Poll: Does Blizzard write good plots?

[Silentpony_v1legacy]

Okay so Starcraft II: Legacy of The Void is available on pre-order and while I was perusing the store page I realized I have absolutely no interest in seeing how this little adventure concludes.

Backing up a bit, I think we can all mostly agree Heart of the Swarm was a massive disappointment, at least story wise. The gameplay was decent but we're here to talk about story. Having written themselves into a corner with Stacraft and Brood War, it took actual work to fix a few things in Sons of Liberty and then they went ahead and jumped right back into the corner in Heart of the Swarm and it was completely nonsensical. And it really did render all the struggle and deaths of Liberty completely meaningless. Like literally meaningless. And with Legacy of the Void coming I can't imagine they won't backtrack on what few steps forward they've taken.

And so I started thinking: What Blizzard plot have I actually enjoyed? Starcraft 1 and Brood War were an absolute mess, with either stupid or unlikable characters. Certainly it had character development, but it was all out-of-character. I remember when I first played Starcraft in oh, '97, '98, I thought that each little in-between mission briefing/radio drama was written by a different person. The character personalities just shifted so much, it was hard to actually know who these people were and why I should care.

Warcraft and Warcraft 2 barely had a plot; mostly just mission objectives and little connecting tissue. I suppose Warcraft 3 had a plot, but it wasn't very good. Or, more accurately, it was very contrived and was obviously the set up for World of Warcraft. I mean Arthas going evil and what's her face becoming a banshee was obviously a set up for WoW villains/NPCs. We didn't know it back on '02, but its pretty obvious now. Everything had to go status-quo with distinct and geographically separate factions and it was all vanilla and bland.
World of Warcraft didn't have a plot. At all. I got to lvl50 in old vanilla WOW and I never saw anything close to resembling a plot point, let alone an over-arching narrative.

Now the odd games out are the Diablo trilogy. And they do have a plot. But I think its fair to say just as Zelda has a single plot told a dozen times, Diablo has basically one plot. Diablo 1 you have to hunt down Diablo. Diablo 2 is 20 years later and you have to hunt down the hero from D1 and Diablo.
Diablo 3 is another 20 years later and you have to hunt down the hero from D2 and Diablo.
Certainly not the most immersive, but technically there. But people are they for the level and item grinds, not the plot.

TLR So my question is this: Does Blizzard write good plots/stories?

 

[Zhukov]

Nope.

I've never seen them write anything that was worth remembering.

Although I doubt it really matters. Story just isn't their forte. They focus on gameplay and polish and it seems to work for them. Their games invariably sell like hotcakes no matter how many people say unflattering things about them on the internet.

And hey, their pre-rendered cutscenes do look awfully pretty.

EDIT: You've done that thing where the thread title and the poll question yield opposite answers. Now you won't know which one people are responding to when they vote.

 

[duwenbasden]

A good "schtory" or "nuhhative" is the last thing I need/want in an RTS game. LotV might as well be a genocide crusade and/or a galaxy frat party by Artanis and I would still not care the slightest bit about it as long as I can steamroll the goons with the Protoss Deathball.

If I want a "story" and "narrative" about space cowboys doing space cowboyey things I'd watch Firefly.

also, no they don't write good plots.

 

[RJ 17]

as long as I can steamroll the goons with the Protoss Deathball.

You mean this thing?


OT: Yeah, I've always found them reasonably entertaining. We're not talking Shakespeare here, but there's definitely companies putting out worse stories for games.

 

[13e thr33]

Warcraft and Warcraft 2 barely had a plot; mostly just mission objectives and little connecting tissue. I suppose Warcraft 3 had a plot, but it wasn't very good. Or, more accurately, it was very contrived and was obviously the set up for World of Warcraft. I mean Arthas going evil and what's her face becoming a banshee was obviously a set up for WoW villains/NPCs. We didn't know it back on '02, but its pretty obvious now. Everything had to go status-quo with distinct and geographically separate factions and it was all vanilla and bland.

*frothing from mouth* warcraft 3 plot is AMAZING, how can you not see heretic!?

Arthas's conviction to save his kingdom from the scourge/demons using any means necessary, causes him to be its downfall in the very way he sought out in the beginning to stop. (scourge)
Evil is also a matter of perspective, Ner'zhul's (lich kings) plot to break free from demons control using Arthas is better for Azeroth in the long run. (As Arthas attempts to slow Ner'zhul's ambitions when they combine together)

Warcraft 3 was made before WoW was even an idea, WoW's first concept design was done in Wc3's engine showing Blizzard did not plan for WoW in advance of Wc3.
Here's a screenshot (http://www.xp4t.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/WOW-WC3-mod.jpg)

Also Wc1 and Wc2 do have plots, just they are done in text format before each mission is entered and are usually skipped.

Last but not least the Forsaken, they were only added to WoW because some designers wanted to make an undead set of doodads (models) for Lordaeron.
https://twitter.com/gopherstick/status/607597598468243456/photo/1
The lore wasn't neat or status-quo esque as Thrall was a war monger-er in WC3(like most orcs), he was not green jesus as WoW has turned him into.

There's story, you just missed it.

 

[linwolf]

They are better than the average game story. So nothing great but entertaining enough to enjoy between the gameplay parts.

 

[Azure-Supernova]

Whether they're good or not is debatable, but I enjoy them. With the magic of hindsight I can see what you're saying about Warcraft 3, but it doesn't stop me enjoying it. It's the same with World of Warcraft. With Vanilla's story being a bit more contrived, you really had to red and look into quest text and progression to get the idea. You had Onyxia worming her way amongst the nobility in Stormwind to help Nefarian; the Dark Iron Dwarves and their servitude to Ragnaros; the opening of Ahn'qiraj and the following battle with C'Thun; the Garubashi Trolls trying to bring Hakkar into Azeroth; taking the fight to Kel'Thuzad in Naxxramas, which followed on from the Stratholme dungeon. The story has become more and more prominent with each expansion. Is it a beautifully written masterpiece? Far from it, but it's there if you want it.

 

[SlumlordThanatos]

They're above average in the gaming industry, but given the overall quality of writing in the industry, that isn't saying much.

The lore in WoW isn't anywhere close to the likes of GRRM, Terry Prachett, or Patrick Rothfuss, but it is nevertheless extensive and compelling, and is fun to follow.

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

I disagree that they're above average. Their writing is perfectly average. There's nothing particularly good or bad about it. It's just average. It serves a purpose and it's absolutely filled to the roof with cliches and tropes of their chosen genre. Blizzard's writing is stuck in time when games were more about gameplay than story. They haven't moved at all since that era. It gives all of their games some kind of old school vibe. And that's why I kinda like it. No one does average better than Blizzard.

 

[Silentpony_v1legacy]

Nope.


EDIT: You've done that thing where the thread title and the poll question yield opposite answers. Now you won't know which one people are responding to when they vote.

Hadn't even noticed. Good point. I will amend!

 

[Average Avocado]

I think that this can be looked at from different perspectives as a lot of gamers have different opinions and different things that they like within games. Warcraft 1 and 2 didn't have much of a plot especially since they would change the ending depending on the victor you chose to play with (orc and human campaigns). However, when moving to Warcraft 3, you come to the conclusion that some of the events from War1 and 2 did happen (they were chosen of course), but they lead to a plot that forms. We have to keep in mind that most of the Blizzard games were created in a time where it was more about the gameplay, the playability and not about the story. Stories became popular much later around the early 2000's especially since gaming had grown into such a massive industry they had to cater for a wider audience and not do the same stuff over and over again, hence Warcraft 3 comes out with a plot letting you realise a lot of the events from War1 and 2 have happened, but of course in order to get into all of the details further reading on the websites containing lore have to be made: http://wowwiki.wikia.com/Lore I would even go as far as to say that most games of the 90's didn't have any story... DOOM, Half-Life, Quake, all of these games had the same thing in mind... lots of shooting, lots of death but good heavens was it and still is a lot of fun to play. They all contain some information about a story, but only after you get to the newer versions do you actually come to the conclusion that there is a plot.



All three titles Starcraft, Warcraft and Diablo started out on the same path, and each were created in the 90's. All three titles have over the years developed a plot that can now be (with enough knowledge) explained in-depth mentioning the important events that took place and all of the important characters that played a role. In plain words, I respectively disagree that Blizzard can't create a plot as they've been catching my attention story wise ever since Starcraft 1. As it is my opinion and my preference, the Blizzard games give me chills of excitement when I go into depth of everything that has happened in the history of each game. The fact that so much information has been written down (look at the link above), and even books have been provided does show the fact that there is indeed an intense plot that has been developed over the years and as it seems continues to develop.

Of course many are allowed to disagree with my comments

 

[Kerg3927]

I loved the story of WC3. Yeah, Arthas is basically a ripoff of Anakin Skywalker, but it was still very compelling. I also liked the story of Thrall/Hellscream.

I've enjoyed the story of Starcraft 2 as well. It's solid.

WoW on the other hand had zero story. It's just a zillion fetch quests that have little meaning, and then it took all the characters from WC3 and made them into bosses for you to kill for loot. It's hard to do a good story in an MMO, though.

 

[Sniper Team 4]

Hm...the only Blizzard games I have ever played are the Diablo ones, so I'm going to keep my thoughts on that series.

Short answer: Not really.

Extended answer: The actual plots in all three games is the same. You are chasing down Diablo, or his minions, and they always seem to be one step ahead of you. This is the same over and over, and even then, it's not very good. Diablo's story, if you chose to ignore the backstory and not talk to anyone, was confusing. Diablo II's was the best I think, because you're chasing after The Dark Wanderer and each zone you visit feels self contained, but also part of a larger world.
And Diablo III showed what happens when they try a little too hard I think.

All that being said, I do think Blizzard nails one thing very well: Lore. As I said, if you don't bother with the lore in Diablo, it's not going to make much sense. But if you do, if you choose to lose yourself in the layers of backstory and history, then oh man is it beautiful. Blizzard does a great job of making the entire universe in which Diablo takes place feel real, feel like it's really happening, or happened.
Sadly, they seem to have a bit of a problem carrying that talent over into the actual games, but I do enjoy them.

 

[Fiz_The_Toaster]

Their storytelling is average, and you're not gonna see any stellar plot twists either.

Honestly, I really don't play a Blizzard game for the story because my only thoughts are: What are the classes? Where is the game taking place? And can I still loot stuff?

I mainly play Diablo games, and those are my only concerns. I mean, Diablo has come back a bunch and I have to keep killing the bastard. He's more of a thing that's just there since I'm far too busy grinding, getting better loot, and just upgrading my gear.

All that being said, I do think Blizzard nails one thing very well: Lore. As I said, if you don't bother with the lore in Diablo, it's not going to make much sense. But if you do, if you choose to lose yourself in the layers of backstory and history, then oh man is it beautiful. Blizzard does a great job of making the entire universe in which Diablo takes place feel real, feel like it's really happening, or happened.
Sadly, they seem to have a bit of a problem carrying that talent over into the actual games, but I do enjoy them.

Yeah, that too.

It really sucks that it's kinda there in the games, but if you dig deep enough then you can find some excellent lore. I love Diablo's lore since it's just dark and a little unnerving in some places. I know WoW has some lore that's pretty cool, but I've haven't gotten as deep as Diablo since that's my jam.

I think it's also why I have attachments to some places in Diablo, like Tristram, because of the backstories. Then again, I think Deckard Cain had a lot to do with how fun the backstory can be.

 

[Glongpre]

Blizzard did write some decent ones, namely Wc3 and Diablo 2.

Starcraft 2 has a terrible plot and so does Diablo 3. They must have gotten new writers since D2 and Wc3, because they just make me shake my head. I don't think it is the plot so much as it is the script. The dialogue is so terrible.
Example: Diablo 3 - They just throw out the word nephalem every 5 seconds hoping you know wtf that is, the conversations just seem like they are trying overly hard. You go to heaven to try and save the angels, and Diablo is taunting you for some fucking reason, doesn't he have something better to do? Whereas in D2 there is hardly any dialogue, and yet the story is so much better for it. Diablo doesn't need to taunt you as you go to the Chaos Sanctuary, he just needs to let you know how fucked you are when he arrives.

There is just a little dialogue but it conveys so much more. Diablo 3 was trying too hard to be epic.

 

[zerragonoss]

I think their plots actually tend to be serviceable to above average. However there is a big difference between plot and writing, and their writing lately has been pretty bad. Overall writing is much more important to the story. 9 times out of 10 I would take a well written work with a crappy and clenched plot, over the best plot in the world with poor writing.

 

[ecoho]

personally I like the story but then again I read all the books. that said the gameplay is what makes the game great.