I think stories should be developed by combinations of different methods, rather than one. Sometimes verbal explanations are perfect, given the circumstance.
I think differently. I like cut scenes in most cases, because when left to my own devices, I often find I'm not looking in the right direction when something interesting happens, and the perfectionist inside me makes me want to replay the part just to see something I wouldn't have missed had it been a cut scene. The biggest trade off however, is when you're forced to watch someone die in a cut scene and could likely have saved them if you were actually in control of your character.
Personally. I love cut scenes. As long as they don't over do it. Halo: Reach is a good example. They have cut scenes at the end (or beginning) of every level. I like that a lot. I didn't enjoy Half Life 2 because their where no cut scenes. It seemed to blank for me.
That being said. I enjoy a game with a fair amount of cut scenes. And don't enjoy one; with none at all.
Hmm.. I think that method of presentation you suggested is good with some games, but could not work with all of them. For example, MGS4 would have been way less epic if it didn't have the awesome cutscenes.
No MGS4 would have been more of a game and less of a movie without the cut scenes. Epic can be achieved through more presentations styles than just cinema.
@Linkthe1st But in some games your character fall to the ground (after being hit by an object thrown from the bad guy) and he tries to get up as fast as possible and try to get ready to flee or fight. What's your opinion on that matter?
@Linkthe1st but you're ignoring the fact that MGS uses cinema extremely well and uses breaking of the fourth wall a lot which you cant see in a normal movie.... not sure if id say id prefer MGS if it was more game less movie, but what you're saying is still true
I'm not ignoring MGS having good cinema, I'm acknowledging that it makes little to no effort to present it's story through any interactive means. No matter how good cut scenes are, they are not interactive, and interaction is what games are all about.
games like red dead redemption tell the story via cutscenes, and red dead redemption has one of the best story's and narratives (in my opinion of course).
I think one of the best games for story presentation is Metroid Prime. Rather than spelling out the whole story for you, Metroid has small snippets of information scattered about the environment that you scan in and can then read. It makes you piece together the story as you go along, rather than just spelling out what has and what will happen. It makes the player think and encourages you to indulge yourself in the story rather than wanting to fast-forward through it.
Games like Oblivion, Fallout, and Mass Effect represent the best attempts ever made at making story telling interactive. Obviously they aren't perfect though; Selecting from pre-structured responses is restrictive, and you can't guide dialogue exactly where you want it to go all the time.
However, because the story is told in a more hands on manner, these types of games show how story telling can be done well when it function as a gameplay mechanic.
This guy is a freakin' genius, he takes a simple topic and makes it as complicated as a 1000 thread count pillowcase. Putting together the different types of storytelling in video games, comparing them to each other, and explaining the do's and dont's in their entirety is complicated as it is, and with the perfect video quality, everyone should know about you. I dont wa'na sound like a fanboy but I respect you, and I feel you should get more subs than you have.
I have played all the games that he mentioned and understand his point. You forgot to add examples of failures in telling the storyline in my opinion Fallout New Vegas was a failure in the story line. Would you please cover this failure if you agree with me William Strife.
one thing you may have known already about doom 3. you can get your self out of the PDA and listen to the audio logs during game play. again not drowning the background noises your run the risk of a monster/demon attacking you. same thing for the video longs(PC only) but you don't look at the video you instead listen to it
Linkthe1st you should have done Half-Life 1 instead of Half-Life 2. Half-Life 1 is the greatest fps that had a compelling story and amazing graphics for that time period of the 90's.
@VelvetxRevolverx Half Life 2 is considered to be the single most amazing game ever. Buy the Orange Box pack on Steam for ~$30 and get 5 games (including HL2), all of which are of highest quality.
What got me is how valve got it so right with HL2 & Portal1, and then got it so wrong with P2; I felt was so betrayed at the end of P2, it's like they stole my victory from me.
I dunno why, Strife, but I would have never figured you for an Xbox 360 owner, not that it's a bad thing, I just never pictured you playing consoles for some reason
@billsonfire1 it was in one of the comments on his video
some guy wrote a comment saying "did you have a xbox???" or something like that
and then Linkthe1st replied back saying "I have had 3 xboxes (standard, elite, and slim) they have all suffered from the commomly known red ring of death. I have come to the conclusion that the xbox is no longer worth my time" or something like that. i didn't copy paste. i just tried to remember what they said.
I would reccommand a game called: "The Void" . Its a game that not many people know. Its also not the type of game that many people like. But its very unique, the story telling(through narration mostly) ist great.
I think Amnesia the dark decent has a good story and nice presentation. You have a comibnation of flashbacks who tells you the most importnant things in the story and it also have notes to read for those who really want to get to know the game lore a bit better.
i'm surprised you haven't talked about how fallout3&new vegas addresed the audio log delima by allowing you to listen to them while continuing your activities.
You said that it's bad to have to read a bunch in a videogame.... But ihave have a game that is a masterpiece without hardly any spoken dialog.....xenogears.
I think there might be a hidden meaning to these blogs. Think of it: he is telling you great key components to what makes a game good. Either he is showing us how to make the perfect game, or he himself is making the perfect game. Whatever it Kay be, the perfect game will soon drive!
Games like Fallout have a really good story presentation where you make your own story (in a way). Otherwise... I'd say really on rails shooters with less story than action have the best presentation like in CoD4's case.
This is just a nit pick, but Doom 3 wasn't the first game to do audio recordings during gameplay. System Shock 2 did it before Doom 3 came out, although I'm unsure if System Shock 2 was the first game to do it either. :)
I think fable had good storytelling, but while fable 2 had a similar method, it removed the beautiful wall artwork and naration, it had a story that didn't really affect you. It didn't make you care about what you were doing, and the ending was very anti climatic.
I achtually like the fallout story telling and also some games have interactive cutscenes that really tell the player whats happening without losing full interactive.
i always thought that Bethesda was good with there stories, plus i like that what you do in there games can alter the story and change how people react to you plus the fact that most of there games have multiple endings depending on the storyline you take :) nice presentation
Dead Space and Metro 2033 are also excellent games, which never pulls you out of your character for the sake of the story. Dead Space doesn't even have a UI.
@Linkthe1st, did you play Metro 2033, as I get the feeling you haven't. It's a really fantastic game.
What about the way game like Fallout present the story? It does stop the game play as it tells the story through dialogue, and has more story in a PDA fashion on the Pipboy. But, to me, it doesn't matter on those games, i don't know why lol It seems as though the fact that they are such good games with excelent story, disbite bugs that can ruin the experience, kind of makes up for breaking the "do, don't show or tell" rule.
Metal Gear Solid, convoluted story, intensely detailed, well written, enormous pay-off for those who have penitence to follow it all the way through.
Worst story presentation for a game possible though, almost none of it is delivered through or during gameplay. It's a game that makes you to STOP playing for the sake of the story. That is not interactive storytelling, it's trying to be a movie when it's not.
MGS is still an awesome game series though, love it to death!
@Linkthe1st The storytelling aspect of MGS was one of the things that kept some people from enjoying it, since some people only wanted to go and shoot stuff. The way that story was told was only somewhat alievated with MGS4, and instead of using green tinted heads in boxes talk about nukes, it used FMV sequences to tell most if not all the story.
But some of those cutscenes were still ridicously long. If I remember correctly, the Act 3 ending scene was around 30-45 minutes long.
@Linkthe1st in other words a little too much cutscene :P although when a series is as long as mgs its gonna need them. i liked the little interactive bits in these scenes though, since most showed little easter eggs :P
@Linkthe1st the thing about metal gear solid is the story is so good that i did'nt care that i was taken out of the game to learn more but thats my opinion same for the cut scenes at the start of gta missions
Very minor critique, William. To avoid sounding redundant, I think you should avoid using the particular phrase "But I digress" so often. It sounds very professional when used sparingly, but in nearly every video in recent memory you've said it. It doesn't take away from the outstanding quality of your videos, but I think there are other choice words you could use. I am mainly saying this, because it sticks out for me and is rather repetitive while watching more than one of your videos.
I love your videos, but wats the point? Is it just for discussion? And with all these videos about game narration and player control, you should be a video game director :p that would be a cool job for you.
How do you think the story was handled in Oblivion? It had very few cutscenes except for at the introduction and at the ending. The story wasn't the most original but it was good on the whole. The only thing I could see that detracted from it was the freeze frame dialogue system, however seeing as they fixed that in Skryim Bethesda is learning from their past mistakes. Also, can "open world" games have their story presented differently than linear games? Just my two cents.
The Mass Effect games took you away from the story and real gameplay, but like in the Bioshock loophole, it wasn't totally. By giving the player control over what Shepheard said created an immersive experience.
Mass Effect represents the type of interactive storytelling that can be best described at good but not fantastic (even though the game and story are fantastic). The shifts between combat, and social gameplay aren't perfect, but doing any better would require completely changing the presentation style. That being the case Mass Effect is one the few games that knows how to properly balance conflicting presentation designs to it's benefit.
that flipping hexagon part must have been hard to make, i do agree that cutscenes do detract from the interaction but games that use them do not necessarily have bad story telling, for example MGS, great series with way too many cutscenes.
You know you have a Godly voice when Youtube's closed caption is 100% accurate with EVERYTHING you say.
Apocacyber 3 days ago
I think stories should be developed by combinations of different methods, rather than one. Sometimes verbal explanations are perfect, given the circumstance.
MrMannnMannn 5 days ago
Some people don't really understand the point of this video, and also, why more and more videogames don't use cutscenes anymore.
semillasdelorto 1 month ago
I think differently. I like cut scenes in most cases, because when left to my own devices, I often find I'm not looking in the right direction when something interesting happens, and the perfectionist inside me makes me want to replay the part just to see something I wouldn't have missed had it been a cut scene. The biggest trade off however, is when you're forced to watch someone die in a cut scene and could likely have saved them if you were actually in control of your character.
Hissingace110 1 month ago
Personally. I love cut scenes. As long as they don't over do it. Halo: Reach is a good example. They have cut scenes at the end (or beginning) of every level. I like that a lot. I didn't enjoy Half Life 2 because their where no cut scenes. It seemed to blank for me.
That being said. I enjoy a game with a fair amount of cut scenes. And don't enjoy one; with none at all.
AnimeJunkey71 1 month ago
could you make a fallowers guide for fallout 3 or new vegas or both that would be great love your videos cant wate to see your next one
QLamb5 2 months ago
To be honest I learned more from you than I did from my 9th grade English teacher in just 7 minutes.
Riond551 4 months ago
No Half-Life 1 :(
SteamMonkey115 4 months ago
Hmm.. I think that method of presentation you suggested is good with some games, but could not work with all of them. For example, MGS4 would have been way less epic if it didn't have the awesome cutscenes.
i3ent 4 months ago 7
@i3ent
No MGS4 would have been more of a game and less of a movie without the cut scenes. Epic can be achieved through more presentations styles than just cinema.
Linkthe1st 4 months ago 9
@Linkthe1st But in some games your character fall to the ground (after being hit by an object thrown from the bad guy) and he tries to get up as fast as possible and try to get ready to flee or fight. What's your opinion on that matter?
BikerPanda 4 months ago
@Linkthe1st but you're ignoring the fact that MGS uses cinema extremely well and uses breaking of the fourth wall a lot which you cant see in a normal movie.... not sure if id say id prefer MGS if it was more game less movie, but what you're saying is still true
TickingHand 3 months ago
@TickingHand
I'm not ignoring MGS having good cinema, I'm acknowledging that it makes little to no effort to present it's story through any interactive means. No matter how good cut scenes are, they are not interactive, and interaction is what games are all about.
Linkthe1st 3 months ago
@i3ent MGS4 it is like a movie with some action in your hands...... but it's realy cool as it is......
ZAGNIEF2 1 month ago
Halo tells story via games books and movies by 343.
jokujaskasuomesta 4 months ago
games like red dead redemption tell the story via cutscenes, and red dead redemption has one of the best story's and narratives (in my opinion of course).
IamDrRocktopus 4 months ago 4
@IamDrRocktopus
Don't mix up the difference between the story itself, and how the story is told. Those are two different things.
Linkthe1st 4 months ago 6
Nice as always Strife, but you say presentations like it's pre-sentation :P
FezzFix 5 months ago
@FezzFix
toe-may-toe, toe-maa-toe.
Presentation has two equally accepted pronunciations, just like the word tomato.
Linkthe1st 5 months ago
@Linkthe1st why dont you do a lets play
M0n3yG4abb3r 4 months ago
Uncharted 2, best story, I'm calling it
SetoBot5000 5 months ago
Resistance fall of man has awesome narration
HighVoltageWeed 5 months ago
lets play plz
thebreakingpoint13 5 months ago
I think one of the best games for story presentation is Metroid Prime. Rather than spelling out the whole story for you, Metroid has small snippets of information scattered about the environment that you scan in and can then read. It makes you piece together the story as you go along, rather than just spelling out what has and what will happen. It makes the player think and encourages you to indulge yourself in the story rather than wanting to fast-forward through it.
MrShotgun43 5 months ago
@wannabebluesguy
Games like Oblivion, Fallout, and Mass Effect represent the best attempts ever made at making story telling interactive. Obviously they aren't perfect though; Selecting from pre-structured responses is restrictive, and you can't guide dialogue exactly where you want it to go all the time.
However, because the story is told in a more hands on manner, these types of games show how story telling can be done well when it function as a gameplay mechanic.
Linkthe1st 5 months ago
The hate barr is bigger then Justin bieber dick
QSquidQ 5 months ago
Someone please hire this guy his videos are bad ass
rafaelsoto402yahoo 5 months ago
In my wet dreams William Strife and Totalbiscuit worked together to make the best videogame ever seen
Longtimer49 5 months ago
What if a game combined all three methods of story telling?
I wonder what that would be like. anyways good video, it felt very professional and well thought out.
DrGhed 5 months ago
I thought you would mention F3, there's a menu for the backstory (holitapes) but it could take less than 2 seconds to activate the holotape.
I thought F3 did it very well.
SebortheBeast 6 months ago
this is awesome i cant wait for the next vid!
ragingtyrant74 6 months ago
This guy is a freakin' genius, he takes a simple topic and makes it as complicated as a 1000 thread count pillowcase. Putting together the different types of storytelling in video games, comparing them to each other, and explaining the do's and dont's in their entirety is complicated as it is, and with the perfect video quality, everyone should know about you. I dont wa'na sound like a fanboy but I respect you, and I feel you should get more subs than you have.
PhatHamsterThe1st 6 months ago 6
demn Linkthe you good !!
saudicrafter 6 months ago
A Deus ex: Human Revolution video by you would be awesome.
Im1hardcoreMMAfan 6 months ago 15
Sometimes i like to paint my hair green and my body orange and pretend i'm a carrot..
CircleofModerators 6 months ago
doom 3 took away control of the player more than once or twice in the game.
peber13 6 months ago
@peber13
Never said it didn't.
Linkthe1st 6 months ago
dues ex what is that on your mind good or bad from 1 to 2 to the new one
orangemaster711 6 months ago
Dead space kind of keep the player in the game
BarrenIamninja 6 months ago
YAY! Half Life 2!!! Do you think they'll ever release Ep3? :(
viciokas1993 6 months ago
loved the video but how did you not mention heavy rain its like the best story telling game ive played!
tldm2k8 6 months ago
I have played all the games that he mentioned and understand his point. You forgot to add examples of failures in telling the storyline in my opinion Fallout New Vegas was a failure in the story line. Would you please cover this failure if you agree with me William Strife.
deathnote4888 6 months ago
Lol he said it again lol lol lol lol STRIFE OUT
TheAlvoBoy 6 months ago
i hope he does something on diablo 2
silverlight1204 6 months ago
one thing you may have known already about doom 3. you can get your self out of the PDA and listen to the audio logs during game play. again not drowning the background noises your run the risk of a monster/demon attacking you. same thing for the video longs(PC only) but you don't look at the video you instead listen to it
mrsnubeh 6 months ago
Linkthe1st you should have done Half-Life 1 instead of Half-Life 2. Half-Life 1 is the greatest fps that had a compelling story and amazing graphics for that time period of the 90's.
SteamMonkey115 6 months ago
Is it bad that I never played any of the games you mentioned?
VelvetxRevolverx 6 months ago
@VelvetxRevolverx
Yes...yes it is bad.
You really missing out!
Linkthe1st 6 months ago 11
@VelvetxRevolverx Half Life 2 is considered to be the single most amazing game ever. Buy the Orange Box pack on Steam for ~$30 and get 5 games (including HL2), all of which are of highest quality.
viciokas1993 6 months ago
@viciokas1993 I don't know what what Steam is, I play on PS3
VelvetxRevolverx 6 months ago
@VelvetxRevolverx You can actually get the Orange Box on PS3, and from what I heard Steam works on PSN, google it!
viciokas1993 6 months ago
@viciokas1993 Ok
VelvetxRevolverx 6 months ago
@VelvetxRevolverx if it makes you fell better i only played half of half life 2 and none of the others
arby299 6 months ago
I found Mass Effect to be very, very boring
I couldn't get through it
VelvetxRevolverx 6 months ago
Nice presentation! You should really try to get into hollywood or something you know.
wunderofwaffles 6 months ago
What got me is how valve got it so right with HL2 & Portal1, and then got it so wrong with P2; I felt was so betrayed at the end of P2, it's like they stole my victory from me.
TheKlink 6 months ago
dude when i saw this vid in my sub box i thought to myself half-life better fucking be in there and it is
McMollet 6 months ago
I sware your voice is perfect for game-guide throughs...you don't work in the gaming franchise, do you? I'm impressed no one has hired you if not
Antiairstrike 6 months ago
fallout?
Jaws1009 6 months ago
Show us what you look like!!!!!
link000000 6 months ago
@link000000
If your really interested in knowing I have a small profile pic of myself on my channel.
Linkthe1st 6 months ago 2
@Linkthe1st I thought that was a drawing you made :P
iGetPoints 6 months ago
@Linkthe1st I had just always assumed you were a high definition sound equalizer thingy like in your videos.
Discovering you aren't is hitting me kinda hard...
JimmyFraska 6 months ago
@Linkthe1st i see! But how did u get that godly voice?!!
link000000 6 months ago
@Linkthe1st u got facebook man?
10Dante4 6 months ago
Your videos give me Motion Sickness- let's keep it that way, it's awesome.
CloudReality 6 months ago
@haildeftone00
Last I remembered, he said he doesn't own a 360 anymore. Said they all RROD'd. Even the newer models.
S0LiDsnAke36 6 months ago
I dunno why, Strife, but I would have never figured you for an Xbox 360 owner, not that it's a bad thing, I just never pictured you playing consoles for some reason
haildeftone00 6 months ago
@haildeftone00 when did he say he had a 360?
billsonfire1 6 months ago
@billsonfire1 it was in one of the comments on his video
some guy wrote a comment saying "did you have a xbox???" or something like that
and then Linkthe1st replied back saying "I have had 3 xboxes (standard, elite, and slim) they have all suffered from the commomly known red ring of death. I have come to the conclusion that the xbox is no longer worth my time" or something like that. i didn't copy paste. i just tried to remember what they said.
Shotoran 6 months ago
@billsonfire1 He was showing Bastion on a 360 in this video.
haildeftone00 6 months ago
@Linkthe1st
I would reccommand a game called: "The Void" . Its a game that not many people know. Its also not the type of game that many people like. But its very unique, the story telling(through narration mostly) ist great.
Garrettthief 6 months ago
I think Amnesia the dark decent has a good story and nice presentation. You have a comibnation of flashbacks who tells you the most importnant things in the story and it also have notes to read for those who really want to get to know the game lore a bit better.
betafotball 6 months ago
i'm surprised you haven't talked about how fallout3&new vegas addresed the audio log delima by allowing you to listen to them while continuing your activities.
jaxc89 6 months ago
love it when he says "Hit the comments!"
joshua582 6 months ago
Is it just me or are these video's constantly getting better? Once I start one I can't seem to close it again :P
DarksteelPowerchord 6 months ago
I love the mouth animation!
TeisuMontgomery 6 months ago
dead space 1 had good story telling i thought
gorrvinius01 6 months ago
You said that it's bad to have to read a bunch in a videogame.... But ihave have a game that is a masterpiece without hardly any spoken dialog.....xenogears.
TheChamberofchillz 6 months ago
Is william his real name or what?
chuloboy25 6 months ago
@chuloboy25 yes
JohnnyKvatch 6 months ago
@chuloboy25 William Strife is his real name, the username he likes to use for most games is Linkthe1st
DoddieDizzle 6 months ago
Comment removed
Slycooperrox 6 months ago
I think there might be a hidden meaning to these blogs. Think of it: he is telling you great key components to what makes a game good. Either he is showing us how to make the perfect game, or he himself is making the perfect game. Whatever it Kay be, the perfect game will soon drive!
bbbbbeeennnnn 6 months ago
I ROVE YEW!
bbbbbeeennnnn 6 months ago
William strife is awesome !!!
vl995 6 months ago
Very good story presentation
TheNavidNav 6 months ago
Its sad there's not enough FPS games with a story that isn't wafer thin.
Probably the most recent FPS that had a good storyline was Medal of Honor (Danger Close, DICE)
TheKungFuProductions 6 months ago
@RAYtheIMAN
Half-life was not the first FPS Doom, Duke nukem,and serveral others came out before half-life.
Lonewolf1925 6 months ago
Just fingers crossed with Skyrim and its story line
Revenent46 6 months ago
Games like Fallout have a really good story presentation where you make your own story (in a way). Otherwise... I'd say really on rails shooters with less story than action have the best presentation like in CoD4's case.
ForceRecon198 6 months ago
You totally forgot one the best storyline games ever... Alan Wake.
Javis586 6 months ago
HalfLife was the first first person shooter
RAYtheIMAN 6 months ago
I KNEW IT, I KNEW IT, I KNEW IT HL2 :)
RAYtheIMAN 6 months ago
This is just a nit pick, but Doom 3 wasn't the first game to do audio recordings during gameplay. System Shock 2 did it before Doom 3 came out, although I'm unsure if System Shock 2 was the first game to do it either. :)
Ocolith 6 months ago
I think fable had good storytelling, but while fable 2 had a similar method, it removed the beautiful wall artwork and naration, it had a story that didn't really affect you. It didn't make you care about what you were doing, and the ending was very anti climatic.
RAlD3N 6 months ago
Fallout 3 had a good story presentation
deathcrow97 6 months ago
I achtually like the fallout story telling and also some games have interactive cutscenes that really tell the player whats happening without losing full interactive.
echopichu123 6 months ago
WELCOME TO THE CIRCUS OF VALUES!
Jonrd123456 6 months ago
i always thought that Bethesda was good with there stories, plus i like that what you do in there games can alter the story and change how people react to you plus the fact that most of there games have multiple endings depending on the storyline you take :) nice presentation
xXsnowxXxstormXx 6 months ago
best buy on youtube
NEED MORE INFO ON SKYRIM!!!!!!!!!!!
bacanhunter 6 months ago
some games are little too interactive, like heavy rain. i have to shake my controller to sit down.... SIT DOWN!!!!!
tjl1297 6 months ago
You missed the best way to tell a story with a video game---Visual Novels.
myuzakitheglitcher 6 months ago
Every time i felt like Fallout 3 or an Elder Scrolls game was coming up, but it didn't.
MAKKEBAKKE 6 months ago
Dead Space and Metro 2033 are also excellent games, which never pulls you out of your character for the sake of the story. Dead Space doesn't even have a UI.
@Linkthe1st, did you play Metro 2033, as I get the feeling you haven't. It's a really fantastic game.
iAezay 6 months ago
William, if given the tools, would make an amazing game.
michael1234100 6 months ago
What about the way game like Fallout present the story? It does stop the game play as it tells the story through dialogue, and has more story in a PDA fashion on the Pipboy. But, to me, it doesn't matter on those games, i don't know why lol It seems as though the fact that they are such good games with excelent story, disbite bugs that can ruin the experience, kind of makes up for breaking the "do, don't show or tell" rule.
bogieman987 6 months ago
Will whats your favorite game?
MessnMan 6 months ago
@Linkthe 1st
I have to point this out because you have a fact wrong in your video. Doom 3 was not the first to use audio logs.
System shock 2 did it before doom 3. System shock 2 came out in 1999 and Doom 3 came out in 2004.
Lonewolf1925 6 months ago
Do a video on Dota History Please! (with dota, lol, hon, and dota 2 coming out)
fearsomedragon14 6 months ago
yet another movie theater worthy video
oblivion234brown 6 months ago
You should review the dlc content for fallout new Vegas Lonesome road should also be out next month
puppetmaster4149 6 months ago
Pukupäällä hienomies SAATANA PERKELE½½!?!"!
ahahahahahahahahaa 6 months ago
do dota history since that game started a whole new genre.
zdslmn 6 months ago
Good story presentation, metal gear solid, enough said.
JFR216 6 months ago 13
@JFR216
Metal Gear Solid, convoluted story, intensely detailed, well written, enormous pay-off for those who have penitence to follow it all the way through.
Worst story presentation for a game possible though, almost none of it is delivered through or during gameplay. It's a game that makes you to STOP playing for the sake of the story. That is not interactive storytelling, it's trying to be a movie when it's not.
MGS is still an awesome game series though, love it to death!
Linkthe1st 6 months ago 24
@Linkthe1st The storytelling aspect of MGS was one of the things that kept some people from enjoying it, since some people only wanted to go and shoot stuff. The way that story was told was only somewhat alievated with MGS4, and instead of using green tinted heads in boxes talk about nukes, it used FMV sequences to tell most if not all the story.
But some of those cutscenes were still ridicously long. If I remember correctly, the Act 3 ending scene was around 30-45 minutes long.
S0LiDsnAke36 6 months ago
@Linkthe1st What about Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver?
Rosvosektori 6 months ago
@Linkthe1st in other words a little too much cutscene :P although when a series is as long as mgs its gonna need them. i liked the little interactive bits in these scenes though, since most showed little easter eggs :P
davelikescake1 6 months ago
@Linkthe1st the thing about metal gear solid is the story is so good that i did'nt care that i was taken out of the game to learn more but thats my opinion same for the cut scenes at the start of gta missions
tnylry 4 months ago
Whats the name of the song in your intro?
BlackBerserkgasme 6 months ago
Very minor critique, William. To avoid sounding redundant, I think you should avoid using the particular phrase "But I digress" so often. It sounds very professional when used sparingly, but in nearly every video in recent memory you've said it. It doesn't take away from the outstanding quality of your videos, but I think there are other choice words you could use. I am mainly saying this, because it sticks out for me and is rather repetitive while watching more than one of your videos.
RiouInsuiko 6 months ago
I love your videos, but wats the point? Is it just for discussion? And with all these videos about game narration and player control, you should be a video game director :p that would be a cool job for you.
GeeSixxh 6 months ago
@Own1239 100% Agreed.
xQuickzx 6 months ago
mass effect is a auto Rpg. It's a fake Rpg.
TheXyster 6 months ago
fucking amazing video. JESUS.
Butterf1ingers 6 months ago
need more fnv
questcrushing2 6 months ago
@Linkthe1st
doom 3 was not the first to use audio logs.
System shock 2 did it before doom 3 .
Lonewolf1925 6 months ago
Guys he posts on a channel thexiver :O
iamrawrface 6 months ago
what's the song that plays when you first see bastion in the vid?
Dhoughts 6 months ago 2
@Dhoughts
It's from the Bastion sound track, titled "A Proper Story".
The OST is available on steam.
Linkthe1st 6 months ago
@Linkthe1st what about Fallout 3's sidestory holotapes, and letters.
reading those are like a thing u do when u have nothing else to do, and it adds a sense of feeling theres a bit more to the game than there really is
IcyFreshHALO 6 months ago
what about heavy rain where the whole game is virtually cutscene
Ro6278 6 months ago 4
@Ro6278 BUT YOU CONTROL YOURSELF BRUSHING YOUR TEETH!
KrimsonWolf 6 months ago
what do u think of the demo of skyrim and the new things from quke-con
rs91268 6 months ago
Doom 3 was not the first to use audio logs. System shock 2 did it before doom 3.
Lonewolf1925 6 months ago
Good videos!. What type of character will you be in Skyrim?
Camps2630 6 months ago
What's your opinion on Heavy Rain's style of story telling?
simboy37 6 months ago 9
*Also, can "open world" games have their story presented differently than linear games and still be fine?
MikeJoeShmoe 6 months ago
Fuck year Bastion.
desudesuwut 6 months ago
How do you think the story was handled in Oblivion? It had very few cutscenes except for at the introduction and at the ending. The story wasn't the most original but it was good on the whole. The only thing I could see that detracted from it was the freeze frame dialogue system, however seeing as they fixed that in Skryim Bethesda is learning from their past mistakes. Also, can "open world" games have their story presented differently than linear games? Just my two cents.
MikeJoeShmoe 6 months ago
The Mass Effect games took you away from the story and real gameplay, but like in the Bioshock loophole, it wasn't totally. By giving the player control over what Shepheard said created an immersive experience.
diabloslay2 6 months ago 4
@diabloslay2
Mass Effect represents the type of interactive storytelling that can be best described at good but not fantastic (even though the game and story are fantastic). The shifts between combat, and social gameplay aren't perfect, but doing any better would require completely changing the presentation style. That being the case Mass Effect is one the few games that knows how to properly balance conflicting presentation designs to it's benefit.
Linkthe1st 6 months ago
@Linkthe1st Well said! Keep up the good work, it's obvious that you put a lot of work into these masterpieces.
meatloafswooshbear1 6 months ago
Half-Life 2 had a story? Far as I know, the story in Half-Life revolves around you knowing nothing.
iscrewy 6 months ago
@iscrewy
Then you don't know much. :)
QuickBlackFoxx 6 months ago
@QuickBlackFoxx
No one knows what really happened at Black Mesa.
iscrewy 6 months ago
@iscrewy
You asked rhetorically if there was a story. yes, there was a story.
QuickBlackFoxx 6 months ago
Prima should hire link for the official game guides thumbs up if you agree
1SAllan 6 months ago
bethesda should allow linkthe1st to play skyrim for a while to make a nice preview
PringleJingle134 6 months ago 13
that flipping hexagon part must have been hard to make, i do agree that cutscenes do detract from the interaction but games that use them do not necessarily have bad story telling, for example MGS, great series with way too many cutscenes.
chaosdeus1 6 months ago
not to sound heinous but seeing this in my sub box made me erect
MrMexicanchicken 6 months ago
A perfect story presentation...easy! Mass Effect 2!
WikdGamer 6 months ago
what would the Story Presentation fallout3\NV and borderlands be?
gregheffly 6 months ago
uncharted and metal gear solid are full of cutscenes that make the game ridiculously awesome... so, you lie william! ( just kidding )
jungajungaman 6 months ago
I need more Skyrim.
uSkyrim 6 months ago 74
dude you need to see Danial Floyd, you are like him in your philosphy of gaming. Seriously you are like....I don't know you are just fucking awesome
Tenkagethewise 6 months ago
great video.
martin88488 6 months ago
woot qnother b10g
McBlemmen 6 months ago
Another great video as usual. good job William.
xQuickzx 6 months ago
Cockblock
MrShotgunrain4 6 months ago
nice vid
chaosV1000 6 months ago 38