I need your help settle a bet: What video game has the single greatest storyline?

Kung Fu ZEPHYR

Kung Fu ZEPHYR

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My fellow gamers,

My friends and I need to settle a wager. We all have differing opinions on which game we think has the most compelling story-line. So, we need your help in deciding the winner. As for the guidelines to the wager, we made a few caveats: 1.) No PC only games (i.e. Diablo, W.O.W., etc.); 2.)The story-line could not span over multiple games (i.e. Final Fantasy X & X2); and 3.) You have to consider the state of technology at the time the game was released (i.e. Final Fantasy III for SNES was epic when it was released in 1994 but it does not necessarily hold up over time). Here are our five finalists:

A.) Halo - Xbox
B.) Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - N64
C.) Mass Effect - Xbox 360
D.) Final Fantasy VII - PS1
E.) Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion - Xbox 360

As for criteria, we based our selections on the following: 1. Character Development; 2.) How engaging was the Plot; 3.) Unforseeable twists and turns in the story; 4.) Would you be upset if/when a key character dies/died (especially crucial in FF7); and 5.) Did you wait for all the credits to finish to see if there was a secret ending or additional footage.

I know the 5 game list above isn't the most extensive so feel free to add any game that you think is worthy but please include a description or else your input will get tossed out. Let me know what you think (...Personally, my pick was Mass Effect). We are looking forward to settling this wager.

Thanks,
Zephyr
 
Of those 5, Mass Effect hands down. Halo gets a decent story throughout all the games, but if you are just going by the first, it's not as strong. The other games, to be honest, all have a horribly shitty story. Most are hardly fleshed out, Oblivion, Ocarina and some are laughable by today's standards. Going back and playing FFVII is a painful experience now as far as story goes.
 
Mr Unoriginal, you are very right when you say that Ocarina and Oblivion are laughable by today's standards which is why we had the caveat that you had to consider the technology at the time the game was released. Same would apply to FF7. I loved that game back in the day but I don't have the patience to wait for all the ridiculous loading. To think that I used to consider FF7's animation to be top notch . . . child, please!
 
[quote name='KingBroly']...

None of the above[/QUOTE]

Agreed. And a poll would make this easier to decide. Might I ask what went into narrowing it down to these five in particular? Seems like out of all the games to choose from, it's interesting that it came down to these five.
 
F.) 50 Cent Blood in the Sand

1.) 50 Cent, Tony Yayo, etc. plus helicopters.
2.) A crystal skull, ramps and helicopters
3.) The skull was stolen! Helicopters! Ramps! Even bigger ramps! Now you're in a helicopter!
4.) Yes
5.) Yes

I can't believe that people are surprised by Halo after reading that a bunch of people actually sat around discussing this at length. All bets are off at that point. Sanity and normalcy are out the window.
 
kburns, 2 buddies and I each contributed 2 games to the list. We omitted "Psychonauts" for PS2 because we felt like it was a niche game and wouldn't be that well known by everyone. My two picks were Mass Effect and Oblivion.

I agree that this list is not all encompassing which is why I'm open to suggestions but with reason. For instance, Jodou said Chrono Trigger but didn't give any reason.
 
I would immediately throw away Halo and Mass Effect, and substitute FF6, Chrono Trigger, or the Lunar games. I don't know much about E and as much as I like the Zelda games they aren't really about the story. Most of Nin's games are light on story but contain excellent gameplay.

Surely there are more I could suggest but my collection is expansive and would lead to a much longer list.
 
[quote name='Kung Fu ZEPHYR']kburns, 2 buddies and I each contributed 2 games to the list. We omitted "Psychonauts" for PS2 because we felt like it was a niche game and wouldn't be that well known by everyone. My two picks were Mass Effect and Oblivion.

I agree that this list is not all encompassing which is why I'm open to suggestions but with reason. For instance, Jodou said Chrono Trigger but didn't give any reason.[/QUOTE]

I'm pretty sure you can use the thread tools to create a poll if I remember correctly. I'm sad to say that I've started Psychonauts but never finished it. But what I have played so far I love! Definitely a game I plan to beat sometime in the future.
 
Briefly returning to say:

[quote name='jkanownik']F.) 50 Cent Blood in the Sand

1.) 50 Cent, Tony Yayo, etc. plus helicopters.
2.) A crystal skull, ramps and helicopters
3.) The skull was stolen! Helicopters! Ramps! Even bigger ramps! Now you're in a helicopter!
4.) Yes
5.) Yes

I can't believe that people are surprised by Halo after reading that a bunch of people actually sat around discussing this at length. All bets are off at that point. Sanity and normalcy are out the window.[/QUOTE]

Bitch stole my skull!
 
[quote name='Jesus_S_Preston']I cannot believe any person in the world would say Halo.[/QUOTE]

Seriously.

No offense OP, but that list of 5 games is terrible for a "best stories" list. It's like you picked 5 of the most popular games of all time instead of ones with actually good stories (yes, even for their time).
 
Tetris

It's about a group of racist and sexist individuals who must work together to save themselves while nobly sacrificing others in order to survive.

I win.
 
[quote name='KingBroly']Tetris

It's about a group of racist and sexist individuals who must work together to save themselves while nobly sacrificing others in order to survive.

I win.[/QUOTE]

You do!



He Does....
 
Metal Gear Solid, Chrono Trigger, Secret of Mana, FF4 & 6, Xenogears, Parasite Eve and Threads of Fate are pretty high up there for me, haven't even touched PS2 and later.
 
How can you bet on something that doesn't have a definite outcome? If 5 people say Mass Effect and 3 people say Halo, the person who didn't say Mass Effect is going to give up money? That would be a stupid thing to do.
 
[quote name='jkanownik']F.) 50 Cent Blood in the Sand

1.) 50 Cent, Tony Yayo, etc. plus helicopters.
2.) A crystal skull, ramps and helicopters
3.) The skull was stolen! Helicopters! Ramps! Even bigger ramps! Now you're in a helicopter!
4.) Yes
5.) Yes

I can't believe that people are surprised by Halo after reading that a bunch of people actually sat around discussing this at length. All bets are off at that point. Sanity and normalcy are out the window.[/QUOTE]

I vote F as well ...
 
[quote name='Kung Fu ZEPHYR'] As for the guidelines to the wager, we made a few caveats: 1.) No PC only games (i.e. Diablo, W.O.W., etc.); 2.)The story-line could not span over multiple games (i.e. Final Fantasy X & X2); and 3.) You have to consider the state of technology at the time the game was released (i.e. Final Fantasy III for SNES was epic when it was released in 1994 but it does not necessarily hold up over time). Here are our five finalists:

A.) Halo - Xbox
B.) Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - N64
C.) Mass Effect - Xbox 360
D.) Final Fantasy VII - PS1
E.) Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion - Xbox 360[/QUOTE]

Wait, first of all rule number one is just stupid, as it excludes great games like Planescape Torment and Baldur's Gate 2.

Also, you violated your second rule with 2 games. Halo has 6 games total in it's series (3 of which directly follow each other). And Mass Effect is also a three part series. If you meant no sequels that continued a story could be on this list then again that seems like a fairly strange restriction when your trying to decide the game with the best story.
 
That is such a shitty list.

[quote name='JasonTerminator']Xenogears. Easily the most impressive story I've seen in a game.[/QUOTE]

This shit right here. At least, it is definitely the most epic standalone story. Ok, you can argue it sort of has a prequel with the Xenosaga games, but not really (just some references).
 
Mass Effect had a fun story but how could someone put it remotely close to the topic being discussed?

It's the best on that list though, for sure.
 
Is this a joke?

Allow me to join the chorus of "none of the above." Really, really terrible list.

[quote name='Kung Fu ZEPHYR'] 1.) No PC only games (i.e. Diablo, W.O.W., etc.); ... 3.) You have to consider the state of technology at the time the game was released (i.e. Final Fantasy III for SNES was epic when it was released in 1994 but it does not necessarily hold up over time).
[/QUOTE]

I feel moved to point out that Diablo was not PC-only, it was ported to the PS1;)

Also, I feel like FF3/FF6 holds up better than FF7 if we're talking technology. The sprites in FF6 still look as good as ever, but the character models in FF7? They have not aged gracefully.
 
Mass Effect is definitely my all time favorite game story to this point (have gamed since the NES era).

Great characters, great setting, great overall plot, and the dialogue and decision system really sucked me into the story like no other game has.

That said, I'm not a big fan of games as a story telling medium--much prefer books, movies and TV show when I'm seeking out a good story. The interactive nature of games lessens the storytelling for me. Though I know for others it enhances the experience, and that's fine. I've never been a hardcore gamer and have always been more into those other hobbies.

So my frame of reference on game stories isn't that broad since I grew up mostly playing platformers, fighters and sports games and mainly play FPS games these days. That said I have played (and enjoyed) all 5 of the games in the OP so my vote is at least valid in terms of picking one of those! :D
 
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[quote name='Kung Fu ZEPHYR']As for the guidelines to the wager, we made a few caveats: 1.) No PC only games (i.e. Diablo, W.O.W., etc.); 2.)The story-line could not span over multiple games (i.e. Final Fantasy X & X2); and 3.) You have to consider the state of technology at the time the game was released (i.e. Final Fantasy III for SNES was epic when it was released in 1994 but it does not necessarily hold up over time). Here are our five finalists:

A.) Halo - Xbox
B.) Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - N64
C.) Mass Effect - Xbox 360
D.) Final Fantasy VII - PS1
E.) Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion - Xbox 360
[/QUOTE]

I also vote for none of the above. Besides, I don't really get your #2 caveat. FFX-2 had its own story that also expanded FFX's (it's not as though FFX was an incomplete game without X-2). If that's not allowed, I don't see how any of those choices on your list are (except maybe Ocarina, but I'm really unfamiliar with the Zelda canon), considering they all have other games that expand their stories/universes.
 
I like how the list doesn't even include the best game story-wise from the series. I especially like how "Final Fantasy III for SNES was epic when it was released in 1994 but it does not necessarily hold up over time" when in fact Final Fantasy VI (III) is what I thought of first.
 
FFX had the best story imho. FFX-2 was more an after thought, not like it was planned to spread the story over two games. Mass Effect on the other hand is clearly a trilogy and should be taken out of the list based on your second rule OP.
 
[quote name='Kung Fu ZEPHYR']My fellow gamers,

B.) Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - N64

As for criteria, we based our selections on the following: 1. Character Development; 2.) How engaging was the Plot; 3.) Unforseeable twists and turns in the story; 4.) Would you be upset if/when a key character dies/died (especially crucial in FF7); and 5.) Did you wait for all the credits to finish to see if there was a secret ending or additional footage.


1. From the opening, you empathize with Link, who is the only kid without a fairy.
2. Several memorable and developed characters (Zelda, Saria, Ganondorf, Marlon, Talon, and of course, Link).
3. Traveling several years in the future and finishing the game as an adult in an overturned world was an awesome twist.
4. Yes for the key characters.
5. Yes, but didn't really expect anything.
 
The bet has been settled. The winner is Mass Effect (I won $20). For those of you who thought the list and/or bet was stupid, just know that we spent all of 10 minutes talking about the subject and that was after many beers. We didn't do any research or anything like that. We each submitted two games off the top of our heads and left it at that. YES, there are other games out there with better story lines. We know this and I can't give you a good reason as to why there were omitted. Anyway, thank you to those who responded. . . . . . . BITCH STOLE MY SKULL!!
 
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