POST STUFF
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 by Sol Invictus, Level 57
Last updated at March 28, 2009, 3:41 am
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The day began just like another ordinary day, but invariably, things never pan out the way in which you'd expect. As I sat in bed and stared at the electric glare of my monitor, searching for some sign of her, thoughts of the end loomed threateningly into my horizon.
I'd needed to find Judith, who'd taken her leave of Brave Vesperia, but I also knew that finding her would draw me closer to the end of the game. Would my journey come to an end, finally? I'd spent over 50 hours with Tales of Vesperia thus far, and I knew that every following hour would bring me closer to its inevitable climax.
I'd needed to find Judith, who'd taken her leave of Brave Vesperia, but I also knew that finding her would draw me closer to the end of the game. Would my journey come to an end, finally? I'd spent over 50 hours with Tales of Vesperia thus far, and I knew that every following hour would bring me closer to its inevitable climax. Pulling on my emotional strings like very few video game characters have managed to do, I knew the members of Brave Vesperia like my own companions. Despite knowing that we would have to eventually part ways, I wanted to know the story of my friends. Brave Vesperia provided me with many unforgettable experiences, so I owed it to them to see things through. The thought of ending the game was somewhat depressing, but it also filled me with anticipation to reach the end.
A story well written populated by characters both interesting and complex are in many ways a player's anchor to playing a game through to the end. Often, we lose interest in the games we play because they lack the ability to grip us and pull us into the reality of the game. A powerful story has the ability to pull one back into the game, perchance to relive the experience or even see it in a new light.
Tales of Vesperia, like a few other titles, is a game that's managed to envelop me within the weave of its fabric and it is because it contains the right elements to tell a good story.
Characters to which you can relateLike how a good song contains lyrics that speak to your state of mind and a melody that reflects portions of your life, a good story has characters that resemble who you are as a person and offer you something real and impermeable to which you can relate. More than mere caricatures, a well written character is likely to be complex, and ultimately damaged, allowing you to either sympathize or empathize with his or her plight.
One such character, for instance, is an adolescent boy unsure of himself. Having been in and out of many guilds, Karol is someone who has yet to find his place in life, and his self-confidence isn't helped by the fact that those whom he called friends showed so little faith in him.
Likewise, even the villains like the German-accented Yeager are humanized through unexpected displays of honor, and given personalities that you can relate to in some way. It's just as they ought to be in any good story.
These are all characters with human personalities, layers of depth, and personal agendas. They're people you can relate to and their presences give the world an air of authenticity.
A strong narrative mattersThe world changes, as all things do. Events impact the world and the people within it, and nuanced stories reflect these alterations in the fabric of their reality.
There's something to be said about games where nothing ever changes. Despite all their efforts, they never manage to get off Gilligan's Island. The princess is always in the next castle. The Wheel of Time turns and the bad guy with the funny name always turns out to be a decoy at the end of the book.
I hate to say it, but **** like that gets really ******* old and it leaves you to wonder if all the progress you made was for naught.
The game might have good enough gameplay to make up for the lacklustre story, but this is rarely the case, and rarely are gamers even placated by 'good gameplay' outside of good narratives anymore.
All the gameplay in Unreal Tournament 3 wouldn't be able to change its single player campaign from being anything short of an uninspired mess, and Dawn of War 2, in spite of its cleverly designed tactical gameplay can't hold a candle to the narratives provided in Starcraft or even World in Conflict. Good narratives provide players with a background in which their actions make sense. Players are given the motivation to keep playing. And while some games, like Left 4 Dead, provide strong narratives within the gameplay itself, one can only imagine how boring the game might be were it not for the oppressive atmosphere or the dynamic and unpredictable AI. Gameplay alone can only do so much, and atmosphere is, if anything, a big part of the narrative.
Word of a good game might bring players to the table, but the story is what keeps them there. So what video game stories have you been inspired by?
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8 comments
Project_Xii Mar 28, 2009 at 4:33 am
+2 votes
The Tales games are known for their fantastic characters and narratives. Unfortunately they've never taken off in western culture like more common titles e.g. Final Fantasy. Which is a shame, especially when Tales quality would be on par with them.
If anyone's interested in their origins:
Tales of Phantasia - The original and best (well, depending on how you look at it
). Can be played on a Snes emulator. Ripping good fun, excellent story and lovable characters.
Ugh, Unreal Tournament 3 SP is an experience in torture. Nowhere near as fun as the originals. Haven't even bothered to finish it. Give me L4D and it's less-obvious-but still-there story any day.
If anyone's interested in their origins:
Tales of Phantasia - The original and best (well, depending on how you look at it
). Can be played on a Snes emulator. Ripping good fun, excellent story and lovable characters.Ugh, Unreal Tournament 3 SP is an experience in torture. Nowhere near as fun as the originals. Haven't even bothered to finish it. Give me L4D and it's less-obvious-but still-there story any day.
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Neonox Mar 28, 2009 at 8:19 am
+1 votes
I absolutely LOVED Tales of Phantasia, I picked it up for sale at Toys R Us for the GBA a while back, and I got addicted instantly.
So some time I need to go pick this game up, gotta see if I can get it cheaper then $60 though. :/
So some time I need to go pick this game up, gotta see if I can get it cheaper then $60 though. :/
Sol Invictus Mar 28, 2009 at 2:54 pm
+1 votes
I intend to pick up the other Tales games at some point. Once I'm done with Vesperia, I'll be playing Fable 2.
ARCTURAS Apr 6, 2009 at 7:10 am
+1 votes
My only real complaints about Vesperia is the combat system. When it comes to rpg's I prefer a turn based system as that doesn't feel like a mess, but if you had no quarrels with FF7 then you probably won't mind ToV
Mr.Pibbs Mar 28, 2009 at 10:24 pm
+1 votes
very few game companies are good enough to pull off great stories, Square and Blizzard are 2 of those companies
ARCTURAS Apr 6, 2009 at 7:08 am
+1 votes
This is largely why I started playing visual novels for half my gaming content. Good gameplay is very appreciable, but games are still meant for entertainment, and a good story is really entertaining.
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