What is the best written videogame ever?

[Super Toast]

Planescape: Torment and... well, anything from BioWare.

 

[Therumancer]

We know that game stories are meant to be brainless pieces of derivative generic brain rotting filler pulpy mess on the same level as bargain bin pornography or children's tv rapefics. But what games do you think prove this wrong, what game is the best written?

If I had to pick a best written game I'd probably have to say Ultima VI or Ultima IV depending on perspective. Those games were among the first that did not involve a "kill foozle" plotline, and involved tons of dialogue, NPC development, and world building at a time before those things had even occured to most people.

If I had to pick a worst, I'd probably say "Metal Gear". I say this because while the storyline IS understandable, it's basically a mish-mash of ptetentious nonsense. When you consider that the series eventually began as a tongue-in-cheek satire of 1980s politics (read the backround for the original Metal Gear game sometimes) and then got turned into a deadpan science fiction techno-thriller... well to say the results were a mess is an understatement. Truthfully I think "Metal Gear" pretty much regressed video game writing by it's very existance by sort of sending a message that the quality of the writing doesn't much matter as long as your pretentious enough about it.

 

[Arehexes]

Pong, it's nothing but two lines beating a ball around.

 

[cystemic]

bioware is probably at the top of the writing in games pantheon for me but i like naughty dog too

 

[Sparrow]

Well, so far, the storyline in Fable 3 isn't exactly the most well thought out plot evar but the writing itself is pretty good. The Lionhead writing team sure do know how to make me chuckle.

 

[thenamelessloser]

Well, so far, the storyline in Fable 3 isn't exactly the most well thought out plot evar but the writing itself is pretty good. The Lionhead writing team sure do know how to make me chuckle.

So in other words like Fable 1 and 2? (I haven't played 3 yet,)

 

[MegaManOfNumbers]

Castlevania: SotN

"What is a man?! A miserable pile of SECRETS!!"

 

[Death God]

Bioshock 1 or Metal Gear Solid 3. Both had amazing plot and thought put into them.

 

[Lullabye]

Im gonna go ahead and say....Final Fantasy Tactics.
Maybe not the best,, as I've not played every game and cannot possibly develope an accurate opinion of the complete unknown, however, in my experience, it is one of the few stories I remember for it's writing/dialogue(this includes movies and books)
I certainly enjoyed it.
And quite frankly, it had one of the most memorable character introductory scenes in my gaming history.

 

[thenamelessloser]

Im gonna go ahead and say....Final Fantasy Tactics.
Maybe not the best,, as I've not played every game and cannot possibly develope an accurate opinion of the complete unknown, however, in my experience, it is one of the few stories I remember for it's writing/dialogue(this includes movies and books)
I certainly enjoyed it.
And quite frankly, it had one of the most memorable character introductory scenes in my gaming history.

I only played the PSX version seemed like a good story hidden underneath bad writing (probably due to translation).

 

[Merkavar]

bioshock 1 and assassins creed 2 were really good stories.

i like how assassins creed 2 basically says that everyone that was slightly powerful through history had a peice of eden that controled humans.

 

[SecretAlienMan]

Definitely Chrono Trigger

 

[BlumiereBleck]

Super Paper Mario.

 

[Jonny The Kay]

Metal Gear Solid Series

 

[Darknacht]

Planescape: Torment was good enough it was converted into a book.

 

[Canid117]

Most games actually have better plots than most modern movies.

 

[Guillermo Solari]

mass effect all the way

 

[ethaninja]

The fact that Half Life managed to pull off a storyline without the maincharacter saying a single thing, I'm kind of envious of. For now, I'll choose that.

 

[Pyotr Romanov]

Planescape: Torment

I'm going to have to go with this. As little of it as I've played, I could just feel the good writing oozing off.

 

[Toranilor]

The Mass Effect series, or anything else by Bioware.