Games with great plot and story lines.

Old Perry

So ive been watching the cutscenes of some games lately as a subsitute for films. Most recently the last of us and also the shadow of morder.. ... So what are recent games with good cutscenes/film potential. Was thinking maybe assasins creed?

Links234

I had been watching a few of the Metal Gear Solid games that were edited into movies in preperation for MGSV, those were great.

J. Marston

Some very recent ones that spring to mind are Witcher 3 and Life Is Strange.

ShadowHearth

Witcher 1, 2, 3. The game of thrones of video game world. Fantastic. I think they do have an actual tv series of it in Poland.
Bioshock series have great stories. Some of the best in video games.

Fluorescence

Recently picked up Undertale for a tenner on Steam and its the best money I've spent on a game in a long time! Don't want to say much about it for risk of spoiling it but I would wholeheartedly recommend for a genuinely compelling story experience with some fun gameplay!

Retr0gamer

50 Cent: Blood on the Sand

'Wherez mah skull!'

Robert ninja

The Max Payne 1/2 voiced comic strips are a work of art. Give a sit through those. Although it's a sin not to play the games.

whole playlist

brianregan09

GTA has always had movie potential given that it borrows massivley from big movies in the 1st place

Last of US is one of the best, heavy rain , the 1st 3 resident evils before they went mental had good stories

lawlolawl

Life is Strange is pretty much easily the best game story in recent memory.

Also, Deadly Premonition, Tales from the Borderlands and Gone Home are really good as well.

Everything else is fairly laughable.

Fluorescence

Actually, I would love to see the original Deus Ex made into a film. I think that would be really interesting, and would introduce a lot of people to the story who simply aren't willing to play what is now considered to be a really ugly game :pac: It'd have to be perfect though

Manach

I thought Dishonored had good cut scenes with an excellent created steampunk world.

Captain Chaos

Fluorescence wrote: »

Actually, I would love to see the original Deus Ex made into a film. I think that would be really interesting, and would introduce a lot of people to the story who simply aren't willing to play what is now considered to be a really ugly game :pac: It'd have to be perfect though

There has been talk of a movie ever since it was ported over to the PS2 way back when.

They would probably make a mess of it like all the other game to movie transitions.

Could be excellent if done correctly.

dreamers75

I find games with good stories a bonus, i dont actively look out for it. I have noticed a clamour lately for games with good storylines.

Prefer gameplay over story every time.

Retr0gamer

No mention of Silent Hill 2? It's got one of the best stories ever written and it's not just the writing, it's the way everything in the game from the visuals to the gameplay ties into it. Most games that get praised for having great stories are just trying to ape Hollywood, and even something like Last of Us is really only aping the best that Hollywood puts. Silent Hill 2 is something that could only get done as a game and it's really something special.

Retr0gamer

Retr0gamer wrote: »

50 Cent: Blood on the Sand

'Wherez mah skull!'

Gameplay is actually fun tbf

I would add Bioshock.
And before its said yes it nicked some of System Shock 2s themes / story ideas but its the characters and the historical setting that makes Bioshock 1 so awesome.

Retr0gamer

M!Ck^ wrote: »

Gameplay is actually fun tbf

Yep, it's surprisingly good and the stupid story is comedy gold.

brady12

first 20min of the last of us still blows me away and sucks me in.have say until dawn was brilliant even though it based on a stupid genre !

Retr0gamer

brady12 wrote: »

have say until dawn was brilliant even though it based on a stupid genre !

I'm not sure if Until Dawn is the work of sheer genius of dumb luck. As a movie it would be a pretty ropey slasher flick. Add the visual novel elements to it and it's utterly compelling.

Mal-Adjusted

Fluorescence wrote: »

Actually, I would love to see the original Deus Ex made into a film. I think that would be really interesting, and would introduce a lot of people to the story who simply aren't willing to play what is now considered to be a really ugly game :pac: It'd have to be perfect though

It'd be far too long with too many characters. I'd see it more as maybe a 3 part miniseries ala Frank Herberts Dune.

brady12

Retr0gamer wrote:

I'm not sure if Until Dawn is the work of sheer genius of dumb luck. As a movie it would be a pretty ropey slasher flick. Add the visual novel elements to it and it's utterly compelling.

I'd say dumb luck .judging by the sound of the vr game they bringing out

Fluorescence

Mal-Adjusted wrote: »

It'd be far too long with too many characters. I'd see it more as maybe a 3 part miniseries ala Frank Herberts Dune.

Idk about that, much of the length is due to the missions which wouldn't need to be shown in full. A mini series would be interesting though!

Hmm. Bioshock (1 & Infinite)
Last of Us
Gears of War(s)

SeantheMan

brianregan09 wrote: »

GTA has always had movie potential given that it borrows massivley from big movies in the 1st place

Last of US is one of the best, heavy rain , the 1st 3 resident evils before they went mental had good stories

Old Perry wrote: »

So ive been watching the cutscenes of some games lately as a subsitute for films. Most recently the last of us and also the shadow of morder.. ... So what are recent games with good cutscenes/film potential. Was thinking maybe assasins creed?

Surely you are both joking with these 2 suggestions, they have some of the worst stories of any games I've ever completed. ESPECIALLY the endings/twists.....just awful....as in really really bad, written by a 1st year secondary school student level bad. It's like those cop outs...and then it was all a dream. :P

- Metal Gear Solid (PS1) had a great story. (I know it's not recent, but MGS V came to mind....and immediately NO )
- Bioshock 1 I liked
- Mass Effect 1 and 2...not sure about 3
- Spec Ops the Line
- The Walking Dead
- Wolf Among Us
- Sleeping Dogs I thought had a great story for that type of game
- GTA : Vice City was the best of the series in my opinion (storywise)
-

CiaranW

Red Dead Redemption would make an excellent movie.

Mass Effect 3 had such a fantastic story and brought the trilogy to a fantastic close. Sure, they messed up a little, but there was enough there to make it worth it. It made everything feel like all your decisions had galactic consequences,

there was one such decision that resulted in almost an entire species being destroyed

but also had some fantastic personal touches.

Retr0gamer

I wouldn't say the Mass Effect series had a great storyline. It's just the same Bioware fantasy monomyth told with a sci fi coat of paint with elves, dwarves and orcs replaced with space versions of them. I've played too many fantasy games where you have to save the universe from an ancient evil that is returning. Still it's the decisions you make and role playing that raise it up a notch and make it worth it. My advise to anyone starting it is not be a goody two shoes and actually role play a character and live with the choices you make... and also pick a female shepard. Makes the whole story a lot more enjoyable.

ERG89

I always liked Hotel Dusk's story, or maybe it was the soundtrack

Retr0gamer

Retr0gamer wrote: »

I wouldn't say the Mass Effect series had a great storyline. It's just the same Bioware fantasy monomyth told with a sci fi coat of paint with elves, dwarves and orcs replaced with space versions of them. I've played too many fantasy games where you have to save the universe from an ancient evil that is returning. Still it's the decisions you make and role playing that raise it up a notch and make it worth it. My advise to anyone starting it is not be a goody two shoes and actually role play a character and live with the choices you make... and also pick a female shepard. Makes the whole story a lot more enjoyable.

I sank in around 150 hours into the ME franchise, with replays and making different decisions each time, just to see how it changed my gameplay and it really did make a noticeable difference.

Penn

I absolutely loved the story in Portal 2. Considering how it was done and the type of game it was, the story of Cave Johnson & Caroline was surprisingly deep and very well told.

Also, Assassins Creed 2 had a great story and characters, both past & present stories. The ending especially completely blew my mind. The story has been on a downward slide since then however.

SeantheMan

Retr0gamer wrote: »

My advise to anyone starting it is not be a goody two shoes and actually role play a character and live with the choices you make... and also pick a female shepard. Makes the whole story a lot more enjoyable.

I could never bring myself to play as female Shepard. I've played through the trilogy 3 times (once on each console + PC ) ...always Male.
I guess I want him to be 'me' basically..and I ain't no woman :P
But I have heard from numerous sources that the woman voice actor was a lot better.

Retr0gamer

Male Shepard is just utterly bland to me. The actor does a good job but the problem is kind of the crappy dialogue. Jennifer Hale who does the female shepard on the other hand is a totally different level of voice actor and just makes the role hers. She is very believable as a gruff military type who has been in the military for a number of years and seen it all already and there's just a whole lot more nuance to how she delivers those lines. The male shepard is just generic hollywood lead 101.

SeantheMan

SeantheMan wrote: »

I could never bring myself to play as female Shepard. I've played through the trilogy 3 times (once on each console + PC ) ...always Male.
I guess I want him to be 'me' basically..and I ain't no woman :P
But I have heard from numerous sources that the woman voice actor was a lot better.

That's the exact same as me.. when I play games that involve any form of character customization, I usually build it to look as much like me as possible. So with those games, I largely play as male.

Penn

Deleted User wrote: »

That's the exact same as me.. when I play games that involve any form of character customization, I usually build it to look as much like me as possible. So with those games, I largely play as male.

I'm the opposite nowadays and will select a female character if given the choice, mainly because every character customisation of a male I do always looks the exact same, or just somewhat generic. Plus to see what differences there might be in terms of story, dialogue etc as a result of picking female (where the majority would probably pick male).

Is there ever a noticeable difference with regards to male and female characters in games with regards to story? Which ones had?

Penn

Deleted User wrote: »

Is there ever a noticeable difference with regards to male and female characters in games with regards to story? Which ones had?

Probably not, most keep the dialogue fairly generic to suit both. But every now and again there may just be a line where you think "Wonder if that line would be the same if I was playing as the other gender..."

Generic Dreadhead

People should stop recommending Bioshock Infinite to people full stop, it was a poor game.

Linear gameplay, unimaginative enemies, no exploration, useless Vigors/Powers (complete the game using 2 or 3 stalwarts), terrible Gun levelling system, overly convoluted story.

The only redeeming factors are the visuals, the world they created and the NPC you're guiding around (who is one of the best in any game full stop)

Those are not good enough for it to be help up against Bioshock 1 in anyway shape or form.

Would have made a better Telltale game, there I said it.

The gameplay was really not on point at all at all. It's all rose tinted glasses and echoing bias reviews.
The fact that was considered a a game of the year is laughable frankly.

Links234

I seriously enjoyed Bioshock Infinite, thought it was a fantastic game.

Retr0gamer

You get different romance options... I think. I think that's where the main problem with role playing a female came in. I wasn't role playing, more so getting protective of her and was like 'get your filthy hands off her you generic space marine!'. It's probably why I barely explored any of the romance options in the game.

Generic Dreadhead

Links234 wrote: »

I seriously enjoyed Bioshock Infinite, thought it was a fantastic game.

Ya see, you think that, but maybe if you wait 2 years and go back and replay it you'll see what i'm on about. :P

Whereas I came to Bioshock 1 about 5 or 6 years after release and was absolutely floored. Infinite will not hold up like that, mark my words.

I was seriously let down.
The Gun/Vigor balance was just all over the shop. Having 2 sets of pretty much the same guns was dumb.
The linear/open world balance 1 and 2 got so right was out the window, turning the game into a rail-shooter.
The story was trying WAYYYYY to hard, let's be honest. It was a good story but was just a bit too silly, a bit too M.Night.Shamalany

The world, characters, setting, landscape.... all Wonderful.

But I consider that stuff on par with a Walking Simulator (see Telltale) type game

Retr0gamer

Thought Bioshock Infinite was kind of boring and the story was rubbish as well. It's alright making a statement about videogames being generic and boring but it doesn't work if the game itself is nothing more than a generic boring shooter.

Generic Dreadhead

Came here expecting to continue my one-man war against Bioshock Infinite, what happened next shocked me :eek:

ionapaul

Gotta say I loved Bioshock Infinite and going back to what the OP is interested in, that game immediately sprang to mind.

I thought some of the earlier CODs set during WWII had decent plots; it was nice for the writers to be able to draw from a historical narrative that almost all of us already know and that can easily framed as an engaging good-vs-evil story!

Would also give another vote for Portal 2.

Cina

I never got the massive hype for Bioshock Infinite. I mean its core gameplay was flawed to the extent that Elizabeth wasn't actually supposed to be invincible against enemies but they had to make her so cause her AI was so rubbish. The story also wasn't that good either.

I think The Last of Us is probably as close as a game has gotten to great movies both in terms of plot, acting, setting and characters. It didn't feel like it was just a game, it felt like a lot more than that.

In terms of making me laugh, Portal always wins, and Portal 2 has its moments, too.

Just to make it clear I was talking about Bioshock 1 (Post war theme / Sanders Cohen )
and I agree infinite was a let-down

FortuneChip

The Uncharted games are very by-the-numbers in terms of plot, but their execution sets them apart from other games.
There's so many memorable characters, lots of great dialogue moments that seem very organic. Just flat out enjoyable.

TLOU is fantastic.
SnakeEater is easily the best MGS in terms of story.

Potatoeman

Cormac... wrote: »

Ya see, you think that, but maybe if you wait 2 years and go back and replay it you'll see what i'm on about. :P

Whereas I came to Bioshock 1 about 5 or 6 years after release and was absolutely floored. Infinite will not hold up like that, mark my words.

I was seriously let down.
The Gun/Vigor balance was just all over the shop. Having 2 sets of pretty much the same guns was dumb.
The linear/open world balance 1 and 2 got so right was out the window, turning the game into a rail-shooter.
The story was trying WAYYYYY to hard, let's be honest. It was a good story but was just a bit too silly, a bit too M.Night.Shamalany

The world, characters, setting, landscape.... all Wonderful.

But I consider that stuff on par with a Walking Simulator (see Telltale) type game

I finshed it but HATED the limited two weapon system. I only used the rocket launcher and rifle as they are all purpose weapons.

Generic Dreadhead

Potatoeman wrote: »

I finshed it but HATED the limited two weapon system. I only used the rocket launcher and rifle as they are all purpose weapons.

Honestly, that was my biggest problem with the game, once I realised that it was designed that way my mood soured. I don't mind limited weapons, but I remember having to do some boss fights with total sh!t weapons as those were the only ones the trash mobs were dropping

Cormac...

Cormac... wrote: »

Honestly, that was my biggest problem with the game, once I realised that it was designed that way my mood soured. I don't mind limited weapons, but I remember having to do some boss fights with total sh!t weapons as those were the only ones the trash mobs were dropping

I hate the way it pissed away the rpg elements present in bio 1 & 2

Generic Dreadhead

M!Ck^ wrote: »

I hate the way it pissed away the rpg elements present in bio 1 & 2

It was like 3 completely different Sheep!

I liked Bioshock 2 more

*Drops Mic*
*Runs*

Retr0gamer

M!Ck^ wrote: »

I hate the way it pissed away the rpg elements present in bio 1 & 2

I hated the way Bio 1 and 2 pissed away the RPG elements of System Shock 2 :pac: