Story, Writing and Narration
By TwoLines 6 Comments
Story Time
While rummaging through the ruins of old console games,
I have found one that hasn't aged a day in my mind- Suikoden 2.
I realised this game was probably one of the best JRPGs- hell, RPGs I've ever played.
Screw that, best story game I've ever played.
Which bummed me out a little. I finished RDR not long ago, and the story was decent.
Actually, it was pretty well done. But something was missing..
And it wasn't the nostalgia- I played Suikoden 2 about four years ago.
That's not enough time to get all mushy about it.
So, if it's not the poochie-poochie feelings, then what?
Well let me tell you something about the characters, story and writing in this game...
Marston's love and blindness
I didn't really like John Marston, and certainly had no attchement for...
Spoilers..
...his wife and son, who the story writers desperately wanted to shove down my throat the last couple of hours of the game.
All they did was whine, and make me do pointless missions. Yes, after four missions of shooting damn forest animals,
I felt waaaay closer to my "son". You know what they say, nothing makes a bond between a man and his boy tighter, than shootin'
and skinnin' some deer!
It just felt dirty. All of it.
It felt that way because it was forced.
John Marston may have loved his family- he lived with them for 16 years.
I on the other hand, couldn't care less about a bunch of strangers I've met an hour ago,
and only knew an hour before everything ended.
I barely cared about Marston himself.
Don't get me wrong, Marston is clearly a more likable fellow than Niko or Carl Johnosn.
But he's just too passive about everything. he has his moments, but mostly he just doesn't care.
End spoilers.
Games that made you think
So maybe it just wasn't for me. Some people enjoy it, but does it make them/you think about it?
Does this game make you care and feel bad/good for all the people involved?
Persona 4 did. Good story driven games do that.
I'm not saying ONLY JRPGs are skillful at creating an interesting world with charismatic characters,
no, I cared about the fate of my crewmen in Mass Effect 2.
Except for Miranda, I mean- she has a nice ass, but man..
I have no idea what someone was thinking when writing for that character.
Oh, but she has a sister that she cares for! Bleh!
I also got deeply invested in some of the Final Fantasy games,
mainly FFIX- it has an amazing way of pulling me into the world it has created.
Even if it was a lil' bit cheesy here and there..
And how could I forget The Longest Journey?
That game was worth the time spent on looking at a faq
(I'm not that good at adventure games).
So what game made you feel for the characters and its story? What games you couldn't get into because of its writing?