The Worst Video Game Plots

[Woe Is You]

Quake 4 anyone?

Nah, it's your generic scifi shooter plot. To its merit, I've seen far worse scifi shooter plots.

They could've done so much more with the whole stroggification idea. Instead, they just turned your hud into a different color and spelled everything in 1337. Grrrreat.

 

[islagatt]

No plot doesn't mean bad plot. Bland plot doesn't mean bad plot. Gears of War? totally average, but the characterization made the bland plot kind of fun. Katamari really doesn't have a plot either, it just kind of happens. And convoluted doesn't always mean bad either, FFVIII was pretty hard to follow when I looked back at it, but when I was playing it was fun as hell. Likewise Xenogears. What kills me in a plot is when they kill the established setting or characters. MGSII, in my opinion wins worst plot ever, closely pursued by its obnoxious friend Devil May Cry II, and finally, FFVII. Why MGSII, it's convoluted gives us an unsympathetic whiny bastard instead of the character we know, and pretty much comes out of left field with most of the explanation at the end. DMCII Changed Dante from a wise-cracking smart-ass into a near-mute every-hero and took away our dear Trish from the first game and instead of developing her gives us ... someone entirely different; DMCII fails not for not having a plot, but not having one and trying so hard to make one that it all kind of turns into shit soup. And finally FFVII fails because of Cloud. Do I even need to explain? A guy with false memories and absolutely no apparent reason to do anything, the only thing I liked about it was the amount of smut about tifa that resulted and Sephiroth. At least in VIII and X, most of the characters were likable.

 

[khululy]

the worst plot...
skulljager on the snes... don't know it? good keep it that way
you are a pirate.. the island is infested with cockraches and you and your bubblegum have to save the day...
and no it's not funny it takes itself serious...
the mario plot lines... gawd...
I like the metal gear stories all the emotional talk about nano machines. It makes science fun. and the whole story dates from the original back in the 80's and it's not non-sensical it's ficion. sure it's a bit over dramatized andso but it is by far better that the thousands of "aliens have invaded" stories or "save the kingdom Oh noble stranger" Sure they make you think it's good but to be honest I don't think the RPG style story telling is any good in most western rpg's (mostly because they are based on the D&D mechanics)
I mean you just go trapsing around listening to rambling strangers and fixing their mess. In MGS even if the whole story has it flaws it adds imho to the confusement the whole mgs series have. It's war and nobody get's what's going on.

 

[GuerrillaClock]

Are you a bad enough dude to save the president?

 

[Eiseman]

What would be the point of Fan Fiction without plot?

Smut.

....ew.

Well, ask a silly question...

 

[-Seraph-]

i don't know why there's all this hate towards FFX
maybe it's because people have bad memories of X-2 idk

but Cloud is definately not emo, that view towards him started in the movie Advent Children, where apparently he thought that he was weak or something

even though in the game he's a cocky SOB for the first hald and even after the big reveal he still owns up to it and focuses on kicking Sephiroths ass

Oh jesus another person with enough sanity to see that cloud isn't emo, I applaud you. Yea I dont see whats all the hate towards 10 either, not as bad as some of the other ones. X-2 I guess ruined any chance of redemption for 10, shame really.

 

[Yargaflarga]

Area 51 for the Xbox was so confusing and full of plot holes that I can't even explain.

 

[Labyrinth]

What would be the point of Fan Fiction without plot?

Smut.

....ew.

Well, ask a silly question...

I wasn't expecting someone to admit to writing erotic crossover fanfiction. Sue me.

When did I imply I write it? The point was that it exists. I find it hilarious myself.

 

[L4Y Duke]

Someone here hasn't played Guilty Gear yet, dun dun dun (Bridget. 'nough said.)

... trying to remember some more now, as I study...

Ah, yes. I liked reading about the backstory for the characters.

 

[Xhumed]

What would be the point of Fan Fiction without plot?

Smut.

....ew.

Well, ask a silly question...

I wasn't expecting someone to admit to writing erotic crossover fanfiction. Sue me.

When did I imply I write it? The point was that it exists. I find it hilarious myself.

I have a friend who also enjoys slash fan fiction we're looking into counselling...
The only fan fiction ive read was Half Life: Full Life Consequences, which is possibly one of the funniest thing EVAR.

 

[Vortigar]

i don't know why there's all this hate towards FFX
maybe it's because people have bad memories of X-2 idk

but Cloud is definately not emo, that view towards him started in the movie Advent Children, where apparently he thought that he was weak or something

even though in the game he's a cocky SOB for the first hald and even after the big reveal he still owns up to it and focuses on kicking Sephiroths ass

That sentiment on Cloud is older than Advent Children. I used to call Cloud a depressed twat irc. Emo didn't exist back then. I wished I could excise the whiny bugger from my party and play with Red/Tifa/Cid (possibly with Vincent and/or Cait-Sith).

And I've tried to get through FFX but what killed it for me were unskippable cutscenes and a cast of almost entirely unlikable characters. I later brushed up on the plot through watching the cutscenes on youtube. Decent enough anime fare I'd say.

I actually enjoyed FFX-2 more, but also didn't manage to drag my way through that contrivance either. Got a 82% save, but never got to the end.

 

[khululy]

Gonna say MGS, if you need to go on gamefaqs to understand the plot then its not worth knowing.

You do?

 

[L4Y Duke]

O, and for those of you not into Guilty Gear X, here's the deal with Bridget.

This is Bridget. Bridget is male.

Bridget was born in a village as the second of twin boys. However, the village saw twin boys as a sign of bad luck, and as such his real gender was hidden, for fear of scaring the other villagers.

His role in GGX2 is to try and show that he's not such bad luck after all...

 

[boholikeu]

I like the metal gear stories all the emotional talk about nano machines. It makes science fun. and the whole story dates from the original back in the 80's and it's not non-sensical it's ficion. sure it's a bit over dramatized andso but it is by far better that the thousands of "aliens have invaded" stories or "save the kingdom Oh noble stranger" Sure they make you think it's good but to be honest I don't think the RPG style story telling is any good in most western rpg's (mostly because they are based on the D&D mechanics)
I mean you just go trapsing around listening to rambling strangers and fixing their mess. In MGS even if the whole story has it flaws it adds imho to the confusement the whole mgs series have. It's war and nobody get's what's going on.

Sorry, the emotional talk and nanomachines stuff in MGS never really appealed to me. It's just the same re-hashed sci-fi crap you see in 100 other second-rate Anime. The worst part is that when they explain it all they make it sound as if they are dealing with some "waaay deep philosophical issues, man". Unfortunately, my stoner roommate's bong water is more philosophical that MGS. Kojima really needs to learn to show some restraint as a storyteller.

Other than that the games weren't that bad overall. Great gameplay (when you actually got to it)!

 

[Housefly]

I don't know if Shadow Of The Colossus counts, since it doesn't actually try to have a story, but it does have nearly an hour of cut scenes, mostly involving the main character sitting on his horse, and a half-hour long ending in which something happens which may be good or may be bad, but since the hour of cutscenes contains zero backstory on the characters or the world they inhabit I don't really care which.

You can make no effort to tell a story OR you can have a load of cutscenes. Doing both is just being greedy.

 

[r0manz]

Painkiller XD

 

[TcDodds]

Dead Rising - just because nobody played if for the plot, we just wanted to kill zombies.

 

[rakdosleader]

sure is was fun looking more dasterdly evil with every point of malice you obtained, looking more like the dark lord sarron (or whatever the hell his name is) with each passing day!