Games that have outstanding writing
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Wow. Just, wow. Thank you for saying EXACTLY what I think about Bioware which to me hasn't been any different than saying "EA" for awhile now.BloatedGuppy said:
My pick for best story of the games I've played is a game a lot of people (for reasons unbeknownst to moi) don't like: Dues Ex Invisible War. I also have to give Blazblue credit for telling a story in a fighting game that makes SO much more sense than "There's a big tournament and everybody wins somehow." "The Barrier" has to be one of the best writing devices since the Hellmouth. It's also obvious to me that a lot of Love and Wit went into this particular opus. I'd like to see more of that.
Kotor I and II. Great characters and an interesting story. HK-47 has to one of my favorite characters in any game. I really loved the fact that you decisions impact your team, such that if you choose evil, members of your team would disagree with you and you could even lose them based on your decisions. It gave the choices in game much more depth and made the player actually think about the decision.
Mass Effect I. The first game really captured the sense of exploration and had some well written characters. I liked the second one and thought Bioware made improvements in game play, but the narrative left a lot more to be desired. Most of the new characters in ME2 were much blander; Grunt, Miranda, Jacob; none of them really had much personality or interesting back story. The only real interesting character that ME2 created was Legion.
The first Call of Duty: Modern Warfare had a surprisingly cohesive narrative for a FPS and the scene as the soldier in the recently nuked city was the only time I have had a thought provoking moment while playing an FPS. Compared to the rest of the modern shooter genre, the game was quality writing.
Mass Effect I. The first game really captured the sense of exploration and had some well written characters. I liked the second one and thought Bioware made improvements in game play, but the narrative left a lot more to be desired. Most of the new characters in ME2 were much blander; Grunt, Miranda, Jacob; none of them really had much personality or interesting back story. The only real interesting character that ME2 created was Legion.
The first Call of Duty: Modern Warfare had a surprisingly cohesive narrative for a FPS and the scene as the soldier in the recently nuked city was the only time I have had a thought provoking moment while playing an FPS. Compared to the rest of the modern shooter genre, the game was quality writing.
There are a huge pool of titles to mention, really, but one that took me by surprise was Alpha Protocol. It was the first time I saw an interesting mix in terms of RPG writing, in the characterisation of Michael Thorton; While you could dictate what he said and did, as well as his history, there is always a consistent character in him (that is to say, a snarky ponce) and it felt much more like I was playing in the role of an established character, and deciding how I think he would act, rather than simply piloting a near blank slate. The multiple choices also played into his characterisation fundamentally, as he is established as a man who can change his outward persona for manipulation.
I'll have to throw another vote on Bioshock.
Those audio logs do a fantastic job of describing the world, situation, and citizens of Rapture pre-war, with only a minimal amount of actual exposition.
Not only that, but the twist. Be honest, how many people here really saw the twist (in it's entirety) coming? But what's great is that it doesn't just come out of nowhere. It's hinted at and aluded to several times, but without really KNOWING it, you'd never put the pieces together.
Easily one of the best twists I've ever encountered in fiction, not just in games.
Those audio logs do a fantastic job of describing the world, situation, and citizens of Rapture pre-war, with only a minimal amount of actual exposition.
Not only that, but the twist. Be honest, how many people here really saw the twist (in it's entirety) coming? But what's great is that it doesn't just come out of nowhere. It's hinted at and aluded to several times, but without really KNOWING it, you'd never put the pieces together.
Easily one of the best twists I've ever encountered in fiction, not just in games.
Im Shocked, Shocked, that no one has said anything about World in Conflict. I mean,Capt. Bannon is one of the best characters in any game i've ever played, his arc was amazing, and he went from one of my most hated characters ever to one of the best. They managed to turn an idiot into a tragic figure. And they did it in an RTS. RTSs dont normally have good stories, and this one delivered a story thats better then some other games I could mention *cough*Starcraft II*cough*.
I'd also second Bioshock, both KoTORs, and Deus Ex
I'd also second Bioshock, both KoTORs, and Deus Ex
probably to have a character that felt good to kill?j-e-f-f-e-r-s said:
because god damn was Kai-Leng's death satisfying as fuck
One of the worst, most laziest ways of excusing oneself for a half-formed character is saying "Oh, just go read the books. They'll make everything better." You shouldn't need outside material to use as a crutch. Whilst you can have it, it should be supplementary at best, and you should always go under the idea that whoever is playing your game is never going to pick up the books.teh_Canape said:
OT: Many. Planescape probably wins overall, but at times it does have that "really I'm just reading a book" feel to it, which I believe the devs have acknowledged. Excellently written nonetheless.
Also have a great love of the writing for KotOR II and New Vegas. Little bit of a Chris Avellone fan methinks.
or it could also be that they wanted to add the character in for the people who read the books and wanted to see a character in the gameLord Mountbatten Reborn said:
at least that's what a friend of mine feels (being that she liked Kai-Leng in the books)
Such a reason still doesn't excuse the laziness of having to direct people toward the books in the first place. Sure you can put him in the game for the benefit of people who read the books, but you shouldn't just rely on that. You have to pretend the books don't even exist and think "Is the character good if we take all our conceptions of him from the game?" If the answer is no, then they need to work on it.teh_Canape said:
This.The jokes are clever and have depth but does not go into anything juvenile.Dirty Hipsters said:
Deus ex gets my vote for a deep over arching plot with various themes, sadly the voice acting fell apart in places.....
At first I was going to go with a load of Bioware stuff (because Bioware really does have consistently good writers considering it's video games we're talking about), but then I remembered Portal/Portal 2.
Such. Good. Tight. Writing. I can think of nothing I would change writing-wise in either game. Admittedly I think the short length of the games works in their favour here as there's no room for excess waffle, and the fantastic acting is crucial too, but still. I'd look to those games as examples of how to get game writing right.
Also they're still hilarious on the millionth play-through XD
Such. Good. Tight. Writing. I can think of nothing I would change writing-wise in either game. Admittedly I think the short length of the games works in their favour here as there's no room for excess waffle, and the fantastic acting is crucial too, but still. I'd look to those games as examples of how to get game writing right.
Also they're still hilarious on the millionth play-through XD
C'mon TOMI is by far the worst written Monkey Island game both in puzzlewise and dialogue. The ending in chapter 1 and start of chapter 2 are so cheap. SMH @ cliffhangers. The Trial and Execution of Guybrush Threepwood is the only chapter on par with MI 1-4Karutomaru said:
Definately!j-e-f-f-e-r-s said:
He just appeared out of nowhere acting all, "I'm a bad guy; Hate me." Why? I don't even know who the fuck this guy is. And then suddenly Anderson has a history with him, too. And why the hell does this apparent ultimate badass space ninja fail to see the advantage of a projectile weapon? In the words of Spoony;"It's the future, you're a soldier; Get a gun! Why do you have to use a sword?"
Seriously, any Rockstar game has awesome writing. Red Dead is probably their best but Max Payne 3 is also great.
Fallout New Vegas was rather good. It took me a while to get into the game, but it was very good once I did.
Tales of Destiny/the Abyss/Symphonia/Vesperia/Graces f <-- These are just the ones I've gotten to play. I'd love to play other Tales games, because they all have such delicious stories.
Some people will try to disagree, but I think Dragon Age: Origins was fantastic as well.
Maybe I'll be able to think of more later.
Tales of Destiny/the Abyss/Symphonia/Vesperia/Graces f <-- These are just the ones I've gotten to play. I'd love to play other Tales games, because they all have such delicious stories.
Some people will try to disagree, but I think Dragon Age: Origins was fantastic as well.
Maybe I'll be able to think of more later.
The entirety of the Monkey Island series, with particular attention drawn to The Curse of Monkey Island. <3