[Intrepid Homoludens]

Thanks for clarifying that, mgeorge!

Originally Posted by mgeorge

What I meant by that was, I thought, by going to AG's I would get better storytelling than I would in say, an FPS or RPG, because as has been discussed, that is what AG's are traditionally known for. Storytelling. And as for the typical FPS, I generally do.

I understand this. Yeah, traditionally - or at least theoretically - adventure games are supposed to be known for [the quality of their] storytelling. And yet, at least anecdotally, we get many complaints from gamers themselves that the quality of today's adventures aren't as good as those of yesteryear's. What the hell happened? Did all the good writers of adventures back then get replaced by English Lit failures and dropouts? Did the very talented writers instead get hired by non-adventure game companies?

As to RPG's, or my favorites, an FPS/RPG hybrid I honestly haven't found an AG that matches the quality of the story in Deus Ex or SS2 or VTM Bloodlines. (Bloodlines is second to only Deus Ex in my all time favorite games.) The Witcher is another example of good storytelling, or Mass Effect. The Thief games were brilliant as far as I'm concerned as well.

At the same time that the quality of writing and storytelling of most adventures declined, the quality of writing and storytelling in other kinds of games dramatically improved! Weird, yes? You would think that many adventures would only get better with their writing, but the opposite happened.

Yeah, Deus Ex had some of the finest writing and dialogue in the steampunk tradition, while Thief had a very sexy low key noir kind of edge to it. Mass Effect? OMG, sometimes I replay certain scenes in it JUST TO EXPERIENCE THE WRITING AND STORY AGAIN! Remember the scene with Sha'ira? I look forward to a bona fide adventure game that can match the quality of the writing and dialogue and execution of Mass Effect. Note that all the narrative scenes in this game are in-game, in real time.


Mass Effect. Click the image above for an example of the confluence of good writing, dialogue, acting, and direction in any kind of game, not just adventures.

Mass Effect, as well as many other non-adventure titles like Deus Ex, Max Payne, and Grand Theft Auto IV, look to have taken what the adventure games of 10-15 years ago did so well and adapted them to great success and on new terms. There are some adventure games in the past few years that feature good writing, but great storytelling is no longer exclusive to the adventure game genre. Even you have to agree to that.

Either way, I've really liked some AG's and I'll continue to play them. I know it sounds as though I'm bashing them, but I'm not really. The slower pace of them can be a refreshing change from the more action orientated games I normally play.

It's interesting you state this because, in terms of stories at least, in a lot other games (non-adventures) the stories are revealed in a slower pace, as a brief respite from all the action and tension. Again Mass Effect is an excellent example of this.