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Ubisoft wants "less and less storytelling" in their games.
- Thread starter Iceternal
- Start date
BlackRainbowFT
Member
If they had consistently strong and original gameplay I could show some relative form of open-mindedness towards this...
But every single Ubisoft game I've played recently rehashes the same formula over and over again. I know quite a few people who slog through Assassin's Creed just for the story.
Without the carrot you just get the stick...
But every single Ubisoft game I've played recently rehashes the same formula over and over again. I know quite a few people who slog through Assassin's Creed just for the story.
Without the carrot you just get the stick...
J_ToSaveTheDay
Member
Coming from Ubisoft, I feel like this is a bit of a relief.
Assassin's Creed's story went downhill very fast after 2 IMO, rivaling Kingdom Hearts for most needlessly incoherent garbage in the mainstream industry. Early on, I did have a strong connection to its intrigue but lost interest once the annualization of the franchise seemed to render the multiple development teams to be unable to work a consistent story out.
Outside of Far Cry 2, I've not found much redeeming about any of the storylines in the Far Cry franchise. And I find Far Cry 2 to be a pretty hard-to-enjoy game in its gameplay aspects as well while kind of respecting its narrative intentions, but I quite like Far Cry 3 and 4 because of the gameplay. Blood Dragon is maybe the only one where the story is enjoyable to me, and that's because it's intentionally and entertainingly stupid, but it's also minimalist in its presence, with the game largely just relying on its presentation to carry its themes.
Rayman's been fine between Origins and Legends and its story is threadbare.
Everything Tom Clancy hasn't had an interesting story since Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, IMO. A lot of it is really bullshit jingoistic toughguy nonsense (which doesn't completely come as a surprise with Tom Clancy in the title), or, at the very best, just plain boring. They took the one Tom Clancy character I liked -- Sam Fisher -- and morphed him into basically the same exact template as every other Tom Clancy game protagonist. Shame.
Watch Dogs 2 is shaping up fine so far, but I'm maybe 6 hours in? Watch Dogs 1 was really hard for me to stomach, and probably one of the only games I played where "narrative dissonance" became a real huge, game-deterring issue for me. I recognize its existence in a plethora of other games, but Watch Dogs 1 felt truly and unbearably broken in that respect for me.
So yeah... Ubi minimalizing story? Sure, I'll take it! Plenty of their games I enjoy because of the gameplay more than the story, with the story usually coming up noted as something I actively dislike about the games.
Assassin's Creed's story went downhill very fast after 2 IMO, rivaling Kingdom Hearts for most needlessly incoherent garbage in the mainstream industry. Early on, I did have a strong connection to its intrigue but lost interest once the annualization of the franchise seemed to render the multiple development teams to be unable to work a consistent story out.
Outside of Far Cry 2, I've not found much redeeming about any of the storylines in the Far Cry franchise. And I find Far Cry 2 to be a pretty hard-to-enjoy game in its gameplay aspects as well while kind of respecting its narrative intentions, but I quite like Far Cry 3 and 4 because of the gameplay. Blood Dragon is maybe the only one where the story is enjoyable to me, and that's because it's intentionally and entertainingly stupid, but it's also minimalist in its presence, with the game largely just relying on its presentation to carry its themes.
Rayman's been fine between Origins and Legends and its story is threadbare.
Everything Tom Clancy hasn't had an interesting story since Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, IMO. A lot of it is really bullshit jingoistic toughguy nonsense (which doesn't completely come as a surprise with Tom Clancy in the title), or, at the very best, just plain boring. They took the one Tom Clancy character I liked -- Sam Fisher -- and morphed him into basically the same exact template as every other Tom Clancy game protagonist. Shame.
Watch Dogs 2 is shaping up fine so far, but I'm maybe 6 hours in? Watch Dogs 1 was really hard for me to stomach, and probably one of the only games I played where "narrative dissonance" became a real huge, game-deterring issue for me. I recognize its existence in a plethora of other games, but Watch Dogs 1 felt truly and unbearably broken in that respect for me.
So yeah... Ubi minimalizing story? Sure, I'll take it! Plenty of their games I enjoy because of the gameplay more than the story, with the story usually coming up noted as something I actively dislike about the games.
hooijdonk17
Member
Well, I guess they want less and less of my money..
Memorabilia
Member
A load of crap that's nothing more than false pretense to cover up the fact that telling good stories requires actual writing talent beyond what Ubi is willing to pay to employ in most cases.
I understand why they of all publishers would make that decision.
The storytelling in Ubisoft games has ranged from forgettable to awful for a while now. I can't remember a single game of theirs that I thoroughly enjoyed story-wise since the days of Sands of Time and BG&E. Even a game like AC2 only really had a good intro, and that's supposed to be the high watermark of the series. Ever since people responded so positively to Vaas in Far Cry 3 what they've done is fill their games with slightly crazy and colorful characters to mask how mediocre their writing actually is.
If they were braver they'd fix this problem by hiring a new batch of writers that had a more original voice, but considering they've mostly been having success with online focused games lately I get why they're doing this.
The storytelling in Ubisoft games has ranged from forgettable to awful for a while now. I can't remember a single game of theirs that I thoroughly enjoyed story-wise since the days of Sands of Time and BG&E. Even a game like AC2 only really had a good intro, and that's supposed to be the high watermark of the series. Ever since people responded so positively to Vaas in Far Cry 3 what they've done is fill their games with slightly crazy and colorful characters to mask how mediocre their writing actually is.
If they were braver they'd fix this problem by hiring a new batch of writers that had a more original voice, but considering they've mostly been having success with online focused games lately I get why they're doing this.
old manatee
Banned
and nothing was lost..
More_Badass
Member
Except awesome villian performances like Mando's Vaas
i knew I liked you CFK
Such a good performance by Mando.
Only if they can actually add to the existing mechanics. If it just the same old without a proper framework then bleugh.
Red Liquorice
Member
That's funny because over the years I've wanted less and less Ubisoft games until it's got to the point that their logo reads "AVOID"
Tony Redgrave
Member
Ok, it's not like I was expecting the great classics of videogame storytelling coming from Ubisoft anyway, especially given their business strategies.
They should do whatever they feel comfortable doing, there are many other developers that actually see the versatility and potential of videogames as a storytelling medium and are rational enough to understand that first you have to get storytelling right before trying to deconstruct it and start looking for new emergent ways of constructing a narrative.
They should do whatever they feel comfortable doing, there are many other developers that actually see the versatility and potential of videogames as a storytelling medium and are rational enough to understand that first you have to get storytelling right before trying to deconstruct it and start looking for new emergent ways of constructing a narrative.
PeterBazooka
Member
I dont know, i was thinking more games like Rayman... but on second thought I agree with most in this thread... and I get the Destiny argument.
Yautja_Warrior
Member
Far Cry 3 & 4 hardly had any story anyway but Assassins Creed without a story would be shit.
Unless this means they plan on making new IP's and killing the AC games.
Sigh. Games don't need narration to be interesting. One of the best games isn't even a sandbox (inferring a story arc), it was a funbox.
Crackdown. Top-tier gaming. There was no context to anything and it's more fun than what GTA Online has become (bloated) by miles.
Dialogue boxes are a poor example of narration in gaming because you still dictate. If you do something that affects story, it should be invisible until it makes sense. I can't think of any game that does that.
Why should it be?
I hated Crackdown
Jawmuncher
Member
I can't wait to tell my own story of how I found all the outposts and collected all the items.
Just cause their bad at it doesn't mean it should be lessened or even dropped. How about this, how about actually get good at storytelling?Work on your weakness instead of toss it away? Crazy idea I know. But whatever. At the end of the day I rarely play Ubisoft games anymore anyway so have at it.
More_Badass
Member
Crackdown is an example of top-tier gaming? How and why?
LordRaptor
Member
Crackdown was really good fun.
It also had a huge narrative twist at its end, and was near constantly narrated throughout its gameplay.
I'm not sure why we're talking about Crackdown.
It also had a huge narrative twist at its end, and was near constantly narrated throughout its gameplay.
I'm not sure why we're talking about Crackdown.
Mass_Pincup
Banned
No you too Ubisoft...
I can translate the entire article if people are interested, there's a few interesting things in it.
I can translate the entire article if people are interested, there's a few interesting things in it.
I don't think I've liked the story in any of their games that I've played in the last 5 years, so no loss there. Most of the developers that tell good stories will continue to do so.
I only buy their games on the cheap since the gameplay is usually kinda lackluster too. The only thing they do great is graphics.
I only buy their games on the cheap since the gameplay is usually kinda lackluster too. The only thing they do great is graphics.
I think this is exactly the kind of story they're talking about.
When story hinders the game, it's not a good story. There are some games that would be better without stories (not that they should never have stories).
Eh I don't know.... Skyrim is actually pretty story heavy, it just doesn't force the player to go through it.
Story gets in the way of gameplay a lot of the time. Mario, Minecraft, and Doom are games that I would say are better for having minimal story. Of course there are also games where the story is the only thing carrying the weak gameplay, but I find these games to be far rarer.
Personally, I don't find many Ubi games to have overwhelmingly good stories or gameplay, so I guess they can try whatever they want.
Personally, I don't find many Ubi games to have overwhelmingly good stories or gameplay, so I guess they can try whatever they want.
partyphone
Banned
this is great for system driven games. pulling you out of the game to show you short, poorly produced episodes of TV has never been an ideal solution for telling a story in a game. if you think video game stories are good you should read more books.
Magic Mushroom
Member
It was one of the few games I played where the collectibles were attached to the gameplay and level design in a meaningful way, instead of just being the checklist gaming they so often are. Apart from that it puts the emphasis on emergent fun.
In many ways it feels like a Nintendo game with a more mature slant.
chromatic9
Member
So like a porn film then?
Now they've got the necessary textures and character models in place I guess so.
Now they've got the necessary textures and character models in place I guess so.
Peter Ian Staker
Member
/thread
Ubisoft people are apparently delusional enough to think the "Ubisoft open-world game formula" isn't utter shit.
FairXchange
Member
I like this approach, I don't care about stories in games for the most part. Naughty Dog games have great stories, but otherwise I'm usually tuning out and waiting to get back into game play.
ScientificPizza
Banned
get outta here
More_Badass
Member
But many Ubi's games aren't like that at all. Are we forgetting how they evolved Ezio over a quadrilogy, or Far Cry 3's Vaas and Far Cry 2's Heart-of-Darkness inspired narrative, or how just this week Watch Dogs 2 is being praised for likable characters and the fun tone of its story and missions?
I read a lot but I'm just as interested in storytelling in videogames. The thing is that you really need absolutely stellar gameplay mechanics if you intend to have no or very little story. If I look at most Ubisoft games that just isn't the case. I think they're taking the wrong lessons from the the criticisms of their recent output.
I liked the Ezio games a lot and while I do not think that they have an amazing story, the characters and the situation the story puts you in were interesting enough to keep me invested. If anything they should try to find ways to merge story and gameplay, which is not an easy task obviously but this just feels like they're giving up. I'm immediately less interested in the next Assassin's Creed. There's so much potential to tell a story in the context of he historical time period. I very much doubt that just fucking around with the open world systems is enough for me to invest my time.
We'll have to see what this means in practice. Maybe I'm just not the intended audience anymore.
Indeed. All of these games squandered at least some of their narrative potential in some way, there's no disputing that (Vaas in FC3 in particular) but they were at least going for something. If, instead of improving on the problems these games had, they're just going to throw it out the window then what's left really?
TheTylerRob
Member
This is the direction the entire industry is headed toward.
entremet
Member
Seems like I'll be buying more Ubi games.
I feel the Kojima school of game design has affected gaming for too long.
More and more I'm attracted to games with minimal stories and deeper mechanics.
Game publishers want more engagement for longer time. Think Minecraft, Overwatch, Souls, etc.
I feel the Kojima school of game design has affected gaming for too long.
More and more I'm attracted to games with minimal stories and deeper mechanics.
Game publishers want more engagement for longer time. Think Minecraft, Overwatch, Souls, etc.
LukasTaves
Member
Most AAA cinematic stories are pure crap so I would actually prefer if many stopped following it.
The ones that excel should definitely continue thought.
The ones that excel should definitely continue thought.
Spehornoob
Member
I don't think it needs to be a complete shift, but I welcome a change from overly scripted stories to a mix of story and emergent gameplay. Shadow of Mordor was one of my favorite games from a few years ago, but it's actual written story was awful. The emergent gameplay made it memorable (and I hope they greatly expand on it in a sequel). Mount and Blade has no story except what happens between the kingdoms withing the game, and it's one of my favorite games ever.
Even with bigger games, I'd like to see a little less budget go to making them like a film. Planescape: Torment is widely considered one of the best video game stories of all time, and it didn't have hours of motion captured cutscenes or voice acting. Just top notch thematic writing combined with a robust dialogue system. I know a lot more people expect their high production value campaigns, and that's fine, but I wish everything big publishers do didn't have to be that way.
For open world stuff like Ubisoft's games, I think a mix is good. My favorite GTA is Vice City Stories. You took over businesses in the open world, they could get attacked at any time, but there was also a decent number of scripted story missions to help assuage the monotony. I've always hoped the GTA franchise would revisit something like that but they kind of doubled down on the extremely scripted story sequences. My ideal open world crime game would basically be something like GTA Vice City Stories mixed with Shadow of Mordor. Take over businesses that can be attacked and taken over by a number of bosses, who each have their own strengths and weaknesses. Maybe decide how many men to station at each of them for defense. Then give a decent, if maybe not insane, campaign to tie it all together.
Even with bigger games, I'd like to see a little less budget go to making them like a film. Planescape: Torment is widely considered one of the best video game stories of all time, and it didn't have hours of motion captured cutscenes or voice acting. Just top notch thematic writing combined with a robust dialogue system. I know a lot more people expect their high production value campaigns, and that's fine, but I wish everything big publishers do didn't have to be that way.
For open world stuff like Ubisoft's games, I think a mix is good. My favorite GTA is Vice City Stories. You took over businesses in the open world, they could get attacked at any time, but there was also a decent number of scripted story missions to help assuage the monotony. I've always hoped the GTA franchise would revisit something like that but they kind of doubled down on the extremely scripted story sequences. My ideal open world crime game would basically be something like GTA Vice City Stories mixed with Shadow of Mordor. Take over businesses that can be attacked and taken over by a number of bosses, who each have their own strengths and weaknesses. Maybe decide how many men to station at each of them for defense. Then give a decent, if maybe not insane, campaign to tie it all together.
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