What is the best written videogame ever?
- Thread starter Random Name 4
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Planescape: Torment.
Starting an RPG with the concept there would be no swords, no gods, and that the point was not to stay alive was a brilliant start,and it kept getting better from there.
Starting an RPG with the concept there would be no swords, no gods, and that the point was not to stay alive was a brilliant start,and it kept getting better from there.
Prince of Persia: Sands of Time gets my vote. Only game I've ever played that didn't have several examples of eye-rollingly bad dialog, typos, and cliche-ridden throwaway lines.
Your picture kind of ninja'd my answer...Random Name 4 said:
OT: I think games with huge, expanded universes do it best.
E.G., Mass Effect, Fallout, Halo, God of War, Half Life, Bioshock.
Heavy Rain
Shadow of the Colossus
ICO
MGS3
MGS4 (If you can pretend that the conclusion really explained everything)
FFX
Bully
Mass Effect
Bio Shock
Gears of War
Uncharted 2
PSI OPS
HALO 1 & 2 (Dont hurt me)
DMC
Resident Evil 4
Silent Hill
Im sure there are more just can't remember.
Shadow of the Colossus
ICO
MGS3
MGS4 (If you can pretend that the conclusion really explained everything)
FFX
Bully
Mass Effect
Bio Shock
Gears of War
Uncharted 2
PSI OPS
HALO 1 & 2 (Dont hurt me)
DMC
Resident Evil 4
Silent Hill
Im sure there are more just can't remember.
You know I'm going to get slammed for this but I'm going to say the Halo series. I just always liked the stories it told, the locations and the characters. Most people would disagree with me though.
My defining game for all RPGs to follow is Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3. I'm willing to upgrade it to 'best-written' if you are.
Thief --- Both the Dark Project and Metal Age were masterfully penned, had an intriguing set of characters with a matching quality of voice actors, and managed to narrate well without all the tricks of the modern game engines.Random Name 4 said:
System Shock 2 and Deus Ex --- These classics were mentioned before. The sad thing is that they aren't just good examples because they are old and thus have the favor of nostalgia... they still stand up to modern games that try to be like them. Except the voice acting in Deus Ex. That was a bit edgy at times.
Metro 2033 [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.214459-a-Taffer-reviews-Metro-2033] --- Less for the gameplay ('cept the sneaking), but more the narrative and in particular the setting and the wonderful and yet subtle characterization of the poor sod you play. Some might say they spared a little too much detail on what was really going on (which you could figure out by paying a great deal of attention), but overall this title managed to impress me.
Enslaved Journey to the West --- Now that's a game that pulls itself out of the muck of mediocre gameplay by the means of a masterfully written story, a good narrative and the matching voice acting and character animation.
Beyond Good and Evil --- Now that one might not look like much from the outside, but we all should learn not to judge a book by its cover. Might not be as gritty as the rest of my preferences, but man did it leave me rooting for Jade.
Planescape Torment --- Little else to say about that.
Grrrm. I honestly wish I could be adding the BioWare games on that list. Though the more I think about it, the less they impress me and draw me into their setting. Knights of the Old Republic was Star Wars, little I can do to not like it or feel enthralled by the premise. But after that? Jade Empire and Mass Effect 2, maybe. Their pacing kept me going and I got attached to the characters (something I admit BioWare does very well). Not saying I don't love BioWare and their stories, 'tis just feels much like reading Dan Brown or Terry Goodkind. Once you read one, you pretty much read them all.
But can you say a game with a huge universe has a good story when little of that universe is shown in game anyway?RUINER ACTUAL said:
Take Halo, sure it has a big fleshed out world...in the books, while in game there is little mention of it, and its story itself isnt exactly the greatest either.
What about Half Life? It doesnt focus on the events world wide but the story of one man, which is great considering how it works but could you even say its a universe?
Bioshock is similar to Half Life, showing little of the big picture so to speak, which also like Half Life is great for what it does, but this and God of War would be my last thought if I was compiling a list of games with huge expanded universes.
Silent Hill? You must all be talking about Silent Hills 2 and 3. The world is half of it... the dialogue and character cutscenes are the other half. That means that half of the writing in SH1 is a joke. Make no mistake, I love that game more than my own flesh, but come on.
I would say, of the games I've played... I thought the writing in Metal Gear Solid was more than solid, it was great. Directions woven into the character dialogue, the consistency of the characters, the serious reactions they have to frankly ridiculous things happening once or twice, and the power to hear more at almost any time through that Codec system. I loved it.
God of War 1 had some good writing. I mean, through the dialogue and cutscenes we understand everything we need to know about Kratos... if it was just gameplay we wouldn't see him as much more than a weapon like the guy from Doom, but the writing made us care what happens to this world of gods and this ugly, violent man within it.
I would say, of the games I've played... I thought the writing in Metal Gear Solid was more than solid, it was great. Directions woven into the character dialogue, the consistency of the characters, the serious reactions they have to frankly ridiculous things happening once or twice, and the power to hear more at almost any time through that Codec system. I loved it.
God of War 1 had some good writing. I mean, through the dialogue and cutscenes we understand everything we need to know about Kratos... if it was just gameplay we wouldn't see him as much more than a weapon like the guy from Doom, but the writing made us care what happens to this world of gods and this ugly, violent man within it.
Half-Life 2, because it had a story that seamlessly integrated with gameplay. All the exposition and character introductions were perfectly timed and the overarching plot was a neat self-contained insight into an enslaved Earth at the hands of a more than capable enemy force.
Also, regardless what some may think, it had closure! It ends on a faus pax "to be continued," but in terms of plot - the bad guy was dead. Your mission was accomplished. And your "boss" tells you "mission accomplished" and stores you for your next forced assignment as an unwilling cog in the machine.
When the player feels like they have control within the context of a tight scripted narrative, then that's when the writing and gameplay hit an equinox, and that's what it's like to be writing a videogame.
Also, regardless what some may think, it had closure! It ends on a faus pax "to be continued," but in terms of plot - the bad guy was dead. Your mission was accomplished. And your "boss" tells you "mission accomplished" and stores you for your next forced assignment as an unwilling cog in the machine.
When the player feels like they have control within the context of a tight scripted narrative, then that's when the writing and gameplay hit an equinox, and that's what it's like to be writing a videogame.
Oh snap, I nearly forget that series all the time, and I shouldn't ever, because it was golden start to finish. First of all; I hate furries. These did not feel like what I would call a "furry"... they were animals, sure, but they were mostly people. It's harder to explain what 10 minutes of the games would communicate, and that alone should tell you how great the writing is. Clever, sharp, funny, dramatic, scary, silly, and always fun.CheckD3 said:
Bentley is a stereotypical nerd-type character at first, second, third glance, but he's got a lot going on. He has hidden fears, he has hidden courage... he has a story arc! Same with Murray... a fat, pink hippo trying to be a sneaky thief? Bullshit. But then I started to catch on with what they were going for... kind of a kid who never grew up all the way, and without spoiling anything, it's actually (I can't believe I'm saying this) really heartwarming how he gets the courage to do what needs to be done and grows up a lot during the 2nd and 3rd games (even mission to mission).
This is a colourful game that little kids can grasp the mechanics of. WHY IS IT SO DEEP?!
For something different to the games being suggested here I'd say the Professor Layton series, but then they always seem more like interactive movies than games, with so much effort in the cutscenes, that I'm not sure if they count.
So I'll say Portal. No irritating cutscenes breaking up gameplay, it all happens while you're playing, it all gets slowly revealed to you, and it's incredibly creepy.
So I'll say Portal. No irritating cutscenes breaking up gameplay, it all happens while you're playing, it all gets slowly revealed to you, and it's incredibly creepy.