Storytelling In Video Games

Game developers are trying to craft deeper and more intriguing stories as technology progresses but few developers have created a completely engrossing experience.

[Joule]

What the Metal Gear series does best.

[MpV35]

I was gonna mention it, but it's obvious that someone around here still knows a great saga when they see one. Bubbles for you.

[Colonel-Killzone]

When it comes to story telling Metal Gear Solid is unmatched.

Although I will say Uncharted 2 does a very good time telling a story and also at the sametime keep the pace of the action going also.

[klado]

Watch out, some sites reviewer prefer gameplay over storytelling and everything else...looking at you EDGE, gave prototype a good score being one of the most story lackluster in a sandbox, but sure, it is a sandbox, but when a sandbox has story, ugh ugh infamous, it is bad.

[ABizzel1]

When it comes to storytelling PS Exclusives usually are the best, Sony is also one of the biggest movie production compaines in the world, so finding writers for their games to help them with stories isn't that hard.

[DelbertGrady]

Three great and varying examples of storytelling in the article. One of my favourites in this aspect is Mass Effect. It really immerses you into the story. Especially because of the decision wheel system but also thanks to the excellent writing and voice-overs.

[Conloles]

Get your disagree shield on, thou shalt not praise an Xbox game.......

[Raf1k1]

Don't forget, it's also a PC game.

[pat_11_5]

Ya, people do seem to get attacked on N4G for saying anything pro-microsoft/pro-xbox. It kind of sucks but that's how these communities usually work.

[Simon_Brezhnev]

Mass effect 2 didnt really immerse me but The Witcher did.

[pat_11_5]

Mass Effect 2 is one of the few games I've played recently that completely immersed me, I was basically playing it at one point just to find out what happens next in the story. Red Dead Redemption is supposed to have a great plot but I could never get into it, maybe because it's a western and that really isn't my thing, I don't know.

[despair]

I really liked Mass Effect, both of them, but the story, while interesting was a little lacking for me in the way it unfolds, the fact that everyone is stationary while you have your major conversations really was annoying to me.

I know the renegade/paragon choices are a big part of the game, but when you see a crazy spaceship attack and everything is falling apart, then all of a sudden everyone stops moving to have a conversation, it really breaks the momentum of the game..thats just me, I had the same problem with both KOTORs, Fallout 3 etc.

[pat_11_5]

I feel like metal gear is too confusing, it often comes off as a cheesy b movie to me.

[T9X69]

Metal Gear can be confusing, but cheesy? No. It's such a huge deep story and sometimes can drag on in certain parts longer than needed to, but the whole Metal Gear story is no where close to being cheesy.

[telekineticmantis]

It's not really made for people with short attention spans

[Fireseed]

The Half Life story has had me gripped by the balls since it's release.

[pat_11_5]

Half Life definitely has an engrossing story. When I think of story telling in video games I think of Final Fantasy 6, that game was epic story wise. That opera scene, I'll never forget it. Kefka was perhaps one of the greatest bad guys in a game ever.

[Game-ur]

And the best thing about it is that every character is well developed without having one standout in the expense of the others, and each had his special unrepeated class.

[CHARLIEBROWNE]

Yeah and gordan freeman's voice acting was the icing on the cake. :D

[OSU_Gamer]

I loved the Metal Gear 4 story. It was fantastic. Alan Wake was also very good. I still think UC2 had a weak story though. It was the only weak part of the game imo, but the Story was like every other National Treausre, Indiana Jones movie. And of course it was unique when it comes to content, but it has all been done before...a lot.

[Rahim92]

Who plays MGS games without the slightest idea of whats going on. I seriously can't get a grasp of the storyline properly due to it being so damn frickin complicated. I'm a big fan of stealth games, and to me, it's the GAMEPLAY of MGS that attracts me cause my mind can't handle the depth of the storyline lol.

Huge kudos to Hideo Kojima who's mind works as a supercomputer lol.

[dizzleK]

the thing is, it's not incredibly deep. it's badly told and confusing. people simply mistake awful storytelling for "deep". dune has a deep story, a song of ice & fire has a deep story, metal gear is just vomit spewed by a man who is in love with his every brain fart.

[Neo Nugget]

Heavy Rain! That game is spectacular.

[sanshatak]

dear writer,before writing this article u should have played mgs series,by storytelling nothing comes close

[sanshatak]

also you should play mass effect,heavy rain to write such an article,this guy seems very unprofessional,mgs,mass effect and a lil bit heavy rain are the standarts of storytelling in this generation.

[s45gr32]

The Metal Gear saga has by far one of the best storylines in videogame history. Uncharted 2 excellent storyline, characters, etc. Its Heavy rain that is driven by the story not just plastered there for those that care about storylines. Is not a game were you go guns ablazing and kill anyone. Its about the characters lives. Yes Heavy Rain is the pinnacle of videogame story :-)