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[Dantis]

I've just finished playing What Remains of Edith Finch. Before that I finished Persona 5, and before that I finished Nier Automata and Night In The Woods. All four were excellent, but now I feel like I'm kind of at a loss. I want to play more stuff with compelling characters and story, and I'm struggling to think of any. I've finished the obvious stuff, like Last of Us, Uncharted, Until Dawn etc. etc. I was going to play Divinity Original Sin, but apparently that's not the way to go for characters.

I have all platforms except Switch, so platform isn't really an issue (but PS4 would be preferred). I just want to maintain this momentum of characters that I actually care about. Anyone have any ideas?

 

[Antiwhippy]

Night in the woods.

 

[JJShadow]

Yakuza 0 has a superb story and the cast of characters is fucking amazing, some of their performances are the best I've ever seen in a videogame

 

[jettpack]

Firewatch, gone home, Witcher 2

 

[Renekton]

Night in the woods.

NitW has really interesting down-to-earth characters.

 

[HotHamBoy]

Difficult to recommend a game when we don't know what you have already played, but on PS4 The Witcher 3 is an obvious choice. The main quest isn't brilliant but the side quests are and they make up most of the game. Best side quest stories I've played.

Have you ever played Planescape: Torment? There's a new HD version for tablets and PC. It's supposed to have one of the greatest video game stories ever written. I bought it on iPad, only $10. I'm slowly working through it as we speak. The writing is impressively engaging so far.

Final Fantasy 6, 7, 9 and Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions all have great characters and engrossing stories. I think the characters and worlds are probably the stand-out features.

Dragon Quest V and Chrono Trigger on DS.

Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga on GBA and Bowser's Inside Story are excellent games with a great cast and lots of humor.

Brutal Legend has a wonderful albeit short campaign with great humorous writing and character performances. You can get that game for like $5, total hidden gem.

 

[Dantis]

Night in the woods.

Firewatch, gone home, Witcher 2

NitW has really interesting down-to-earth characters.

Forgot to mention that I've already finished Night In The Woods this year too.

Fucking great game though!

 

[Killthee]

When you say all the obvious stuff does that include Horizon: Zero Dawn? Cause if not, get it.

 

[Eridani]

Planescape: Torment is kind of the obvious choice here. It's widely regarded as one of the best RPGs ever almost entirely because of its characters and story.

 

[Crayon]

I'm riding shotgun on the couch with someone playing Yakuza 0 lately and I think it's what you are looking for.

 

[ErMerGerd]

When you say all the obvious stuff does that include Horizon: Zero Dawn? Cause if not, get it.

Gonna go ahead and second this. Main story takes a bit to pick up, but once it does, it's great.

 

[Strax]

The Monkey Island games but if you gotta pick one.
The Curse of Monkey Island.

 

[Cerium]

Trails of Cold Steel

 

[MCD250]

Will second the Firewatch rec.

 

[Palabragrís]

Playing Yakuza 0 right now. You'll love it if you give it the chance.

 

[Mediking]

Witcher 3, my friend.

Its newcomer friendly too.

Waifu too.

Immersion too.

 

[purseowner]

999 and VLR

 

[the_batman]

Final Fantasy 13 or 15, some of the best characters and stories ever made.

seriously though, Witcher 3 is the game of the generation. play that shit and its dlc.

 

[RamaTheVoice]

The Monkey Island suggestion above made me think of Grim Fandango. If you haven't played it, do so.

Will echo The Witcher 3 of course.

 

[HYDE]

Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective and it also has an amazing soundtrack.

 

[cj_iwakura]

Shadowrun: Dragonfall. The story and characters are great.

 

[water_wendi]

Shadowrun: Dragonfall.

edit: beaten lol

 

[Antiwhippy]

Forgot to mention that I've already finished Night In The Woods this year too.

Fucking great game though!

Well mission accomplished for me I guess.

 

[Opa-Pa]

Yakuza series and Digital Devil Saga (PS2/PS3).

 

[sanstesy]

Star Fox Zer0

 

[Ascheroth]

I've just finished playing What Remains of Edith Finch. Before that I finished Persona 5, and before that I finished Nier Automata and Night In The Woods. All four were excellent, but now I feel like I'm kind of at a loss. I want to play more stuff with compelling characters and story, and I'm struggling to think of any. I've finished the obvious stuff, like Last of Us, Uncharted, Until Dawn etc. etc. I was going to play Divinity Original Sin, but apparently that's not the way to go for characters.

I have all platforms except Switch, so platform isn't really an issue (but PS4 would be preferred). I just want to maintain this momentum of characters that I actually care about. Anyone have any ideas?

Does the obvious stuff include The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky?
If not, that's your answer. Sublime world-building and great character development. After every little main story progress all of the NPC have new things to say. And not some generic bullshit, no. You learn about the world, their lives, their relations. Heck, many of them have their own little storylines that get told over the course of the game(s). And that's all optional!

Just be aware that the game has a lot of text and is a very 'slow burn'. There's lots of build-up and and set-up (which I loved from the beginning, but ymmv). It's absolutely worth it though. Estelle is one of the best (if not the best) JRPG protagonists of all time.
And the stoundtrack is amazing as well.

You're also in luck, because the 3rd game of the trilogy releases on Wednesday!

The first two games (FC and SC) are available on Steam, GoG and PSP, with the PC versions the definitive ones. The 3rd will be PC exclusive.

 

[Waji]

In older games there are many. depends on what you did.
I'd recommend Suikoden 1 to 3, Xenogears and saga.
There's nothing interesting to me recently though.
The trails series is good but the best ones are not localised yet.
Cold steel are decent, back story is great, characters less than usual but the ay it's done is disappointing compared to the other episodes.
It's still really interesting compares to most recent j rpg.

 

[Dantis]

Witcher 3, my friend.

Its newcomer friendly too.

Waifu too.

Immersion too.

Already finished Witcher 3!

Haven't done Blood and Wine though. Maybe I'll blast through that.

Shadowrun: Dragonfall. The story and characters are great.

I'd be down for this if it wasn't PC exclusive.

Does the obvious stuff include The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky?
If not, that's your answer. Sublime world-building and great character development. After every little main story progress all of the NPC have new things to say. And not some generic bullshit, no. You learn about the world, their lives, their relations. Heck, many of them have their own little storylines that get told over the course of the game(s). And that's all optional!

Just be aware that the game has a lot of text and is a very 'slow burn'. There's lots of build-up and and set-up (which I loved from the beginning, but ymmv). It's absolutely worth it though. Estelle is one of the best (if not the best) JRPG protagonists of all time.
And the stoundtrack is amazing as well.

You're also in luck, because the 3rd game of the trilogy releases on Wednesday!

The first two games (FC and SC) are available on Steam, GoG and PSP, with the PC versions the definitive ones. The 3rd will be PC exclusive.

I own it, but I really wasn't feeling the combat system or OST. I could always give it another go I guess.

 

[Sölf]

999 and VLR

Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective and it also has an amazing soundtrack.

These. Would also add the Ace Attorney series, especially the first 3 games.

 

[plasmawave]

Yakuza 0. By the time you're finished with it Kiwami should be around the corner.

 

[CMojicaAce]

Horizon Zero Dawn

 

[SpinningBirdKick]

Super Mario RPG

I really liked how they fleshed out the personalities in this one, Bowser in particular has some great lines.

 

[wapplew]

Horizon ZD, a couple good characters and cool story.

 

[itshutton]

Horizon. Now!

 

[Tyaren]

Horizon Zero Dawn? Unless that falls under the obvious category of games that you have played already.

 

[Stiler]

Soma has one of the best stories in a game in years. It was my GOTY for 2015.

Excellent sci-fi/horror game with a thought provoking storyline/characters that will stick with you long after you're done playing it.

Best to go in fresh and not knowing anything about the story at all.

There are some monsters in it, but they are very few and far between and there's even a mod to make them non violent if you don't like that and want to focus purely on story.


Also might I suggest Gone Home if you haven't along with Firewatch.


Apart from that if you didn't play them back in the day then might I suggest some adventure games, they are exactly the type of games that those were built upon and focus mostly on story/characters along with puzzles.

1. Syberia
2. The Longest Journey


Then another favorite of mine:

One of the creepiest adventure games that will get under your skin.

 

[Corpekata]

Undertale.

Night in the Woods reminded me a bit of it in tone (that sort of being very silly at times but can get real) and IIRC Yoko Taro (nier) was talking about playing it or wanting it translated, at least.

I think it will gel with you

Edit: Oh looks like you don't have a PC.

 

[TheHolyTurnip]

I'd second the mentions of Trails in the Sky and Undertale, both great stories with interesting characters.

If you're looking for a shorter experience play The Fall. The sequel is coming out soon, and it's one of the best written AND voice acted Asimov styled games I've ever played.

Here's a trailer https://youtu.be/-wJ1dsHi1mo

 

[Deadceptor]

Horizon: Zero Dawn had a great story. But seriously, get the just released enhanced edition of Planescape: Torment! I bought it a week ago and haven't touched anything else since...it's just marvelous...it has blown my mind. In a way I'm glad I've never played it before because it sets the bar for story and writing so ridiculously high.

 

[cireza]

Steins Gate.

 

[Lilo_D]

Undertale

 

[TheMoon]

Heard of David Cage?

All games but his.

---

Well, is Life is Strange part of your "have played all the obvious ones" list? It should be but, still saying. I also assume you've played Tokyo Mirage Sessions?

Enslaved: Odyssey to the West?
The Last Story?
Pandora's Tower?
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter?
Silent Hill: Shattered Memories?
Alan Wake?

oh yea, see below! Spec Ops: The Line! Of course!

 

[FallenGrace]

Agree with and recommend:

Yakuza 0 (PS4) - great story, characters and voice acting.

Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel 1 & 2 (PS3/Vita - soon PC) - Excellent characters, great world with interesting politics. I hear Trails in the Sky is even better but haven't played them.

Soma (PS4/PC?) - This had a surprisingly fantastic sci-fi story if you don't mind horror style games.

Spec Ops The Line (PS3/PC?) - A TPS but really deals with some things most would never venture into. Interesting setting to boot.

 

[Ryouji Gunblade]

Super Mario RPG
Undertale
Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga
Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door
Xenoblade

 

[Creamium]

Going to recommend something that wasn't mentioned already: Tales from the Borderlands. My impressions here

No knowledge of anything Borderlands is required, just play it and enjoy the ride. One of the biggest surprises I've played last year, was very impressed with how the game combined humor with heart in its story.

 

[Dantis]

Horizon ZD, a couple good characters and cool story.

Played that earlier this year. I really tried to get into it, but it's not for me.

The combat felt a bit too chaotic. I got a decent way in, but I'm done with it for good I think.

Soma has one of the best stories in a game in years. It was my GOTY for 2015.

Excellent sci-fi/horror game with a thought provoking storyline/characters that will stick with you long after you're done playing it.

Best to go in fresh and not knowing anything about the story at all.

There are some monsters in it, but they are very few and far between and there's even a mod to make them non violent if you don't like that and want to focus purely on story.


Also might I suggest Gone Home if you haven't along with Firewatch.


Apart from that if you didn't play them back in the day then might I suggest some adventure games, they are exactly the type of games that those were built upon and focus mostly on story/characters along with puzzles.

1. Syberia
2. The Longest Journey

One of the creepiest adventure games that will get under your skin.

Loved SOMA. Literally one of my favourite games of the generation. I go back and rewatch the descent scene every now and again. Astonishingly well written.

Siberia 3 just came out I think? I've never played any of them. Maybe now is the time? That might be a solid suggestion.

Big Longest Journey fan. Looking forward to playing Chapters whenever it's out on PS4.

Steins Gate.

One of my favourite game narratives. I even made a thread about it.

Heard of David Cage?

All games but his.

---

Well, is Life is Strange part of your "have played all the obvious ones" list? It should be but, still saying. I also assume you've played Tokyo Mirage Sessions?

Enslaved: Odyssey to the West?
The Last Story?
Pandora's Tower?
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter?
Silent Hill: Shattered Memories?
Alan Wake?

Life Is Strange - finished
Enslaved - finished
Last Story - finished
Pandora's Tower - finished
Ethan Carter - not finished! I should get back to that. I got about halfway through and then got distracted.
Silent Hill - finished
Alan Wake - One of my favourite games of last gen. Finished it about five times?

I haven't played TMS much. I borrowed a copy (which still sits on top of my Wii U right now!), but I remember hearing the characters and writing weren't good. I didn't get very far past the tutorial boss I don't think?

 

[Kill3r7]

Witcher 3
Planescape Torment
Deus Ex
Chrono Trigger
RDR
Bioshock
FFVI
Alan Wake
Transistor/Bastion
Silent Hill 2

 

[Zojirushi]

Try Oxenfree and Life is strange if you haven't already. From what I've seen from NitW they seem to go in a similar direction tone wise.

 

[Budi]

Grim Fandango Remastered. If you don't have much patience or are new to old school point n clicks, get a walkthrough to help.

Blood & Wine. I've been playing it on my NG+ run the second time, still amazes me.

Telltale's Walking Dead and Wolf Among us too. Puzzles annoy you? Play these and just let the story flow.

Deus Ex series, no shame in starting with Human Revolution.

 

[Funyarinpa]

Seconding Planescape: Torment.

If you'd be fine with a visual novel, The House In Fata Morgana is the GOAT. It came out last year to very little fanfare, but it's absolutely sublime. Go in blind. Steam only unless you know Japanese (then you have 3DS/Vita options). Definitely worth going out of your comfort zone for and runs on a potato.