Warning! This thread is vaguely about Halo 3! 
With the release of Halo 3 and the hype surrounding it, it got me thinking as to why I'm so hugely apathetic to the Halo series of games. I've played the first two and, whilst technically brilliant, they frankly bore me to death. I've concluded that the reason why I can't get excited by them is because the Halo universe seems so bland.
The game's universe reminds me of a dumb 80s action movie. It's all muscles and guns - the perfect mix to appeal to 14 year old male Americans, but not to me. Many other modern sci-fi video games are equally stuck in the 80s.
So that got me thinking about sci-fi video games that I do enjoy. As I looked back, it was surprising how few examples of well constructed, largely cliché-free sci-fi video game universes I could think of. Compared to TV, film and literature, the typical sci-fi video game has an incredibly lazy plot and virtually no back story. Video games may rely less on plot than most other forms of modern entertainment, but that's no excuse these days with the technology and innovation at the disposal of developers.
Here are the examples of good video game sci-fi that I could come up with:
Fallout: Thankfully, RPGs live or die on their story. Fallout provides a rich universe to explore and exploit. The opening video is wonderfully done and the two games are full of wit and style.
Bioshock: Again, the developer went for a retro sci-fi feel and it really works. It's an incredibly atmospheric game and the level design was just stunning.
Halflife: Not only does it win a lot of points for the way in which it tells the story, but it also manages to avoid the super-human muscle man hero cliché.
Deus Ex: The Matrix of the video game world. It tries some psuedo-philosophical nonsense, half pulls it off and provides an entertaining game in the process.
What are other people's favourite sci-fi video game universes and why?
With the release of Halo 3 and the hype surrounding it, it got me thinking as to why I'm so hugely apathetic to the Halo series of games. I've played the first two and, whilst technically brilliant, they frankly bore me to death. I've concluded that the reason why I can't get excited by them is because the Halo universe seems so bland.
The game's universe reminds me of a dumb 80s action movie. It's all muscles and guns - the perfect mix to appeal to 14 year old male Americans, but not to me. Many other modern sci-fi video games are equally stuck in the 80s.
So that got me thinking about sci-fi video games that I do enjoy. As I looked back, it was surprising how few examples of well constructed, largely cliché-free sci-fi video game universes I could think of. Compared to TV, film and literature, the typical sci-fi video game has an incredibly lazy plot and virtually no back story. Video games may rely less on plot than most other forms of modern entertainment, but that's no excuse these days with the technology and innovation at the disposal of developers.
Here are the examples of good video game sci-fi that I could come up with:
Fallout: Thankfully, RPGs live or die on their story. Fallout provides a rich universe to explore and exploit. The opening video is wonderfully done and the two games are full of wit and style.
Bioshock: Again, the developer went for a retro sci-fi feel and it really works. It's an incredibly atmospheric game and the level design was just stunning.
Halflife: Not only does it win a lot of points for the way in which it tells the story, but it also manages to avoid the super-human muscle man hero cliché.
Deus Ex: The Matrix of the video game world. It tries some psuedo-philosophical nonsense, half pulls it off and provides an entertaining game in the process.
What are other people's favourite sci-fi video game universes and why?
.
