I've been thinking about this one. For consoles, we're almost 6 years into the generation for X360 owners, and 5 for PS3/Wii owners. There have been thousands of games created in that timespan from many genres. Stripping away other aspects - the graphics, the gameplay, the music, and the like, I got to thinking about this.

What is your absolute favorite storyline of any game that you've played this generation? I've played a ton this game, as a 360 owner who is almost exclusively into RPGs and horror/thriller games.

My personal opinion on the best storyline is:

Quite frankly, it is almost my game of the generation too - entirely due to storyline. I picked this game up on a whim for $20.00 USD when it came out, thinking that no matter how crappy it was, a $20 purchase had to justify it since it was a horror game, and my wife had been deprived of such kinds of games this generation.

What we found in the game was an experience bar none. Although many aspects were mediocre if not bad - the driving, the combat, and the graphics - the storyline was one of the best ever concieved in my opinion. Add to that the town, the people and the atmosphere of the game, and it made for something extrodinary. Its my wife's favorite game of the generation by a country mile. Its hard to explain the story without spoiling it, but its quirky, funny, crazy, and breathtaking by the end. Once your done with the game, you have to sit back and say 'wow'.

My runner up is probably a more obvious pick:

Mind you, I am talking about the first one. Although the 2nd game took a woeful step back in terms of storyline, the first one was spectacular. Although the reveal was a similar climax as was the case in Bioware's Knights of the Old Republic, it was certainly an amazing reveal. I felt every aspect of the story made me feel for the characters and the history of the game. I lapped up every codex entry, every discussion which was presented very well in the game. I enjoyed it enough to get the 1000/1000 achievement through 5 playthroughs. Still at 5 playthroughs, I found little bits of the story due to the paragon/renengade options.

Hopefully the completion of the arc established in ME1 is handled properly in the 3rd game, but even as a standalone, I felt a sense of triumph by the end.

Others Considered:

• Lost Odyssey
• Tales of Vesperia

What say you, VGC?

well I would say okami, but it came out last gen first. I guess ill go with lost odyssey, assasins creed 2 and vesperia.

The Darkness is my favourite story ever, even though I don't remember some of the story right now.
Assassin's Creed 2 had a good story as well. But its hard to distinguish one as the best for me.

I'd go with Bioshock. At first glance, the main story arc seems simple, but there is a lot going on underneath the surface. On top of this, the audio dialogs effectively tell another story about the rise, fall, and continuation of Rapture. Overall, it is one of the most fully-realized worlds I've encountered in video games.

I also liked how the story was told. There are very few cinematic sequences, and almost everything is told in real-time through audio dialogs or radio conversations. The game doesn't really shove its story down your throat, but there is a lot there for those who are willing to look.

Yes, The Darkness is one of my most underrated and overlooked games of this generation. It took me by surprise, particularly how the game actually made me care about the main character.

I doubt whether anything will ever come close to MGS4 for me.

I'm gonna use a loophole and say Persona 3 Portable!

MGS4, Gears of War or Uncharted 2... Hmm MGS4 was so epic so I have to give it to MGS4, thats my final answer haha

This, 100% 

Definitely Bioshock; the best story and it's told so well without the use of any cut-scenes.  Even just looking at some of the rooms reveals what happened there.

Additionally, the big twist in the game ("Would you kindly?", who you really are and Atlas' true identity) are unquestionably the best story elements I've ever experienced in a game thus far.

As far as pure cinematic presentation though, I'd give it to MGS4 for its incredibly directed cut-scenes, and Uncharted 2 for the exceptional voice acting.

I have to say bioshock. But, I thought the gameplay was mediocre.

I loved Deus Ex: HR, Peace Walker, And The World Ends With You. But each of them took some akward turns. But I thought bioshocks story was great throughout.