Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, the Hanson brothers vs. the Jonas brothers, the last time Eric Roberts played someone that wasn’t himself, or Entourage’s cocaine/porn angles, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
Here’s a Coffee Talk request from RPadholic bsukenyan. He thought it would be a great idea to discuss games we love because of their writing. That’s a fantastic idea! Obviously you’re all huge fans of the last two Smackdown vs. Raw games due to outstanding storylines that are better than what WWE comes up with, but let’s be fair and talk about other games.
Y’all know that I’m a huge BioWare mark. One of the biggest reasons for my BioWare fandom is that the company emphasizes quality writing. From storytelling to characterization, BioWare’s writers are among the best in the business. Take Shale from Dragon Age for example [possible spoilarz ahead!]. Most people would agree that she’s one of the funniest RPG characters in years. In addition to the laughs, the writers got you to care about her plight, which made the search for her past more meangingful. Hell, finding out Shale was a “she” was an excellent twist on its own! Sure, it’s not the Shawn Michaels or Mickie James storylines from Smackdown vs. Raw 2010
How about you guys and dolls? What are some games you love based on their excellent writing?
God of War. i'm not into button masher action games but i just wanted to keep going just to finish the story. i know i could've read it on wikipedia or somewhere else but i didn't want to rob myself of that experience. The Final Fantasy series is another one but sometimes it's hit or miss with me on their stories. enjoying 13 so far.
@rpad
you also wrote the storyline for HBK in SvR 2010??? i'm definitely going to add this to my blockbuster queue then.
Bioshock, Shadow of the Colossus, Legend of Zelda; A Link to the Past, Halo; Combat Evolved, Halo; ODST, God of War (1), Ballad of Gay Tony (better story and characterization than Niko Bellic's story IMO), and Eternal Darkness; Sanity's Requiem are all games with standout stories just off the top of my head.
By the way, the coffee talk for Monday should be games with the WORST stories. I can think of at least 6 games where the gawd-awful script has come within a hair of making me stop playing the game for good.
-M
@Iceman Sure thing! It might be Tuesday though. There's another topic I've been meaning to cover and I want to hit it before it gets too stale.
1. Metal Gear series.
1b. Legacy of Kain series. (does not get top spot since the story is incomplete)
2. ZOE 2
3. Starcraft series so far
4. Diablo series so far
5. Warcraft series to date. (the MMO lore is quite good if you take the time)
6.Fable 2 (honestly, it was done well)
I can only think of the FF series. I honestly don't look and purchase games based on writing, that is a plus for me. Sound, graphics and innovation catch my eyes and if the writing is great that awesome. I play most games for fun, for awesome writing I'll read a book.
Fallout 3… hands down.
@ #5
Wow that came out kind of bitter lol, I'm not bitter peepz!
@big blak
i heard that people that are bitter, never admit that they are.
@ Tokz
I guess thats a good thing lol.
@ Tokz
Did you try that app on your gf's cell?
@big blak
come on, bro. admitting is the first step. We can't help you. you can only help yourself.
also no, we kind of got distracted when i met up with her. it happens when she stops by happy hour after work.
So I've had a little more time to think about this, and I still am not positive of what I have come up with or what I really think a good answer is for this question, which is a big reason of why I wanted to hear some other people's answers.
I really liked the writing in the game Braid, and Portal was good too. The way that Valve really got you to feel and think what they wanted you to is a real testament to the writing in that game, I think. The Halo series is another one that I enjoy because of the writing for a couple of reasons. I did like the plot in the first game, but really the plot is similar to Doom which doesn't really have a deep plot or writing or anything. The second and third games really had better plots I think due to the way that the story progressed, the way that you played from the perspective of an Elite in the second game was great as it really tried to show you more than one side to the situation.
That's what I've decided on so far, now I am waiting for Tuesday for games that I do not like due to the writing!
this is easy
uncharted
god of war–i mean they got harry hamlin to play perseus and kevin sorbo to do hercules…those guys are beast
Dragon Age
Uncharted
infamous
Resistance
Been meaning to check out smackdown vs raw, hope to get to it soon.
@Bsukenyan;
I consider myself well-versed in grammar and English literature, but the story of Braid was just over my head. Maybe if I go back and "read" it again a few times it will sink in (like FF7), but I'm not sure. The poetry and metaphors were just beyond me and way too broad for any single interpretation (which I hate). I would much prefer Mr. Padilla to interview Jonathan Blow (HINT!) and see if he can get some answers about the meaning of Braid's story.
Portal kicks ass, story and gameplay wise. I should have listed it in my previous post.
Halo 2 and (subsequently) 3’s story were not as good as the original game. Halo; CE was new, shiny and awesome because the story of discovery, mystery and intrigue was driving the game as well as a first-rate game play, graphics, and music at the time. It had a clear beginning, middle and conclusion. Halo 2, while it can be considered more of the same with visual upgrades and weapon balancing tweaks, was a completely different story that dealt with the strained politics of the Covenant. Halo 2 was never about the humans and Master Chief, but of the start of the Covenant Civil War. There were also some levels and chapters of Halo 2 that were cut out in the editing room that would have probably made the game better. If you read the Halo novels and see the bonus content disk that came with the Halo 2 (and 3) limited edition, you’ll know what I’m talking about. Also, that p.o.s. “cliffhanger” ending didn’t do the people at Bungie any favors in conveying goodwill towards gamers by making them wait years before they could “finish playing”. Finally, Halo 3 had the unfortunate task of trying to clean up the mess that Halo 2 vomited all over us in terms of loose ends. Not only that, but it had to tie in with the events that had already transpired in the first Halo game that are now considered canon. It did a respectable job and the game was fun, but the story seemed disjointed and just all over the place. Incoherent would probably be the best word. There were some parts of that story that I was wondering; “Why the hell would they put this in here?,” while other parts I was thinking, “Why didn’t they include this in the game (from the novels) that would really help to clarify what happened here… or before this… or after that?” I guess these perceived narrative flaws are only natural when you build a franchise of that magnitude and have to deliver above and beyond expectations. I do not envy the Bungie writers and producers when they created Halo 2 and 3, but I really wish they had more time to flesh things out a bit better.
Oh, and don’t even get me started on the huge, gaping plot holes in the Halo trilogy…
-M
I'm surprised that a few of you dig Halo's story and universe. I find it so banal.
The Halo story is as old as time, it's as much a sci-fi cliche as the rest of them. but I did think that Bungie really had something there with Combat Evolved, the story has waivered over the years but I will say that Bungie created a very believable, and interesting alternate universe. Even if Master Chief's story doesn't always make perfect sense.
Other top contenders for me are Elder Scrolls Oblivion, Star Waars Kotor (by far the best story in a game I can remember), and 2 or three of the GTA games. Uncharted does have a badass story as well, and some good writing/acting. Good writing is one thing, but it can be wasted on a poor voice cast. I've always been really impressed with the voice work and talent of the Mass Effect series. honorable mention to Kevin Levine for System Shock and Bioshock.
Ya… Bioware writes good shit.
@Ray and Sandrock
I read the first 3 novels and once I had some background info I appreciated Halo more.
@Iceman
It has been a long time since I have read the Halo novels, but I remember thinking that things seemed out of order in the second game. I have not seen the bonus content on either of those games though. I guess I am looking at it more from the viewpoint that Halo 1 was pretty straightforward, but Halo 2 especially showed a different side to everything that we knew was going on from the first game. Now it is more than just humans kicking alien ass (which is why I said that Doom and Halo were similar…simply interchange humans with marines and there you have both games), it is a war with people (living beings) on both sides of the issue each trying to accomplish different things. Halo 2 gave the aliens humanity and personality instead of them being NPC's that are merely obstacles in Master Chief's way of victory.
Also, with concern to Master Chief and his background story not always making sense, perhaps I am not solely thinking about what the games present since I read the novels so long ago and the parts from that that I remember are what I think of first; not whatever the games present.
As for Braid, I thought it was interesting how the story progressed of the main character moving through the worlds and contemplating mistakes made in the past while on his journey to try to fix some mistakes. And of course having the ability to change any mistakes the player makes on their journey as well. The way that you read more and more of the story as you progress through the story made me feel more like it was happening as I played it and I was in control of the game, rather than simply moving from checkpoint to checkpoint waiting on the next cut scene to fill me in on what would happen next.
@Ray
Just because something is not completely original, in this case how you feel about the story of Halo, does not mean that it cannot be well done and well written. How many first person shooter games do we need? They are all from the same viewpoint right? We move our joysticks and the person on screen aims in accordance with our movements. We push a button, they shoot. Etc, etc, etc. Obviously this is not the case, even though first person shooter video games have a huge thing in common does not mean that they are all the same or are just the same thing done to the death. Each game presents something different and unique, just like with my comparison of how similar I find Doom and Halo: CE to be, they are still two extremely unique games. Not at all banal to me.
@Shockwave
Couldn't agree more about good writing being destroyed by poor voice acting!! I think that is a huge problem with games that I sometimes think have "poor writing."
@All
If I buy MS points through Amazon do I get the code immediately or do I actually have to wait for the card like it says??? If I have to wait for it, its a no go.
I am about to buy LIMBO on XBL. Anyone played it yet?
@slicky
if you are just buying points, then amazon will give you a redeem code online immediately. if you are buying a points card then you will have to wait for that.
@SG
Thanks. I didn't see the online code part at first. Found it now.
DA:O, Fallout 3, KOTOR, and Halo Wars are all good examples of games I played for the story. None of them had great gameplay, but the story kept drawing me in. (Halo Wars has good gameplay, but it isn't that great in the campaign.)
@Sandrock
I just started playing Halo Wars (trying to finish the campaign and skirmish games before Reach comes out) and I like the story so far, but the gameplay would be sooooooo much better if it were on a pc. Playing this game makes me want to start playing AoE again…
I never found KOTOR to be very amazing as the story is concerned. I enjoyed playing in the Star Wars universe, but the story isn't what kept me going forward in that game. I just liked being a jedi.
Mass Effect.