Good Article (Gaming)

by Kahzgul, Tuesday, May 12, 2015, 15:32 (3483 days ago) @ Kermit

I have finished every game that I've ever played that had a compelling story.

While we may disagree on what's compelling and what's not, those games are really the ones that stand out the most in my mind. Most recently for me was the Tomb Raider reboot. Loved that game, start to finish. What an adrenaline rush! Before that, some indie games like Save the Date or The Swapper were really compelling and very, very powerful. And, reaching waaaaay back, the Marathon games were excellent. The evolution of the story from simply doing what it takes to survive to figuring out what is attacking you and why to fighting back is a standard video game arc, but it also really, really worked in those games. Plus the cast of characters was actually fascinating and intriguing, most notably, Durandal. I want more Durandal in my life.

I'll also mention that the games with great story are also the games I encourage my friends to play. I'm rarely touting "Oh man, you've got to play Tribes 2 - it's got the most compelling spawn points!" But I'm often telling people about how great Papers, Please is (so glad it got a mention in the article), or how Final Fantasy 7 was a traumatic experience for me as a kid. That game is a must-play.

Contrari-wise, I'm really waiting for someone to take the Destiny engine and make a game with a compelling narrative out of it. The play control and movement are great, but holy cow do I ache for reasons to do... anything... in the game beyond "because that's how you get loot." I sure hope that someone is Bungie.