quote:See, one of my working theories is that books, movies and the like are in fact the things that really matter, and everything else is just an excuse to enjoy them.
Tom, I often wonder if you and I would get along better in person than on Hatrack. I talk with people about difficult issues much more here than I do with anybody in real life. IRL, dificult issues wouldn't come up that often, and wouldn't be as much of an impediment to friendship.
Posts: 1002 | Registered: Feb 2005
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quote: If you want something with plot just about anything Star Wars would handle it.
I played Dark Forces, Dark Forces II/Jedi Knight and Jedi Knight II. The first and third were very fun games, but none of them had memorable plots.
So Mary and I are playing Grim Fandango and are really enjoying it. We're in the petrified forest right now.
Posts: 1002 | Registered: Feb 2005
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posted
I'm not a big video game fan, and mostly opened the thread cuz I was bored (and avoiding grading papers).
But Tom's post at the top of the page was great! I have no more interest in playing video games than before -- but I do want to read more quotes! Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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Quest for Glory (aka Hero's Quest) is a fun older game. It was most recently released in 1997, and was originally released in 1989. Here's a review , and a few excerpts from the review:
quote: You step into the shoes of the hero of the story, striving to put right what was set wrong. Just how you go about this is entirely up to you. At the outset of the game, you are given a choice of three character classes: Fighter, Magic User, or Thief. Which one you choose will dictate how the game plays out, and how the puzzles are solved.
posted
Anti-cool, there is a new MMORPG that should be out soon, with no fee involved. It is called Guild Wars, and there is no subscription fee, just the purchase of the game.
It looks good so far, but it hasn't been released yet.
quote: What is the one game that I should try to be convinced that good storytelling is being done in video games?
I am going to have to disagree with your choices. FPS do not make for a compelling story, FF is great fun but I often tried to scip the story, and Morrowind is to open for good ol' fashioned story telling--it is more like a choose your own adventure.
If you want awsome story telling, I give two enthusiastic thumbs up for Silent Hill---the original. Any story that starts off with your 8 year old daughter wandering wispily off in a haunted, nightmare town after a car wreck will deliver a compelling story.
And the soundtrack to all the Silent Hill movies is incredible.
Posts: 2445 | Registered: Oct 2004
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Porter, if you like FPS, Half-Life and Half-Life 2 are excellent. I've never played a game that made me feel more like I was actually in the game than those two.
If you're looking for story then there are some excellent interactive fiction games out there. Two classics from the old Infocom days are A Mind Forever Voyaging and Trinity. Sadly, those are hard to come by through legitimate channels as they are no longer sold in any way by Activision, who nevertheless still holds the copyright. You might be able to find a copy of The Lost Treasures of Infocom, Volume 2 on Ebay, which includes both games. The first volume includes Planetfall and Stationfall, which are also excellent. If you're a little less scrupulous, all of the old Infocom games can be found online. You'll also need a z-machine interpreter, such as WinFrotz.
There are also a whole bunch of free interactive fiction games out there. I find Baf's Guide to the Interactive Fiction Archive very helpful. If you just go through the awards section you can find many good ones. I particularly liked Anchorhead.
Posts: 4534 | Registered: Jan 2003
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I think maybe you got this thread confused with [URL=Hmmm, did a bunch of posts in this thread get deleted?]This Thread[/URL] which he refers to in the first post. Because they are both about games. I know I got confused between the two at first.
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Porter, I just read through the other thread, and having done so, I think you really need to check out A Mind Forever Voyaging, Trinity, Planetfall, and Stationfall. Seriously.
Posts: 4534 | Registered: Jan 2003
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Found my copy of Planescape: Torment! Yay! Man, I'd forgotten how primitive the interface was on this game, compared to later Black Isle games. Storyline makes up for it though.
Porter, another game that does an excellent job of storytelling is the old adventure game The Last Express. I highly recommend it if you can find a copy of it (not that that's all that likely).
Posts: 16059 | Registered: Aug 2000
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I haven't read through the other thread, but I will agree with Mike that you'd love those games. Especially Trinity, I think, but all of them are great.
Posts: 16059 | Registered: Aug 2000
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I'm replaying Warcraft III again right now, and I have to say its storylines are amazing. Starcraft has a pretty cool story, but Warcraft III blows it out of the water.
I also suggest Planescape: Torment. I can't believe so many people here have played it . Not that anyone probably cares, but Tyco from Penny Arcade still considers it the best game of all time. I fell in love with it a long time ago. My copy is too beat up to play though
Edit: Oh and if you want engaging story, stay the hell away from Morrowind.
quote:Porter, if you like FPS, Half-Life and Half-Life 2 are excellent. I've never played a game that made me feel more like I was actually in the game than those two.
They are the most engaging games on the planet. It just stuns me that there are gamers who haven't played them yet!
Posts: 7600 | Registered: Jan 2001
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Second for Silent Hill. Game, story and music.
Just don't play it on any night when you need to get any sleep. There's never been a movie made or story told that scared me as much as that game. At one point I got so involved in the story and terrified of the gameplay that I bought a gameshark and turned on the cheats. I figured that if I gave myself infinite health, all weapons and infinite ammo, I'd be able to convince myself that nothing in that world could hurt me and continue unafraid. No such luck. I still got cold palms and a racing heart every time I opened a door. I'm probably not going to be able to sleep tonight just because I thought about it.
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