For a long, long time I’ve been waiting for a game that puts the story first. A game that can tell a brilliant, engaging story just like a movie, tv show or book. But lately I’m beginning to wonder if that is even possible. Maybe I’m waiting for the impossible?
The latest game I’ve been playing is Heavy Rain. It was publicized as an ‘interactive drama’. It really does put the story first, and yes its a good story. The trouble is, I think this interactivity interferes with the storytelling. If you play it just once, then walk away, then yes you got a good, engaging story. But with the way the story can branch to much, nobody will play it just once.
So you play it a second time, get a different end result, and then your first story is diminished. You realise that there is really no set path for the story to unfold. For me, it ruins the immersion and surprise when you can steer the story in whatever way you want.
Of course, I realise not all games are like this. But still, even in games with linear storylines, the quality of the writing is lacking. Resident Evil games aside, the Survival Horror genre tends to have quite good storylines in their games. I’d probably say Silent Hill is the best at story, but even that too has multiple endings.
So what else? Uncharted 1 and 2 both had interesting linear stories, but I wouldn’t want to read a book about it.
No matter how many games I play, I really can’t think of one that has satisfied me, story-wise, the way a really good book can. Perhaps I should stop looking.
So what makes up an interesting story? Well written characters for a start. Most video game characters are pale, one-dimensional and badly written. But when it’s an action game where all you care about is killing the next alien, it really doesn’t matter how bad the characters are.
Heavy Rain has the best characters so far. They felt like real people, displayed emotion, and were well rounded. But still, it failed on plot. The plot changes so much depending on how you play, and each time you realise that a branch exists, a small part of the magic dies.
The Secret World (insert link here) is a MMO in development that promises to put an emphasis on story. The only other MMO I would say that has a good story is Lord of the Rings Online, and that’s only because it’s based on a story that has already been written. TSW has already revealed a lot of back-story, and currently there is an ARG centred around the New England town of Kingsmouth. Ragnar himself has stated that he wants people to get to know the characters, which is an exciting prospect. But the game is far from release. Can it deliver on story? Who knows… Perhaps being an MMO means it fails on story automatically?
Two games that perhaps come close to having a good story are The Longest Journey and Dreamfall. The trouble is, I haven’t completed The Longest Journey and never played Dreamfall. While the story and characters are good, it’s a basic point and click adventure game, and the boring, illogical puzzles ruin the pacing of the story for me.
That’s another thing, in a story, the pacing is very important. You want the story to flow smoothly, not become too slow or boring, and not move so fast that the reader can’t keep up. But with a game, they can’t control the pacing. Perhaps you’ll get stuck in a puzzle and not advance the story for a few days? Perhaps you’ll skip a few cut scenes? I found the pacing of The Longest Journey too slow, and I got bored. So I stopped playing.
Until now, when a new game comes out the first thing I look for is a good story. I’m always disappointed. I think perhaps I need to change my priorities. Maybe one day I’ll find a game with an exciting, engaging story, but when I do, it’ll be a surprise. I’m not looking for it anymore.
