Deepest video game storylines?

[billy07]

Garcian Smith said:

rocketpig said:

Garcian Smith said:
1) Planescape Torment
2) KotOR 2
3) Killer7
4) Legacy of Kain series
5) The Longest Journey

@ Words of Wisdom: From all of the mentions of Xenogears, Metal Gear Solid, and Legend of Zelda, it seems that the number isn't much. There's a BIG difference between a story that's merely entertaining and one that's deep.

Well, MGS has tried many underlying themes that show depth: pacifism, betrayal, various philosophies, etc. I just think it has failed in most regards to effectively communicate those ideas.

Meanwhile, games like KOTOR, Fallout, or Mass Effect show some depth by having real choice in-game and how those choices affect the rest of the game. That in itself raises questions of morality, independent choice, etc.

BioShock lightly grazed over Objectivism but the scene in Andrew Ryan's office showed some poignancy, though I felt it fell well short of the mark Irrational should have been aiming for and it left me unfulfilled.

Anyway, I have yet to see a game that I feel is deep and still offers a decent gaming experience around it. Most of the stuff I see people listing in this thread are really just slightly complex sci-fi fluff we see Hollywood churn out on a constant basis. Much more 2010: The Year We Make Contact than 2001: A Space Odyssey, if you catch my drift.

I think you're reading too deeply into the story of the MGS games if you think they're deep. The themes of pacifism and betrayal, etc. are glossed over, true, but they're not really treated any more in-depth than your average Hollywood blockbuster. In reality, the MGS games' stories are just over-the-top, semi-parody affairs with bisexual vampires, memory-card-reading psychics, and FISSION MAILED, and anyone who takes them any more seriously than that probably has no sense of humor.

@ the_vagabond7: I really hope so. I got about 15 hours into Xenogears, and all I took from the story was Standard JRPG Spiky-Haired Guy is trying to Regain His Conveniently-Forgotten Memories Integral to the Plot while Standard JRPG Villain wants to Kill God. (lol) Oh, and there's some BS animu mecha crap mixed in there as well. I'm a philosophy graduate, and I didn't catch a hint of any Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, or whatever in there.

@ epinefridis: If even a single character in the prequel episodes had the depth of characterization of Kreia, then the movies would be redeemed in their entirety. If only Chris Avellone would produce more games...

 Xenogears doesn't get good until the second disc. But then it becomes very very good.