Best video game company for story telling

[gundamrx101]

In the words of Yahtzee, Bioware doesn't score points for writing anymore.

I'd have to go with Obsidian, as some have said Alpha Protcol actually changes through and through depending on how you carry yourself. As for my personal favorite, Atlus. They deal with everything it means to be human pro and con and they do it brilliantly.

 

[Halo Fanboy]

You seem to be under the impression that narrative through player input and story telling are two different things; Which is not the case.

Is the battle between Daigo and Justin Wong in EVO 3s great story telling? It was a natural result of the two players interacting with the tools at their disposal not a result of an author working for Capcom. Capcom may have engineered the device that allowed a great comeback (parrying) but I don't think they good be held responsible for the story. It ended up being one of the greatest stories in games but it was born out of complex mechanics and skilled players not an author's intent so calling it story telling is pretty much the same as calling basketball a story telling device.

And I think a player based story is objectively more meaningful then any other story. The most effecting story of a person's life is their own story. So a simulation is the ultimate form of narrative. The characters of any random JRPG will remain cartoons where as your adventures commanding the Terrans in a SC tournament are your own experiences.

 

[Halo Fanboy]

Name me an original plot in a game within the past ten years.

Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth

Based on an RPG based on a hundred year old story.

 

[pulse2]

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?

Every developer has had thier come and go moments, Obsidian does some interesting storylines, but at times thier plots can get a little contrived as well as be very simple minded, bethesda as well. Bioware trips over itself despite doing some amazing things with characters.

Uncharted has demonstrated that Naughty Dog has learnt how to develop some good plots, Ubisoft and Assassins creed, Valve and Half Life, Square and FF7 (to a certain degree, can't say I'm 100% happy with FF7's plot).

Every developer has had thier moments, but they also have thier trip up moments. Silent hill crashed after 2, Resident Evil has lost its marbles, Oddworld 1, 2 and SW were awesome, but Munch was a little out there, Tecmo has no idea what a plot even means, they just like cool factors, Team Ninja has done some awesome storylines but gets overlooked for repetitive and short gameplay, Metal Gear Solid and Konami has gone into space and beyond, thats how much sense MGS makes.

Yes, basically, for every developer there is at least one game that has a superb storyline, its just a shame that no developer I can think of has a 100% repetoir of awesome plot games.

 

[fdbluth]

It seems like everyone that's mentioning Valve mentions Half-Life more than Portal. Because lest we forget, PORTAL WAS THE BEST WRITTEN GAME OF ALL TIME! (I do apologize for the caps)

Seriously though, if you want a good example of gameplay and story, walking hand-to-hand, and want to use a Western example (rather than a Japanese one), Valve is your developer.

I also see a lot of people saying Bioware. I disagree. Bioware does two things great: dialogue and depth (by which I mean the depth of the environment/world the story takes place in, not necessarily the depth of the story). It doesn't do a very good job of tying individual parts together and have mishaps in characterization as well (I was never comfortable with Wrex suddenly pointing a gun at Shepard; from his dialogues, I always thought he should have been a calm and smart enough of a person/alien to convince Shepard not to blow up by arguing rather than trying to shoot).

 

[Ailia]

Bioware for characters, subplots, and dialogue (and nostalgia, I miss SoA so much at times).
Atlus for mindfucks (Baroque was an okay game, but it was the story (or lack there-of?) that kept me going.
Looking Glass Studios wins, though, as they made Thief, my favorite game of all time, and once it folded its members went either joined or founded companies like Ion Storm, Valve, and Irrational. (Do I even need to list the awesome games these companies have made?)
So yeah, Looking Glass wins.

 

[Nimcha]

Hard to say. Tempted to say BioWare, but I think they mostly just create amazing settings for stories to take place in. The Mass Effect universe is one of the most richest and most detailed game universes ever created. The story the game trilogy sells might not be the cream of the crop but for me the sheer immersion the attention to detail creates makes up for that.

 

[Le_Cable]

You seem to be under the impression that narrative through player input and story telling are two different things; Which is not the case.

Is the battle between Daigo and Justin Wong in EVO 3s great story telling? It was a natural result of the two players interacting with the tools at their disposal not a result of an author working for Capcom. Capcom may have engineered the device that allowed a great comeback (parrying) but I don't think they good be held responsible for the story. It ended up being one of the greatest stories in games but it was born out of complex mechanics and skilled players not an author's intent so calling it story telling is pretty much the same as calling basketball a story telling device.

And I think a player based story is objectively more meaningful then any other story. The most effecting story of a person's life is their own story. So a simulation is the ultimate form of narrative. The characters of any random JRPG will remain cartoons where as your adventures commanding the Terrans in a SC tournament are your own experiences.

Let's go ahead an clear something up, because there seems to be a disconnect between what we are both talking about. When you first spoke I assumed you were referencing narratives like Fallout where one can influence a specific story's outcome, not mechanics of a competitive situation like what you have now referenced. That was my misunderstanding. However, to say that a simulation is objectively better is another attempt at veiling opinion as truth. A simulation like what you described is more relatable, not necessarily more meaningful. Yes competitive events like fighting games provide a more intense personal and emotional experience, but ultimately lack the potential that story telling has when it comes to delving into the important aspects of life. Story telling can unravel truths about the world yet to be seen. It can teach us perspectives and lessons and life we have never before considered. Daigo's story does not do any of that.

 

[DarkhoIlow]

I will go with Bioware on this one,mainly because of the storyline in Mass Effect which,for me,was one of a kind.

 

[veloper]

BLACK ISLE
R.I.P.

everything else: mediocre or worse

the silver lining: it's all about gameplay anyway.

 

[StormShaun]

DUUUUHHHH, Bioware they can create masterpieces with their minds, Mass Effect 2 and Dragon Age have the best storys ever or Bethesda they also do goodm story...

 

[Jezzascmezza]

Rockstar tells a pretty damn good story.
GTA 4 and Red Dead Redemption have some of the best story lines I've ever experienced in gaming.

 

[Axolotl]

Name me an original plot in a game within the past ten years.

Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth

Based on an RPG based on a hundred year old story.

Except it wasn't a direct adaptation of either any of the RPG senarios or any of Lovecraft's stories. It borrows setpieces and themes but not the plot.