Like films there are many games that I like to keep in my collection to play again after completing it for the first time and one of the reasons is due to the story. I enjoy replaying games to go through the story and experience it again the same way I will with a movie I want to watch again.
What are some video games that you like that have great stories and what is it about those stories that draw you in?
Here's mine:
Assassin's Creed
I am currently replaying through all the main games in the series (not including installments on the handheld consoles) and so far I have replayed and finished the first game and now I'm on to Assassin's Creed II. I enjoy the story because of the dual narrative going on - the modern day sequences with Desmond Miles and the past sequences with Desmond's ancestors. Both narratives intersect and overlap at certain points throughout the series and when you are playing as one you are wanting to get to see what happens next to the other.
I'm going to be referring to characters from the first two games so for those who haven't played the games I will explain a little of the basics of the story without spoilers:
Desmond Miles experiences the lives of his ancestors through a machine called an Animus at Abstergo Industries by allowing Desmond to tap into his genetic memory. In the first game the ancestor you play as is Altair, an Assassin during the Crusades (specifically set in 1191) who has become arrogant and ignorant of the Creed and because of his actions he must go on a quest for redemption while Assassinating Templars (the main antagonists of the whole series).
In Assassin's Creed II Desmond is hooked up to a different Animus (this one owned by a group of Assassin's Desmond becomes a part of) and experiences the life of a different ancestor, this time it's a Florentine named Ezio Auditore, a young man during the Renaissance Period in Italy (specifically 1476) who will become an Assassin due to a conspiracy against his family.
Back to the dual narrative in the series - Assassin's Creed II combines the two narratives really well because in the modern day Desmond is going to need to learn how to be an Assassin like his ancestors and to do this he needs to experience what Ezio Auditore learns in his journey becoming an Assassin. The skills Ezio gains will transfer to Desmond so he doesn't have to go through years of practice (in a way it's like Neo learning anything he wants to in a matter of seconds in The Matrix by having it downloaded into his brain but in this case not as quickly).
There are many twists and turns along the way in this series and the story is very interesting. If you haven't played it before I recommend you do and if you aren't a gamer but are interested in the story you can always read the novelisations written by Oliver Bowden or if you want instant gratification try Wikipedia or YouTube to just experience it without having to play the games.
Note: This is being developed into a feature film. Michael Fassbender is involved as actor and producer in conjunction with Ubisoft who have their own film division. At this stage there are no details about what game in the series is being adapted, if one of them even is at all, or who Fassbender is playing in the movie, other than the fact it is probably an Assassin.
Splinter Cell
What I like about the stories in these games is how detailed they are. The character of Sam Fisher (voiced by Michael Ironside in all bar the latest game Splinter Cell: Blacklist) is one of those characters you enjoy playing as because of the skills he possesses.
There are six games in this series (not counting handheld entries) and the first four - Splinter Cell, Pandora Tomorrow, Chaos Theory and Double Agent all carry similar gameplay elements with additions to skills Sam has being added in each game. Splinter Cell Conviction and Blacklist are very different than the first four but I feel that the changes are effective.
Quick rundown on the story for the first three games:
Sam Fisher is an NSA agent in the Third Echelon Splinter Cell program. He is an older character, born in 1966, which makes him in his early 40s by the time of the first game. He has a daughter named Sarah. His boss is Irving Lambert and technical support is by Anna Grimsdottir (nickname Grim). The story revolves around Sam gathering intelligence and engaging in stealth to overthrow dictators and other enemies.
The story for Double Agent is one that puts the main character through a lot. He experiences the loss of a loved one and falls into despair. Sam is given an opportunity to be a Double Agent on his most dangerous mission yet and he accepts because he feels he has nothing to lose anymore (in Conviction an ally of Sam's says that this person who he lost was the only thing left in his life that humanised him).
Throughout the game you have to balance what objectives you complete for the terrorists and for the NSA because what you do will effect the level of trust you have with both entities. So the scope of the game in both it's story and what Michael Ironside can use to expand the role is really a powerful element for the series.
In Conviction Sam Fisher is on the run from the very agency he worked for. He is looking for answers about the loss of his loved one and he isn't a happy camper at all. The story in this game has some twists in it as well that for some fans might have come as a shock.
Note: This is another Ubisoft game being developed as a feature film. Tom Hardy has been cast in the role of Sam Fisher however no director is currently attached to the project. Hopefully Michael Ironside who voiced Sam in the first five games will make a cameo
Silent Hill
This is my favorite survival horror franchise the second being Resident Evil.
The stories for Silent Hill: Origins, Silent Hill and Silent Hill 3 follow on from each other and could be referred to as the Silent Hill Trilogy. Silent Hill 2, Silent Hill 4: The Room, Silent Hill: Homecoming, Silent Hill: Downpour share some things with each other but they each revolve around new characters and stories.
What I like about this game series and it's stories is that it is set in a world that is dependent on the character themselves. It is very effective in the creepy atmosphere department and is mainly psychological horror (my favourite type of horror) that makes you think about the events you have experienced in the story long after you have finished playing.
Here is the basic story (for the first game)
Harry Mason and his daughter Cheryl are involved in a car accident. Harry wakes to find Cheryl missing and goes looking for her. He ends up being involved with a cult in the town of Silent Hill and meets a variety of characters that are trying to survive the nightmare.
Many years previously a young girl was sacrificed as part of a ceremony to birth a god by the cult and was severely burnt. As a result the girl, Alessa, was put into a state where her nightmares, pain and suffering started to influence the town of Silent Hill and began warping it.
Harry is helped in his search by a police officer by the name of Cybill and must figure out what has happened to Cheryl and what is going on in Silent Hill.
The first game has been made into a movie released in 2006 (a second film was made utilising plot elements from Silent Hill 3 but it is too complicated to explain here what pieces it has taken from that game because how they adapted the first game in the first movie doesn't match with what happens in Silent Hill 3) and it changed Harry into a woman named Rose and changed Cheryl into Sharon as well as other changes. What I thought they did really well was emulating the atmosphere of the games and incorporating the music from the games by the excellent composer Akira Yamaoka.
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Other games that I enjoy the stories for are:
Gears of War, Call of Duty (Modern Warfare entries), Tomb Raider, Prince of Persia, Legend of Zelda, Batman Arkham Asylum/Arkham City/Arkham Origins, Resident Evil.
This has been a long post and those who are very familiar with the games I mentioned may see errors in what I have posted. That is fine and I am not going to bite your head off if you make suggestions or alterations to the information
What are some video games that you like that have great stories and what is it about those stories that draw you in?
Here's mine:
Assassin's Creed
I am currently replaying through all the main games in the series (not including installments on the handheld consoles) and so far I have replayed and finished the first game and now I'm on to Assassin's Creed II. I enjoy the story because of the dual narrative going on - the modern day sequences with Desmond Miles and the past sequences with Desmond's ancestors. Both narratives intersect and overlap at certain points throughout the series and when you are playing as one you are wanting to get to see what happens next to the other.
I'm going to be referring to characters from the first two games so for those who haven't played the games I will explain a little of the basics of the story without spoilers:
Desmond Miles experiences the lives of his ancestors through a machine called an Animus at Abstergo Industries by allowing Desmond to tap into his genetic memory. In the first game the ancestor you play as is Altair, an Assassin during the Crusades (specifically set in 1191) who has become arrogant and ignorant of the Creed and because of his actions he must go on a quest for redemption while Assassinating Templars (the main antagonists of the whole series).
In Assassin's Creed II Desmond is hooked up to a different Animus (this one owned by a group of Assassin's Desmond becomes a part of) and experiences the life of a different ancestor, this time it's a Florentine named Ezio Auditore, a young man during the Renaissance Period in Italy (specifically 1476) who will become an Assassin due to a conspiracy against his family.
Back to the dual narrative in the series - Assassin's Creed II combines the two narratives really well because in the modern day Desmond is going to need to learn how to be an Assassin like his ancestors and to do this he needs to experience what Ezio Auditore learns in his journey becoming an Assassin. The skills Ezio gains will transfer to Desmond so he doesn't have to go through years of practice (in a way it's like Neo learning anything he wants to in a matter of seconds in The Matrix by having it downloaded into his brain but in this case not as quickly).
There are many twists and turns along the way in this series and the story is very interesting. If you haven't played it before I recommend you do and if you aren't a gamer but are interested in the story you can always read the novelisations written by Oliver Bowden or if you want instant gratification try Wikipedia or YouTube to just experience it without having to play the games.
Note: This is being developed into a feature film. Michael Fassbender is involved as actor and producer in conjunction with Ubisoft who have their own film division. At this stage there are no details about what game in the series is being adapted, if one of them even is at all, or who Fassbender is playing in the movie, other than the fact it is probably an Assassin.
Splinter Cell
What I like about the stories in these games is how detailed they are. The character of Sam Fisher (voiced by Michael Ironside in all bar the latest game Splinter Cell: Blacklist) is one of those characters you enjoy playing as because of the skills he possesses.
There are six games in this series (not counting handheld entries) and the first four - Splinter Cell, Pandora Tomorrow, Chaos Theory and Double Agent all carry similar gameplay elements with additions to skills Sam has being added in each game. Splinter Cell Conviction and Blacklist are very different than the first four but I feel that the changes are effective.
Quick rundown on the story for the first three games:
Sam Fisher is an NSA agent in the Third Echelon Splinter Cell program. He is an older character, born in 1966, which makes him in his early 40s by the time of the first game. He has a daughter named Sarah. His boss is Irving Lambert and technical support is by Anna Grimsdottir (nickname Grim). The story revolves around Sam gathering intelligence and engaging in stealth to overthrow dictators and other enemies.
The story for Double Agent is one that puts the main character through a lot. He experiences the loss of a loved one and falls into despair. Sam is given an opportunity to be a Double Agent on his most dangerous mission yet and he accepts because he feels he has nothing to lose anymore (in Conviction an ally of Sam's says that this person who he lost was the only thing left in his life that humanised him).
Throughout the game you have to balance what objectives you complete for the terrorists and for the NSA because what you do will effect the level of trust you have with both entities. So the scope of the game in both it's story and what Michael Ironside can use to expand the role is really a powerful element for the series.
In Conviction Sam Fisher is on the run from the very agency he worked for. He is looking for answers about the loss of his loved one and he isn't a happy camper at all. The story in this game has some twists in it as well that for some fans might have come as a shock.
Note: This is another Ubisoft game being developed as a feature film. Tom Hardy has been cast in the role of Sam Fisher however no director is currently attached to the project. Hopefully Michael Ironside who voiced Sam in the first five games will make a cameo
Silent Hill
This is my favorite survival horror franchise the second being Resident Evil.
The stories for Silent Hill: Origins, Silent Hill and Silent Hill 3 follow on from each other and could be referred to as the Silent Hill Trilogy. Silent Hill 2, Silent Hill 4: The Room, Silent Hill: Homecoming, Silent Hill: Downpour share some things with each other but they each revolve around new characters and stories.
What I like about this game series and it's stories is that it is set in a world that is dependent on the character themselves. It is very effective in the creepy atmosphere department and is mainly psychological horror (my favourite type of horror) that makes you think about the events you have experienced in the story long after you have finished playing.
Here is the basic story (for the first game)
Harry Mason and his daughter Cheryl are involved in a car accident. Harry wakes to find Cheryl missing and goes looking for her. He ends up being involved with a cult in the town of Silent Hill and meets a variety of characters that are trying to survive the nightmare.
Many years previously a young girl was sacrificed as part of a ceremony to birth a god by the cult and was severely burnt. As a result the girl, Alessa, was put into a state where her nightmares, pain and suffering started to influence the town of Silent Hill and began warping it.
Harry is helped in his search by a police officer by the name of Cybill and must figure out what has happened to Cheryl and what is going on in Silent Hill.
The first game has been made into a movie released in 2006 (a second film was made utilising plot elements from Silent Hill 3 but it is too complicated to explain here what pieces it has taken from that game because how they adapted the first game in the first movie doesn't match with what happens in Silent Hill 3) and it changed Harry into a woman named Rose and changed Cheryl into Sharon as well as other changes. What I thought they did really well was emulating the atmosphere of the games and incorporating the music from the games by the excellent composer Akira Yamaoka.
------------------------------------
Other games that I enjoy the stories for are:
Gears of War, Call of Duty (Modern Warfare entries), Tomb Raider, Prince of Persia, Legend of Zelda, Batman Arkham Asylum/Arkham City/Arkham Origins, Resident Evil.
This has been a long post and those who are very familiar with the games I mentioned may see errors in what I have posted. That is fine and I am not going to bite your head off if you make suggestions or alterations to the information
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