Topic Question
Added 2022-08-22 21:03:45 +0000 UTCWhat are some of your favorite video games and why?
Comments
Video Game stories to me are extremely derivative of movies but I embrace it. I grew up on "choose your own adventure" books so I'm a sucker for Telltale Games like "The Wolf Amongst Us" and recently Interior Nights "As Dusk Falls". -Red Dead Redemption 2 because I love Spaghetti Westerns -Yakuza Like a Dragon because Japanese Yakuza movies are my jam -GTA 5 because it's like a love letter to Michael Mann's "Thief" and "Heat" films complete with an awesome score by Tangerine Dream in conjunction with hip hop producer The Alchemist. Games where I can shoot stuff: -Halo -Quake (Just because of it's Nine Inch Nails soundtrack) -Call of Duty Black Ops (Nuke Town never gets old) Games where I can adventure and RPG: -Zelda Breath of the Wild -Grounded -Elder Scrolls. Strategy Games -Tropico (all of them) Sports Games -NBA2K -Forza Horizon 5
Fillmore Pockets
2022-08-30 15:23:49 +0000 UTCPoints taken. You’re right, Final Fantasy games always had more ambition than, say, Star Wars in telling complex stories set in fantastical worlds, even if they didn’t always succeed. But I stand by my statement that the stories devolve into nonsense, in that they’re a tangle of gods and magic and elemental crystals and fearsome monsters that, at best, don’t add up to as much as they think they do (that goes even for the ecological plot at the heart of VII) and, at worst, don’t make any sense at all (basically any game after X). I will say that the stories for VII-X cohere and work a hell of a lot better than the ones for the later games (well, maybe not VIII. That has a plot twist in it that I always found to be incredibly stupid), and Cloud makes for an intriguingly vulnerable protagonist not often featured in fantasy stories. His dilemma makes for an interesting statement on the relationship between memory and identity. There are a lot of very well-produced moments in each of the games as well (FFVII’s shocking death, Tidus and Yuna’s embrace in X), but…I don’t know, I ultimately felt that the games were less than the sum of their parts. They’re epics with far more plot to them than depth. But they were also a huge step in terms of showing what video games can do and that artistry can exist in the medium. For a while they were the best that video games had to offer in terms of sophistication and complexity of story and character, but I feel they pale in comparison to the best that film and TV have to offer. It would take a few more years for games to catch up. Despite all that, I have fond memories of playing VII-X. Many moments of the series still stay with me to this day. Yeah, the gameplay was never to my liking, even when the systems became more refined, but at the time it didn’t matter. I wanted to go along with whatever journey the characters were on, and by the end, even if I felt that the story for any one of the games ultimately wasn’t satisfying, I still had a rewarding experience. The characters’ ups, downs, and achievements felt like my own, and that was the magic of the series. I can certainly understand why people consider them their favorite games. For a while VII was mine, but I went on to play other games that I found to be richer and more rewarding, like The Last of Us and Hellblade. But to each their own. For X, I had the opposite experience as you. There are no doubt some beautiful and even poignant moments throughout that game, but I felt that the game’s quality was marred by some of the voice acting. I prefer the text boxes. But I understand that to be part of the difficulty of translating a Japanese game to an English one.
Bennett Oliver
2022-08-25 16:02:21 +0000 UTCSpeaking as a hardcore FF fan who only got into the series less than a decade ago, they tell the Star Wars story of evil empires and rebel factions with more depth, subtlety, complexity, and more clever storytelling than even the best of Star Wars. As Bennett said, the characters are more sophisticated than your standard fantasy action fare. However, up until about IX or X, the games were not localized into English properly which makes several moments of dialogue sound off especially if you were to read it out loud. X to me absolutely nailed the dialogue to where I could tell you which character said what line because of how much it fits with their personality and character arc. Also, I'm sorry but "convoluted anime nonsense that doesn't add up to anything true?" That's definitely been the case since the series creator Hironobu Sakaguchi left the team after X but when he was in charge, he and the storytelling department always went above and beyond to create the most meaningful, raw experiences possible without a shred of pretentiousness except for VIII which was a crushing bore. Look at Cloud's character arc in the original VII or Tidus's in X and tell me that there's no meaning behind them. As for the gameplay, the best ones like VII and X didn't require you to stop and level to progress with the story for the most part. That was usually for late game optional areas and bosses. Unlike the worst ones like II and VIII which are so poorly balanced that unless you exploit some bad design issues, there's no way to progress without wasting time leveling.
Wolfman Brandon
2022-08-25 07:22:25 +0000 UTCDead by Daylight because it feels like being in a horror movie (in a fun way) The Last of Us 1 & 2 because they tell such an emotionally engaging story that really transcends most video games, and Shadow of the Colossus and Ico for being beautifully unique and haunting.
luckEdrew
2022-08-24 22:10:15 +0000 UTCI made my personal definitive ranking on twitter; here's what I came up with: 1. Dark Souls (2011) 2. Resident Evil 4 (2005) 3. Metal Gear Solid (1998) 4. GoldenEye 007 (1997) 5. Super Metroid (1994) 6. Super Mario Bros 3 (1990) 7. The Last of Us (2013) 8. XIII (2003) 9. Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure (1994)
Michael Smith
2022-08-23 19:18:27 +0000 UTCI’ve played both KOTOR games more times than I’d care to admit, but if I had to choose one it would definitely be KOTOR 2. Like Arthur said, KOTOR 1 presents the standard SW formula better than any work of fiction since the OT. But I never would have played KOTOR 1 as many times as I did without the extra context provided by KOTOR 2. The way KOTOR 2 makes the player question the nature of morality and ethics by using philosophical concepts to expand upon the force is nothing short of brilliant. I mostly played these games in high school, so at the time I didn’t realize that this was my introduction to philosophy. Intuitionism, utilitarianism, nihilism, etc, are all represented by each of the companions in the game. But the most intriguing character is Kreia, who’s philosophy can best be summed up as Machiavellianism, but explored on a deeper level than in any form of media I’ve experienced since. I also really love the concept of the two sith lords as well. One of which has made themselves invincible by using the force to telekinetically hold their body together, and the other is a being so powerful that it must drain entire planets to survive causing it to lose the ability to adhere to any form of ideology beyond serving itself. Kotor 2 is an amazing and thought provoking game in spite of the fact that the developers were not given the proper amount of time to finish it.
Hart
2022-08-23 14:56:58 +0000 UTCI very much have a soft spot for Final Fantasy VII, VIII, and IX, the ones that appeared on the first-gen PlayStation, especially VII. When that first came out, I remember being blown away by it. The closest I had come to RPG before then were the Zelda games, but the level of detail I encountered in FFVII was breathtaking, just in depicting the environments the game took place in. And I felt the characters you played as were so sophisticated. They had actual personalities to them, unlike the blank cipher that is Link in the Zelda games. It felt like I was playing out some epic sci-fi/fantasy film, and I kept going to see what happened next. It was a good thing I thought the story and characters were as compelling as they were, because even at the height of my love for Final Fantasy games I hated the gameplay. I hated the turn-based combat system, the focus on stats, the powerups you needed to get…and leveling up was always such a pain in the ass. If you wanted to beat the more powerful enemies, you had to level up, and to do that you that you had to get into multiple battles, which took hours and hours. Final Fantasy games were always notable for taking at least 70 hours to beat. The bulk of that time was used to up the stats of your characters. I barely had the patience for that when I was younger. I don’t have any now. I much prefer the stripped down, real-time approach to fighting that was in the Zelda games. I don’t blame you if the gameplay and the huge investment of time needed to beat the game are what you from getting into it. I have a fond nostalgia for those games, but I’ve also moved on from them. The stories for all the games, though they each have their powerful moments that stay with you, are for the most part convoluted anime nonsense. They don’t really add up to anything with true, deep resonance. And the characters have a cheesy element to them that I now recognize. And the games have only gotten worse over time. As the graphics have improved, so has the visual pageantry. The worlds are amazing to look at, but…that’s really all that’s gotten better. The stories and characters have gotten cheesier and more nonsensical (it doesn’t help that voice acting has been added to the games. The characters were better off with text boxes for dialogue.) I’m just not able to connect to anything going on anymore. It’s just turned into a light show. An empty bombastic light show. With the same annoying, stat-based gameplay. I play video games for the visceral thrill of action. If I want stats involved, I’ll play Magic the Gathering. But you’re right about the music. That’s always been the best element of all the FF games. The music has given every game a depth of feeling that they otherwise wouldn’t have. The soundtracks have won Grammys and orchestras have played compilations of the best pieces to packed crowds. My own personal favorite are the love theme from FFIX and the prayer of the fayth from X. Like I said though, I don’t blame you for struggling with the games. It takes a certain kind of devotion to stay with any given one in the franchise, even the better ones. Most people after a few days just move on to something else. But I don’t regret my time with them. I’m glad to have played through all of VII and IX and most of X. But yeah, I’ve moved on. That’s all I got for right now.
Bennett Oliver
2022-08-23 05:59:08 +0000 UTCHotline Miami is so good! Pure adrenaline just oozing with style, and the sequel builds on the trippy story well too.
Sean Smith
2022-08-23 04:48:56 +0000 UTClol...sorry, I just realized that I commented to you on the wrong response thread. This is what I get for trying to respond to these on my phone. >< I'd be interested in your thoughts on Final Fantasy more in detail because I have to admit....that's one of the games where I never really got into it. Loved the music, but struggled deeply with many aspects of the games. I've attempted maybe three or four of them overtime.
Deepfocuslens
2022-08-23 03:16:37 +0000 UTCAw, you left me hanging. What other things? Oh well. Don’t know what happened, but should you read this reply, by all means, finish your comment. Certainly would like to hear what you discovered. Otherwise…I get the impression you’re going to revisit your rankings of the movies once you’re done reviewing the prequels. If I don’t see your newfound insights on the sequels in this thread, hopefully I’ll read them in that future post (or video). Can’t wait. And yes, I will revisit the prequels. Been years since I’ve seen them.
Bennett Oliver
2022-08-23 01:35:50 +0000 UTCI will also point out that...I hadnt seen the prequels in so many years. I watched them all with the last two weeks...and felt depressed after watching them. Star Wars had died for me. And then....I watched Force Awakens. XD Expecting to experience a little levity...I realized a whole bunch of other things
Deepfocuslens
2022-08-23 00:28:05 +0000 UTCI love any story-based video game that comes out. The more it focuses on story and characters, the more I love it. I could go on about games like The Last of Us (one I’ve played multiple times just to relive the journey of Joel and Ellie), A Plague Tale, or Final Fantasy (parts VII-IX, before they turned into bombastic nonsense), but I’m going to go with Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice. It’s the story of an 8th-century Pict warrior named Senua who journeys to Viking territory in order to confront the Norse goddess Hela and bargain for the soul of her dead lover. However, an original element added to the proceedings is that she’s mentally ill and suffers from psychosis (most likely schizophrenia). Therefore, every battle that she gets into, every otherworldly being that she encounters (and there is at least one that is the stuff of nightmares) is a hallucination, a manifestation that erupts out of her troubled psyche that is emblematic of all the trauma she’s suffered in her life. This game had all the potential to be in complete bad taste, an exploitative hack-and-slash that utilizes mental illness as a sensationalistic hook. But it turns out to be one of the more thoughtful, compassionate explorations of what it is to have a consciousness that is cut off from the world as we know it. Psychotic visions and voices plague Senua throughout the game, but we come to understand her as a person as she goes on her journey, someone with a warrior’s spirit who loves as fiercely as she fights. By the end, the game has achieved something that I daresay not many films have achieved: we see the humanity that exists beneath the madness of a warrior that refuses to be defeated by anything, real or imagined.
Bennett Oliver
2022-08-22 23:11:01 +0000 UTCI agree with the Last of Us answer. Truly one of the great games and the story is excellent as well. The sequel's gameplay was even better but I think the story was mishandled due to realities of games marketing like needing the original protagonists in the marketing materials. Seems like the sequel was meant to be Abby's story with a surprise twist halfway that ties in Joel/Ellie. Two games that stand out for me are The Witcher 3 and Knights of the Old Republic. Witcher 3 I'm just shocked how easily I fall back into that game. I played the first time in late 2015. I'm not the type of guy to commit to a 50+ hour game, but each quest, each story beat, each new part of the map was immediately engaging on the minute-to-minute perspective. Every part of that game builds into something even more rewarding when you look at it from a distance. You learn so much about the world and you get so attached to the characters. It really is a treasure. I'm on my 4th playthrough now and I'm liking it just as much as the first time. Knights of the Old Republic is sticking out to me because I rediscovered it with the Switch rerelease. It hasn't aged super well, but I find its storytelling to be the strongest of any Star Wars fiction since the original trilogy. If you've never checked it out I think it's worth suffering through the dated gameplay mechanics. I think it's still just as gripping as when it first came out specifically because of how it's written. From a pure gameplay point of view... I have some 3,000 hours in DOTA2. It sucks. I also have 300+ hours in Into the Breach. They just released a new patch with six new squads. Probably the best strategy game I've ever played. The developers are super cool too.
Arthur Augustyn
2022-08-22 22:28:17 +0000 UTCRed Dead Redemption 2. As a player, I love the open world mechanics because I have an almost endless number of tasks, adventures and random shenanigans right in front of me, and every element in the game looks and sounds beautiful. As a film lover, I love the story. It uses Arthur’s journey to subvert tropes from Western movies, showing us the good and bad aspects of the life of an outlaw gunslinger. The settings, music and dialogue are carefully tailored to illustrate the end of the wild west. They also give you the option to switch to an anamorphic frame while on horseback so that your traversal feels like a Leone movie. But the story isn’t just about archetypes and tropes, it’s also a deeply heartfelt and personal character study of Arthur Morgan in his search for redemption. I think it’s the only game besides The Last of Us (part 1&2) that actually made me cry.
Jared Angcanan
2022-08-22 21:55:36 +0000 UTCMy favorites would be Banjo Kazooie and Tooie, Grand Theft Auto V and San Andreas, Modern Warfare 2, Super Mario Galaxy 2, Mass Effect 2, Dragon Age Origins, but none of them to me match the consistent emotional experience of Final Fantasy X. I was going through the series for the first time and I got to this one when my grandparents died in 2017. Imagine my reaction to the beautiful execution of its themes of death, loss, existentialism, companionship, and finding hope when all seems hopeless. On top of solid, turn based JRPG combat, there isn't a single underdeveloped or shallow character in the main party, the flow and story pacing is some of the best I've ever seen, the worldbuilding and NPCs are above and beyond, and contrary to what many people say, one of the best developed and heartbreaking romances I've ever seen in fiction. It's one of only two or three works of fiction ever that got real tears out of me which was during Tidus's goodbye at the end and leads into one of the best final lines ever. "The people and friends that we lost, or the dreams that have faded, never forget them."
Wolfman Brandon
2022-08-22 21:37:14 +0000 UTCSpecial shout out to Portal 2 which is the perfect balance of character, puzzles and humor in my opinion. And Hotline Miami which is a sadistic pleasure but I can't get enough of pulling off insane combos to that insane soundtrack.
Tyler Shobe
2022-08-22 21:19:05 +0000 UTCOh man, so many answers for this but I'll go with the one that is most movie adjacent. The Last of Us is one I come back to every year or so and it blows me away every time. I can't call it boundary pushing but it takes pre-existing mechanics and narrative tropes and polishes them to a mirror finish and i feel like its the best example of everything it tries its hand at. It's my favorite telling of this sort of post-apocalyptic story because the characters, even ones that are just around for a couple levels, feel so lived in and integrated into the beautifully realized environment. And the core relationship between Joel and Ellie is given the time and depth it needs to gracefully grow and evolve over the course of the game. Plus the survival and combat mechanics make for some very tense but very satisfying game play. And the world itself is so beautiful and is itself an incentive to explore and discover supplies to help you in your journey across the country. I'm sure I'm not the only one and would love to hear from others about what makes this one of their favorites too.
Tyler Shobe
2022-08-22 21:17:54 +0000 UTC
