Why is the story so important?

[Aradae]

When I play a game, I play it because it's fun, I play it because the game mechanics are enjoyable. However i see alot of people claiming a game is better because it has a better story. while story does motivate people to play the game and continue it, it alone does not make the game great.

Let's compare Diablo and final Fantasy. Diablo has interesting lore but it's story isn't on the level of Final Fantasy.

Diablo's combat is played out in real time and you have freedom to move around during a battle. In final fantasy you are stuck taking turns attacking without any freedom to move.

Each of diablo's spells are unique. You have spells that raise the dead, create have flames sprout where you walk, sacrifice your life for an atack bonus, etc. Final fantasy has spells that do different types of damage.

Diablo has the thrill and unpredictability of Multiplayer while Final fantasy has the continuous tedium of fighting against the AI.

How is it that most people would consider Final Fantasy superior to diablo when gameplay wise the opposite is true?

[DeathKnight]

What would Metal Gear Solid be without a story???????? another lame war-related game :down:

[Aradae]

true

[Rostum]

When I play a game, I play it because it's fun, I play it because the game mechanics are enjoyable. However i see alot of people claiming a game is better because it has a better story. while story does motivate people to play the game and continue it, it alone does not make the game great.

Let's compare Diablo and final Fantasy. Diablo has interesting lore but it's story isn't on the level of Final Fantasy.

Diablo's combat is played out in real time and you have freedom to move around during a battle. In final fantasy you are stuck taking turns attacking without any freedom to move.

Each of diablo's spells are unique. You have spells that raise the dead, create have flames sprout where you walk, sacrifice your life for an atack bonus, etc. Final fantasy has spells that do different types of damage.

Diablo has the thrill and unpredictability of Multiplayer while Final fantasy has the continuous tedium of fighting against the AI.

How is it that most people would consider Final Fantasy superior to diablo when gameplay wise the opposite is true?

In your opinion.

[Zeromus_X]

Edit: Yeah, well he is posting it, isn't he? Not somebody else.

It's even more annoying when people complain about the story, like it's the only thing that matters. Games can have good stories, yes, but playing a game should be the more important thing. Then again, I don't whine about the story anyway.

[Rostum]

Edit: Yeah, well he is posting it, isn't he? Not somebody else.

Sorry I was referring to this:



Final fantasy has spells that do different types of damage.

Diablo has the thrill and unpredictability of Multiplayer while Final fantasy has the continuous tedium of fighting against the AI.

I actually still like Final Fantasy's gameplay better than Diablos'. I don't think it's fair to state the differences in the way that Aradae has, that's all.

I do agree that a story line isn't the most important thing in a game. But I sure do love them.

[Alive-Cat]

Not all games have to have a good story. I love playing the Crash Bandicoot games, and they're about as lame and unoriginal as you can get. :)

[Lionx]

Its like people go..Street Fighter has a bad story, therefore Mortal Kombat is the better game! and thats the only real reason they give...which to me is like wtf....

In general do you care more about a racing game's story than the actual competition/fun? Really now...story is supposed to enhance the gameplay unless that game is just there to tell a story. RPGs in general do tell a story, however this does not apply to every game out there.

[Lilliputian Hitcher]

FFI, FFVIII, FFTA and FFX-2 all have rather pathetic stories, yet they all manage to be pretty decent games otherwise. Xenogears has a fantastic story but its terrible battle system and deplorable pacing make it a chore to play. Story doesn't always count for much.

[DanteV9]

Story is pretty important, but it depends on the game. I mean, FFVIII wouldn't be able to have a story like Super Mario 64. Though, a really good story can be very enjoyable. Like in Fire Emblem.

[Madame Adequate]

Making an effort at a good story shows that the developers care about the game, and giving people a reason to play the game. That or they can just admit the game exists for its own purposes, and we can get on with playing it just as happily.

But yes, a story is important to me. I've grown up playing mostly games with a story, and when a game has a story that should be the point of playing - to find out what happens next. Often I've even played bad games with stories which interest me.

A game can be very good without a good story, but most of the best games have a good story on top of the good gameplay, graphics, and so forth. It's another part of what makes a game great, not something which you can disparage at will (Well you can, but if you don't recognize the brilliant storytelling in Suikoden or Planescape: Torment then you're really missing out).

[Dreddz]

A game with a poor story can still be a good game, I can think of plenty of games that have very bad cliched stories that Ive played endlessly because I enjoy the gameplay etc. But I will look down on them for having a bad story, and it will affect my view of the game. Everything comes into the equation, gameplay can make up for a bad story like a good story can make up for bad gameplay.
It depends how much you want a good story I guess....

[Slothy]

For me, you could have the greatest gameplay in the world, but without a good story to back it up, I lose interest. The only exception to this is when a game has some form of great multiplayer mode, but even that only holds your interest for so long. There have been plenty of games with great gameplay that just got repetitive and boring by the end, to the point that I either didn't beat them because I got my gameplay fill and didn't care about the story, or forced myself to beat them and didn't even enjoy the last half of the game. Games like RE4, DMC1&3, and more. A story gives me a reason to push on and keeps a game from becoming boring when the otherwise great gameplay isn't able to support a 10-20 hour adventure on it's own.

[Giga Guess]

For me, a story makes the difference between an epic game I can't put down, and a good way to blow a few hours here and there. Diablo has the replayability factor, this is true. But even under your own admission, it doesn't have the story FF does. I'm not saying storyline is the only thing that matters, but in my personal opinion, it'll bring a game to the level of reading a good book.

But that's just me.

[LunarWeaver]

I used to be able to play the Mario and Sonics of the world but at some point they just stopped interesting me. I need a minimum of a RE4/DMC3 plot and cutscene amount to hold my interest.

The games I truly replay again and again are ones with lots of story though. Metal Gear Solids and Xenosaga and all that. I sort of think I'm already spilling 50 dollars on the game, I'd rather there be lots of cutscenes in it then there not be. The game portions will still be there, but the story can enhance it to a level it wasn't before so I say bring them on as much as possible.

If there isn't a story I feel like there's no point in putting in the effort when I get little pay-off. Few games are fun enough on their own to hold my attention without a lot of story (I'm a huge Diablo fan and for some reason I like still like Zelda)

As for if Diablo has greater gameplay than Final Fantasy, that's an old real-time vs. turn-based debate. That isn't true for all, many people hate real-time systems.

[MecaKane]

Story only matters when you're playing RPGs, or something else when the story is constantly thrown at you. But I even managed to get through FFX-2, due to it's fast coolio battle system.
Maybe, maybe the gameplay is more important because it takes no effort these days to press a or wait for the animated cutsecene to end, than to navigate through piss-poor gameplay. But there are plenty of games out there that have a good mix of both.

[Ramza Beoulve]

Everything is in how you use it...

[Roto13]

It really does depend on the game. I love Killer 7 because of it's atmosphere and underlying themes. I don't really care about the gameplay that much. I play Metal Gear Solid for the story.

I certainly don't play Super Mario Bros. or Viewtiful Joe for their stories. Any plot either of those games have is just there to tie the levels together. Still, those are two amazing games because of their gameplay.

To say a story is the most or least important thing in a game depends entirely upon what game you're talking about.

If stories were universally important, we wouldn't have puzzle games. :P

[tan]

Well, I'm just going to be neutral on the subject, and just say I like a balance of both. I can't really say that I'd only play a game for gameplay, necessarily, mostly because the plot is something that motivates me to finish a game. However, without good gameplay, a video game is basically just a book/movie put into video game form. So I've got to say that I like both equally as much.

[Madame Adequate]

Oh, and to see where a story really makes a game, go play Destroy All Humans!

[Roto13]

Oh, and to see where a story anal probing really makes a game, go play Destroy All Humans!

[JKTrix]

Story is icing on the 'gameplay' cake. Now, if the cake if really good by itself, you don't need any icing, or maybe just a glaze (The princess is in another castle!).
Sometimes the cake might not be so hot, but the icing is lovely (Final Fantasy).
And other times... there's just way way waaaaaay too much icing that you forget that there even is cake in there (Xenosaga).

That said, icing can add a lot of value to a cake. But if the cake is good by itself you don't need icing, and if there's too much icing it's unpalatable.

[strawberryman]

I love a good storyline, but I also enjoy fun gameplay. It depends on what I feel like at the time. ;)

[bipper]

Video games are an Alchlemy. Like soup, some need a kick in the ass to make them decent, others taste find just 'plain jane'.

A plotless Final Fantasy would suck, when Halo's plot gets thickened, people begin to go to far into what was a simple game.

[Madame Adequate]

A plotless Final Fantasy would suck, when Halo's plot gets thickened, people begin to go to far into what was a simple game.

What? Nu-uh. The plot to Halo has always been deep and stuff. There've been novels about it, for heaven's sake! And knowing Bungie, especially after Marathon, they've had the whole thing planned out from the start. Best FPS plot ever IMO.

[Zante]

A good story is important for a game to be realy good. It gives you a goal to achieve, and also motivates you to go on. The reason why don't play games like tetris is that there is no reason to do so, the blocks just keep falling.

[bipper]

A plotless Final Fantasy would suck, when Halo's plot gets thickened, people begin to go to far into what was a simple game.

What? Nu-uh. The plot to Halo has always been deep and stuff. There've been novels about it, for heaven's sake! And knowing Bungie, especially after Marathon, they've had the whole thing planned out from the start. Best FPS plot ever IMO.

I agree, but the simplicity of the game is great in its own. When people start complaining about the fact that story was added, I wanted to cry. I know there is a plethora of halo lore, but I was speaking merely in a just game prespective. I don't feel that the story clips were executed in a way to pull me into the game, at all. Look at Advent Rising. Now that is what halo shoulda been.

Bipper

[Rase]

Personally, I'd much prefer a game with exceptional gameplay and a sub-par story to one with an exceptional story and sub-par gameplay. If the story of a game is great, I'd usually rather have it in book form and just be able to read it at my own pace, rather than have to fight through an hour of random battles to find out what's going to happen next. However, a game with excellent gameplay and minimal story will often be much more enjoyable for me, and so I'll play it more (see: Super Smash Bros. Melee).

[JKTrix]

Timely.
http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3152417

[Madame Adequate]

All the best movies have the best plots, not the best special effects. Same with games, I think.

[bipper]

Timely.
http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3152417

That is one of the best game design articles I have EVER read. Thank you. Have my babies. .... please..

[Duncan]

I think it all depends on the game.

Would Max Payne still have been a good game without the story? Probably, because the game mechanics were well done. Did the story make it an overall better game? You bet it did.

Was Serious Sam good because it had a story? No, it was good because of the absolute mayhem on your screen and the HUGE weapons at your disposal. And co-op! Awesome.

Even so, I do like to have some sort of story, a driving reason for doing what I am doing. Maybe it's because the King of Cosmos knocked all the stars out of the universe, maybe it's because I have to avert a terrorist from releasing some biotoxin on the unsuspecting populace, or maybe I have to once more go back into the dungeon to save the poor village of Tristram. Whatever the reason, it's nice to know I am attempting to achieve a goal, there's a driving reason behind what I am doing.

[Sephex]

For me, the importance of story depends on what type of game I am playing and how the gameplay fares.

Example: I could care less about the story in a fighting game, odd stuff like Katamari Damacy/Rez, and puzzle games (if a story mode is available, of course). I am just playing to have fun.

Example 2: If the gameplay is really fun but the story is lacking (see: FFX-2), then I can still enjoy myself. However, if the gameplay sucks but the story is awesome (see: 24 the game), then I can also enjoy myself.

[Skyblade]

When I play a game, I play it because it's fun, I play it because the game mechanics are enjoyable. However i see alot of people claiming a game is better because it has a better story. while story does motivate people to play the game and continue it, it alone does not make the game great.

Let's compare Diablo and final Fantasy. Diablo has interesting lore but it's story isn't on the level of Final Fantasy.

Diablo's combat is played out in real time and you have freedom to move around during a battle. In final fantasy you are stuck taking turns attacking without any freedom to move.

Each of diablo's spells are unique. You have spells that raise the dead, create have flames sprout where you walk, sacrifice your life for an atack bonus, etc. Final fantasy has spells that do different types of damage.

Diablo has the thrill and unpredictability of Multiplayer while Final fantasy has the continuous tedium of fighting against the AI.

How is it that most people would consider Final Fantasy superior to diablo when gameplay wise the opposite is true?

I don't think you are thinking about this well enough. No one plays a game solely for storyline. No matter how compelling the plot, or how deep the characters, people won't play it if it isn't fun. Without good gameplay, a game will be ruined.

Your examples are ridiculous, IMHO. I personally found Diablo's gameplay far more tedious than that of most Final Fantasy games. But that is a personal preference. That's the entire reason different genres exist. Not everyone likes the same type of games. I've met die hard Tetris fans who would think that both Diablo and FF are boring and tedious. That doesn't mean that Tetris is better than either Diablo or FF (or, for that matter, that either Diablo or FF are better than Tetris). Different people enjoy different things. Some people enjoy puzzles, others enjoy mindless hack and slash, others enjoy side scrollers, others enjoy RPGs...


Even so, I do like to have some sort of story, a driving reason for doing what I am doing. Maybe it's because the King of Cosmos knocked all the stars out of the universe, maybe it's because I have to avert a terrorist from releasing some biotoxin on the unsuspecting populace, or maybe I have to once more go back into the dungeon to save the poor village of Tristram. Whatever the reason, it's nice to know I am attempting to achieve a goal, there's a driving reason behind what I am doing.

I think Duncan nailed it here. People do want a rationale behind what they are doing. And the number of gamers who want games with good storyline are increasing, as the steady rise in the popularity of RPGs should show you. No one does anything without a reason.



Personally, I think that the rise in RPG popularity (and thus, the importance of storylines in gaming) is related to several things. The first is humanity's desire for a good story. Throughout all the centuries of humanity, stories have been important. Take the word history: his-story. Stories have fascinated us since the dawn of our race. Stories of gods and devils, stories of heroes and monsters. Look as far into the past as you can, but I doubt you will find a time without such tales.

With the arrival of video games, this desire was able to coincide with another obsession of humans that dates back to the beginning of our species: A fascination with power. All humans like power and control, though some to differing degrees. There is nothing wrong or evil with such a fascination with power (provided you do not let it control you, and you do not let it go too far, but that is getting off topic). No one is in control of everything. Every day, countless things happen that we cannot control. Murphy's Law always holds true. But a video game is different. It is a micro-universe. You can do what you want, you can shape your character how you want, and do what you want. And yet, total control can be a curse. If you can do anything, what will you do? So the games have rules. You can't do anything, but you can do a lot. Your decisions will have consequences, but the consequences don't affect you personally. Video games offer freedom, an escape from the tedium of life. A chance to excercise suppressed emotions, to vent anger, all within a controlled enviornment.

And these two pieces make up games. Control and story. Gameplay and plot. Power, and how that power is used. Each person has their own preference as to the perfect combination of these two elements. Some people prefer only gameplay, and play games like pong and tetris. Others find the story to be of supreme importance, and spend their leisure time reading books (and quite a few of those people like both, but hate them in combination). Just because you don't like other games as much, doesn't mean that there is anything wrong with them.

Of course, this is all just my speculation, and it could be completely wrong, but what the hell, I'll toss it out here anyway.