flameboy Posted March 18, 2015 Posted March 18, 2015 (edited) I think my movement away from Nintendo coincided with my growing appreciation of narratives in games. I absolutely love games that tell a story. I think that might have always been true since Link's Awakening and Majora's Mask are my two favourite Zelda games. Bar those few exception, Nintendo don't really do good narratives. Yeah, they're great with gameplay mechanics but I'm so rarely emotionally invested. Xbox 360 was the first primary console that wasn't a Nintendo machine. BioShock was a revelation, it was so gripping. Portal, too. Even Halo, it's a fucking great love story about a boy and a girl (Master Chief and Halo). Then I moved on the PS3 and Uncharted was pretty good, kind of novel, and then - out of nowhere - Uncharted 2 was a narrative masterpiece; Saturday morning matinée gold. And there are so many wonderful stories out there. Has anyone here played Spec Ops: The Line? It looks and sounds so generic, something I'm certain someone like Serebii and Ronnie would dismiss but my God, it toyed with the medium, with the idea of agency in gaming and warped into a beautiful Heart of Darkness inspired story. And I've got to say, indie games have allowed individuals and small teams to tell such great stories, too. Games like Fez, Limbo, Never Alone, Valiant Hearts, all so different and so emotive. George RR Martins said something like you can live 1000 different lives through books and I look for - and find that - in games, too. But I can't really think of any recent games on the Wii U or 3DS that meant anything to me - nor the Wii, tbh. Whereas Far Cry 4, a game franchise I completely dismissed as iterative and uninteresting, absolutely engrossed me. What a fucking surprise. That's a beautiful thing. How exciting. So, to answer your question, my interest hasn't increased or decreased, it's just become more refined. Give me a good story to get lost in. I would say this is pretty much spot on. I now feel that videogames are by far the prominent way I consume most of my fiction/narrative/drama be whatever it is. The variety I was able to consume via PC and PS3 was unparrelled and that now continues with a slightly better PC and Xbox One. I moved away from Nintendo when I quickly realized that I couldn't get those experiences that I was starting to yearn for. I don't think I'd be gaming if I hadn't. Edited March 18, 2015 by flameboy
nekunando Posted March 19, 2015 Posted March 19, 2015 (edited) Personally, if I was PlayStation or XBOX only, I feel I'd be missing out on much more than I would be if I was Nintendo only. The simple reason for that is that Nintendo provides a greater number of games that interests me than whatever is available on rival platforms It would obviously be ideal to have the best of everything in one place. For instance, it would be ludicrous to not be able to purchase and watch a DVD because it wasn't released for your specific DVD player. It's a bit of a shame that gaming is so divided that we have to make a choice because either way, you're going to be missing out on some excellent software unless you have access to all the necessary hardware. As it currently stands, it would be hard for me to say that I'm 'Nintendo only' as I own a PS1, PS2, PS3 and Dreamcast in addition to all Nintendo's consoles, but the Sony and Sega devices were never the 'main' console and were all bought many years after their original release in order to play some of the games I missed out on. In all honesty, though, there's a few gems in my collection but there's also been plenty of disappointments and I always feel fully justified in having gone with Nintendo all these years. They may frustrate us as much as they delight us, at times, but ultimately Nintendo is still where my heart is I sometimes wonder just how much more I would have got out of the games on my Nintendo consoles over the years if I hadn't picked up some of the other consoles. Perhaps I would be struggling for things to play and feeling the Wii U drought in some way, but that's just not the case as it stands. In fact, I have absolutely no intention of purchasing a PS4 or XBOX One as I have no desire for either and I'm finding plenty of satisfaction with having Wii U as my only current gen console It allows me get everything from each game I buy, whilst I have enough time to explore my retro classics and play through some of my significant backlog across a multitude of formats. Edited March 19, 2015 by nekunando
dazzybee Posted March 19, 2015 Posted March 19, 2015 Bloody hell, I feel sorry for people if video games are their best source of narrative and writing I enjoy Heavy Rain, Uncharted etc as much as anyone, but video games are lightyears away from film and tv at the minute . But it's all about preferences, obviously, personally I've been affected by a Pikmin getting slaughtered far more than any other game has managed.
Retro_Link Posted March 19, 2015 Posted March 19, 2015 (edited) @dazzybee loosing a Pikmin has affected you far more than say, the last 7 mins of Ocarina of Time, or Journey? Anyway, yeah I think if I just owned a Playstation or XBox I'd feel I was missing out on a lot from Nintendo too. However, it's just something about the Wii U, I don't know what it is but I just don't like the vibe it gives off or the games it's providing particularly. Of all the games on the machine since launch really the only ones I feel like I'd like to play are Mario Kart and Tropical Freeze. Can I justify getting a console for 2 games, I don't think so really. Sure if I bought one i'd pick a couple of others up, but right now I feel I can get away with it without that feeling of missing out. Stupid Wii U, what is it about you. Edited March 19, 2015 by Retro_Link
Ronnie Posted March 19, 2015 Posted March 19, 2015 "Cinematic" cutscene-driven games where gameplay is added on top of narrative is very much what AAA gaming is about these days sadly. Developers create the world then have to find the fun within that.
Kav Posted March 19, 2015 Posted March 19, 2015 (edited) My favourite narrative within a game is still Eternal Darkness. The Last of Us was good, if a little predictable, but as @dazzybee says, the writing is light years off film/TV. It's why gameplay still trumps narrative for me. Funnily, I've always found myself more emotionally attached to Link than any other character in gaming. Even though he's silent... in fact, it's entirely because he's silent that I am. My answers are given through him and even though you don't really get much choice in the Zelda series, I always just want to do the right thing and be the Hero, as Link himself would. This creates a bond with the character, the game world and all characters in it far greater than games like The Last of Us could ever have hoped to achieve. Edited March 19, 2015 by Kav
Jimbob Posted March 19, 2015 Posted March 19, 2015 In the reverse sense, just owning a Playstation or Xbox would have the same effect as owning just a Nintendo console, i'd miss out on many of the big games. With Nintendo, that would be the likes of Zelda, Smash Brothers, Mario Kart, Metroid and Super Mario games. Nintendo make quality games with little game breaking glitches (i'm looking at the likes of Ubisoft, EA etc whom in recent months have made glitch-fest games like Battlefield and Unity). Mainly because they don't rush the games out, if other companies followed suit then maybe we'd have better quality (and polished) games. I believe the likes of IGN (or something) did a fps check on Captain Toad, it held steady at 60fps throughout. That's probably why (i believe) some of the indie titles on other consoles are better than the big budget games (in some ways).
Retro_Link Posted March 19, 2015 Posted March 19, 2015 (edited) "Cinematic" cutscene-driven games where gameplay is added on top of narrative is very much what AAA gaming is about these days sadly. Developers create the world then have to find the fun within that.I still feel you're being too general in your assumptions @Ronnie.Have you played the Infamous series? and I'd imagine [despite having not played it] Sunset Overdrive is the same, in that it's very much about the world. What about the Arkham series, very much about exploration and atmosphere. What about these epic 80+ hour adventures like Dragon Age, The Witcher, Mass Effect, where the story itself almost takes a complete back seat, or you create your own. Alien Isolation, far more about learning the gameplay than cinematics. I think it's fair to level your AAA comments at certain series like Call of Duty or Uncharted, but what I think you maybe forget is that these are the exact experiences these games have set out to create. Uncharted, The Order, these are meant to play out like cinematic, interactive narrative experiences. Arguably it's a genre the Wii U is missing out on whether it's for you or not, as there's a huge market for them. Edited March 19, 2015 by Retro_Link
dazzybee Posted March 19, 2015 Posted March 19, 2015 @dazzybee loosing a Pikmin has affected you far more than say, the last 7 mins of Ocarina of Time, or Journey? Well I think Ocarina is incredibly overrated and I loved Journey, but definitely yeah. I guess for me I'm more connected when the 'emotion' is also connected to gameplay. That pikmin died because of me!!
peterl0 Posted March 19, 2015 Posted March 19, 2015 Have to take issue with Mass Effect about the story taking a back seat - I spent an hour playing Mass Effect 3 last night, entirely in cutscenes/conversations!
Ronnie Posted March 19, 2015 Posted March 19, 2015 Mass Effect 3 is in my top 5 games of all time but the actual third person shooting clearly takes a back seat to the storyline, nothing wrong with that though, that's what the game is.
Retro_Link Posted March 19, 2015 Posted March 19, 2015 I didn't word that very well, I meant Dragon Age and Witcher 3 the main story may take a back seat, and then there's the likes of Mass Effect where you create your own.
nekunando Posted March 19, 2015 Posted March 19, 2015 Well I think Ocarina is incredibly overrated and I loved Journey, but definitely yeah. I guess for me I'm more connected when the 'emotion' is also connected to gameplay. That pikmin died because of me!! Well I think Journey is incredibly overrated and I loved Ocarina :wink: There's very few games I play for the story as that's never really what captivates me but it's not like there has to be an absolute choice between story and gameplay. I'd love the next Legend of Zelda game to take me on a surprising and wonderful story that genuinely makes me care about what's happening on my adventure, but ultimately I'm more concerned about how the game will play and how much fun it's going to be solving the puzzles and fighting enemies
Ronnie Posted March 19, 2015 Posted March 19, 2015 Well I think Journey is incredibly overrated and I loved Ocarina :wink: There's very few games I play for the story as that's never really what captivates me but it's not like there has to be an absolute choice between story and gameplay. I'd love the next Legend of Zelda game to take me on a surprising and wonderful story that genuinely makes me care about what's happening on my adventure, but ultimately I'm more concerned about how the game will play and how much fun it's going to be solving the puzzles and fighting enemies I'm very concerned storyline will go out the window in Zelda U. I can easily imagine it being exactly like the original LOZ, exploring this massive world, stumbling on dungeons in any order. On the one hand that sounds great but it doesn't leave much room for a narrative.
Retro_Link Posted March 19, 2015 Posted March 19, 2015 If that's the case then hopefully they might handle it in a Metroid Prime type way and have the story found throughout the temple and over world.
Dcubed Posted March 19, 2015 Posted March 19, 2015 (edited) Personally, I'd want Game Freak to sort out the issues the 3DS Pokemon games have at the moment (horrific frame rate, etc) before moving on to home console. Come to think of it, apart from that badass elephant game they just announced, when was the last time Game Freak did a home console game? I'm thinking it was the Mega Drive, but it can't be that far back, can it? Nope. PS1. Click Medic in 1999 was their last console game and their last non-Nintendo game (until Tembo - Which actually looks pretty fun! - although it still looks pretty basic for the hardware it's running on, which is pretty funny considering ) Anyway, for me - Nintendo consoles and PC is currently more than enough - it covers virtually everything; save for a few minor stragglers that'll probably make it over to PC eventually (come on Miku!) Before this gen, you'd be missing out on a hell of a lot if you stuck with Nintendo only. Nowadays? There really is precious little worth playing that isn't either multi platform on PC or on Wii U/3DS anyway. MS and Sony's 1st party games have never really appealed that much to me outside of some exceptions (that seem to have all but faded away completely now or in the case of MS, will probably end up on PC eventually anyway). I honestly struggle to think of anything worth playing from an ongoing standpoint that isn't covered by the Nintendo/PC combo Edited March 19, 2015 by Dcubed
Serebii Posted March 19, 2015 Posted March 19, 2015 (Just came to mind, but how is there no solid Pokemon game on Wii U yet?!) Just noticed this. Pokémon is a portable experience. It's the backbone of the series and a large part of why it's so popular. Having it with you to battle/trade is key. Going home console would add nothing but prettier graphics while removing the portable aspects. Game Freak have said they won't do a home console one
dazzybee Posted March 19, 2015 Posted March 19, 2015 Game Freak have said they won't do a home console one And Iwata said they'd never make mobile games!!!
Serebii Posted March 19, 2015 Posted March 19, 2015 And Iwata said they'd never make mobile games!!! Specious reasoning.
Falcon_BlizZACK Posted March 19, 2015 Author Posted March 19, 2015 Just noticed this. Pokémon is a portable experience. It's the backbone of the series and a large part of why it's so popular. Having it with you to battle/trade is key. Going home console would add nothing but prettier graphics while removing the portable aspects. Game Freak have said they won't do a home console one But as I said, I don't simply mean a Game Freak RPG - I mean some form of representation on the WiiU. ie Battle Revolution, Stadium1/2, Snap, Gale of Darkness etc A game like Pokken should have been on the system by now.
Serebii Posted March 19, 2015 Posted March 19, 2015 But as I said, I don't simply mean a Game Freak RPG - I mean some form of representation on the WiiU. ie Battle Revolution, Stadium1/2, Snap, Gale of Darkness etc A game like Pokken should have been on the system by now. Pokkén WILL be on the system, don't you worry Pokkén is also nothing like those games you listed :p
Retro_Link Posted March 19, 2015 Posted March 19, 2015 Serebii, that wasn't what KingV said/asked/wanted to know.
Serebii Posted March 19, 2015 Posted March 19, 2015 Oh. Well, @King_V, Masuda explained it. The original intent of those games were for Pokémon to battle in 3D. Now the games are in 3D as standard, they need to find a special gimmick/reason for it to be before they do another one.
Falcon_BlizZACK Posted March 19, 2015 Author Posted March 19, 2015 Oh. Well, @King_V, Masuda explained it. The original intent of those games were for Pokémon to battle in 3D. Now the games are in 3D as standard, they need to find a special gimmick/reason for it to be before they do another one. Pokemon Snap?
Serebii Posted March 19, 2015 Posted March 19, 2015 Pokemon Snap? He said that he wanted something special proposed for that before they considered it
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