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[Shaanyboi]

Shadow of Mordor got a pass on story when it came to GOTYs last year. Hell so did Inquisition

Still don't see how it got a pass on its shit mission design...

 

[Tenebrous]

Still don't see how it got a pass on its shit mission design...

Or gameplay (goes for both SoM & Dragon Age).

 

[PtM]

Most Nintendo games get a pass on voice acting or actual story for the matter in exchange for game play and replay ability.

Most Nintendo games get a pass on hand-holding and the lack of difficulty.

Any game with a bad/nonexistent story gets a free pass if it has good gameplay.

Not saying every game has to have an amazing story, but that does not change the fact that all those games get a pass.

Story in video games is like story in porn.

No. Batman, Uncharted, TLoU, Mortal Kombat, Bayonetta, Metal Gear Solid - all of these games benefit greatly from VA and use it well.

Long, story based games have a certain charm and atmosphere that is emphasized through text-only presentation. It's almost like reading a novel. Not every RPG falls into this category - I can't imagine a text based Skyrim being as immersive - but most JRPGs and some adventure games (Zelda) often benefit greatly from lack of voiceovers. I often hear the argument that people are "here to play a game, not read a book" or something similar, but if that's so, then plenty of other games have great VA that works well in the context of the game. It's more of a personal preference thing, but saying that we should leave all text based presentation behind and the jarring comparison of it to silent films is way too extreme. Some people love the book-like nature of text based storytelling; not everything has to be an interactive movie.

I'm also more on the written-text side, but then again Conker 64 is one of my favorite games. Alas, not every studio has a Chris Seavor.
Also, voice acting during gameplay is okay, as I might miss text messages more easily, but I'm not settled on that one.

 

[Red Hood]

Basically everything from Nintendo has great gameplay but a nothing more than decent story.

And I think Amiibo gets a pass here on GAF too. If Ubisoft did the exact same thing with the exact same functions, the massive shit storm would be unbelievable.

 

[JohnnyFootball]

this, story/graphics/voice acting are amazing but you really can't overlook that standard TPS gameplay mixed with the ridicolous amount of the same ladder/pallet fetching deal.

At least enemy AI is really good tho.

That happens only a small amount of times during the entire game. Hardly a "ridiculous" amount.,

 

[AntiFacebook]

Xenogears - horrible gameplay, but no one pays attention to this fact because of the great story

 

[SeanTSC]

Xenogears - horrible gameplay, but no one pays attention to this fact because of the great story

What? Bullshit. I *LOVED* Xenogears' gameplay. The character and Gear combat gameplay were both fun and very enjoyable. I replay it every couple years, it's the only game I DO really ever replay, and the gameplay always still holds up for me.

Still my best game of all time. Probably always will be.

 

[bluecapsule]

Shadow of Mordor got a pass on story when it came to GOTYs last year. Hell so did Inquisition

Shadow of Mordor got a big pass for basically copying and pasting Assassin's Creed entire game design (with some Batman counters thrown in for funsies).

 

[Shuggananas]

Most Nintendo games get a pass on hand-holding and the lack of difficulty.

Huh ?
On the last zelda games maybe, but I can't see other examples
Lack of difficulty is bullshit too, it has good progression and some games are very hard, just not all of them

And I think Amiibo gets a pass here on GAF too. If Ubisoft did the exact same thing with the exact same functions, the massive shit storm would be unbelievable.

Vocal minority. Many people are "against" amiibo as a concept but just don't give a fuck. You have some people complaining about them too. I personally think it's stupid as fuck, but if people are willing to buy them good for them, the additional content is 99% garbage.

 

[PtM]

Huh ?
On the last zelda games maybe, but I can't see other examples
Lack of difficulty is bullshit too, it has good progression and some games are very hard, just not all of them

Mario Galaxy telling you how to swim when you're already half past the water. I guess it's more of a Wii thing.

 

[CapitalismSucks DonkeyBalls]

Souls series and storytelling.

Either people say that it adds to the aura of the world or that story doesn't matter because the gameplay is so good.

It's blatantly obtuse and provides no initiative or motivation to continue playing. We fault other games with good gameplay for having shitty stories but gives the Souls series (and Bloodborne) a free pass.

 

[Birgitte2004]

• Arkham (stealth)
• Gears (base shooting)
• Resident Evil (survival)
• Splinter Cell (stealth)
• The Walking Dead (story)
• Manhunt (stealth/violence)

That's a very rough, imperfect list (kind of busy currently), but it's just some that immediately come to mind that have nearly direct elements lifted and refined in TLOU. Keep in mind I quite like the TLOU, my point is that I think the criticism a lot of people have for the TLOU's gameplay may be misunderstood misdirected. The issue some have isn't with the quality, it's the originality. At least, that's how I'm trying to articulate/interpret it.

This is precisely what I meant about superficial similarity.

I've played every one of those games except Manhunt, and none of them are even remotely similar to TLoU.

Gameplay's feel/originality is _not_ made up of parts. Just because Metroid Prime has half-pipes doesn't mean it's a replacement for an X-games game.

 

[Disgraced]

This is precisely what I meant about superficial similarity.

I've played every one of those games except Manhunt, and none of them are even remotely similar to TLoU.

Gameplay's feel/originality is _not_ made up of parts. Just because Metroid Prime has half-pipes doesn't mean it's a replacement for an X-games game.

What would a game need to feature in order to be comparable with TLOU?

 

[AmuroChan]

As many have already mentioned, the Telltale games. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy them a lot, but there's no denying that they get a pass on some things from the media. Their engine on consoles is utter trash. For most other games that have that kind of performance issue, there's no chance that it can still get a 9 in reviews. Then there's the gameplay, which is very rudimentary and mostly QTE-driven. It's also remained largely the same from game to game. Other games would get criticized for lack of innovation and progression in the gameplay from previous entries, but not the Telltale games. They'll continued to be reviewed primarily on the narrative elements.

 

[Shuggananas]

Mario Galaxy telling you how to swim when you're already half past the water. I guess it's more of a Wii thing.

Telling about controls is not handholding, it's tutorial
Handholding would be like "hey that wall looks weird why not put a bomb near it" in zelda

What would a game need to feature in order to be comparable with TLOU?

Cute girls, people dying and zombies

 

[SinShep]

I don't understand how the Metal Gear Solid series gets a pass for its excessively long cutscenes, especially since many of those cutscenes are just boring codec calls where absolutely nothing is happening on the screen.

MGSs cutscenes are mainly for exposition, so if you're not all that engaged in the story, their length does become noticeable.

I mean you look at something like The Order, which recently got ripped to shreds because it had too many cutscenes and not enough gameplay (admittedly I haven't played the game, but this is what I've gathered from reviews and impressions). And then you look at MGS, which has the exact same issue, but always reviews well and frequently wins GotY awards. I don't get it.

That's down to Kojima's directing. He is an expert when it comes to game pacing, a large part of it due to his cutscenes. Plus he has a distinct directing style like most film directors, making them more enjoyable to watch.

 

[Crossing Eden]

MGSs cutscenes are mainly for exposition, so if you're not all that engaged in the story, their length does become noticeable.




That's down to Kojima's directing. He is an expert when it comes to game pacing, a large part of it due to his cutscenes. Plus he has a distinct directing style like most film directors, making them more enjoyable to watch.

Noooooo he is not. Good pacing in directing and writing would be conveying the information needed without characters sounding like a wikipedia article or sounding melodramatic and preachy. Which he is notorious for.

 

[SolVanderlyn]

Noooooo he is not. Good pacing in directing and writing would be conveying the information needed without characters sounding like a wikipedia article or sounding melodramatic and preachy. Which he is notorious for.

That's more of a stylistic approach than a writing flaw. I mean, you can like it or you can not like it, but it's definitely done knowingly and intentionally.

 

[Crossing Eden]

That's more of a stylistic approach than a writing flaw. I mean, you can like it or you can not like it, but it's definitely done knowingly and intentionally.

I don't think it's done knowingly. Tons upon tons upon tons of exposition and spelling the message out is not really a style, it's something that's often critically panned among critics like in the movie Gimme Shelter. Rightfully so.

 

[SinShep]

I don't think it's done knowingly. Tons upon tons upon tons of exposition and spelling the message out is not really a style, it's something that's often critically panned among critics like in the movie Gimme Shelter. Rightfully so.

I just watched Interstellar last week, and I can admit that movie also has lot of exposition and monologues given by most of the characters, but it was still a fantastic movie, because Christopher Nolan's does those a lot in his films intentionally and with the knowledge how to do it well.

I think the same goes for Kojima and Metal Gear, and like I said, it depends on how invested you are in the game's story that you find it as a pro or a con.

 

[LocalE]

This is actually a good answer.

Unlike no voice acting in games, which doesn't hurt the experience for me, so I'm not "giving it a pass", the lack of voice chat in Splatoon will have an obvious negative effect.

But I'm gonna give it a pass because I'm not going to miss out on all that Splatoon goodness.

I don't think that having a voice chat option would be a negative.
But I'm also not sure that a lack of voice chat will have any negative effect, much less an obvious one. The game is fast paced and ever changing, and there is all the information you really need right there on the dynamic map on the big-ass screen on your controller.

So I'm not giving it a pass, either. Or at least I don't think I am, since I would usually wait and spend some serious time with a game myself before I would be in a position to really give any passes, personally.

 

[Gunslinger]

I have to agree with telltale games. 0 gameplay, dialogues that only gives you illusion of choice, terrible engine. I am talking about post walking dead telltale of course. I liked Sam and max and loved tales of monkey island.

 

[Rajang]

I have to agree with telltale games. 0 gameplay, dialogues that only gives you illusion of choice, terrible engine. I am talking about post walking dead telltale of course. I liked Sam and max and loved tales of monkey island.

Agreed.

You'd think that if a developer doesn't focus on gameplay or graphics they will focus on well written characters. Most characters have the same depth as characters in a kids cartoon. The game tries to have these emotional moments where the characters need to convey emotions through facial expressions but the facial animations look comical most of the time. And in a game where it's all about making choices none of your choices even matter. It doesn't matter what you do or how you act to people. The only time it had a bit of impact was at the end of TWD. And if that wasn't bad enough the Telltale games seem to run like shit most of the time.

 

[gai_shain]

The order gets a pass on everything because it looks good. Same as drive club. Same as Killzone. The equivalent of a brainless model with a great beauty and no substance.

ehhh people most certainly burned the pass and didnt give it to the order

 

[mechphree]

Most Nintendo games get a pass on hand-holding and the lack of difficulty.

Story in video games is like story in porn.

I'm also more on the written-text side, but then again Conker 64 is one of my favorite games. Alas, not every studio has a Chris Seavor.
Also, voice acting during gameplay is okay, as I might miss text messages more easily, but I'm not settled on that one.

I guess. I don't see Nintendo as hand holdey though when it comes to latter levels in their Mario games but to each their own.

I think Pokemon definitely gets a pass though for lack of story. But not just what's in the story, it's development and how it's made. Pokemon blue and Pokemon X literally have the exact same story tropes . Start off as a kid in a small town, choose a few Pokemon. Get a rival, fight team rocket for a legendary Pokemon and save the world.

They've done nothing to show progression in this at all.

 

[AU Tiger]

I openly admit that I know next to nothing about them because I really don't play them but it seems like all the street fighter games are more or less the same game in recent years, no?

 

[Fiercedeity]

Reading Video Game dialog belongs in the 90s.

You'd be ok with all movie dialog still being read like it was in silent movies?

Reading is actually more appropriate to the video game medium. It's more engaging whereas listening to voice acting is more passive.

 

[Theanine3D]

The main Pokemon series on handhelds gets repeatedly excused for crappy, uninnovative gameplay, and terrible, terrible storytelling. I expect an engaging and well-written story in my RPGs, and Pokemon is by far the worst RPG series in that category.

It's just the same BS every generation with a slightly new coat of paint and only marginal improvements, if any at all. I'm still appalled that XY had grid movement (something that ORAS corrected, but too little too late. No good reason XY couldn't have had that.)

The last generation of Pokemon I enjoyed was Diamond/Pearl. After that, I just couldn't excuse the samey-ness anymore. Skipped Black/White and BW2 entirely, tried giving the series a chance again with XY and came away disappointed. Story was just another "Get 8 badges and stop Team ______. You're Done" Predictable trash-tier story, yet again.

And because the series sells so well, none of this is ever likely to change. The series will remain stagnant until GameFreak finally gets a push and shove to shy away from their formulaic garbage.

 

[PtM]

I openly admit that I know next to nothing about them because I really don't play them but it seems like all the street fighter games are more or less the same game in recent years, no?

Every number, yes.

 

[HK-47]

Souls series and storytelling.

Either people say that it adds to the aura of the world or that story doesn't matter because the gameplay is so good.

It's blatantly obtuse and provides no initiative or motivation to continue playing. We fault other games with good gameplay for having shitty stories but gives the Souls series (and Bloodborne) a free pass.

Demon's Souls has a very solid story. The games have gotten less and less descriptive. Bloodborne is vague and DkS 2 was all over the place, held down by both its connection to 1, its inability to really capitalize on that connection and just generally a poor usage of the previous Souls use of the "fog of time" as a barrier to a totally coherent plot.