ChronotriggerJM said:
Are videogames not a form of expression through interactive media o.O? Why should I play a game I feel offers me less than something the competition offers. Keep an open mind please. |
I do have an open mind. When I was 12-15 I LOVED video game stories. And I do recognize the potential that has been very rarely half-realized to take story-telling to a greater level through video games, but for the most part, story-heavy games are hackeneyed, unoriginal and uninteresting. I also think that the story often detracts from the game rather than adds to it, because the fitting of interactivity and a pre-determined storyline together is often awkard and ungainly.
I do think that Final Fantasy VI and Chrono Trigger have perfectly decent young adult storylines, but given that their status as some of the best story-driven games ever, I'd have to come down hard on the shallow characterizations, light world-building, face-value addressal of issues, shoddy writing, etc. The point being: their only great success is that the story didn't interfere with the game. (I can't vouch for a lot of older PC adventure games - I respect the games that I've played in the genre with witty writing, like Curse of Monkey Island... though Half-Life's story was laughably bad) While that's all well and good, if you take a look at some of the more recent storytelling heavyweights (see, for example Final Fantasy X), the stories are interspersed poorly, often have shit voice acting and endless cut scenes, that just keep the player from actually playing the game. And in general, the characters are all still cliches, the worlds are incredibly artificial, and the emotional depth isn't there.
...(insert stuff about advanced AI and/or professional writers, etc. realizing the potential of video games as a storytelling medium)...
