Games with the best writing

I have been in a big kick lately with trying to find games with good writing/storytelling, partially for myself and partially for a blog I am putting together about writing which I'll use as a teacher. Anyways, I want to know what you all think are the best video games you have played so far in terms of the writing (ie: plot, script, characters, world, etc.). I'm looking for all around good writing, but if you think a game does some aspect of writing exceptionally well, mention it here too. Thank you!

Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri which not only does hard sci-fi better than any other video game I've ever played, but does it better than most books as well.

Morrowind does an amazing job with the world and lore, but the characters can admittedly come off as a bit stilted.

Deus Ex and Deus Ex: HR are pretty all around brilliant when it comes to writing.

The Walking Dead. I haven't finished it yet and it's already on the list. Great dialogue.

Metal Gear Solid, Chrono Trigger, Max Payne.

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Originally Posted by Pike

The Walking Dead. I haven't finished it yet and it's already on the list. Great dialogue.

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Definitely agree here. TWD is pretty much all about the writing.

I think the Uncharted series has some of the best writing in a game. ME2 was also pretty good.

For older games, it's hard to beat classics like Chrono Trigger and Metal Gear Solid, as zx12y alluded to.

Lost Odyssey, Thousand Years of Dreams. Them feels.

Might as well list everything from BioWare and Obsidian/Black Isle. Baldur's Gate 1 and 2, Planescape: Torment, KotOR 1 and 2, Mass Effect 1, 2, and 3, Dragon Age 1 and 2. Though BioWare is a bit better with character presentation and development, but their plots are still good

Alan Wake would be an interesting example though. It has a good story, interesting and believable characters, and its actually about a story writer and his story

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Originally Posted by Quint Eastwood

Lost Odyssey, Thousand Years of Dreams. Them feels.

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KInd of sad the Thousand Years of Dreams was infinately more interesting then the rest of the game. :p

For different reasons, both Persona 3 and 4 are the best written games I've seen. Definately check those out.

All the Xeno games have a lot of great writing... Though tend to be bogged down by some pretty bad parts.

Mana Khemia may have the best written character relationships of any game I've seen, as well as one of the best pulled off depressing moments in a video game, the moment in question working so well due to the stark contrast with the overall feel of the rest of the game.

I remember being hooked on the Thousand Years of Dreams when I played the game. Shame I no longer have a 360 to play that game with. And I think a friend of mine borrowed that game and never gave it back. That's definitely something I'll need to bring up in my blog. I'll also definitely mention the Xeno games a bit simply because I'm familiar with them. I will definitely mention The Walking Dead as well based on the little I've played of it.

I might have to pick up the Mana Khemia game some day to check it out.

If you want to talk about the actual words in the script writing as opposed to the broad strokes of the storytelling then look at anything localized by Alexander O Smith and Joseph Reeder. They've also gotten better with time So their latest stuff might be their best.

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Originally Posted by Pike

The Walking Dead. I haven't finished it yet and it's already on the list. Great dialogue.

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Just wait until you get to the end of it all. I think they had to actually install new feelings in me to cover the full range that I felt.

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Originally Posted by NeoCracker

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Originally Posted by Quint Eastwood

Lost Odyssey, Thousand Years of Dreams. Them feels.

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Kind of sad the Thousand Years of Dreams was infinately more interesting then the rest of the game. :p

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Haha, aye. I mean, the game was a solid 7/8 for me, but the Dreams really are the most memorable thing. I'd advise going on YouTube and watching them (because they REQUIRE sound :colbert:) rather than playing the game for them. xD

Second one, and I know how weird it may sound, but trust me: Spec Ops: The Line. Some of the best writing, character development and subject handling in gaming.

Dark Souls > All.

There, I said it. Praise the sun.

:up:

Bioshock: Infinite. My favourite story in a game I think, and it really helps that the way it's told and the characters that deliver the story are top class.

I'm guessing that the Final Fantasy series goes without saying.

As much as I love Final Fantasy, there can be a lot of bad writing at times. That will be something I touch on a bit, though, simply because the series was one of the things that got me into writing in the first place. They helped inspire me to want to create stories.

OH man, Alan Wake was amazing. I bought it because I used to talk to the girl at Gamestop a lot and she recommended it. I never regretted it.

Torment, Baldur's Gate, Fallout.

Go home.

The Longest Journey and Dreamfall: The Longest Journey. I haven't played them for a while (I really should, but I'm waiting for Dreamfall: Chapters to be almost-released) but I distinctly remember them having the best storytelling I can recall in any game I've played. It's got voice acting and whatnot but even that was done well. It's no shock that the producer/writer/director of these games, Ragnar Tørnquist, is highly regarded in the gaming industry as an author as well as a game designer. He went to Oxford and has studied art, history, English and philosophy which I think has benefited him greatly.

Evidence!

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Originally Posted by Wikipedia: Reception of The Longest Journey

The Longest Journey was well received by the gaming press. GameSpot called it "one of the best adventure games in years" and applauded the "complex and interesting story" although found the ending lacking as "the epilogue does little to wrap everything up". IGN said the game "actually reinvents how stories can be told in the medium" and noticed the mature content, including "harsh subject matter, and some big time swearing". Some of the puzzles were described as "inane", but on the whole the game "hones the genre into its tightest, sharpest form yet". The US edition of PC Gamer praised the "mature and magical" story, the "sumptuous" graphics, and the game's puzzles. The only criticism levied by the magazine was that some parts of the game might be "too edgy" for younger players. The Longest Journey subsequently won the Adventure Game of the Year award by both gaming sites. By mid-2002, the game had sold 450,000 copies.

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Originally Posted by Wikipedia: Reception of Dreamfall: The Longest Journey

Most critics have been positive about Dreamfall, agreeing about the quality of the storyline, the graphical presentation and the voice acting. Some critics lament the shortness of the gameplay, and criticize the game's new combat and stealth elements as simplistic and unsatisfying.

GameSpy rated it as "outstanding":

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Originally Posted by GameSpy

The game covers a lot of metaphorical, political, and religious ground. It's a multi-threaded, complex affair that poses profound and troubling questions about the uses and misuses of faith, the limits of corporate, governmental, and religious power, and the significant difference between belief and fanaticism and knowledge and wisdom. More than that, though, it's also a rip-roaring adventure story filled with wonderful dialogue brought to life by a stellar cast of voice actors, clearly defined and supremely likeable characters, and graphic splendor that manages to make both worlds of super-science and bizarre magic incredibly believable.

It's been a long-time [sic] since The Longest Journey was released, with fans of the game wondering whether a sequel could possibly match the original. They need wonder no longer. Dreamfall is an amazing journey that propels players into a world where science, magic, art, and music combine to make a whole much greater than the sum of its parts.

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GameSpot also ranked it as "great," stating "Dreamfall does not disappoint, for the most part. It exhibits the unique attention to detail and terrific presentation that made The Longest Journey so remarkable for its time."

Adventure Classic Gaming said "It is contemporary interactive fiction at its best. Its unique blend of storytelling and gameplay should appeal to a broad range of gamers beyond those who are loyal to the adventure genre.

Other critics, while not disputing the quality of the story, were disappointed that the game is primarily story-driven, and would like to have seen more gameplay. For example, IGN said:

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Originally Posted by IGN

While playing through, it's difficult to shake the impression that intelligent design was given a back seat to painfully simplistic fighting and sneaking sequences. The combat is, for all intents and purposes, a total joke. [...] While the gameplay has been drastically simplified, the story remains as engaging as ever. Characters engage in deep conversation, revealing all sorts of nuance and helping to strengthen this game's unique mood. Be warned, if you don't like watching lengthy conversations or if you generally disregard a game's plot, you'll be absolutely dissatisfied with Dreamfall. However, if you're in the mood for one of gaming's best and most recent narratives, by all means pick this one up. Just be aware that Dreamfall's appeal lies largely in its narrative and characters, and not in the gameplay."

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Yeah, I think Last of Us can now be pretty unanimously added to the list of games with the best writing. :p

Agreed NeoCracker. It's interesting to look back at Naughty Dog, even just from Uncharted to The Last of Us, never mind the PS2 and PSX eras, and see how much their storytelling ability has changed and, in my opinion, matured tremendously.

You didn't like the epic storytelling found in Crash Bandicoot? :(

I never played them back then to be honest. I wasn't as into 3D platformers that weren't Mario 64 at the time for some reason. My PSX saw the most use from Final Fantasy games and Metal Gear Solid.

The Walking dead would be at or near the top of the list. It was almost art just from the story.
Crisis core has some pretty good writing.
Jak 2 was well written.
Persona 3 was extremely good.
Persona 4 has a damn near perfect story, it should be on every list.
If you look at it closely, gravity rush, despite having probably less than 1500 words of script has a very nice tight story, considering what it is.
Final Fantasy tactics and Final fantasy 9 were very well written.
Kingdom hearts until you get to the convoluted DDD arc.

I should play Gravity Rush again since it is pretty short. It is definitely one of my favorite games I've played in recent memory. I'm sure the writing had something to do with that.

The Walking Dead really is getting better and better the more I play. Some top-notch writing there.

What did I win? This is the only right answer.

The Legacy of Kain games tell a winding, twisting story full of time travel and paradoxes but it's all so expertly discussed that it feels natural. There are definitely games with better plots out there but actual writing as in dialog and character interaction, you'll be hard pressed to find one better than LOK.

A friend once asked me about Xenogears or LOK, which did I prefer. Xenogeas was more ambitious and had a more compelling narrative but the writing along the way didn't hold a candle to the eloquent masterpiece that is LOK's script.

Star Ocean series has some really quality writing.

Lunar 2.

TYPING OF THE DEAD

Typing of the Dead wins. There is no other correct answer.

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Originally Posted by Scotty_ffgamer

Typing of the Dead wins. There is no other correct answer.

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Super Mario Typing

While probably better generally, it has a lack of zombies and Dreamcast.

Anybody who views stories as one of the most important elements in a game definitely needs to either buy or see Last of Us. Infact it is so good that it plays out almost exactly like a television show or a movie. You could get almost as much enjoyment just from watching a play through on you tube as you could from actually playing it yourself. The story is that good. Here is a link to a play through on youtube that I watched it off of.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUZ3MKvUjx8

Naughty Dog has been like that throughout the PS3. With the original Uncharted, the story and acting and cinematics were the best parts. The brawling and shooting mechanics almost made me quit the game early on. But forgivable since it was their first attempt at such gameplay. And glad I chugged through. The second one refined everything further and was a joy to play through, and also still a joy for anyone beside me watching me play through. They've got the formula down to an art-form by now. And I think I'm a Naughty Dog fan for life now. I'll definitely be getting the last of us. But still gotta do Uncharted 3 first

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Originally Posted by Hypoallergenic Cactuar

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Originally Posted by Scotty_ffgamer

Typing of the Dead wins. There is no other correct answer.

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Super Mario Typing

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Apparently this is actually a thing that exists. I had no idea.

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Originally Posted by Pike

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Originally Posted by Hypoallergenic Cactuar

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Originally Posted by Scotty_ffgamer

Typing of the Dead wins. There is no other correct answer.

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Super Mario Typing

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Apparently this is actually a thing that exists. I had no idea.

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Yeah, I got the name wrong, but it's real. And it's better than Mario is Missing.

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Originally Posted by Hypoallergenic Cactuar

And it's better than Mario is Missing.

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It's not difficult to find a game that's better than Mario is Missing :tongue:

The real tough challenge would be finding a game that's WORSE than Mario is Missing!

Mario is Missing 64?

We actually had Mario Teaches Typing at my school, and I would play it all the time in computer class.

Mother 3

Mother 3

Mother 3

Zombinis.