| PullusPardus said: Not a fan of their writing at all, Uncharted is very much wannabe hollywood movie. But you why didn't mention fire emblem ? |
To be honest I feel different about Naughty Dog. I don't see them as being like a "Hollywood" movie. A movie yes, but one that is unconstrained by decisions made by Hollywood executives to make sure that movie will sell and is worth the investment. Naughty Dog sets a new bar in story telling because they have no boundaries and can use their well thought out stories and characters to any extent they wish. This is also why they are unbelievably consistent with their winning stream of story, gameplay, and development. I will admit that while Uncharted 3 was great, the story had a few holes unlike Uncharted 1 and 2.
Actually Fire Emblem was one of the games I had in mind when I said a "ton" of other games. I was going to list a dozen or so that had phenomenal storylines but I felt a little confined to do so because a lot of people have different opinions and seem to be somewhat attacking each other on it. Unfortunately a lot of gamers, not necessarily here on VGcharts (ok some) don't comprehend the plots of games very well and I do not mean offense to this. One example of this is Metal Gear Solid which I feel is one of if not the best plot in gaming. It was the game that started the path for gaming to take a serious turn into deeper and more complex plots. MGS leaves no stone unturned and answers all of the questions and all dots are connected in the 4th entry. Which made it somewhat unenjoyable to newcomers. Phantom Pain will address the one question at the end of 4 which is regarding Ocelot as well as how (HUGE spoiler warning) Big Boss becomes a major villain.
Some people think Halo has a fantastic story and characters but it is overly simplistic and generic. I am a huge Halo fan and I understand that Bungie ALWAYS focuses on gameplay first and the story is one of their last priorities. I also know that the games went off track with each entry and left planned plots out (Bungie has a bad habit of this and Destiny was another recent victim). Halo 3 was completely rewritten and removed MAJOR plot elements such as Gravemind, Arbiter, and from my understanding it did not kill of Miranda or Johnson as well as a different purpose for 343 Guilty spark and more. Apparently it set up a huge cliff-hanger for a very different Halo 4. Anyways this is probably not even a relevant or important point! XD
I think some of the best plots of gaming not only include the 3 as above but also games like "Tales of Symphonia" to the lesser known "Advent Rising". Both of those are mind-blowing beyond belief. Mass Effect is another big one and it had controversial debates thanks to the ending, which by the way was fantastic. It kept people talking for years with various theories and therefore Bioware scored the gold! As much as I like the indoctrination theory, I am sure that isn't what actually happened. I actually think I know what happened and unfortunately it is something very few gamers caught on to. It was something that was actually consistent with the rest of the game and not random, seems like only the hardcore fans "got it" ;) Also I will admit that I have NOT played the Dragon Age games so I cannot comment on why you think it's a bad story. I have heard otherwise but I again cannot comment because I have ZERO knowledge on Dragon Age and you may very well be correct on this from my perspective had I played the game. I just wanted to throw the ball on that as I have mentioned Mass Effect, which is phenomenal in terms of character development, story, and solid plot twists. Another great series is the Assassin's Creed games, unfortunately the writing got sloppy and the plot fell off track after the trilogy ended. Rouge did have a great story imo. Another good one is the Resident Evil series! Yes it has some corny lines and a lot of that is due to the fact that the translators for those games are probably the worst in the industry. The journals and notes in the game seem like they are written by amateurs in the english games but read like a mature novel in the Japanese version. The game has such a rich lore that lingers in the background and requires reading notes hidden in the games to fully understand what is really going on and the motivations of many of the major characters. It is also fairly complex and often requires playing all the games to get the "full picture" of what is really going on. Revelations 2 was directed to the hardcore fans to the point that it was almost unplayable for anyone who is not a "fan" or well versed in the franchise. No, the villain was NOT new and fabricated as an excuse but was actually mentioned in past games and this made the hardcore fans so excited that it brought many fans who gave up on the series back into the fold. It also sets up the future games and brings a villain who literally feeds off the fear and despair of others and is capable of returning the series back to it's roots as a survival horror. RE7 may very well (another major spoiler warning) take place in Natalia's head which in turn may very well be a solo adventure with no guns. A flashlight, compassion (love), and will (I know it might sound confusing to some) to keep the horrors at bay from eternal and internal torment.
Many games have a totally different way of portraying stories. Some games are very direct and simple like Halo, Gears of War, and God of War. Some are complex and require a lot of attention to details such as Metal Gear Solid, Mass effect, The Last of Us, and Tales of Symphonia. Some have very deep background lore that requires a very deep look into the games yet contain rich and complex characters/story such as Resident Evil, Metroid, Zelda, and Warcraft. Some are deep but more accessible/comprehensible to those who want to kick back and just enjoy an incredible yet rich story such as Uncharted, The Order of 1886, Advent Rising, Heavenly Sword, and Fire Emblem. In the end there are tons of great ways for video games to perceive stories. Personally I myself prefer the games that require a lot of detail and complexity while someone else may enjoy a simpler story that is more appealing to their tastes.
