and mini-plots within an entire game. I can't really think of a Bioware game that I've played where I've really liked the overall story (that being said, there are a good amount of Bioware games I haven't played).
Depends what you mean by "story". If you mean the plot and narrative, Obsidian takes the cake, no doubt. I have yet to play another games with the narrative depth of KotOR II. If you mean the way that the story is told, that goes to Bioware. Their plots tend to follow somewhat generic archetypes, but you cannot tell me they don't execute it brilliantly.Irridium said: