Game Narratives: Losing the Plot?

OXCGN:

"How interactivity can kill the narrative.

I like a good story. Something with characters I can relate to, genuine people with their own hopes, dreams and fear.

Something with a plot that twists and turns, surprising at every turn but always making sense. Something personal, as if it was constructed only for me and my unique journey through the game.

Something I will never see.
It's a simple fact: the perfect narrative does not exist.

I can't be anymore blunt than that. Try as I might, I have yet to find a game that can connect with me on all the levels."

[BadCircuit]

I like some direction in my games or I get a bit bored, but I also like to do a bit of my own thing sometimes too which is why I like RPGs so much.

[Tony P]

BioWare imo defines the near exact amount of control I want over my character and narrative.

I don't need to change the world with every selection (although that would be cool), but I need some kind of interactivity in my RPGs beyond managing stat tables.

Oblivion is the extreme. And a very well done extreme. But I usually prefer a stricter framework.

[Jamie Foxx]

I like your site,Yet to write an article how narratives are losing 'the plot' your picture to promote your article is of an exclusive not on a console your site promotes,in fact its an exclusive doing something very different on a RIVAL console,therfore nomatter how good your article is written youve turned it into flamebait just because of what your site is to certain gamers.

You mention ME2 therefore that would have been a better picture to promote your article as its an xbox exclusive the console your site promotes,u may get less hits but you want hits for the right reason. anyway hope to see your modnation racers review :)

[Darkstorn]

True, but great games like Metal Gear Solid 4, Bioshock, and Uncharted 2 gave you zero wiggle room in terms of changing the story, and ended up being fantastic.

[gaminoz]

It's a fair point that interactivity limits the storyline, but I guess it depends on how much 'play' you want and how much 'experience' you want.

Lately I'm finding most big games a bit samey and dull due to samey gameplay style, while I'm doing more short casual games without any story at all. Yet I still love my books.

This is opposite of what I was like a few years ago with games, so maybe some of us go through stages in our gaming?

[Belgavion]

Excellent piece Alex.

I've just learned to not get too excited about games that are hyped as having engrossing storylines. They can never live up to expectations. They usually start on the right foot but it isn't long before something happens to disconnect and I once again remember I'm playing a game.

[XboxOZ360]

Perhaps we do, I like a story that engages me, but allows me to be part of it in some way, so that my actions have 'some' affect on the outcome or in how it plays out.

Giving me different experiences over the same sections etc.

Making me want to dig deeper, play the sections through again to try and get a different end result, or obtain the same end result, using different methods or choices.

[REALgamer]

I like having choice like in ME2, but really it doesn't make any real difference to how you actually play or what you do - just slightly different cutscenes and dialogue.

Oh, and Sheppard's glowy scars stay too which is pretty cool.

The Witcher had some awesome decisions in the storyline that had major effects, and they weren't 'good vs evil' ones either. Almost all decisions in the game were just different shades of grey which made them interesting as they could all be seen as good or bad depending on your interpretation.

I remember one that made me reload my save game 4 times over because I kept changing my mind after I did it.

[Gradient]

That's strange, I could have sworn Heavy Rain was only on Ps3.

[gaminoz]

yeah so what?

The article is about game narrative isn't it? Heavy Rain tries to really focus on that.

[Gradient]

That's strange, why is an Xbox focused site talking about a Playstation 3 exclusive.

[DelbertGrady]

Because not everyone is a narrow minded fanboy. They have a magic super power that allows them to appreciate games on all platforms.

[Qui-Gon Jim]

I think that, as an XBox exclusive site, maybe they figured they could get hits from people wanting to see a "How Heavy Rain fails" article. That and Heavy Rain is the game that has recently brought this issue more to the forefront. The article is really more about the balance between direction and freedom that games have to find. Pretty good article actually, and it even gives Heavy Rain an amount of recognition for the way it combines structured narrative with freedom of choices.

[theunleashed64]

@soda

i would'nt be taking about fanboys if i were you! went through your comment history and frankly and weird you sound just like a fanboy? i guess there is a reason why you have 5 bubbles but let me guess? it's ps3 fanboys are why you have 5 bubbles?

edit: oh a disagree so explain to me how soda is a gamer? because in every article i've seen him post his comment in are nothing but fanboyish responses saying *ps3 fanboys this* *ps3 fanboy that* and in another article he says "desperation is here" so if you would love to explain to me come do it now don't hide behind a disagree or keyboard? or is it you soda who left that disagree?

[DelbertGrady]

*looks at theunleashed64's comment history*

You said something about fanboys calling other people fanboys?

I'm actually amazed that I still have 5 bubbles considering I'm not cheerleading for Sony.

[theunleashed64]

@soda

oh there you are! yes i will admit i am a fanboy but unlike you whish and pretend to be a gamer but all of your comments in previous post's tell me all i need to know same as for you to but yes surprising
you have bubbles. but i wouldn't surprised if you were hot for microsoft.

[DelbertGrady]

Well, unlike you I actually comment on the topic at hand from time to time. You seem to find more enjoyment in calling out fanboys instead of discussing games.

[theunleashed64]

@soda

actually yes i do love to talk about games but you're right i love to call out fanboys like you. oh btw welcome to my ignore list have fun

[Qui-Gon Jim]

Heavy Rain as a sandbox game (of sorts). Heavy Rain gives you freedom to make REAL decisions - decisions that go beyond "do i want to be good or evil?" These decisions, and the very different endings that they lead to, actually make the game quite compelling to play through multiple times.

The main point of the article is a good one, too. I think every game has to find its own balance between directed narrative and freedom. Uncharted 2 was awesome because it took an approach that heavily directed the player through an amazing experience, but Oblivion was awesome too, because of how much it gave you to do and freedom to play any character.

[mastiffchild]

Thing is HR isn't the right game to be using for this-regardless of what console the site really writes about-as it has a lot of different issues to most games with a set narrative.

As you say, U2 is a great example of a game that carries it's story well amid the set pieces, action and puzzles of the game play. To me it's all to do with pacing as they don't(unlike MW2 which makes a mess of it's story BECAUSE it thinks to be filmic it must be written and paced like a film but in a 8hr campaign it doesn't work)try to go at the same action flick speed all the way through and ND remember they're making a GAME first and foremost. Because of that the story is allowed to fit and exist on an even footing with the action. Most linear games that manage decent storytelling stick to the same kind of formula if the story is important to begin with, imo.

ME1 and 2(and other games)that offer a little choice begin to open the Pandora's Box that ends with HR too. As soon as you allow the gamer to alter the actual flow of the narrative it's always going to weaken it in some way, imo, as the first thought of the writer is usually better than when he's asked for a second and a third. ME games manage pretty well but the deviations are manageable whereas with HR QD were ploughing a pretty lonely furrow. Every scene, practically, could totally alter the story and lord knows how either the writer,director or, esp, the actors knew how to pitch each different scenario, what their motivations continued to be and so on. There's also little for them to crib from or for reviewers to judge them by and for a first go I think they did incredibly well holding it together. We saw a few reviews that picked at the acting and writing and, for me, that ignores that the level of most games is below that of all the writing in HR to begin with AND just how much harder their task was to start with too-it was a little unfair and punished people who, at least, tried to do something a little fresher.

As HR was such a novel approach I still feel it shouldn't have been used to promote the story but, rather, a more trad game from the library of recent releases. Personally, I think narrative is possible in sandbox and linear games(I thought the story writing in GTA4 was pretty good at times and showed a way to do things while allowing the gamer their freedom around the core story)-essential in many(like survival horror games with true SP campaigns)and that, really, the biggest issue is pacing a game like a game. Outside of that games going the same route of story with changes as ME/DA are just going to learn how to do things better and more smoothly over time as all gaming finds more expressive confidence.