I don't know if games can necessarily be saved by "better writing." I know Gears of War 2 and Modern Warfare 2 both brought on real writers to handle the plots; Gears had only a very minor, yet noticeable, step in the right direction, but MW2 was like payment to a corrupt dictator because there was essentially no plot at all.

I think what would save games the most is creative directors and producers who have genuinely interesting stories to tell and care a great deal about bringing an imaginative vision to life. We have plenty of games that get the job done anyway without them, I don't think games should try to pretend to be better by hiring storywriters, that only makes a more bloated budget.

Quote Originally Posted by Shoeberto View Post
The Metal Gear Solid games.

Okay, so MGS1 and Snake Eater were damn fine examples of how to write self-contained stories that also lend themselves well to the overall continuity. Sons of Liberty and Guns of the Patriots, however, were examples of how too much retconning, deus ex machinas and overzealous plot decisions can make a story exhausting. I haven't played anything other than 1-4, and I love the overarching story, but the way the deceptions and plot twists and all that stack up by the time I finished MGS4, I was wishing Kojima would just tone it down a lot.
I think maybe Kojima gets over-ambitious, then tones it down like from MGS2 to Snake Eater and from MGS4 to Peace Walker. Still, every game has wonderfully written dialogue, and deals with major issues in real life (information proliferation in MGS2, the privatization of warfare in MGS4). The story structure, however, did indeed become too comprehensive in MGS2 and 4, but I can't fault them when they do so much on the other fronts of writing.