Epic, Cinematic and Meaningful vs Fun Video Games

[Foxtrot94]

I have no idea what you're talking about.

He's talking about games that rely too much on story over gameplay, so much so that there's little difference between playing them and watching them being played.

@xMobilemux
There, I spared you having to repeat yourself.

 

[Sparda's Rebellion]

He's talking about games that rely too much on story over gameplay, so much so that there's little difference between playing them and watching them being played.

@xMobilemux
There, I spared you having to repeat yourself.

Yeah I know what he's saying, I'm saying I completely don't understand how he could say that those games aren't worth playing because you can just watch them on YouTube. Last of Us looks different in every playthrough depending on how you choose to play, Until Dawn is different in every playthrough, the TellTale games are different in every playthrough. I have no idea how you guys don't think those games are worth playing yourself.

 

[Foxtrot94]

I have no idea how you guys don't think those games are worth playing yourself.

Hey don't refer to me, I never mentioned those games, nor have I played them. I was just explaining to you what Mux said.

I can talk about the Telltale games though - as I've played those - and all the games like them, where I couldn't disagree with you more. Whereas TLOU, for example, from what I've seen can offer a different experience for everybody depending on how you PLAY it (like, more stealthy, more reckless, etc etc), the only thing that makes the Telltale games different for everybody is just making different choices in the story, which comes down to pressing a different button during a dialogue/cutscene. Nothing I can't find in a YT video, the different outcomes of the different choices. So in this case I fully agree with Mux, as there's barely any gameplay in those games so I can see how they can be seen as not worth playing for some people.

Yeah the Telltale games are adventure ones, but there are tons of adventure games out there that actually have more substantial gameplay, involving exploration, complex puzzle solving and so on. One of the best examples I've played is the Myst series. Telltale's games in the vein of TWAU or The Walking Dead are little more than interactive TV shows, and really have the lowest appeal to me because of it. I don't really *play* them, I basically watch them for the vast majority of the time. So in their case, there really is very little difference between watching them on YT and playing them myself.

 

[Viper]

Why are people acting like playing a game where you input a command to see a story unfold something terrible that game industry pulled out of its ass in the last decade?
Whether you write in actual text, choose from the menu, point with your mouse and click or push a button on the controller, adventure games have existed from before we were all born. They are not to everyone's taste, but that doesn't make them any less worthy of being made. Not all of them are made perfectly, but dammit all genres have problems with that.

 

[Foxtrot94]

Why are people acting like playing a game where you input a command to see a story unfold something terrible that game industry pulled out of its ass in the last decade?

Because these days it's going out of control, also invading genres that are NOT adventure. The industry is slowly getting more and more obsessed with treating games like movies, and every now and then disasters like The Order 1886 or Quantum Break come out, remembering us that nowadays, it almost seems developers put more effort in their cutscenes and scripts (and sometimes, failing at that too) rather than the gameplay mechanics. You know, what makes a game a game.

And it gets even worse when devs do this in franchises that have no business in this kind of practice. Adventure games may be the exception, cause in that genre, as the name itself suggests, the narrative IS an essential part of the experience (even though as I said, there are adventure games that actually do have solid gameplay along with a beefy and substantial story...), but when the "story over gameplay" trend spreads out onto other genres and is taken to an extreme, excuse me, but there's a fundamental problem there that shouldn't be ignored.

As for the type of games you defend, I know it's a controversial topic, always has been, and I know what you think about it, but I'm sorry, I am of the opinion that if you're gonna make a "game" that consists for the 90% of text or cutscenes alone, then that's only a game because of the interactive element of hitting a button to go on, and you'd better off writing a book or making a CGI animated movie instead, cause that's what you're doing, basically.

 

[WolfOD64]

Why are people acting like playing a game where you input a command to see a story unfold something terrible that game industry pulled out of its ass in the last decade?
Whether you write in actual text, choose from the menu, point with your mouse and click or push a button on the controller, adventure games have existed from before we were all born. They are not to everyone's taste, but that doesn't make them any less worthy of being made. Not all of them are made perfectly, but dammit all genres have problems with that.

You make a good point. Point-and-click games, and Visual Novels are mediums that have continued to grow over the years, and have presented a number of excellent stories.

What separates them from games like Metal Gear and Until Dawn, in my opinion, is that stories are actually good.

 

[Foxtrot94]

Point-and-click games, and Visual Novels are mediums that have continued to grow over the years, and have presented a number of excellent stories.

That's what I'm referring to when I say

I am of the opinion that if you're gonna make a "game" that consists for the 90% of text or cutscenes alone, then that's only a game because of the interactive element of hitting a button to go on, and you'd better off writing a book or making a CGI animated movie instead, cause that's what you're doing, basically.

As for point and click adventures, that's not an automatic synonym of all story, no gameplay. There are point and click games that know they are games in the first place and not books/movies and actually have some form of gameplay to play, including the genre's milestones such as Myst and Monkey Island, while still keeping an extensive storyline with a lot of cutscenes and all that. You still play those games, you don't just watch or read them. THAT'S the model point and click games should follow in my opinion, cause THAT makes them GAMES. What's the point of making a "game" almost all text or cutscenes? It's really ludicrous in my opinion. Can't you make it a book or a movie? Or an anime, a TV show, whatever? You would even spare yourself the time and effort of programming the algorithm to recognize the button press to continue the story.

 

[Chancey289]

You make a good point. Point-and-click games, and Visual Novels are mediums that have continued to grow over the years, and have presented a number of excellent stories.

What separates them from games like Metal Gear and Until Dawn, in my opinion, is that stories are actually good.

Katawa Shoujo is one of my favorite video games ever, and it's a visual novel. Yes, I use the term video game when referring to it.

Also, Lilly is best girl. I will fight anyone who says different.

 

[ReaperHunter]

I feel like there is a place for epic, cinematic, and meaningful games as well as fun games. The first Devil May Cry is my favorite game, I also like the MGS games, which have cutscenes many times longer than my average DMC playthrough. To me games can be any combination of epic , cinematic and fun. To me it doesn't matter so long as the world being presented to me is an interesting one.

 

[xMobilemux]

I feel like there is a place for epic, cinematic, and meaningful games as well as fun games.

Of course there is, gaming has a place for all kinds genres and games.

Everyone says go play your kinds of games and ignore the ones you don't like and I'd love for that statement to actually mean something in this day and age.
Sadly, the Epic, Cinematic and meaningful stuff I tend to avoid is being forced into stuff I like so it's pretty damn frustrating.

 

[Innsmouth]

I think for me the point is rather about freedom in games. Games like MGSV and Witcher offer you much more freedom than for example games like Assasin Creed or most of other games, that hold your hand on every corner and say to you "you must do this or that". Its part of the reason why I appreciate Dark Souls so much. I think all genres have their place to be, and I can equally enjoy story-driven and gameplay driven games, but I think the most I enjoy games that let you free in their own worlds instead of confine you with same action repeating over and over.

 

[Goldsickle]

I hope people remember that there's a difference between personal preference & general reception.
Please do not confuse the two.

From my personal experience, games that are all story, puzzle solving and no actual enemy encounter or boss battles will dramatically kill the replay value.
I may enjoy it and talk about it but after one or two playthrough, it's dropped and I never have any interest in it anymore.

It's not a case of "you've never tried it, so you don't know".
I've had my share of "story, puzzle and choices, with no combat" games and know enough from experience that they will only keep me entertained for the first playthrough.

The games that keep me playing over and over again are the ones with decent combat mechanics and memorable boss battles.

Undertale is heavy on the story, mystery, thought-provoking theories and good music.
But I believe that if it wasn't for an actual physical combat mechanic and memorable boss battles, it wouldn't have been as popular as it is today.

 

[Foxtrot94]

It's not a case of "you've never tried it, so you don't know".

I don't get why you're bringing that up. Did anybody say that here?

 

[Goldsickle]

I don't get why you're bringing that up. Did anybody say that here?

I've been in forums long enough to know that it's a typical response.
Way too many incidents where someone tells me "you never played it, so you don't know", when I did.

I don't think making a certain response in advance to specific messages in case someone posts them is violating any of the forum's rules.

And I hope you're not gonna start an argument over "don't post in advance if nobody says it" or something.

 

[Foxtrot94]

I don't think making a certain response in advance to specific messages in case someone posts them is violating any of the forum's rules.

And I hope you're not gonna start an argument over "don't post in advance if nobody says it" or something.

LOL dude, lower your defenses. The combistick is retracted, the wrist blades are in the bracelet, and the plasma caster is off. I was just asking.

 

[Goldsickle]

LOL dude, lower your defenses.

But if I Issen you, I will get enough souls to upgrade my Raizantou.