Gameplay vs Story+

[milkyjoe]

happydolphin said:

TruckOSaurus said:

Why do you reject milkyjoe'S point? In short, he's saying the first AC had immersive world and compelling story but the repetitive gameplay prevented it from reaching greatness. That's exactly what your thread is about, why reject his point and ask for another example?

I rejected his point because of how he presented it.

"I made the point that hundreds of games share the same basic story elements."

In that sentence, I saw NSMB versus AC, rather than AC1 vs AC2. It was only in his later post that I understood what that original sentence and the post containing it fully meant.

That's why they're video games and not movies, and I understand now that his posts are trying to say that good gameplay can bring a good story and world to life, but going back to your question I originally had difficulty accepting his point because of his basic premise "I made the point that hundreds of games share the same basic story elements." That's something I didn't agree with and threw me off.

But to get back on where we agree, certainly great gameplay can take an excellent story and vibrant world, and enhance it to gaming greatness. Yes, I agree with both of you there, hence why gameplay and story are so tightly knit.

However, I believe the ultimate goal is greatness. So a game that isn't repetitive but has basic gameplay yet an amazing story/world (maybe Journey, I never played it) can offer the player an experience like never before.

But a game with purely excellent gameplay but a basic story/world, would that be able to achieve greatness? I would seriously doubt it.

How is that not true though? Good guy beats bad guy to save the world (and perhaps get the girl) is arguably the most common basic story idea in every type of entertainment, not just gaming.

Some do it very simply, others expand and make it complex. Jack Bauer trying to stop a terrorist plot and Carrie Mathison trying to stop a terrorist plot are similar stories told in different ways. 24 was more focused on the action, Homeland was more about the people involved.