Best/worst storyline in a game
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I'd choose two different game stories for two different reasons. Ace Combat 4 had a great little story. It was simple, which is good in a game story. It also chose just the right perspective for the events of a game - a child from an occupied territory. The narrative only deals with your accomplishments as they relate to the war as a whole, and the occupying pilots stationed near the narrator's home. Those pilots are expressed as humans - good people - that just happen to be on the other side of the war. They're pretty cool people, and I found myself regretting they were on the other side of the conflict.
The Longest Journey also had a fantastic story. This, more than any other game, feels like a folktale come to life in game form. It's fantastic, funny, and sad. It's important, because it doesn't feel like a book, or a play, or a movie. It feels like a game, through and through, but like a game that finally has found a way to express a really good story in its own unique way. The characters are also fantastic, and April Ryan is perhaps the best heroine (or hero) I've ever encountered. A lot of this is because she seems so... normal - or natural, which would be a better word.
Complex game stories (like in MGS) seem to deliberately gloss over (or leave out) information for the sake of setting you up for some arbitrary plot twist. I can't stand these. It's like they assume I'm an idiot who will mistake a gazillion plot twists for a "good" story. I don't buy it. You should be able to tell your story better than that, and plot twists should not be absurd - they should be meaningful and, ideally, obvious in retrospect. Plot twists aren't good when you can't possibly see them coming, they're good when you *don't* see them coming - there's a difference. In the latter, it's something you missed, and you consider the clues in retrospect - like Bruce Willis in The Sixth Sense. You could have seen that, but you don't - it just seems so obvious in retrospect. That said, I wouldn't qualify one game story as the "worst" of the lot. There are enough crummy little games out there, where the developers put no thought into quality narrative, that deserve the title - I try not the play them.
The Longest Journey also had a fantastic story. This, more than any other game, feels like a folktale come to life in game form. It's fantastic, funny, and sad. It's important, because it doesn't feel like a book, or a play, or a movie. It feels like a game, through and through, but like a game that finally has found a way to express a really good story in its own unique way. The characters are also fantastic, and April Ryan is perhaps the best heroine (or hero) I've ever encountered. A lot of this is because she seems so... normal - or natural, which would be a better word.
Complex game stories (like in MGS) seem to deliberately gloss over (or leave out) information for the sake of setting you up for some arbitrary plot twist. I can't stand these. It's like they assume I'm an idiot who will mistake a gazillion plot twists for a "good" story. I don't buy it. You should be able to tell your story better than that, and plot twists should not be absurd - they should be meaningful and, ideally, obvious in retrospect. Plot twists aren't good when you can't possibly see them coming, they're good when you *don't* see them coming - there's a difference. In the latter, it's something you missed, and you consider the clues in retrospect - like Bruce Willis in The Sixth Sense. You could have seen that, but you don't - it just seems so obvious in retrospect. That said, I wouldn't qualify one game story as the "worst" of the lot. There are enough crummy little games out there, where the developers put no thought into quality narrative, that deserve the title - I try not the play them.
Worst story is easy. Unreal Tournament 3's attempt to wrap up the gametypes in some kind of real-life war setting is the most moronic attempt at story-telling ever. Respawning is explained as "warfare of the future - no-one dies!". They even came up with some ridiculous acronym to justify calling CTF's flags just that: FLAGs - without them officially *being* flags (even though they suspiciously resemble them).
Best story: Hmmm. As long as most games resemble an interactive action movie, I prefer not to dwell too much on the story. Usually it's just a context for scripted stuff to happen in. And the few games I've played that try to offer more of a narrative, fail. Indigo Prophecy/Fahrenheit comes to mind.
That said, I loved the lore & setting of Morrowind - felt like a very accomplished game world. And speaking of action movies: Half Life 1 & 2 are still the best examples of bringing an action movie to life - formulaic as the alien invasion background may be. They're both games on rails, absolutely, but what a ride it is!
Best story: Hmmm. As long as most games resemble an interactive action movie, I prefer not to dwell too much on the story. Usually it's just a context for scripted stuff to happen in. And the few games I've played that try to offer more of a narrative, fail. Indigo Prophecy/Fahrenheit comes to mind.
That said, I loved the lore & setting of Morrowind - felt like a very accomplished game world. And speaking of action movies: Half Life 1 & 2 are still the best examples of bringing an action movie to life - formulaic as the alien invasion background may be. They're both games on rails, absolutely, but what a ride it is!
Best: Bioshock
Worst: Super Mario Bros
Yes I admit there are many horrible, horrible story-lines for some games, but Super Mario Bros really cut the cake on this one.
Worst: Super Mario Bros
Yes I admit there are many horrible, horrible story-lines for some games, but Super Mario Bros really cut the cake on this one.
Haha, that killed me.Nigh Invulnerable said:
Worst story....... Kingdon Hearts games..... I mean come on, Donald Duck and Goofy helping you fight Cloud Strife and Sephiroth?
I'm a HUGE fan of Tales of Symphonia. The plot of that game made me cry, something that I didn't even do when my grandfather died.
Best story or best storytelling?
If it's best story Then I suggest most of the recent Bioware games, Bioshock, GTAIV, sometimes Assign's Creed, Pyschonauts, Silent Hill 2 and many more I can't think of right now.
Best Story telling would be Portal, Psychonauts, and Silent Hill 2.
If it's best story Then I suggest most of the recent Bioware games, Bioshock, GTAIV, sometimes Assign's Creed, Pyschonauts, Silent Hill 2 and many more I can't think of right now.
Best Story telling would be Portal, Psychonauts, and Silent Hill 2.
*peers, scrolls*
Okay, it has to be said: Planescape: Torment is the best. Worst... um. I admit, if I think a game's storyline is awful, I just don't play it. I never could get into Darkstar One, but that may have been a translation issue, so I'll give it the benefit of the doubt.
Okay, it has to be said: Planescape: Torment is the best. Worst... um. I admit, if I think a game's storyline is awful, I just don't play it. I never could get into Darkstar One, but that may have been a translation issue, so I'll give it the benefit of the doubt.
You need to read the Alchemist.Jamninja said:
Also, use the search button. Otherwise, you're pointlessly rehashing previously visited ideas.
Though I must admit, I haven't seen QFG in one of these threads. 'Tis a lovely series that captures the feeling of myth.
Best Story : Sam & max series
Why: There storys all so random
Worst Story: Viva Pinata
Why: just like sim city but more pointless than sin city
Why: There storys all so random
Worst Story: Viva Pinata
Why: just like sim city but more pointless than sin city
Yeah...bet all those five and six year olds were in it for the compelling narrative, weren't they surprised! Still seems pretty cheap..much as I liked Viva Pinata, criticising it for it's story is like criticising the Teletubbies...such things t'weren't meant for such as us...no matter how engaging and adorable they be.KrackleJack said:
As for my picks:
Best - Planescape: Torment. God of game plots....the amnesiac hero is a little cliche, but they spin it well enough so that it's fresh and interesting. And such dialogue, pages of it! And never again (yet...) shall we see the like.
Worst - Tough one, I can't in all honesty state something stupid like Pac-Mac or Tetris, that'd be weak, for those games the plot was mainly a secondary concern. No...has to be something where the plot is supposed to be a big element...something that stinks. Hmm...I'll go with, Battlezone 2: Combat Commander. The game itself was in many ways an improvement over it's predecessor, better graphics, an improved control system and extra customisation of your vehicles. Although, where Battlezone's maps were open and interesting, BZII's were often bland and closed off. And plonked right ontop of this was a clunker of a plot involving rogue soldiers and grey goo. They got rid of the awesome Allies versus Soviets feel of the first..and that was just unforgivable!
Best - Mafia, Mass Effect, Max Payne 2 or GTA IV.
Worst - Total Overdose.
Guinness record for the most cliches in a game, ever.
Worst - Total Overdose.
Guinness record for the most cliches in a game, ever.
Best would have to be Tales of Symphonia. The cast is not on my favorites list, but the story itself and the concepts of game universe were very interesting. The whole energy hourglass system was fantastic. Plus I like how the ending areas were a bit more "psycho" in design then the rest of the game, and in a good way that was not overly done.
Worst is Gears of War 2. I would say Gears 1, but at least it didn't try to be good. Gears 2 was just, laughably bad. I don't know anyone personally who gave a rats ass about Maria and Dom. Such a touching scean when Maria was revealed. Very touching in my lungs from laughter, not my heart.
Worst is Gears of War 2. I would say Gears 1, but at least it didn't try to be good. Gears 2 was just, laughably bad. I don't know anyone personally who gave a rats ass about Maria and Dom. Such a touching scean when Maria was revealed. Very touching in my lungs from laughter, not my heart.
