How important is story to you?
by Ajari Wilson · in General Discussion · 02/07/2005 (11:01 am) · 42 replies
I'm not sure if this topic has ever come up on here before.
When it comes to story in games I believe there are 3 kinds.
1) Playable movies like Metal Gear, and Xenosaga. These games have long involved cut scenes between game play that (halting all game play) sometimes only lets you play for a few minutes or take a few steps before a second lengthy cut scene pops up.
I personally enjoy these types of games and feel they pull me deeper into the game so that when the time comes for me to grab the controller again, I have a stronger, more personal reason to get Solid Snake the hell out of that abandoned factory. I love the feeling of being absorbed by a games plot and having something pushing me to want to see what's going to happen next. The biggest complaint I've heard people say about these games is "If I wanted to watch a movie, my PS2, Xbox, and PC plays DVD's".
2) Games like Splinter Cell, Street Fighter, and Unreal Tournament that are less involved with short "this is what you need to do" mission headings in between levels. The main character isn't personally or emotionally involved in the plot. He/She is just involved so that you can have something to control on screen. There may be a scene where one of the other un involved support character dies or some tragedy happens but it's usually pretty dry and with little fanfair. Pretty much "he's dead now let's keep it moving" attitude.
While I wish these kinds of games would be a little more story intensive, you do tend to get more play time out of them and there is still something motivating me to keep me wanting to play to the end. I still care about what will happen at the end. I personally feel these games can be the best forms of entertainment as long as there is a perfect balance of story and game play. I would say games like Halo are somewhere in between 1 and 2. The story is involving but the scenes end right before my trigger finger starts itching. There is also story elements going on while you are still controlling your character. I feel Halo is a good example of that perfect balance between story and game play.
3) No plot, no real characters. Just objects or clones running around shooting each other or bouncing and rolling around. Racing and puzzle games are big here too. I would say is for either the arcade purist, or the casual gamer. There's no reason to be doing what your doing. It's all about having fun doing what your doing.
These games bring me back to my Atari 2600, 5200 roots. Who cares about whats going to happen next. It's all about the moment. And sticking that big combo, power sliding perfectly around the corner, and sniping some guy at 70 yards out is very rewarding and I feel less obligated to ever have to pick the game up again if I don't feel like it. I've pretty much seen all it has to offer in one sitting.
So I was just wondering how you guys feel about stories in games. How important are they to you? Are you the kind of person that watches every cut scene and tries to understand a good plot like me, or do you desperately mash the buttons, in an attempt to avoid every story element like the plague?
-Ajari-
When it comes to story in games I believe there are 3 kinds.
1) Playable movies like Metal Gear, and Xenosaga. These games have long involved cut scenes between game play that (halting all game play) sometimes only lets you play for a few minutes or take a few steps before a second lengthy cut scene pops up.
I personally enjoy these types of games and feel they pull me deeper into the game so that when the time comes for me to grab the controller again, I have a stronger, more personal reason to get Solid Snake the hell out of that abandoned factory. I love the feeling of being absorbed by a games plot and having something pushing me to want to see what's going to happen next. The biggest complaint I've heard people say about these games is "If I wanted to watch a movie, my PS2, Xbox, and PC plays DVD's".
2) Games like Splinter Cell, Street Fighter, and Unreal Tournament that are less involved with short "this is what you need to do" mission headings in between levels. The main character isn't personally or emotionally involved in the plot. He/She is just involved so that you can have something to control on screen. There may be a scene where one of the other un involved support character dies or some tragedy happens but it's usually pretty dry and with little fanfair. Pretty much "he's dead now let's keep it moving" attitude.
While I wish these kinds of games would be a little more story intensive, you do tend to get more play time out of them and there is still something motivating me to keep me wanting to play to the end. I still care about what will happen at the end. I personally feel these games can be the best forms of entertainment as long as there is a perfect balance of story and game play. I would say games like Halo are somewhere in between 1 and 2. The story is involving but the scenes end right before my trigger finger starts itching. There is also story elements going on while you are still controlling your character. I feel Halo is a good example of that perfect balance between story and game play.
3) No plot, no real characters. Just objects or clones running around shooting each other or bouncing and rolling around. Racing and puzzle games are big here too. I would say is for either the arcade purist, or the casual gamer. There's no reason to be doing what your doing. It's all about having fun doing what your doing.
These games bring me back to my Atari 2600, 5200 roots. Who cares about whats going to happen next. It's all about the moment. And sticking that big combo, power sliding perfectly around the corner, and sniping some guy at 70 yards out is very rewarding and I feel less obligated to ever have to pick the game up again if I don't feel like it. I've pretty much seen all it has to offer in one sitting.
So I was just wondering how you guys feel about stories in games. How important are they to you? Are you the kind of person that watches every cut scene and tries to understand a good plot like me, or do you desperately mash the buttons, in an attempt to avoid every story element like the plague?
-Ajari-
#42
It worked pretty well, monsters of course are free for alls.
Ian
02/16/2005 (2:29 am)
The Gothic series was cool, because you fought people until their health was depleted, then they passed out from exhaustion, and you could loot them. Stripping them of their cash, weapon and anything else they have on them. Then they woke up a few moments later, mumbled something about getting revenge or what have you, and walked off. On the flipside, you could if you chose decide to run them through, however this upset pretty much everyone watching the fight, and your reputation took a massive hit. You then had to go speak to the master of the camp, to get your name cleared or pay a hefty fine.It worked pretty well, monsters of course are free for alls.
Ian
Torque Owner Nick Zafiris
Nick