What games have the best story?

I thought the original Last of Us was pretty good..and then they destroyed it with the sequel lol.. How about you, SW?

KOTOR 2 is for adults who subscribe to Kindle Unlimited.

Very mature.

The last game that i've played (not necessary the newest game) with a story that i absolutely adored was GoW2018. And before that it was TLOU2, yes, you heard that right, T L O U 2, the game that gets shit on by everyone. Other than these two, RDR2 had an amazing story and cast of characters.

Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross are probably my top two favourites. Also love the Mass Effect trilogy, Final Fantasy III/VI, VII, and X, and the Metal Gear Solid games.

I love both of the TLoU games. Yes, the sequel included.

All three Witcher games. The very first Telltale The Walking Dead. I got legit feels in that finale scene between Clem and Lee. And Mass Effect trilogy, of course. I was incredibly invested.

The undisputed objectively best video game story of all time is I don't fucking know man.

Haven't cared much for the story side of gaming in a long time. And when I look back at the video game stories I really enjoyed, it's like would I even like them now?

Really enjoyed the stories in MGS2, MGS3, Chrono Trigger, FFs 4, 6, 7, 9, 10, Phantasy Star 4, etc.

These days I vibe more with games that are subtle about it, light on exposition, actually use the game itself as a story telling medium. Stuff like Soulsborne, Metroid, Hollow Knight, shit like that. Can also dig a game that throws just enough charm at you to add flavor, like Shovel Knight and its expansions.

Here's where I go full snob and say Planescape and Disco Elysium. *tips fedora*

Red Dead 2 and The Last of Us 2 both had incredible stories and characters for me.

The first Walking Dead Telltale game had great writing too.

The last few games that I found memorable were Witcher 3, CP2077, TLoU, and surprisingly Watch Dogs Legion has a good story that was let down by the recruiting mechanic.

As a genre? I guess RPG's, they are more or less designed around their stories, or sometimes designed to allow you to make your own story.

Strategy games surprisingly have really great stories, too; I think their grand campaigns coupled with very specific, detailed battles does a good job of telling the story of the individual plus the larger picture. Games like Starcraft, Warcraft, Command and Conquer and such have really great stories imo.

The House in Fata Morgana. Don't know if it counts since it's a straight up visual novel. No voice acting, branching story or anything like that. Just writing , artwork, and a soundtrack.

If we're talking actual games, it's hard to say. Video games are great at world building and atmosphere, not so much well-paced storytelling.

• Max Payne
• Mafia
• Deus Ex
• System Shock 2
• Prey
• Metal Gear Solid 1
• Half life 2
• Metro 2033

TLOU2 story is so much better. Not only better in the story department, but as you already know very well, it has the best animations ever seen in a game. Its so good that you must call it as a movie game because it doesn't feel right for a console exclusive (last gen game mind you) to have such incredible animations.

even 80s B movie have better story than last of us 2 lol.

Not Jonn Wick, tho. That series is cheesy childish trash with no story.

There is many but the very recent one that stuck with me is Returnal, FFVIIR and 13 Sentinel: Aegis Rim. Returnal cosmic horror is done extremely well, FF its probably nostalgia and 13 Sentinel story twist is quite engaging.

Don't usually care much about story in games, but off the top of my head Mass Effect. I get sucked into the conversation narratives.

Would you rather watch Cinderella and Beatuy and beast over John Wick?? LOL

Lets compare JW to the bottom of the barrel so it comes out on top by default. John Whick=Brokeback Mountain. End of the story.

This has been most badass intro scene in movies. the way it introduce John wick after he become really John wick once again by loosing everything. even the main villain is angry with his son because he messed up all.

this is one badass character introduction.

@ghosts4ever: What about the story in tlou didn't you like?

@ghosts4ever: Incredibly cheesy and childish. You need to begin watching real movies for men or you're not allowed to praise Doom Eternal with your childish taste.

Metal Gear Solid 4.

Action-adventure games:

• Alundra
• Silent Hill
• Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
• Soul Reaver 2
• Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

Adventure games:

• Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
• Shadow of Memories
• Higurashi: When They Cry
• Clannad
• Steins Gate

Role-playing games:

• Dragon Quest V
• Lunar 2: Eternal Blue
• Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals
• Final Fantasy VII
• Drakengard

Most likely games that tries really hard with its story and succeeds. I don't really play such games. I do enjoy good videogame stories though, but I prefer when they're light. Also love uncovering lore during gameplay rather than getting it through cutscenes, dialogues, or whatever. Gets me way more interested in it when I uncover it myself, for some reason.

Edit: Ah, you had already said what I wanted to but worded much better. Annoying. :P

Warzone

Eh. Think a distinction between "The story" itself and "Story telling".

Doom/Halflife/Doom 3 all more or less have the same story. But told in different ways. Doom? Doesn't really give a shit, it's window dressing, background information to justify thing that is happening. Halflife? Heavily integrated, but almost entirely uninterrupted. Doom 3? Reliance of cutscenes and mimicking SS logbooks. Though nowhere near as obnoxious as modern games, nowhere near as effective as Halflife.

Gaming seems to be in a unique position where a "meh" or arguably even bad story told well can get a pass, as long as the gameplay bolsters it. Similarly, a very good story can result in "meh".

Alot 14 year olds who watch dumb shit like Dragonball love to say "Metal Gear Solid is better than any movie!", and usually people laugh at them, and throw a brick at their head. But the way Kojima tells is insanity works well in games in a way it wouldn't in movies. If he was making a movie, be laughed out the room. And a brick thrown at his head. In a game, length of cutscenes aside, it works (imo)

Argue Heavy Rains story,(at least in framework), is good. But it's David Cage and get the opposite effect. He looks down on games in an arguably pretentious manner, possibly even more pretentious than this post. He seems to view "fun" as the enemy, and "le mature", by default, superior.

That itself is a silly attitude. Plenty of stuff aimed at children is well written and well above any shit he will ever make. Even within games I guarantee a simple sparse fairy-tale story in BOTW you're average consumer gave more of a "Le_emotion" shit than Detroit Become Human.

Early games were more about evoking the imagery and feel of Hollywood movies. In some cases, straight up plagiarizing them than the intricacies' of the story itself.

As the technology evolved the attitude of "we must make this challenging" changed to "we most get as wide a net of audience as possible", where gameplay feels almost automated and their mocap, cripple your walk bullshit becomes paramount to the detriment of the gameplay. Where (at least for me) it becomes frustrating. They basically are trying to make a film, with gameplay almost begrudgingly, or at the very least, half-heartedly put in.

It's like when The Fly man said just because you can, doesn't mean you should. In the dinosaur movie.

Doom 2016.

..... or whatever games story is easiest to ignore entirely.

No best story 🙄 but Psychonauts 2 was the most recent game story I enjoyed.

@uninspiredcup: Nice write up. With favorable bias, I agree.

Zelda

Deus Ex 1

Chrono Trigger

Obvious trolling is obvious.

Red Dead Redemption

God of War 2018

Assassins Creed Ezio

The Last of Us

Super Mario Bros, it was so moving. Just watching how close Mario got to saving the Princess and his resiliency as he would fight through World after World against the evil Koopa terrorists that threatened his Kingdom and its monarchy. The original patriot.

Mario was like the Mushroom Kingdoms version of Batman, he's like "NO GUNS".

Mario: "WHERE'S THE PRINCESS"

Koopa: "I DON'T KNOW, I'm just a soldier... I swear"

Mario: "SWEAR TO MEEEEE!" *Head butts the Koopa Trooper.

Tetris has the best story ever. Without a doubt...

Nah, seriously I generally don't play video games for their stories, but Persona 5 and Final Fantasy 5 and 6 really captivated me.

I also like the ultra simple stories in old-school games. For example Castle of Illusion on Sega Genesis: Mickey and Minnie are dancing in the forest. The bad witch kidnaps Minnie. Now Mickey has to build a rainbow of gems so he can get to the witch's castle. I love that simple stuff.

Or how about Super Mario Bros. Mario does a lot of hard work, and then he is told :"Sorry but our princess is in another castle!". It's like a big f you to Mario. Haha.

Final Fantasy 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

Golden Sun 1 and 2

Yakuza 0

Judgment 1 and 2

TLOU

Uncharted 1-4

And what would you know, Raid Shadow Legends pro?

Agree with this part. Storytelling trumps story. How a story is told is much more important than the story itself. For example, the "monomyth" or "hero's journey" is the same story told thousands of times for thousands of years, ever since The Epic of Gilgamesh over 4,000 years ago. Yet it still works, because storytellers have always found ways to retell the story in interesting ways for thousands of years.

Metal Gear Solid was already adapted into a movie, and the film critics loved it, scoring it 90% on Rotten Tomatoes...

Top 10 Movies for Fans of Metal Gear Solid

The first half of Captain America: The Winter Soldier feels a lot like the second Metal Gear Solid game. There’s stealth, an evil group, CQC, and even the moral dilemma about sacrificing one’s personal liberties for the feeling of security. It gets more like a superhero movie in its second half, but the first half or so feels like probably the closest movie adaptation we’ve gotten to Metal Gear Solid 2.

...But personally, I thought that movie was a dumbed-down pale imitation of Metal Gear Solid. Either way, it shows that MGS definitely works in a superhero movie format (or anime format, the Japanese equivalent).

P.S. Mate, aren't you like one of the biggest Dragon Ball fans on this board? I swear you've watched the whole of Dragon Ball Super (I dropped it at the first season).

@Jag85: Not big on Super either. Later seasons get better, as does the frankly, shit animation. But it deviates from the manga in dumb ways and never reaches the quality of DB or Z. Basically the best arc is Moro, which is currently manga only, that heavily apes Z. TOP has nuclear bombs and shit bomb off and "ultra powerful POWERFUL MAN!". But compare it to the tournaments in OG DB, it's garbage. Basically vapid illogical set-pieces where thematically only really comes together at the end episodes for a good pay-off.

Broly movie was dope. Toriyama more involved, artists at the top of their game. Simple but well executed plot. Fantastic action etc.. Felt like classic Z episodes and not those shitty non-canon movies.

Imagine when they bring it back (outside the new movie) probably be very aware of how badly they fucked up with Super.

@uninspiredcup: I know a few things about later DBS arcs, mainly from memes, like the Tournament of Power, Jiren, and Ultra Instinct. And from the news, like the last episode selling-out filled stadiums across Latin America. I'm guessing the DBS tournament saga isn't as good as the old DB tournament sagas?

I think DB ultimately ran into the same problem the Metal Gear games and Marvel & DC comics eventually ran into: long-running series eventually losing steam. After a series reaches its narrative peak, it can only go down from there, as there's only so much more you can do after that. DB peaked with the Freeza & Cell sagas (whichever one, depending on who you ask), and then went downhill from there. Metal Gear peaked with MGS3, and then went downhill from there. Marvel & DC comics peaked in the '90s, and then went downhill from there (despite Marvel & DC movies dominating the box office, Marvel & DC comics sell like crap nowadays).

Either way, good to know the Broly movie is on the right track. Maybe there is hope for DB, after all.

Best stories:

• Uncharted series
• Mass Effect series
• Judgment (surprisingly good)
• God of War (2018)
• Witcher 3

I could add more but that's it for now.

Mafia 1

Red Dead 1/2

Mass Effect 1

Witcher 3

Last of Us (still haven't played 2)

@SolidGame_basic: this an undercover tlou2 bashing thread and I love it, yes tlou2 sucked. If you ruin the story so bad that it ruins the motivation to play such a great game in the first place. I also didn't like the new infinite knife thing, but I did like the new trap mines and dogs that added an entire new element to the gameplay.

Story wise persona and SMT games are decent,

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Xenogears, which is certainly the most ambitious JRPG story of all time, whether it's the best is more subjective, but it's right up there for me.

Zero Escape: The Nonary Games is also incredibly good. The series has more twists (a lot more) than the Metal Gear games, which is really saying something, and it's just a really clever and suspenseful series.

detroit become human had an excellent story. or at least it did up to the point i had to quit with severe qte fatigue. but im guessing the quality carried through to the end. so good story but not a very good game. shows for this question it depends on the wording. best story in a videogame and best videogame story are two different things. the first judged purely on story quality, latter on how effectively the story contributes to the quality of the game. that's the important one.

great minds think alike, fools seldom differ or some scotsmen are filthy plagiarists, hard to tell

https://www.gamespot.com/forums/system-wars-314159282/lets-talk-about-cinematic-games-33567806/#js-message-357130212

RDR2, Control, TLOU, Halo CE

TLOU is a bog standard "zombie" story, nothing special.

Mario

• Spec Ops: the line
• Max Payne 3
• Grand Theft Auto 4
• Silent Hill Shattered Memories
• Alan Wake
• Mafia 2

My friend, are these only story games you played?

Try original Deus Ex. Its story is incredibly deep, full of conspiracy and mind blowing.