when judgeing a game

[orderoftheflame]

I'm surprised "story" comes so high up for so many people. I have never played a game with a story that wasn't clichéd, half-baked and littered with 2 dimensional characters and empty dialogue.
If you want a good story, watch a film or read a book, you're looking in the wrong place if you think you'll find one in a game.
Have you find one in a game and I just haven't played it?

Whut?

You're playing the wrong games mate.

See Grim Fandango, Max Payne 1+2, Brother in Arms series etc and then return to that train of thought.

 

[cheets64]

price

 

[Nanoman]

Played the monkey island games first time around and the first part of the new fangled one. While the dialogue can be fleetingly amusing, I wouldn't say the plot is any great shakes :S
Played red dead redemption too, and yes, rockstar do have a good go at plot, but still, cookie cutter characters and painfully clunky dialogue continually let them down.

The reason people write books and make films based on games is the same reason they remake classic films. It's a safe, low risk/high reward, dead-cert bums on seats money making exercise. Nothing more. It's not because the plot of the game is worthy of a film, although street fighter and super mario bros will go down as two of the greatest cinematic achievements of the nineties.

I would LOVE good writers to be involved in games and have a game with genuinely good, fleshed out characters and an involving storyline. I'm just saying that I haven't played it yet and I've played a lot of games.

It's not important to me when looking for a game to play because I know I'm not going to get it.

MGS?

 

[incubation]

Gameplay (by far most important)
Control scheme and responsiveness
Variety such as settings, look of enemys, equipment
Time to reward ratio

Sorry I didn't use all the catorgories in your list but some don't really matter much.

 

[clippa]

Hmmm, maybe I am just playing the wrong games. A lot of the games you mentioned I haven't played.
One of the main things that kept me from buying mass effect was the amount of dialogue. People told me it was more like watching a film than playing a game at times. I don't know, something like limbo made me feel and think more than most films I've seen and that had no dialogue or cut scenes.
You have to get the balance right. If the game has to stop for the narrative to be crow-barred in, then you've effectively stopped playing the game and you're watching a third-rate movie.
I suppose video games are still in their infancy and this will all get better as we go on.
I'll make a note to check out a few of the games you've mentioned though

 

[clippa]

Ah right, if we're allowed to pick our own categories.

Controls
gameplay
Framerate
innovation

 

[wannabedamned]

gameplay/story
innovation
graphics
length


Story for me is extremely important, and i would actually rate it equally with gameplay. The game could have the best gameplay in the world, perfectly seemless control to screen interaction, with vast imaginative worlds. But if the story is shallow, then so is the game. And i need immersion and substance to enjoy a game. Any game, even FPS games.

The best part of call of duty 4 for me was the perspectives given in some of the scenes. You'll know the ones i'm talking about. Thats gameplay mixed with immersion and story right there, and it really made the game so much better.

Unsuprisingly RPGs are my favourite genre, Graphics are not a factor really atall for me, and aslong as the journey is a good one, Short and Sweet games are fine also, Fable for example.

That said, If you hand me a game with amazing gameplay and an immense story. I wouldnt be upset if it was visually orgasmic.