I guess I am not a typical gamer. (rant about games)

[rileyrulesu]

i think it should go
gameplay-plot-graphics.
i put gameplay above plot because i dont want a movie i play games for fun, being immersed into a plot is nice, but i'd rather have a fun game if i had to choose between the two. I'm not saying they're mutually exclusive though.

 

[The Austin]

Gameplay has always outdone story. ALWAYS.
You don't see Pac-Man with a story, now do ya?

But I agree with your statement on graphics. Fuck graphics, they look pretty much as good as they are ever going to get.

 

[The Procrastinated End]

You could stop playing the games that you don't like and focus on ones you do like.
That's what everyone else does.

 

[Jazoni89]

You really should have new paragraph's after every section of your post otherwise people are going to be put off reading it just saying.

To me personally i think graphics and story isn't that important in gaming, its the gameplay that makes or breaks a game for me. The graphics these days are getting abit too uncanny valley for my liking (heavy rain for example) I would rather have a great artstyle than realistic graphics thats why i still prefer the look of most psone games mainly because of how the style of the graphics are rather than most modern games that look either too realistic or have this very dull greyish/browish colour sceme.

Stories in gaming are good and all but remember the first 20 or so years of gaming their wasn't stories in most games (the first example of in depth story in gaming is proberly the first ultima) are you saying that pac-man would of been better if it had a story? pac man is a great game so much so that it doesnt need a story you just run around a maze eating dots and eating ghosts its just simple fun and that simple fun is what's missing from videogames today. Video games try too hard nowadays to emulate productions of the big screen if the story doesnt get in the way of gameplay (like bioshock) then its a nice little compliment to the game. I do think that stories really shouldn't be a critcal part of the game so that way it doesn't bog down the gameplay too much (that's proberly the main reason why i don't really like fallout 1 and 2 but love 3).

 

[Fraught]

Lets face it, only in Video Game Land can fanboys obsess over a character called Master Chief (who from what I have played of Halo, Halo 2, and Halo 3, has no real backstory) and be the one lone soldier that saves the entire world, and universe.

Hahahah, Chafer, you is one funny man.

Yep, funny man, you. See? Very true, that is.

 

[Grey_Focks]

Nice wall of text there.

*thoughts as I read post*
Insulting Halo's story? How original. Yea, your gonna fit right in, here...

something about final fantasy? Couldn't care less...

Yea, character designs (Especially for women) are stupid, but this doesn't appear to be anything new.

I disagree with Graphics being irrelevant, as glitches in graphics/bugs can kill a game for me, as can poor character design.

As for story, not every game NEEDS a story, dammit. Super Mario Bros? Save the Princess. Legend of Zelda? Save the Princess, etc, etc.

You seem to play games for the story, and that's it. Well, I would recommend picking up a few books, or maybe a few movies. Games have always been about having fun, first and foremost, and I sure as hell hope that never changes. Can a game have a good story and still be fun? Hell yea, Red Dead Redemption and Mass Effect 2 both achieve this, and they both came out this year. They also both have amazing graphics.

Go figure, games with good stories, gameplay AND graphics!?! IMPOSSIBLE!

sorry if I seem a bit "trolly" with this post, but believe me, here on The Escapist, you actually ARE the typical gamer, and no offense intended, but talking with "your type" gets aggravating.

 

[garfoldsomeoneelse]

I tried reading it, but I couldn't bring myself to. Your complaint seems to be that video games are getting the Michael Bay treatment, to which I reply: disregarding the fact that it's hardly a unique opinion... who the hell cares? As long as they remain fun, I'm not going to be a goddamn snob about the games I play. Gears of War is a series with a ton of blood, explosions, utterly gorgeous graphics, a general absence of exposition, and most importantly, solid-ass gameplay. The last part is really all that matters, and because it's fun, it's a really good game. The Call of Duty series? Same thing, the story is just an excuse to throw awesome crap at me, but the gunplay is solid and blowing heads off is satisfying. That's really all that is required.

Hell, that's all games are supposed to be: fun to play. I don't care if there's a convoluted plot to wrap my head around, or a simple-yet-solid story arc that serves no purpose other than to ferry me from awesome setpiece to even awesome-er setpiece; if I enjoy the ride, the game has served its purpose.

I made a big rant about video game-related elitism in another thread, but I can't be arsed to track it down, and nobody would read it anyway.

 

[Sacman]

oh my god practice some pacing...
OT: yeah you've just noticed there hasn't been a truly ambitious game with attention to plot since looking glass and Ion Storm went out of business...

they had the right Idea for games gameplay>story>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>graphics...

 

[gl1koz3]

It's inevitable. Greedy needs more money. More money needs more people. More means more dumb people.

Unless there's some genetic meltdown and everyone gets more IQ in an instant.

I guess it's where series die. When greed overpowers rational thought.

 

[Vankraken]

To the OP. IMO gameplay > plot > graphics.
I rather have a game thats fun with no story and poor graphics over a game with a good story, poor gameplay and graphics, and i never want a game with poor gameplay, poor plot, and shiny graphics. Solid plot is icing on the cake that is gameplay. Some may like the icing more than the cake, some like the cake more than the icing, but almost everybody would agree that a cake that looks nice is pointless if it taste like shit.

On the topic of FF7 YES IT IS OVERHYPED! Ive played through the game multiple times and it is a good game. 9/10 score from me but there are so many better games out there with stronger plots, more original game play, and better graphics. For the PS1 era it was top notch but it has aged and honestly i don't feel that it has aged well. All the FF after this just keep milking the formula and its getting old.

With that being said i personally dislike the JRPG style of gameplay because i prefer the more wester style of RPG with more gear choices, open world style of gameplay, less linear plot, none of that random encounter teleporting into a battle world crap. Also plot wise i prefer main characters who aren't small children or gender confused boys. (not to say that every main character has to be on par with Conan the Barbarian. The cunning thief archetype who tries to avoid direct conflict and dodging attacks instead of taking every hit the face is a very fun style of character to play)

With Halo I will say that the 1st halo was great. Original enemies, decent plot for a shooter, fun gameplay, etc. Halo 2 and 3 seems to be running off fan power and the plot makes me feel that it was pulled off a fan site. "Zomg lets have the elites join the humans because there cool"

On the topic of the whole armor thing, yes there is a point to be made about female armor only protecting 40% of the body (mostly being breasts and pelvic area) and yes its silly for the guys not wearing helmets to be as damage resistant as someone made out of depleted uranium while the helmet wearing guys die in 2 hits.
Honestly the armor thing is art > practicality and in addition its harder to tell who is who when everyone is wearing the same thing. In regards to that in the movie Black Hawk Down they put the names of the characters on the helmets to help the audience identify who was who during combat scenes. So having clearly visible differences in armor, exposed faces, etc helps the player identify which character is which. Picture Gears of War with everybody wearing helmets and identical armor (everybody would be Carmine)

To add to the list of "gaming isn't what it should be rant" Stop letting water save you from very high falls. Hitting water from large heights is = to that of hitting concrete.

In the end its good to voice concerns about the issues in games in the hopes of creating change for the better but also remember that games are a media for expression and entertainment so try to look for those 2 elements in the games you play.

 

[Deacon Cole]

When did graphics and gameplay out-weigh plot?

So the real question is, when did plot start cocking up gameplay?

 

[Optimus Hagrid]

According to the OPs logic, Chess is shit.

Before you bash Bungie for simplistic storytelling any further, I recommend that you download and play the free Marathon.

 

[Proverbial Jon]

But you see GamesB2 and Funkiest Monkey, I have played Halo/Halo 2/Halo 3, and the only thing that was 'enjoyable' was the multiplayer. And whenever I talk to anyone about how much I dislike, sorry, hate Halo, they say that 'Halo is about the multiplayer'. Well what the hell. When I pick up a game, I would like to have a good experience with a structured story and meaningful characters. I really didn't receive that on single player. Yes multiplayer was amazing, but this post is about a singular experience.

But I'm not really attacking anyone, and I'm not saying that I'm better because I like MGS, I'm just saying that if Bungie would have put some time in developing a story, in my opinion Halo could have been a great game without the 'need' for a multiplayer option instead of having the multiplayer make the game. You see I'm one of those indie guys who love to drown myself in story and history, and it made me sad when Bungie, a group a college kids made a game with the bare amount of anything besides explosive mechanics. I just would have thought it would have been better.

Whenever anyone says "Halo is all about the multiplayer" I die a little inside. I personally hate multiplayer, I'm a story driven guy through and through. If there isn't a decent reason to be shooting aliens/nazis/zombies/monsters etc then I don't want to play the game.

This is why I have played Halo/Halo 2/Halo 3/ Halo 3:ODST multiple, multiple times. There is a story there that people just seem to totally overlook. Yeah ok so the story isn't shoved in your face, but neither is it in the Half Life games, you have to pay attention and look. If you lowered your assualt rifle long enough to pay attention, you might see things you never noticed before.

Halo is only a popular franchise because of the original game Halo:Combat Evolved. It sky rocketed to fame because of it's unique gameplay in the original. Exspansive open world areas which meant you could tackle combat situations the way you wanted. That was a gameplay innovation that hadn't really been explored before. It certainly wasn't the multiplayer that made Halo popular. Unfortunately today it is.

The Haloverse is huge and is expanded in the books and other various media, I know it isn't the same as including it in the games but you cannot attack the creators for making a shallow game when so much thought has gone into them. Besides, I think the fact that the Master Chief has no real character is on purpose. Just look at the last scene in Halo 3...

Spoiler for the one person who hasn't played this game yet...

Spoiler

The MC and Cortana are floating in space in the damaged remains of the Forward Unto Dawn, they didn't make it through the portal in time. The Chief gets into a cryo tube to await rescue, which could be years from then. He simply tells Cortana to "Wake me, when you need me." It's obvious that Cortana "needs" him in an emotional capacity. But the chief doesn't work like that, he's an enhanced supersoldier designed to kill. He simply packs himself away until the next time he is needed, IE next time aliens need killing. It echos the very first game where he was awoken from cryo to fight the Covenant. The war is over so he isn't needed any more. The whole scene is rather poignant in my opinion. Now tell me that Halo has no story or soul to its shallow and empty gameplay!

 

[sageoftruth]

You may be surprised to hear just how "typical" you actually are. This has been said many times before in this forum, but it seems you have a taste for RPGs and adventure games, along with anyything with extensive cutscenes, which is fine. I agree that appreciation of plot can be deeper than appreciation of graphics, but that's not where our development ends. Video games satisfy a number of different desires, according to genre, and it is pretty immature to believe that no one has the right to seek the instant gratification of FPSs or the rewarding challenges of early platformers, simply because they have no plot. I think I'll stop here before I get lost in my own posting.

 

[SoopaSte123]

When did graphics and gameplay out-weigh plot?

I'll agree with the graphics part, but gameplay out-weighs plot in video games. Without the game part, they would just be videos haha. You can just watch a movie or read a book if plot is the ONLY thing you're interested in; gameplay is what MAKES video games.

I will agree that story is very important in some games (and usually in the best games, such as the Metal Gear series). A good plot keeps us interested and makes us want to play and complete the game. It can be the motivating force behind the gameplay (I'm sure we've all played at least one game where the story wears thin and the gameplay isn't strong to motivate us to continue). But a game does not need good plot to be successful, either. Demon's Souls is a good example. I know little and care little about Demon's Souls' plot, I just love its difficulty, its level design, and its gameplay, and that's enough to motivate me to play. Other motivations to play could be to level up your character, collect bigger and better weapons (Borderlands), or just because you feel like fucking around (like GTA or Saints Row games). In the end, motivations to play a game comes down to personal preference. You may want a good story, but I know tons of people who are more than happy just to shoot things because they enjoy it (not me... I don't care for FPSs).

I know this is stupid for me to bring up, but i believe we need games like ones that we had back during the SNES days.

Also, here you are arguing against yourself. SNES games did NOT need good plot to be good games. Did you ever get angry at the fact that you were given no backstory or motivation behind Bowser kidnapping Princess Peach? The gameplay and level design were what made Mario games great, not the backstory.

And when did less clothing mean more armor? This goes for men too, but especially for women. Don't get me wrong, there are some, beautiful video game women, but some realism would be nice. I don't think that a girl running around in a metal bra and panties would survive in a battle with orcs and goblins; Fantasy setting or not. And why don't heros (better yet, hero units in many RTS games) wear helmets or less armor, when the normal standard units wear full armor including helm and a shield but still die. Flesh is flesh my friends, and blood loss is blood loss.

As for this, play Demon's Souls. It shares your views

 

[GonzoGamer]

Games are like any other form of media, lots of stupid stuff is pumped out shameless for the purpose of making money, some are works of art, but not all of them.
No big deal, you just look for what you like.

There it is right there.
I still find about a game or two a year that really takes my interest but in any art/entertainment form where there's a potential to make profits, you're always going to find more cash-ins than quality.

You could look at it as a reason to be a more savvy consumer (which most gamers are the opposite of), rent, or just find a new hobby. I try not to depend on gaming as my sole entertainment so the one or two riveting games I find every year satisfy me.