Well Written Video Games

Abraham · Apr 14, 2009

What would be the top of your well-written video games lists in terms of story, characters and plot?

Fallout 1 and 2 are up there for me. Very imaginative idea of a 50s sci-fi retro apocalypse. The many side quests and locations really gives it a huge feel too and shows the detail they put into the universe.

Undying had a pretty decent horror plot.

StarCraft still has a great, epic plot with an ensemble of great characters and would probably be my favorite game story of all time. Kerrigan is probably my favorite game villain and StarCraft still my favorite Blizzard game.

Lucas Arts used to have some good ones in their puzzle games too. ANyone else remember The Dig?

Zoombie · Apr 14, 2009

Warcraft 3, Anacrhonox, DemiGod (a new one!) The Witcher, Planescape: Torment, Mass Effect, Overlord, Psychonaughts, Fallout 3 (despite some mistakes and a crappy ending, still a good one).

Baulder's Gate, Baulder's Gate 2, Gaulder's Gate 2: Shadows of Amnh (or however you spell that)

Neverwinter Nights 1 and 2.

Planescape: Torment...again. For being f***ing awesome.

Ludka · Apr 14, 2009

OMG OMG OMG!

The Dig was AWESOME!

I loved the story in that game.

Adam · Apr 14, 2009

The Longest Journey has, to my mind, the best story (and writing) of any game I've played.

Zoombie · Apr 14, 2009

Actually, I liked Dreamfall a bit more, if only for the assassin character.

His combat sucked, he had no puzzles, and his segments were criminally short, BUT...they portrayed an intelligent religious man questioning his faith WITHOUT being preachy, pandering, over hammy.

When's the next one coming out?

Adam · Apr 14, 2009

Dreamfall was fun, but I found the engine really clunky. The assassin was indeed fun to play though.

The sequel has been "coming soon" for years. I'd be surprised if it ever came out. Which is a shame.

Zoombie · Apr 14, 2009

The author swore on a Bible and some books that actually matter, that if he never gets another game, he WILL get the rest of the plotline out SOMEHOW. Whether its through blog posts or on stone scrolls, he will do it.

He better do it, or I'm going to torture the ending out of him.

<twitches>

WHAT HAPPENS TO ZOE AND APRIL DAMN IT!

TELL ME!

Adam · Apr 14, 2009

Damn straight! I'll be there warming the hot pokers.

It's the same company that made Age of Conan (I think), so they should have enough money floating about to at least throw out a cheap paperback.

Zoombie · Apr 14, 2009

Or better yet, a new game!

With a real combat engine!

And more of our sexy assassin.

<dribbles a bit>

Okay, maybe there was more than intellectual reasons why I liked him...

Adam · Apr 14, 2009

Good enough of a reason for me.

Think he had a cool accent too, though I'm not sure on that.

Got it on Steam a while back, will have to replay.

William Haskins · Apr 14, 2009

Zoombie said:
Anachronox

awesome.

i'll share your post with tom hall tomorrow. he'll be thrilled.

Zoombie · Apr 14, 2009

You know him?

Sweet!

Tell him to make a sequel or I'll rip out his eyes.

Or just annoy him.

Or something.

William Haskins · Apr 14, 2009

yes, we work together, but on separate projects.

i worked with him at ion storm during the development of anachronox as well.

8thSamurai · Apr 14, 2009

Silent Hill 1, 2(the best), and 3

Psychonauts

Abraham · Apr 14, 2009

Silent Hill 2 was amazing. I haven't finished Fallout 3 yet though I really enjoy the side quests and just the amount of care that went into the dozens and dozens of peripheral characters. Not too familiar with Dreamfall.

Thinking about The Dig though, that may be my all time favorite. I'd love to see a movie made out of it someday.

Knights of the Old Republic had a great story too (better than what Lucas comes up with).

Usually System Shock 2 makes it onto these lists (never played it but familiar with it).

Zoombie · Apr 15, 2009

How could I forget?

Indigo Prophecy if you're American and fat (Fahrenheit if your European and socialist)

The first 2/3rds of the game were amazingly well crafted and fun to play.

Then the last third went completely batshit insane.

But you still got your buggy awesome flying kungfu fight.

Adam · Apr 15, 2009

Abraham said:
Knights of the Old Republic had a great story too (better than what Lucas comes up with).

Bah! How did I forget that one!

Loved that game, and to lesser extent its sequel. Fun story, great gameplay.

Brutal Mustang · Apr 15, 2009

Force Unleashed?

Zoombie · Apr 15, 2009

I actually loved KOTOR2 slightly more, if only for the Kreia character.

She managed to be so neutral that it actually became a kind of passive evil that gets under your skin and makes you second guess everything you do.

Its awesome.

oscuridad · Apr 15, 2009

Deus Ex, anyone? I thought that was very cool - especially with its rather prescient Government backed terrorism twisty plotline... it would make a very cool movie I think.

Zoombie · Apr 15, 2009

I liked the gameplay of Deus Ex more, but I actually liked the plotline of Deus Ex 2 a bit more.

The setting of Deus Ex 2 was more...lively and engaging, imo.

Lhun · Apr 19, 2009

Freespace 2. It is a space shooter which makes it even more unbelievable that the story would be so gripping. I think a lot of it is also in the mission design, i.e. most story happens during the missions, not in cutscenes inbetween.
The whole Broken Sword series. An absolute must-have for all oldschool gamers who can still remember the times when 2D adventures came out for PC. My personal favorite is Broken Sword 3, though it's the first 3D one.
Summoner. Loved that game. Pretty cool fantasy world, and definitly top marks for getting it across.

Zoombie · Apr 19, 2009

Homeworld.

Homeworld seems to be completely forgotten, but seriously: This game made me cry.

Its like playing Battlestar Galactica.

Ya know.

Without the STUPID STUPID STUPID Cylons.

SPMiller · Apr 19, 2009

Baldur's Gate 2, Planescape: Torment, and Homeworld are the big winners so far in this thread. Good writing in all three of those.

Freespace 2 was the Last Great Space Shooter. There's no reason to ever make another old-school space shooter, because it won't be as good as Freespace 2. It took all the elements of the genre and put them together in just the right way. However, that has less to do with writing in particular than with the overall game design.

Cath · Apr 19, 2009

Loved all the Black Isle games, but especially Planescape: Torment. The characters were very distinct in Baldur's Gate (although I'll admit to making sure one was killed whenever I played it because she annoyed me so much, and I couldn't kick her from the party because she came as part of a team).

Well Written Video Games

Dragon of the Multiverse

Hath more hair than wit

Not dead.

Dragon of the Multiverse

Not dead.

Dragon of the Multiverse

Not dead.

Dragon of the Multiverse

Not dead.

poet

Dragon of the Multiverse

poet

Dragon of the Multiverse

Not dead.

Loves interplanetary chaos.

Dragon of the Multiverse

Dragon of the Multiverse

New kid, be gentle!

Dragon of the Multiverse

Prodigiously Hanged

The mean one