Best Story Based Video Games?!

I need something to play right now I NEED something with an amazing story and I do not know wtf to play cause I have played everything you could think of...I need something amazing so down below right your favorite games of all time!!! :D

Planescape Torment

I remember Dead Space 2 actually having a pretty compelling story. Also, isn't this the one non-gaming forum on Giant Bomb? Not that this is the only thread about gaming in off-topic, but shouldn't this be in general discussion?

• Final Fantasy
• Grandia
• Shadow Hearts
• Persona
• Lost Odyssey
• Tales series
• Sam & Max
• Monkey Island

@slaps2: whoops gg I was looking at wrong forum when posting lol!

1. Persona 4

2. Persona 4

3. Persona 4

4. Persona 4

Maybe not "story based" per se but I'll throw down a vote for Final Fantasy Tactics for great video game story any and every day.

Vampire: the Masquerade- Bloodlines, Final Fantasy Tactics, Persona 3, Planescape.

Or if you want a great "story based" game you should check out Story Hour: Adventures.

Okami, Persona 3/4, Ghost Trick, Radiant Historia, MGS3, Red Dead Redemption, Walking Dead, Witcher 2.

The Walking Dead (the one form Telltale)

Any of the Monkey Island games

Gemini Rue

Deadly Premonition

I can't think of anything else right now as I'm trying to think of games that hold up (if they're old) and focuses more on story than game play. So many recent games get bogged down by filler that it actually can ruin the main story.

Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy VI, The Last of Us, Halo 1-3, Wolfenstein: The New Order, Syndicate, Resistance 3, Deus Ex Human Revolution, Fallout New Vegas, and Sleeping Dogs.

All of those are video game stories that I remember enjoying quite a bit and it's a pretty varied list, covering everything from JRPG's to first person shooters.

Here's some oft-missed, very good stories which are pretty recent and very playable even today;

• To The Moon (head and shoulders above the others on this list, but only cos it's 99% story with little else - still, one of the best stories ever told in a game)
• Ghost Trick
• Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (the 1st one)
• Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor Unlocked
• Valkyria Chronicles

And here are some obvious major-releases with great stories;

• Mass Effect (series - after DLing the DLC to fix the 3rd one)
• The Last of Us
• Bioshock / Bioshock Infinite
• Uncharted 2
• Journey
• Gone Home
• Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
• and of course, Persona 3 and 4.

Vagrant Story

I knew everyone was gonna say the obvious ones, but I'd just like to throw in 999, Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward, Danganronpa, and Final Fantasy IX.

Three of those are visual novel games and certainly not everyone's cup of tea, but they are great.

Generic but obviously best answer; metal gear solid.

• Planescape Torment
• Persona 3 FES
• Alan Wake
• Silent Hill 2, 4, Downpour and Shattered Memories
• Catherine
• Nier
• Deadly Premonition
• The Last of Us
• Uncharted 1, 2, and 3
• Bioshock 1, 2 and Infinite
• Resident Evil 0
• Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem
• Final Fantasy VI
• Witcher 1 and 2 (2 only if you play after 1 and importing the save)

Thank you. I was hoping somebody had already mentioned it. If you can wrap your head around the combat mechanics to get through the game the story is second to none.

I want to add The Longest Journey and Dreamfall : The Longest Journey to this list.

These are adventure games which are all about the story. The second one has some bad combat and stealth sections, but they're quick and really don't bother me at all. The second one also kinda ends on a cliffhanger, but the first part of the third game will be out by the end of the year. It's called Dreamfall Chapters.

Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door
Best story Mario was ever involved with.

Heavy Rain, Psychonauts, the recent Telltale Games, Bully, Makai Kingdoms

I liked the stories and characters in all of these.

Fuck yeah Vagrant Story

• Persona 3 FES
• Persona 4
• Witcher
• Heavy Rain
• Beyond: Two Souls

What's the point of recommending something when you've apparently played every game ever made.

Anything Tim Schafer has written, honestly.

Oh, also Analogue: A Hate Story.

Heavy Rain, Alan Wake, Witcher 2, Last of US, Mass Effect are pretty good story driven games that still stands the test of time..

If into openworld games, one can't really go wrong with Fallout 3 or GTAV..

Wolfenstein: The New Order was surprisingly compelling from a story perspective. The story itself is super silly, but it treated it's characters and their relationships really well. I actually kinda cared for the characters well being which I can't say about most shooters or most games for that matter.

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is also a fantastic experience. I found the gameplay infuriating to begin with but as I went on the environments and the stuff that happens along the way pulled me in. And as someone who found the actual act of playing the game infuriating to begin with believe me there is a very important point behind the way the game controls and experiencing that moment was the strongest emotional impact any game has ever had on me. Besides the game is only 2-3 hours long so you can experience it all in one sitting. In fact the game should be played in one sitting.

Destiny.

Has anyone mentioned Dragon Quest VIII yet? Anyone? No?

Philistines. The lot of you.

Persona 2: Innocent Sin has the greatest, or at least craziest, story ever told.

- Witcher series

- Mass effect series

- Halo series

- Walking Dead

- Wolf Among Us

Alan Wake had a ridiculously compelling narrative.

Shadow of the Colossus is also incredible if you're a fan of minimalism in storytelling.

The Metro games are pretty damn cool.

Then the obvious ones I want to reinforce:

• Mass Effect
• Uncharted
• Psyconauts
• Bioshock(s)
• Red Dead Redemption (takes time to get there but has one HELL of a final act)

I have to gently disagree with the "OMG PERSONA 4" opinions. I put 10/15 hours into it just recently and I think it's fine but far from the writing and story are a bit.... *shrugs*

• Prince of Persia Two thrones
• Call of Duty Modern warfare I/II
• BioShok I
• TES V
• Hotline Miami
• Mafia II
• Mass Effect

The whole Legacy of Kain series (aside from Blood Omen 2).

And Vagrant Story and Valkyrie Profile 2!

I know I'll get crap for it, but I think Mass Effect as a trilogy is great even if there were some weak parts. It was like an M rated, darker Star Wars, which I found interesting.

I don't mean to start a fanboyish argument but that's really not nearly enough time to judge the story. You haven't even begun to scratch the surface of how great P4's story and characters are.

:-)

Curse of Monkey Island, Planescape: Torment and Neir.

Bold are MUST plays for the story. :-p

• Psychonauts
• Broken Age
• Beyond Good and Evil
• Dreamfall: The Longest Journey
• The Walking Dead Season 1
• Sam and Max: Freelance Police
• To The Moon
• Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (the 1st one)
• Mass Effect
• The Last of Us
• Bioshock / Bioshock Infinite
• Uncharted 2
• Journey
• Gone Home
• Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
• Persona 4

You have great tastes! I agree with your list, but you forgot a couple. :-)

Wolf Among Us, and Walking Dead Season One and Two.

Both are by telltale games.

Gemini Rue

The walking dead and Bioschock Infinite come to mind right away. I honestly really enjoyed the story of Twilight Princess as well

Hotline Miami and Last of Us

And Wind Waker and Psychonauts.

Super Mario RPG would like to have a word with you.

I'm genuinely surprised at the amount of people who have listed David Cage's games.

I'd probably say that the Uncharted trilogy overall has very solid storytelling and maybe the best stories I've seen in a game. I do need to play more TLOS though.

I do want to make a special mention for Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga. The story in that game is pretty funny and well told and I'd say it could go head to head with the other great Mario RPGs (Thousand Year Door and the original RPG). Also, Fawful is the most under-rated Mario character.

Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic. One of the best stories in games.

Half Life as a whole imo has an awesome story, it never reveals to much of the nature of things but grafts the story into the world in a really compelling way. There are so many small details there to pay attention to, the first Half Life obviously didn't have some of the ideas explored in HL2 but the core stuff was there and was developed upon in an amazing way in HL2 and Episode 2.

Also Zen in HL1 is awesome fuck the haters. Some of the platforming was a little eh but the whole area looked amazing at the time they showed that the Vortigaunts were prisoners without a word of explanation showing that your bad guys that you have been blowing away the entire time are slaves resonates pretty well especially considering the level of game stories at that time and I think even now. The other enemies are just indigenous creatures thrown into an alien world being teleported in at complete random, they use the idea in HL2 to make the earth into its own alien environment without having to make it look like a different planet.

I love that they introduce characters in the start of HL2 like they always were there, the fact that I can go back and actually know which generic scientist model was supposed to be Eli and Kleiner is crazy I love that they just try to be serious with the story for a fan of game stories I think it is some of the best most subtle shit in video games.

The best part you don't have to pay attention to any of it, those little details are there if you care. Obviously there are heavier story beats in HL2 and its Episodes but your still normally in control for almost the entire game and I find that commitment to the idea really commendable.

Journey

@thekreep: Eh. It can have all the words it likes. I like Thousand Year Door more.

How has no one mentioned Legacy of Kain/Soul Reaver yet? If you want story, this series has it in droves. (You can probably skip both Blood Omen games, even if I love them too.)

Syberia. The games are old as hell but give them a try.