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The Castlevania Dungeon Forums => Hardcore Gaming 101 => Topic started by: Darkson on July 02, 2012, 03:06:21 PM

Title: Best story in the video game medium
Post by: Darkson on July 02, 2012, 03:06:21 PM
What do you guys think it is?
Metal gear has a good story, but it is sorta overly convoluted and towards the end, becomes odd.

So, I'd have to say that the legacy of kain has the best story in the medium. Hell, it is my favorite vampire centered story. The combination of the solid voice acting, the expertly written story, and intriguing characters really makes the series one of the best I've seen in any medium, and I am an avid reader in mature fantasy like George Martin and terry brooks.
Title: Re: Best story in the video game medium
Post by: Kale on July 02, 2012, 03:12:50 PM
I can agree with that. VtM Bloodlines does it well too.


I have yet to play Half-life's story so the story of that is lost on me. But I do hear lots of people saying it's story is very good as well.
Title: Re: Best story in the video game medium
Post by: Neobelmont on July 02, 2012, 03:37:22 PM
Sometimes being simple is the best way to go. So I say Dragon Warrior even if it is simple (maybe too simple for it's own good). Overall I think the stories presented in DW are ones that everyone can really enjoy and to me that is a "best story"  :) .
Title: Re: Best story in the video game medium
Post by: crisis on July 02, 2012, 03:50:20 PM
::waits for someone to say OCARINA OF TIME::

this topic is entirely subjective. i;m partial to Final Fantasy Tactics (the very first one), and cowboy bebop
Title: Re: Best story in the video game medium
Post by: KaZudra on July 02, 2012, 03:57:41 PM
::waits for someone to say OCARINA OF TIME::

this topic is entirely subjective. i;m partial to Final Fantasy Tactics (the very first one), and cowboy bebop
OoT has a super-weak story.

My vote is on Bioshock 1+2
Title: Re: Best story in the video game medium
Post by: Kale on July 02, 2012, 04:00:41 PM
::waits for someone to say OCARINA OF TIME::

this topic is entirely subjective. i;m partial to Final Fantasy Tactics (the very first one), and cowboy bebop

That's another one that I can agree with, even if the end was weak. But no story is really "perfect" in my eyes.
Title: Re: Best story in the video game medium
Post by: Neobelmont on July 02, 2012, 04:05:16 PM
OoT has a super-weak story.


Super weak or super simple hmmm both in my opinion just if I were to say this on a Zelda forum I would get toasted to tell the truth zelda stories have never really impressed me for some reason they were more good than bad, but....

Another one I would like to say is onimusha just good action packed storyline goodness with the oni and everything.

Title: Re: Best story in the video game medium
Post by: Ahasverus on July 02, 2012, 04:34:36 PM
Legacy of Kain without a doubt. Recently I would put up there Bioshock and To the Moon.
Red Dead Redemption should be uo there too :P
Title: Re: Best story in the video game medium
Post by: Ratty on July 02, 2012, 04:56:54 PM
Part of the problem with game stories, and this goes all the way back to pen and paper RPGs, is that you can have the most moving, epic and deep tale to tell in the world. But none of that makes any difference if all the player wants to do is hang out in the bar and hit on wenches.
An 8 Bit Reenactment of Dungeons and Dragons (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-leYc4oC83E#)
So unlike other mediums to some degree "how good" the story is depends on the player, as they actively drive (or fail to drive) it. So how good or bad a story is for the viewer/player will if anything be even more subjective than in passive mediums.

All that said, I'm hard pressed to think of a game that I think could stand up to the best of writing and film, but "Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines" is certainly a good start. And for fantasy I've always been rather fond of FFIX's setting and characters/characterization, and the story is not bad either.
Title: Re: Best story in the video game medium
Post by: Abnormal Freak on July 02, 2012, 04:59:39 PM
My vote is on Bioshock 1+2

I figured someone would say BioShock, and it indeed has a good story.

But, allow me to gush over Thief: The Dark Project s'more here. I've been in love with it for 14 years after all.

The story was actually written by Ken Levine, same dude who did BioShock. He was trying to make it in Hollywood as a screenwriter before moving on to games; he apparently got into games because Looking Glass Studios thought to hire someone from Hollywood to write the story for their game.

Anyway, the story in Thief is deeply involved, very mystical, it has an interesting steampunk setting (cool, reserved steampunk sort of like the movie Brazil but in a medieval setting, not that stupid bullshit cosplayers are doing today), and holy shit I dunno how much I can say without completely ruining the story for anyone who wants to play it, but it's great.

But yeah, you're this dude who as a kid was a pickpocket, you try to nab money from a dude in a cloak who's part of the Keeper Order, he recognizes your skill and takes you in, trains you, you leave the Keepers, you use the skills to not just pickpocket but extensively rob men of high standing, and...man, I can't go further without spoilers, lol. But there are a lot of fascinating characters involved, there are the Hammerites, a religious order who worship the Builder and have a boner for making and wielding hammers, there's creepy undead shit and ghosts... I really can't go into the twists and turns of the story, but what starts out as, "I'm gonna steal things," turns into this big story that's again really involved and interactive, and it goes into some really dark territory.

Thief II: The Metal Age also has a fantastic story. There's a new Hammerite denomination known as the Mechanists, led by a really eccentric and prophetic guy, and they bring about the Metal Age with awesome stuff like steam-powered security robots, really making the steampunk fantasy even stronger than in the first game. Amazing stuff happens there as well; you'll just have to take my word for it.

:O:O:O:O:O:O:O:O:O:O:O:O:O:O:O:O:O:O:O

And the mission briefs and cutscenes are a treat to watch. The lead artist developed a really cool method for creating unique animation (which also occasionally involved silhouettes of actual people), and he wanted to do the movie adaptation for A Scanner Darkly and it's bullshit the producers didn't go with him 'cos the faux-animated look of the actual movie sucks cojones.

Thief: The Dark Project - Intro (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pch1ymYAMvU#)

(I'm convinced, by the way, that the intro for Batman Beyond was inspired by this game's intro.)
Title: Re: Best story in the video game medium
Post by: Abnormal Freak on July 02, 2012, 05:11:55 PM
Oh, but other than that (lol), Silent Hill 2 has an incredible story, as does killer7. The quality of storytelling in these games is pretty rare, I find. They actually resemble movies while still being interactive video games, which I really like.

Oh, and Conker's Bad Fur Day. That has some of the best writing and dialog in a game—not even joking.
Title: Re: Best story in the video game medium
Post by: TheouAegis on July 02, 2012, 09:50:16 PM
Maybe it's just me, but on the topic of Half-Life, I think the story is good only by way of what is not told in the game(s). There were a lot of questions left unanswered in the first game. Some of the were answered in Blue Shift and the other side-story (forgot what it's called), but they left even more questions unanswered. And then along came HL2 and woo-boy! Talk about more questions being left unanswered! The beauty of Half-Life is it told you enough and yet kept so much unexplained so that you felt the HL universe could very well be real.

That and it was just plain creepy. It borrowed elements from so many sci-fi and horror novels and movies and meshed them into a simple story of scientist-opens-portal-to-another-dimension-and-lets-aliens-into-our-realm-and-must-stop-the-invasion. It's as cliche and simplistic as it sounds, but the question on everyone's mind -- what in blazes was Black Mesa up to in the first place?! Whatever it was, it called for a military strike against Black Mesa personnel as well as the aliens. And then you get to Nihilanth and all your assumptions just fizzle away -- it's a fucking fetus slave! What the hell did they do to its body?! ... AND WHO ARE THEY?! ... Wait, how did G-Man get here?
...Enter HL2.


Supposedly there's a big story within Half-Life series, but it's not all laid out in the game. Mostly backstory you have to read into, I think.
Title: Re: Best story in the video game medium
Post by: Johnny Alucard on July 02, 2012, 10:01:15 PM
Legacy of Kain without a doubt. Recently I would put up there Bioshock and To the Moon.
Red Dead Redemption should be uo there too :P

Oh, yes, definitely. Red Dead Redemption was incredibly well written.  It set the tone for each of the areas perfectly, the characters were very memorable, and it really captured the feel of the dying spirit of the Old West.
Title: Re: Best story in the video game medium
Post by: Neobelmont on July 02, 2012, 10:35:56 PM
I always wanted to play this game yet I don't have a dreamcast. And that game is Shenmue anyone whos has played that what impression did one get from that game, As for me I think Okami needs some love and I am really enjoying Tales of Vesperias story.
Title: Re: Best story in the video game medium
Post by: Claimh Solais on July 02, 2012, 11:31:00 PM
The Assassin's Creed franchise.

Definitely one of the best stories I have ever even seen.
Title: Re: Best story in the video game medium
Post by: JR on July 02, 2012, 11:32:52 PM
Have to agree on Assassin's Creed. Can't wait to play the new one to see where the story goes.

Although I'm not really so much a Metal Gear fan anymore, I think MGS1 had one of my most favorite stories in all of gaming. That and Bioshock are probably tied for the top for me. Something about The Witcher was pretty satisfying, too.

I keep consistently hearing that the Legacy of Kain games are the best written out of any games, bar none. I still have to get back into the first one (a few hours in, but it's been so long I'll probably have to start fresh). I hear nothing but praise for the first game and (especially) Soul Reaver, but how about the other games? Are they worth looking into?
Title: Re: Best story in the video game medium
Post by: Claimh Solais on July 03, 2012, 12:00:18 AM
Have to agree on Assassin's Creed. Can't wait to play the new one to see where the story goes.

*high fives*

Although I'm not really so much a Metal Gear fan anymore, I think MGS1 had one of my most favorite stories in all of gaming. That and Bioshock are probably tied for the top for me. Something about The Witcher was pretty satisfying, too.

Strange as it is, SOPA is the main antagonist of MGS2.

I keep consistently hearing that the Legacy of Kain games are the best written out of any games, bar none. I still have to get back into the first one (a few hours in, but it's been so long I'll probably have to start fresh). I hear nothing but praise for the first game and (especially) Soul Reaver, but how about the other games? Are they worth looking into?

Yes, definitely. I've only played Blood Omen, and the two Soul Reaver titles, but the story is phenominal (nothing on Assassin's Creed, though).
Title: Re: Best story in the video game medium
Post by: Abnormal Freak on July 03, 2012, 01:17:40 AM
I always wanted to play this game yet I don't have a dreamcast. And that game is Shenmue anyone whos has played that what impression did one get from that game.

I've always wanted to play that as well but never had a Dreamcast.

But there's this:

SHENMUE ROCKS! (HD) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOwMD7IDkvU#ws)

I keep consistently hearing that the Legacy of Kain games are the best written out of any games, bar none. I still have to get back into the first one (a few hours in, but it's been so long I'll probably have to start fresh). I hear nothing but praise for the first game and (especially) Soul Reaver, but how about the other games? Are they worth looking into?

From what I've played of Blood Omen, it's got some killer writing, that's for sure. Silicon Knights are some classy folks. Eternal Darkness ought to get some recognition for its story and writing.
Title: Re: Best story in the video game medium
Post by: Neobelmont on July 03, 2012, 01:38:18 AM
I've always wanted to play that as well but never had a Dreamcast.

But there's this:

SHENMUE ROCKS! (HD) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOwMD7IDkvU#ws)

From what I've played of Blood Omen, it's got some killer writing, that's for sure. Silicon Knights are some classy folks. Eternal Darkness ought to get some recognition for its story and writing.

Yep HCG good stuff I remember watching this one a while ago :) Plus1 to you Abnormal for reminding me of HCG.

 Yu Suzuki crazy, but genius I want to even play it more now might have to buy a dreamcast. Oh and excuse me,have you seen any sailors?  ;)  . let's play are good, but in the end I just really want to play it. It still probably the most expensive game ever huh?
Title: Re: Best story in the video game medium
Post by: Nail_Bombed on July 03, 2012, 05:24:03 AM
The Fallout franchise, without a doubt, has some awesome stories in it. The whole post-apocalyptic premise, with the addition of remnants of the old-world like the Enclave trying to bring 'order' to the wasteland, and the Super Mutants - who can either be dumb as posts or very smart, like Marcus -, and the Brotherhood Of Steel... much awesome stuff in those games.
Title: Re: Best story in the video game medium
Post by: A-Yty on July 03, 2012, 07:42:26 AM
Silent Hill 2.
Title: Re: Best story in the video game medium
Post by: Mooning Freddy on July 04, 2012, 05:36:36 AM
Oh yeah Legacy of Kain gotta love that giant talking octopus who thinks he's god.  :rollseyes:
Title: Re: Best story in the video game medium
Post by: Sumac on July 04, 2012, 10:32:02 AM
Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake, Metal Gear Solid 2 and Metal Gear Solid 3.
MAFIA (as a gangster story in a video game).
Silent Hill 2.
Title: Re: Best story in the video game medium
Post by: RichterB on July 04, 2012, 11:20:48 AM
Hard to say...but Metal Gear Solid 1 really stands out in my mind. Forgive the unintentional pun, but it's pretty "solid."
Title: Re: Best story in the video game medium
Post by: Kingshango on July 04, 2012, 11:38:43 AM
Surprisingly, Spec Ops The Line of had the most well done story in a third person shooter. Here I was exepecting another dudebro third person shooter story (Granted it started off like one) but then it takes a big psychological left turn and flips the script on the player. It also has some of the best character progression I've seen in a game today with the main character slowly becoming more agressive in his actions as the game goes on and your actions reflect what ending you get.

While the gameplay was average, the story definitely came out nowhere for me and was well worth the rent.
Title: Re: Best story in the video game medium
Post by: Ratty on July 04, 2012, 02:22:42 PM
Eternal Darkness ought to get some recognition for its story and writing.

Ehhhhhh, I don't know about that. Basically all they did was knock-off Lovecraft, and come up with a time-spanning plot so they could use the same handful of areas in an exploration focused game 3 or 4 times apiece. "Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth" is an actual licensed Lovecraft game which is largely an adaptation of what is arguably his best story "The Shadow over Innsmouth". It is far more subtle and scary than "Eternal Darkness" though they really shouldn't have tried to shoehorn action scenes into what is essentially a point and click adventure.
Title: Re: Best story in the video game medium
Post by: A-Yty on July 05, 2012, 05:20:04 AM
Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake

what
Title: Re: Best story in the video game medium
Post by: Sumac on July 05, 2012, 10:30:40 AM
Quote
what
Comparing to the standard stories of the 8 bit action games (kill bad guys) it is very good.
Title: Re: Best story in the video game medium
Post by: A-Yty on July 05, 2012, 11:07:03 AM
Yeah, I suppose. It just had so much silliness, even for Kojima. Even if its contemporaries had less deep storylines, shooting an old man with remote-controlled missiles to get him to stop strangling you is something you'd expect to see in Postal or perhaps Duke Nukem. And poisonous hamsters..?

I still get a chuckle out of this:

http://slowbeef.com/MG2/ (http://slowbeef.com/MG2/)
Title: Re: Best story in the video game medium
Post by: Ahasverus on July 05, 2012, 11:26:23 AM
I respectfully disagree about Assassins Creed.
Granted, it's very entertaining, and the emotional arch they created on Ezio (And to a lesser extent Altair) is second to none, however it's kinda nonsensical and god knows there are lots of plot holes, that without mentioning how silly is that "present arch" (seriously, it's nonsense over nonsense). To be fair, it was perfect until 2, but brotherhood took a nosedive. Revelation redeemed it a lttle, but the present day stuff is already messed up (Please, tell me, WTH happened with Lucy?)
Title: Re: Best story in the video game medium
Post by: Claimh Solais on July 06, 2012, 07:28:57 PM
I respectfully disagree about Assassins Creed.
Granted, it's very entertaining, and the emotional arch they created on Ezio (And to a lesser extent Altair) is second to none, however it's kinda nonsensical and god knows there are lots of plot holes, that without mentioning how silly is that "present arch" (seriously, it's nonsense over nonsense). To be fair, it was perfect until 2, but brotherhood took a nosedive. Revelation redeemed it a lttle, but the present day stuff is already messed up (Please, tell me, WTH happened with Lucy?)

(click to show/hide)

At least, that's what I'm aware of.
Title: Re: Best story in the video game medium
Post by: PFG9000 on July 07, 2012, 08:26:17 AM
I'll cast my vote for Silent Hill 2.  Not only is the plot twist great, but the story has so much depth that even the character designs are tied into it.
Title: Re: Best story in the video game medium
Post by: Neobelmont on July 10, 2012, 07:42:33 PM
Super weak or super simple hmmm both in my opinion just if I were to say this on a Zelda forum I would get toasted to tell the truth zelda stories have never really impressed me for some reason they were more good than bad, but....


Hmmm I look at this and I really wonder what I was thinking at the time. I really like the stories in zelda way more that I dislike them. Guess opinions can change overtime have to play some zelda games again to see what I said made sense to me. It is in my top favorite series after all. What one can type and reread -_-'

I have fond memories of oracle of ages and seasons and how the stories interconnect with the link/password things majoras mask was awesome as well at time it was personal like the anju kafei quest.

Stupid Neo how wrong you can be sometimes -_-' Guess sometimes a good memory needs to pop up every now and then to remind one how good thing were.Again they may not be super wow, but they are very very enjoyable regardless  :) hate when things like this happens to say one thing and then have to take it back.

Title: Re: Best story in the video game medium
Post by: Claimh Solais on July 13, 2012, 11:27:26 AM
I have to take back my thoughts on Assassin's Creed having the best story. Simply because I now think Nier holds that spot. The game's story is outlandishly great, and definitely not what I was expecting from a bargain bin game. I seriously spouted out manly tears several times throughout the game.
Title: Re: Best story in the video game medium
Post by: Ratty on July 14, 2012, 08:29:15 AM
Hmmm I look at this and I really wonder what I was thinking at the time. I really like the stories in zelda way more that I dislike them. Guess opinions can change overtime have to play some zelda games again to see what I said made sense to me. It is in my top favorite series after all. What one can type and reread -_-'

I have fond memories of oracle of ages and seasons and how the stories interconnect with the link/password things majoras mask was awesome as well at time it was personal like the anju kafei quest.

Stupid Neo how wrong you can be sometimes -_-' Guess sometimes a good memory needs to pop up every now and then to remind one how good thing were.Again they may not be super wow, but they are very very enjoyable regardless  :) hate when things like this happens to say one thing and then have to take it back.

I thought the story to Twilight Princess was good, the gamecube version was just a good game overall. Midna forever.

Still playing Blood Omen, still don't quite see what all the hoopla is about but maybe that really comes from "Soul Reaver"? I shall see anyhow.
Title: Re: Best story in the video game medium
Post by: Claimh Solais on July 14, 2012, 12:01:02 PM
Still playing Blood Omen, still don't quite see what all the hoopla is about but maybe that really comes from "Soul Reaver"? I shall see anyhow.

It mainly gets *awesome* starting with Soul Reaver, but then again, that's just from what I know since I only got about half-way through Blood Omen before I just gave up after getting lost...

I also never found the gameplay in the Legacy of Kain series any higher than mediocre, with the story, characters, and atmosphere being what compelled me to continue playing.
Title: Re: Best story in the video game medium
Post by: Lumi Kløvstad on July 14, 2012, 12:55:21 PM
I'm handing this one to Catherine. For much of the game, Vincent seems like a real guy with real friends and a very real problem. That bit in the final act was... a but unnecessary, but hey. Japan.

But the storytelling is excellent, the voice acting is (mostly) great, and the fact that the whole thing is framed as a TV Fiction Anthology episode is beyond awesome.