Star Ocean 4 vs. Infinite Undiscovery

[Dodece]

I am sorry to say this but anyone excusing the lack of a proper story is just being contrary for the sake of being contrary. Games need and deserve good stories. Especially if they want to be a form of mainstream entertainment. More developers are making the right call. They are either creating a dedicated writing staff, or are subcontracting out to actual writers. This isn't exactly what could be called a financial hardship.

The reality is that some developers as far as story goes are still mired in the past. When they could get by without having decent writing in their games, and the market was almost entirely devoted to the very young. Who are not exactly known for their discerning tastes. Today however the market is more varied, and they need a professional writer to strike the appropriate balance. Keep it smart enough for the adults, and not so cerebral as to over shoot the young player.

No I do not buy the argument for a minute that any developer is to be given a pass on having a decent story. I would say look at the market good story and dialogue are heavy selling features for games like Mass Effect, Oblivion, Fallout, Bioshock, and so on and so forth. Writing is just as important for a game as game play, graphics, audio, and replay. No ignoring it is just not a real option anymore. It is something that a good game needs. Especially if it revolves around a story to begin with. Writing is one of the reasons that Lost Odyssey has been so popular.

Speaking to the technical glitches in Star Ocean the original poster pointed this out. You need to play the game at a lower resolution to avoid problems. Honestly I do not rage against the staff over it though. They tried to support the highest definition possible. Most developers do not even try to do it, and most give up half way there. It must be a large technical hurdle. Oh and that is regardless of the system it seems.