Games with good stories

[Zixinus]

There has been a great many complaints against railroading players in game. GTA 4 and the endgame of Fallout 3. I have heard that many people are sometimes fed up with how JRPGs have 30-60 minute cutscenes that always interfere with the flow of the game. Otherwise good story writers don't quite grasp that they are writing a story for a video game, not for a movie and don't understand.

But are there games that you think tell the their stories well?

I would like to throw in an indie game first, Aquaria

The story has a bit of the "open for interpretation" bullshit, but the maid idea is told. Most of the story in the game is told by in-gameplay effects and monologues, which never interfere with you. There are a few cutscenes, but these are relatively short and the gameplay makes us care for the character very well without the need for excessive dialogue.

So, are there good games who's story you think deserves particular attention?

[General Zod]

Dead Space manages to get its story across fairly well while relying on almost no cut scenes whatsoever.

[Qwerty 42]

I'll start off by mentioning Tales of Symphonia. While contrived, it's an enormously effective game in terms of plot, even if the cutscenes drag for a bit in places.

Then there's Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles. I've waxed on this elsewhere, and while the story is used as a mechanism to explain the combat system, it's also remarkably good. I'll retype something here, if others don't mind. Spoilers:

Basically, the story is mostly told through the "journal entries" that serve as the introduction to each level. At first, you start off telling stories of adventure and anticipation. Everything is an adrenaline rush.

There are really two events that serve to dictate otherwise: the first of which being the discovery of Tida Village.

Tida was a town almost identical to yours, except that the caravan responsible for their protection was killed, leading to the destruction of the village and the death of all of its residents. It's very eerie to walk through there, and the discovery of a love letter in a tree trunk written by a village girl to one of the caravaners is very poignant. There's a marked change in narration after this point, where the magnitude of the party's task seems to dawn on them.

The second is the death of the Black Knight at the unknowing hands of his own son, which serves to introduce the Big Bad at the end of the game, the creature who had been antagonizing the Black Knight and, on a smaller scale, the entire world.

[Singular Intellect]

Aliens Versus Predator 2 had a good story; especially noteworthy is the three different perspectives of it.

[Joviwan]

The story of the Max Payne games, while cliched and lampshading, i always felt were told exceptionally well. The graphic novel cutscenes, the action of the in game cut scenes, the psychotic drug/depression induced dream levels, and some awesome dialogue and voice acting, all makes a pretty solid story telling experience.

Say what you will about the Half-Life series, I always loved the way it communicated it's story; very few cutscenes, and you never leave Gordon's perspective. I generally find that to be very immersive.

More as I think of them later.

[Karza]

I can't recall System Shock 2 having more than 3 cutscenes, one of which was made with the game engine. The story wasn't anything groundbreaking as such, but it was told well enough (mostly in logs and emails during gameplay). It certainly never interfered with the gameplay.

Planescape: Torment had a really fucking great story, and it was told mostly in in-game dialogue. The only cinematics I can remember off the cuff are the intro and ending scenes, the rest is just walls of ingame text. That puts some people off, but I enjoyed it quite a bit.

[Stark]

Gears of War. You might have to actually pay attention and think for yourself, but there's an effective story there that isn't offensively dumb (like 80% of game stories) or offensively slow and in your face (like the other 20%). I dig the story for Condemned1 (before they turned it to super-silly with C2) and the way it was presented, with Matt Parkman being confused a lot. While it was very complex, I really liked the storytelling style and methods of Witcher, where things and people aren't what they seem, aren't black or white, and are all interconnected in ways that made the world seem valid and thus your decisions seem weighty, something no other stupid RPG has ever, ever done, except Planescape (which was even MORE super-complex).

[Losonti Tokash]

I dig the story for Condemned1 (before they turned it to super-silly with C2) and the way it was presented, with Matt Parkman being confused a lot.

Is that seriously his name?

[Stark]

LOL no. But he's a hapless investigator with special powers voiced by the same guy, so I call him Matt Parkman anyway. I believe his actual name is 'Ethan Thomas'.

[Losonti Tokash]

What a terrible name. I only played Condemned for a couple hours last year so I forgot almost everything except beating a hobo to death with a wrench.

[Stark]

No, that's the whole game. The story is totally missable in the game; it's all in unlockable journal shit, some minor cutscenes, etc. You can end the game without really understanding WHY you're tearing a guy's jaw off with your bare hands.

[haard]

The Witcher story presentation and overall sense of interconnection was awesome. Almost good enough to make me want to play the Enhanced Edition.

[Thanas]

Baldur's Gate 1. The story of 2 is great in its own right, but it kinda contradicts 1 in a few points.

[Lord Pounder]

Star Craft had me pretty hooked the first time I played it. My jaw was on the floor when Kerrigan was betrayed.

Another personal favourite was Deus Ex. Sure there are some real nutty theories in there but damn it I don't think I'd ever tire of playing that game.

Max Payne was mentioned already and I can add little more to out other than the funny fact that a former WWF meat head tried to sue Remedy, his character name was Max Pain and he sighted gimmick infringement.

Homeworld 1 have a very involving storyline. I still think of Homeworld when I hear Adagio for Strings.

[Thanas]

Star Craft had me pretty hooked the first time I played it. My jaw was on the floor when Kerrigan was betrayed.

Oh yes. Starcraft was excellent.

[Trogdor]

Star Control 2 had a good story, and presented it well. If you wanted it, you had to look for it, they didn't ram it down your throat. But it wasn't just there for people who wanted to know more about the SC-verse for the sake of it. Knowing that stuff was useful for various things in the game.

[PeZook]

Homeworld 1 have a very involving storyline. I still think of Homeworld when I hear Adagio for Strings.

I loved the hand-drawn cutscenes and the way the narrator did the comments. Somehow, his voice really hammered in the sheer emptiness that space is, and while the game didn't feel all that long or epic, you got a real sense of satisfaction from the ending. Especially when coupled with that song at the credits. Last time I beat the game, I just sat there, stared at the credits and listened to the song.

Whoever said games aren't art?

[Stark]

Yeah, if Homeworld was a picture book it'd be great; as a game it's linear, hackneyed, forced nonsense. THERE'S NOTHING LEFT FOR US HERE! Being 'better than HW2' isn't really an accolade.

Star Control2 and Thief used similar approaches to their stories, and I think they presented interesting and multi-layered universes that didn't eat up a player's time if they didn't care. Then again I'm a slut for living universes the player simply 'discovers' - most people wouldn't say Starflight had a good 'story' in the conventional sense, but there was definately a lot of shit going on of which the player was only a small part.

[PeZook]

Yeah, if Homeworld was a picture book it'd be great; as a game it's linear, hackneyed, forced nonsense. THERE'S NOTHING LEFT FOR US HERE! Being 'better than HW2' isn't really an accolade.

Yeah, "we totally should investigate that weird derelict ship for no reason whatsoever, yo!"

Nowadays, I just watch the cutscenes on youtube

Star Control2 and Thief used similar approaches to their stories, and I think they presented interesting and multi-layered universes that didn't eat up a player's time if they didn't care. Then again I'm a slut for living universes the player simply 'discovers' - most people wouldn't say Starflight had a good 'story' in the conventional sense, but there was definately a lot of shit going on of which the player was only a small part.

I actually hated Star Control 2. People may flog me for it, but it was horribly tedious, and the "story" was a gigantic cliche involving a massive superweapon. The cowardly clamshell guys were its only redeeming feature

[Stark]

Thief is like that; most of the 'awesome' is the cutscenes which perfectly capture the mood, and you don't need to play the terrifyingly poorly-textured perfectly retangular rooms to see them.

Yeah, it's awful SC2 didn't have an eye-rolling story of nerdling fannish nonsense like Deus Ex where the dumbest possible answer is always right. I just like games where you can either play them as a gamer or poke around for information.

[General Zod]

Star Craft had me pretty hooked the first time I played it. My jaw was on the floor when Kerrigan was betrayed.

Oh yes. Starcraft was excellent.

Wait, Starcraft had a story?

[Stark]

Just... don't. Don't start. For you and me it was just a horrible game with missions where 'JIM RAYNOR MUST SURVIVE', but for some it's a deep and thrilling journey into the complex heart of political genius.

And not rednecks in space.

[Pint0 Xtreme]

Starcraft was one of the more memorable stories for me. And so was Warcraft 3 for that matter. Arthas' transformation was fun to watch.

[Losonti Tokash]

It was also telegraphed from like the 3rd mission. I didn't even finish the game because it was awful but I was hardly surprised when I found out later that he was actually evil.

[Mr Bean]

I loved Thief's story and to a lesser extent Thief II's. Your Garret you steal things, and if you don't try and find out more that's all there is. You can go through the entire game and kill perhaps one person or you can commando your way through and kill everyone without anyone knowing. It did not change the story but the simple fact I was getting STORY info because I had something to steal in a room with two people talking forcing me to sit outside and wait until they left, never considering I was being feed plot while I waited almost by accident since a different path to the same room let me steal the item while they talked and ignore the plot. The plot was the reason for your jobs and it became interesting as time went on.

That said in story form because I'm so damn confused I can't wait for Half-Life II Episode III.