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Forums - Gaming Discussion - Gameplay vs Story+

 

Which of these is the better mix?

Excellent gameplay and bad story. (e.g. NSMB) 147 69.67%
 
Excellent story+ and bad ... 64 30.33%
 
Total:211
happydolphin on 01 March 2013
RolStoppable said:

The fact that it was a parody thread should tell you something.

NSMB has a good story, because it fits the game perfectly. It's only there to give a reason for an adventure. That's all it has to do. You could fill a platformer with cutscenes, but then you end up with distracting nonsense like in Klonoa. Or Super Mario Sunshine which overdoes it in the beginning of the game, but thankfully gets it out of the way after a while.

lol at that. The posts in that thread made it clear gamers don't expect any kind of compelling story from the series anymore, let's not argue that.

Unless you're honest about this..., I'll humor you for a sec. The worlds in NSMB have very little that give it true value. It, at least to me, appears to be there for the sake of being there. But in interest of not insulting something you like, I'll keep this brief.



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happydolphin on 01 March 2013
pokoko said:
It's not really as simple as that, I don't think.

I often enjoy games with no story more than games that give you a half-hearted story. For example, something like AudioSurf, which is purely a game-play based experience, or Gran Turismo, where you can make up your own story as you work your way up.

In a related way, some games don't have a very complex plot, like Torchlight, but the world is very interesting and again lets you use your imagination.

I think games that don't give you very engaging characters or setting are my least favorites. If the characters don't interest me and the world seems bland or goofy, then I probably won't finish the game. Relative to that, I would prefer something with bland gameplay but an excellent story and characters. I've played many RPGs that fit that description and I've enjoyed them.

Of course, all things are not equal for everyone. I'll take an SRPG over a platformer any day of the week, so the relative weight of the other things they bring to the table is not the same for me. A platformer would have to have something really engaging about it for me to overcome the boredom I usually feel with the genre.

If I had to pick a favorite, I'd say Really good story + solid gameplay. Something like Valkyria Chronicles or Fallout: New Vegas.

The point of the poll is to challenge your value system, so you're missing the point by doing that.



Jay520 on 01 March 2013
bananaking21 said:
Jay520 said:
bananaking21 said:


games that are "pure gameplay" are just games that have a shit of a story and developers/fans want to hide that fact, so they act like its not important


When did story because a prerequisite for games?


it isnt, however games with an actual world or universie (not games like tetris) require a story for it to be actually immersive and believable. its very convienent to put a nice looking level but if there isnt a story behind it atleast it really isnt believable 



If a game has no story, then it probably doesn't have a world that *needs* to be believed. Take Wipeout for example. It takes place in some futuristic super-racing league. It's certainly not something we see everyday and is pretty unbelievable. But that doesn't stop me from getting extreme enjoyment from the gameplay, controls, presentation, challenge, etc.

bananaking21 on 01 March 2013
Jay520 said:
bananaking21 said:
Jay520 said:
bananaking21 said:


games that are "pure gameplay" are just games that have a shit of a story and developers/fans want to hide that fact, so they act like its not important


When did story because a prerequisite for games?


it isnt, however games with an actual world or universie (not games like tetris) require a story for it to be actually immersive and believable. its very convienent to put a nice looking level but if there isnt a story behind it atleast it really isnt believable 


If a game has no story, then it probably doesn't have a world that *needs* to be believed. Take Wipeout for example. It takes place in some futuristic super-racing league. It's certainly not something we see everyday and is pretty unbelievable. But that doesn't stop me from getting extreme enjoyment from the gameplay, controls, presentation, challenge, etc.

even though i did generalize in my previous post i shouldnt have, a mistake on my part. usually racing games dont need or require a story as the only thing your going to do is race and maybe adjust the car. its a genre that doenst require a story admittedly because the univerise or world isnt important, its all about the race, there are no characters or anything to tell a story. my point was about games where the univerise of the game is important, or when exploration a key element of the game



Immortal on 01 March 2013
Wright said:
Immortal said:
I like Mario platformers quite a bit, so I suppose I'll vote gameplay. Don't really care for a lot of "no gameplay" games, though. Closest thing is Ace Attorney, and the courtroom gameplay is like the best part for me.


But even that is gameplay. That's like saying Layton has no gameplay because you are solving puzzles and nothing more.

 

And for the nostalgia...

That was exactly my point.

Thanks for the link, though. I needed that. :D



 

“These are my principles; if you don’t like them, I have others.” – Groucho Marx

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Wright on 01 March 2013
Immortal said:
Wright said:
Immortal said:
I like Mario platformers quite a bit, so I suppose I'll vote gameplay. Don't really care for a lot of "no gameplay" games, though. Closest thing is Ace Attorney, and the courtroom gameplay is like the best part for me.


But even that is gameplay. That's like saying Layton has no gameplay because you are solving puzzles and nothing more.

 

And for the nostalgia...

That was exactly my point.

Thanks for the link, though. I needed that. :D

Then... I did not understand your original statement. xD

 

And no problem! I needed it too.



Play4Fun on 01 March 2013
bananaking21 said:
Play4Fun said:
bananaking21 said:
pastro243 said:
Ive learned to enjoy both types. I recently played "To the moon" and while you could say the gameplay wasnt any good it kept me interested for the story part.

On the other hand, I can enjoy games that are "pure gameplay".

You just need what seems apropiate for each type of game or what the game creators want to express.


games that are "pure gameplay" are just games that have a shit of a story and developers/fans want to hide that fact, so they act like its not important

Riiiiight...

instead of trying to downplay my post why not post a counter arguement if you dont believe im right?

Nah, I'll just downplay your post instead.



Immortal on 01 March 2013
Wright said:
Immortal said:

That was exactly my point.

Thanks for the link, though. I needed that. :D

Then... I did not understand your original statement. xD

 

And no problem! I needed it too.


My point was that I really prefer gameplay. That's why, even for AA, which is pretty story-driven, the gameplay was hugely important for me. (Well, the courtroom parts. The investigation is a mundane hell that you have to survive to be rewarded in the courtroom.)



 

“These are my principles; if you don’t like them, I have others.” – Groucho Marx

Soleron on 01 March 2013
pezus said:
Gameplay. But a great story is the difference between a legendary game and a good game.

And that "story" need not be a directed narrative but could be worldbuilding, exploration, art design and so on that makes the game meaningful. Example: Metroid Prime, Minecraft.



dyremose on 01 March 2013

Deoends on the game. I want big budget titles to focus on the narrative while i feel like smaller games should focus on gameplay. I wouldnt play any game on my phone for any story since i just need a quick and superficial commute entertainment.