What is the greatest video game story line?

1. 72

   EJ Lambertposted 10 years ago

   What is the greatest video game story line?
   
   Games are known best for the playability and graphics, but so often the power of the story line gets overlooked.  Which titles throughout history have boasted the very best?

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2. 63

   TNT Huskyposted 10 years ago

   Xenogears. It was undoubtedly one of the best stories I had seen in a game. Not only was I on edge on my entire first playthrough, I found myself being able to relate to the characters. It never felt stale, and even when I was trying to figure out what had happened, I was still having fun. I didn't tear up at the end, like I did with final fantasy 8, but it just barely tops FF8 in terms of story.

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      EJ Lambertposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Two terrific choices from a genre that deserves more than it has gotten lately.

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3. 77

   JohnGreasyGamerposted 10 years ago

   Heavy Rain. While it takes a few hours before things really kick off and the control can be off-putting, the way the story is told and the fact that you can't fail (even if most of your main characters die, the story goes on) is ingenious. If for whatever reason that doesn't count, I'd have to say Metal Gear Solid. When I watched the walkthrough for it to download for a review, I kept watching just for the story and cinematics. Only recently have I had it confirmed for me that it was made much like a film to capture that element, and they did it spot on. The story and its telling is fascinating, with great characters, tension and crisis, and laying the foundations for many more games in the next 20 years.

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      EJ Lambertposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Both games are superb, but MSG was groundbreaking for the time.  No one had ever done it like that before.  Excellent choices.

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4. 70

   toptendealsposted 10 years ago

   After finishing Bioshock Infinite recently, it's definitely up there in story telling.  The mid portion of the game is a bit too drawn out and I dont think the fps-like mechanics lend itself too well to the gameplay.  There are more than a handful of interesting plot dynamics though with an interesting world to explore.  Bioshock 1 also had a great story so I thought it was a decent enough continuation of the series.

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      EJ Lambertposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I totally agree.  This series lends it's greatest strengths to the story and the unique FPS style it holds.  Definitely one of my favorites.

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   Infectionstudiosposted 10 years ago

   Even though it gets heavily criticized for it's ending, I feel like Mass Effect is up there with games with incredible stories and lore. With three games, I feel like players can really connect with their characters and watch as their actions in earlier games play a part in it's sequels.

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      toptendealsposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Mass Effect was one of my favorite games for exploration

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      JohnGreasyGamerposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Totally agreed there, though the first game packed way too much lore into the Codex and simply didn't do much with it until later games.

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      EJ Lambertposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Mass Effect, to me, made the transition that Final Fantasy and the like haven't.  Square Enix claim open world gaming is too difficult, yet M.E. has pulled it off magnificently.  No doubt it is one of my favorite all-time games.

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6. 58

   residentstoneposted 10 years ago

   Man, so many... I nearly wept at the ending of Red Dead Redemption..So Awesome! SO rich. Cant wait for Red Dead Revenge. Should be stellar.

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      EJ Lambertposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      It's really hard to sell a western these days but RDR pulled it off.  I imagine Revenge will do the same.

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   M. T. Dremerposted 10 years ago

   I would have to put Knights of the Old Republic at the top. Bioware is always really good at storytelling in their games, but KOTOR set the standard that all of their later games would hope to achieve. The fact that they took an existing universe and wrote a story to rival the source material is no small feat. I also have to give an honorable mention to Eternal Darkness. The story and atmosphere of that game has stuck with me for long after the disc started gathering dust. Both that, and KOTOR, inspired me enough to write separate novels using similar concepts.

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   1. 72

      EJ Lambertposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Two excellent, if understated choices.  Highly thought of by me.

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