Support NeoGAF

[Robb]

Hmm.. Can’t think of single time that I’ve finished a game and thought the story was particularly impressive.

I do enjoy games with a lot of environmental storytelling though, where you can absorb as much as you want at your own pace without long cutscene interruptions etc. etc. Bioshock, Metroid Prime, Hollow Knight etc. come to mind.

 

[Vyse]

Just finished Guardians of the Galaxy! Amazing story. Loved it.

 

[NeverYouMind]

I still read books... so never. I am impressed by the personification/visualization of ideas/concepts though. Psychonauts franchise has done well in that department.

 

[Sintoid]

Horizon: Zero Dawn is awesome and full of hints about Forbidden West wich I'm replaying right now and it's engaging like the previous one

 

[poppabk]

Never from what I can remember.
Game stories are often serviceable, moving you from one reveal or potential reveal to another. Page turner style story telling.

 

[Majukun]

devil survivor on DS..lots of people told me it's nothing special, but I love how methodical it is

 

[SweetTooth]

SH2 Remake

Elden Ring

 

[Karak]

Indy, Lost Judgment, original Life is Strange, Oxenfree. By pure time Indy but I recently replaced all of those in the same month.

 

[SlimySnake]

Ghost of Tsushima. So yeah, way back in 2020. The last four years have sucked dick.

Days Gone before that.

RDR2 before that.

Detroit and GOW 2018.

Cyberpunk. Trash.
HFW. Meh.
GOW Ragnorak. Marvel trash.
FF7 Rebirth. Literally retarded.
Star wars outlaws. Trash.
Avatar. Trash.
FF16. meh.

It's been a bad generation for good storytelling.

 

[existensmaximum]

Baldur's Gate 3.

Other games in recent years with outstanding story:

The Last of Us 2
Cyberpunk
Witcher 3

Hmmm I think that's all.

 

[Foxt3r]

13 sentinels has a fantastic story with nice plot twists.

 

[nowhat]

Indy, Lost Judgment, original Life is Strange, Oxenfree. By pure time Indy but I recently replaced all of those in the same month.

Replayed, I assume

I kinda have to disagree with Lost Judgment though. Arguably the plot in OG Judgment is way too convoluted, especially towards the end, but with Lost Judgment it's like the polar opposite. Yes, there are mysteries along the way. But once characters get revealed for who they are... they are exactly who they are revealed to be. I'm not saying go all M. Night Shyamalan, but you got to have a some kind of twist in there. Also, how Yagami reacts to the death of Sawa felt a bit contrived. He should be a hard-boiled detective and all, and they weren't really not that close were they?

 

[TintoConCasera]

Lost Judgment

Great pick. Think it's the first time RGG do a morally-grey villain and imo it turned out great.

Plus the story overall is just great. Love Yakuza but I think I prefer the more serious tine of the Judgment games. Hope we get a third entry some day.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Basically none.

Only memorable story I remember is ME2 and Zaeed lighting a guy on fire.

 

[Pinstripe]

Go in blind and revel.

 

[Danjin44]

13 sentinels has a fantastic story with nice plot twists.

 

[Raven117]

Indiana Jones great circle. That was better than all of the movies but for raiders and last crusade.

I’m kinda shocked how good it actually was I’m capturing the good Indiana Jones movies

 

[poodaddy]

Legacy of Kain. Best story in gaming and it's not even remotely close.

 

[Karak]

Great pick. Think it's the first time RGG do a morally-grey villain and imo it turned out great.

Plus the story overall is just great. Love Yakuza but I think I prefer the more serious tine of the Judgment games. Hope we get a third entry some day.

I very much enjoy the serious tone. I was shocked that I did actually.

 

[samoilaaa]

Indiana Jones great circle. That was better than all of the movies but for raiders and last crusade.

I’m kinda shocked how good it actually was I’m capturing the good Indiana Jones movies

yup cant wait to finish it , hope the ending is satisfying

 

[Schmendrick]

TLOU2
I never knew you could fuck up a story so hard while having such an amazing foundation.

 

[Edgelord79]

Witcher 3.

 

[samoilaaa]

Legacy of Kain. Best story in gaming and it's not even remotely close.

i really want to play the remasters but the controls are just not so great , these game would benefit from a remake

maybe the remasters sold enough to guarantee a new game

 

[KimDongHwan]

The House in Fata Morgana. Til this day I get some flashbacks of the story and music.

 

[poodaddy]

i really want to play the remasters but the controls are just not so great , these game would benefit from a remake

maybe the remasters sold enough to guarantee a new game

Yeah from a gameplay perspective, they honestly haven't aged well, but if you can push through and finish them, I can promise you that the payoff is worth it. That being said, the pay off doesn't come until Defiance, so here's hoping they remaster or remake that as well. Blood Omen 1 and 2 are both honestly pretty skippable, 2 more so than 1. 2 is cool in some ways, but is completely unnecessary in every way and isn't even that good.

 

[pqueue]

In order... ultima VII. then the original Gabriel Knight game, quickly followed by GK2. For their time, the story was very well-done in a way no other games at the time were trying.

 

[sharp weiner]

Bioshock- world building

 

[PlayofSparta]

Alan Wake 2
Burnhouse Lane
Silent Hill 2 Remake

 

[ChoosableOne]

12 minutes. It was great but gameplay sucks after 2 hours. Just watched the rest on Youtube. It could've been a great movie. If you liked Fahreneit go for it. It reminded me of a particular classic movie.

Vanishing of ethan carter was also good. Ost was superb too.

I also heard good things about "before your eyes", lately from yoshida san, that's my next target.

Update: before your eyes was just ok

 

[Gp1]

Cyberpunk has a fair share of problems but it also has some killers moments and side quests.

 

[PlayofSparta]

Witcher 3.

also this. game is 10ys old and the story is amazing still

 

[MrJangles]

Hellblade is pretty much the only game I've ever took an interest in story-wise.

 

[mafon2]

Well, there was a moment in Persona 5 Tactica, when one of the main characters was thrown under the train. And I was, like, wow, you had balls to off her like that. Brutal.
But then it turns out that she's fine.
Oh, c'mon ! You had it right here.

 

[PlayofSparta]

Hellblade is pretty much the only game I've ever took an interest in story-wise.

I would say is more of a long psychological case study, me being a therapist in real life I love it

 

[Raven117]

yup cant wait to finish it , hope the ending is satisfying

Enjoy!

 

[Sensei]

Unfortunately, not many games have really "impressed" me story-wise in the last few years. The last one I really remember making a lasting impression on me was probably Disco Elysium two years ago (I was a bit late to the party).

 

[TommyCronin6969]

Ye all really need to play some better games with a story that doesn't revolve around playing as the only character that can save the world from ending.

 

[Jaybe]

RDR2 is one of the best ones in recent memory, aside from the detour it takes part way through. Characters and writing are top notch and I love how it circles back on RDR1.

The dialogue in Hades is also amazing.

I thought Hogwarts Legacy was simple enough story and enjoyable.

Admittedly I don’t play many visual novels or JRPGs, and try to avoid cutscene heavy games.

It’s hit me that video game writing is by and large terrible and games are better enjoyed for their gameplay and interactivity, and stories are best ignored and skipped through, or just by gameplay focused games.

 

[Kagoshima_Luke]

Shadow of the Colossus?

 

[GrayDock]

Last one was Horizon:ZD. It is awesome because how and what is revealed... You can't see it coming.

 

[swaffles23]

TLOU Part II

 

[Putonahappyface]

Detroit: Become Human.

 

[bender]

I played through Ghost Trick last year.

 

[EruditeHobo]

Elden Ring is very strong, albeit minimal. Hollow Knight too is a really cool example of minimal, barely-there "story" in a world that is left up to the player to piece things together. Both of these are very engaging.

TLOU2 is IMO a fantastic and interesting interactive story that is much more in the classic, cinematic narrative style.

As a comparison, some of my very favorites of all time are FF7, FF Tactics, Xenogears, Half-Life 2, and Secret of Monkey Island.

 

[kevboard]

not necessarily the main story of them but the world building in Control and Alan Wake 2 is great.

I love the concept of the Oldest House, and the concept of folklore and the general cultural conscience influencing reality.

 

[Wildebeest]

There are games with settings or atmosphere that I like, maybe the occasional set piece, but I've never found the story telling impressive in a game. Just a really bad medium for it overall.

 

[Ceadeus]

The last Guardian for me!

It's a very simple story on the surface. It's the tale of a young boy swallowed by a large creature at night, then brought to a mysterious city in ruins, a fortress. Almost at destination the creature is struck by a strange lightning and falls unconscious. The boy is regurgitated by the creature. Once he wakes up, You see the creature chained like a slave and hurted by spears the tribe people threw at it. The gameplay starts by helping Trico , taking out the spears from its body and freeing it.

It's the start of a very moving and epic journey. You'll discover the mysteries that lies behind the ruins as you create bond with your new friend.

I challenge anyone to complete the game without shedding a tear. It's a narrative about friendship brought to such a pure and simple manner that it leaves you harmless. To me it's a must play and easily one of my favorite game ever!

 

[Shaki12345]

Spec Ops: The Line
Alan Wake 1/2

 

[Chuck Berry]

What a great thread idea

Now I need to think

 

[Zannegan]

9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors, and its sequel to a lesser extent.

The way the "gameplay" loop in 999 actually tied into and serviced the story was pretty mindblowing at the time. Looking it up doesn't have nearly the same impact as experiencing it from the inside.