Would you choose a game with an excellent story and gameplay that was either boring, frustrating or a general pain in the ass, or would you choose a game with excellent gameplay and a story that was either highly fragmented or unnecessary?
This poll is inspired by my lack of desire to touch Grim Fandango. The story seems amazing, the voice acting is top notch. The puzzles are a pain in the ass, bringing back grim memories of trying to figure out what I was expected to do in Full Throttle. I suppose I could use a walkthrough, but I've found I just don't have the patience to wander around in search of [mystery object a] and [mystery object b] and realize they combine together and form [mystery object c], of which is still unrelated to current objective.
Here are some more games that had interesting stories that I skipped over because I couldn't stand the game:
Syberia
A nice fancy picture book with even more wandering around. I'd probably have to approach this game Myst style, notebook in hand, if I really wanted to figure everything out. Scrolling the cursor across the screen in search of an interactive environment has rarely been so artistic.
The Getaway
Ever watch the movie Snatch? Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels? The Getaway's story plays out like a British gangster film inspired by Guy Ritchie's earlier work, and actually does it well. Then the game shows up. The developers tried to minimize the HUD and make everything appear to be less of a game. Such as...
You have no health bar, only the blood stains on your shirt.
You have no ammo meter, only the gun you hold in your hand. You still have limited ammo.
There are no medkits to get life back. You lean against a wall for that one.
There is no arrow pointing to your destination. Instead, your car's turn signal activates.
Primal
In the same breed of games such as Legacy of Kain and Soul Reaver, Primal told the story of a young girl entering a morbid fantasy world to discover her awesome new powers with a gargoyle sidekick. Lots of combat that blew chunks that turned out to be horribly repetitive.
This poll is inspired by my lack of desire to touch Grim Fandango. The story seems amazing, the voice acting is top notch. The puzzles are a pain in the ass, bringing back grim memories of trying to figure out what I was expected to do in Full Throttle. I suppose I could use a walkthrough, but I've found I just don't have the patience to wander around in search of [mystery object a] and [mystery object b] and realize they combine together and form [mystery object c], of which is still unrelated to current objective.
Here are some more games that had interesting stories that I skipped over because I couldn't stand the game:
Syberia
A nice fancy picture book with even more wandering around. I'd probably have to approach this game Myst style, notebook in hand, if I really wanted to figure everything out. Scrolling the cursor across the screen in search of an interactive environment has rarely been so artistic.
The Getaway
Ever watch the movie Snatch? Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels? The Getaway's story plays out like a British gangster film inspired by Guy Ritchie's earlier work, and actually does it well. Then the game shows up. The developers tried to minimize the HUD and make everything appear to be less of a game. Such as...
You have no health bar, only the blood stains on your shirt.
You have no ammo meter, only the gun you hold in your hand. You still have limited ammo.
There are no medkits to get life back. You lean against a wall for that one.
There is no arrow pointing to your destination. Instead, your car's turn signal activates.
Primal
In the same breed of games such as Legacy of Kain and Soul Reaver, Primal told the story of a young girl entering a morbid fantasy world to discover her awesome new powers with a gargoyle sidekick. Lots of combat that blew chunks that turned out to be horribly repetitive.
My blog:
http://nvracar.wordpress.com/
http://nvracar.wordpress.com/
for me it always was story.
the adventure itself the way it was told most of the time i didnt notice gbad gameplay anywas with my bad eyesight averything is a chalange anyways.
the adventure itself the way it was told most of the time i didnt notice gbad gameplay anywas with my bad eyesight averything is a chalange anyways.
After reading the first line I was preparing myself to bring up Grim Fandango, and then I read the rest of the post 
I've heard numerous complaints ranging from the interface to the general gameplay but never understood them. The story is just too fantastic for words, and everything else is just beautiful to watch and listen to. After reaching Rubacava I was entirely sold, and the game sits up there in the top list of Top Lists. It's always been the perfect example of the potential superiority of games over movies, as a movie would never do justice to this wonderfully amusing piece of art.
The same thing happened with Deus Ex. In my dreamy little universe all shooters should be inspired by the interactivity of this game, and yet the reception was about 50%-50% among my friends and relatives. They either loved it to death or absolutely hated it, but the funniest part is how everybody I know who disliked it all stopped playing at the same spot, after completing the first objective in Battery Park. Because the "level" didn't end there and you could actually roam around and question people, they just stopped playing. To me, and those who enjoyed the game, that was the absolute highlight.
To me, games are a medium to express a story, as are songs, plays, movies and paintings, but it's also the logical evolution of movies. Very few games ever took this approach though, or ever developed or understood the full potential of this medium.
I've heard numerous complaints ranging from the interface to the general gameplay but never understood them. The story is just too fantastic for words, and everything else is just beautiful to watch and listen to. After reaching Rubacava I was entirely sold, and the game sits up there in the top list of Top Lists. It's always been the perfect example of the potential superiority of games over movies, as a movie would never do justice to this wonderfully amusing piece of art.
The same thing happened with Deus Ex. In my dreamy little universe all shooters should be inspired by the interactivity of this game, and yet the reception was about 50%-50% among my friends and relatives. They either loved it to death or absolutely hated it, but the funniest part is how everybody I know who disliked it all stopped playing at the same spot, after completing the first objective in Battery Park. Because the "level" didn't end there and you could actually roam around and question people, they just stopped playing. To me, and those who enjoyed the game, that was the absolute highlight.
To me, games are a medium to express a story, as are songs, plays, movies and paintings, but it's also the logical evolution of movies. Very few games ever took this approach though, or ever developed or understood the full potential of this medium.
Part-Time Nomad
Play Grim Fandango or I will never speak to you again.Vracar wrote:
This poll is inspired by my lack of desire to touch Grim Fandango. The story seems amazing, the voice acting is top notch. The puzzles are a pain in the ass, bringing back grim memories of trying to figure out what I was expected to do in Full Throttle. I suppose I could use a walkthrough, but I've found I just don't have the patience to wander around in search of [mystery object a] and [mystery object b] and realize they combine together and form [mystery object c], of which is still unrelated to current objective.
-Cub. =o)
You paint Grim Fandango in an unfamiliar light there buddy. Go play it. Properly. It's a good, good game. One of the best.
And I'm very critical to which games I say that about.
-Fred
And I'm very critical to which games I say that about.
-Fred
Pirates, vampires, zombies, ninjas, ghouls, aliens, goblins, monsters, robots, sorcerers, undead, werewolves, demons, mutated dinosaur-cyborgs and those pesky phone salesmen! The shotgun is a one-size-fits-all solution!
I'm sorry Cub! I'll finish Grim! *scampers off and starts playing it again*
And as for how I beat the Tex Murphy games: walkthroughs. For Pandora they helped me on searching Autotech, solving the Aztec dagger puzzle and getting the ship to take off in the end. In Overseer it helped me with everything.
And as for how I beat the Tex Murphy games: walkthroughs. For Pandora they helped me on searching Autotech, solving the Aztec dagger puzzle and getting the ship to take off in the end. In Overseer it helped me with everything.
My blog:
http://nvracar.wordpress.com/
http://nvracar.wordpress.com/
I'm a Big Story person... I gotta have a good story, even if the graphics aren't the most up to date...
I also agree with Jen... I like to just go and blow stuff up sometimes to let out a little stress...
I also agree with Jen... I like to just go and blow stuff up sometimes to let out a little stress...
The Paved Straight Road, Won't Always Get You Farther Than The Winding Dirt Road...
Can You Run Your Game??? Click Here And Find Out...
*Note, Not All Games Have Been Tested & Therefore May Not Be Listed...
Can You Run Your Game??? Click Here And Find Out...
*Note, Not All Games Have Been Tested & Therefore May Not Be Listed...
I take it back. I'll just wait for the Grim Fandango movie to come out, or someone to have it all up on youtube. Pain in the ass.
My blog:
http://nvracar.wordpress.com/
http://nvracar.wordpress.com/
Here's the Opening...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kVZ1sJZ9lo
Here is the Ending...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wo3XGb8CLD4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kVZ1sJZ9lo
Here is the Ending...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wo3XGb8CLD4
The Paved Straight Road, Won't Always Get You Farther Than The Winding Dirt Road...
Can You Run Your Game??? Click Here And Find Out...
*Note, Not All Games Have Been Tested & Therefore May Not Be Listed...
Can You Run Your Game??? Click Here And Find Out...
*Note, Not All Games Have Been Tested & Therefore May Not Be Listed...
You are less than a man! Please hand in your penis and testicles at the secret clubhouse at noon on wednesday!
Just kidding bud
Not everybody likes everything. Rest assured, the story in Grim Fandango is however worth it. I swear. It's that good!
-Fred
Just kidding bud
Not everybody likes everything. Rest assured, the story in Grim Fandango is however worth it. I swear. It's that good!-Fred
Pirates, vampires, zombies, ninjas, ghouls, aliens, goblins, monsters, robots, sorcerers, undead, werewolves, demons, mutated dinosaur-cyborgs and those pesky phone salesmen! The shotgun is a one-size-fits-all solution!
C'mon man, you can do it! I only used a walkthrough to print the ticket at the cat racetrack and collect the picture pawned there by Lola. Damn you Nick, your punishment wasn't hard enough for your devious lawyer crimes!
"I have a gun, Manuel. If I were you, I'd keep my jaaaaaaaaw shut!"
"I have a gun, Manuel. If I were you, I'd keep my jaaaaaaaaw shut!"
Part-Time Nomad
Pirates, vampires, zombies, ninjas, ghouls, aliens, goblins, monsters, robots, sorcerers, undead, werewolves, demons, mutated dinosaur-cyborgs and those pesky phone salesmen! The shotgun is a one-size-fits-all solution!
I'd choose gameplay. If you look at games like classic Tomb Raider, and Mario Bros. the gameplay was so good the story was pretty much non existant. As far as Tex Murphy goes I play adventure games to be stumped, use my mind, and interact not to watch a movie. Ideally I'd want 100% on both ends but I would glady take a new Tex Murphy game with 100% gameplay 50% story. Although gameplay can be the story.