"A few years ago, a lovely chap writing a thesis on gaming visited PC Gamer to chat about what they believed made a great game. I remember incoherently trotting out the usual buzzwords: story, characterisation, freedom. In my head flickered Planescape, Deus Ex, System Shock 2... I really believed that story is all.I can't say I'm as harsh as the above writer. I think story is an essential part of alot of good games, though the problem is most often that it usually takes the center stage ahead of the gameplay, stealing the control from the player.
What a fool I was. How could I not see that story is what's holding games back from true greatness? Show me your finest cutscene, your most shocking twist, your most moving endgame cinematic, and I will give you exactly the same response as I would to the worst, the most predictable, the most leaden. All it does is rub in my face all the things the game won't let me do myself."
What set games apart from other media is that they're interactive, and if that are taken away from them, they just become weak impersonations of books or movies. I've been wondering lately how much games could be dumbed down and made easy for the players, until they actually stop being considered as games and turn into realtime demos?
Story Must Die...
1 comment:
That's one of the reasons that many, including myself, enjoy the Half-Life series so much. They have a great story, but it doesn't suck you constantly into it. You can freely control Freeman at all times, no cutscenes, no bullshit.
I really think Bioshock is one of the best examples of how story should be done. If you want story, go search for the audio diaries. If you just want to kill stuff, then well... do it.
Post a Comment