video game stories

[Lord Chainsaw]

A story doesn't have to be very complex to be good. An example of that would be the Actraiser series. The game Actraiser on the SNES is my favorite video game story of all time. Compare it to anything by Matsuno and you'll find it's pretty basic. That's not the point. Matsuno's stories are very, very good, but that's about the extent of them.

Actraiser is a work of art. The story extends beyond the textual updates the tiny cherub gives you between stages. This is, and I know it is, where the majority of games fall flat on their face. The storywriter thinks he can entice the player with some incredibly complex plot with twists and turns, character backstory, and 30-40 hours of play. You need more than that. Take a look at Actraiser. Every single element in that game comes together beautifully to express that story. The gameplay, the music, the environments, all of them are a part of that story. This is one of the very few games that takes full advantage of every single element a video game offers to tell that incredible tale.

Mr. Developer, by god man, you've got beautiful visuals, lush graphics, and musical aid to use to tell your story. Books don't. You've got the potential for incredibly addictive gameplay elements to put the player in the position of the protagonist and define his role. Movies don't. You have these advantages that other mediums don't. Why don't you USE them?

If you want my opinion on two games that are absolutely beautiful works of art, then check out Actraiser on the SNES, and the Final Fantasy Legend on the big clunker gameboy. Sure, they obviously won't be as complex as Xenogears, but they do utilize every single output to deliver an incredible experience.