Best story this generation

What game this generation do you think has the best story?

I loved Resident Evil 4's story, but I guess it's not of this generation. Its kinda of a tough question, hopefully people who play this generation a lot can have a better answer.

From what I have played, I'm sure BioShock and Mass Effect are up there, or Oblivion etc. I dont think story driven games are quite what they used to be. Oh, and I'm sure loads of people are going to sight Halo, and I have to say, I did think it was pretty good on the whole. As you can see though, most of my gaming is done on the 360, so I'm sure there are a ton of games I havent even played that have top story lines.

This gen does not have many great story. there are many poor story like Oblivion, Fallout 3 and CoD MW. I would say Tales of Vesperia.

Knights in the Nightmare.

If by this generation you mean 2000-2010, its hard to pick the best, these are some of my favorites:

Half-Life 2

Mafia

Portal

Syberia

Vampire - The Masquerade Bloodlines

Gta San Andreas

BioWare games...

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines or Braid. Most of the games you've listed have fantastic story telling, but not very good stories. On the other hand, a game like Vampire has a great story, but not necessarily the best story telling.

Both Mass Effect games, Bioshock, Enslaved, Heavy Rain and Valkyria Chronicles are some of my favorite story games this gen.

Modern Warfare 2. LOL

Here's a serious answer: Grand Theft Auto 4 (plus expansions) although main was the best

My favorite story this generation has been the story in the Mass Effect series.

Bioshock gets my vote as well :):)

Halo Reach. i had no idea the covenant won!! :O also FIFA 11 has an amazing story...

just kidding. i think Mass Effect gets the prize

Bioshock's story was nothing special aside from the "twist". *ducks and rolls*

Mass Effect - Bioware games never had any good story (aside from KotOR) *ducks again and dodges dragonfire*

My choice is Crisis Core : Final Fantasy 7 on the PSP. I knew what was going to happen but that didn't stop me from not wanting the game to end that way. Rick Gomez was the perfect choice to voice Zack. For a portable game (it's not even a console game) to nearly move a person to tears (and I never cry for movies or games) is amazing. I showed the ending cutscene to my siblings who don't play video games and even they were moved.

Bioshock's story was nothing special aside from the "twist". *ducks and rolls*fend_oblivion

I'd agree, but I thought the twist was actually the part where the story actually took a nose dive.

I'd say Fire Emblem Radiant Dawn. Heavy rain and Tales of Vesperia are up there too.

BioShock...one of the most over-rated games ever made, especially for all the praise it gets for its story. In my opinion, the story fell completely flat. Irrational tried to make the twist compelling, but they failed because I knew virtually nothing about the characters involved, I never met them, I didn't give a crap about them. The emotional connection was never established.

Anyway, I'd go with Red Dead Redemption, Grand Theft Auto IV (Trinity), Portal and The Darkness.

Bioshock was awesome. The twist was amazing. The golf club scene is my second favourite moment this gen (right behind the sublime nuke explosion in CoD4). The story of a failed utopia was unusually thoughtful and "adult" for this medium, and the game's overall atmosphere is second to none. Calling it overrated is ridiculous.

So yeah:

Bioshock

Deadly Premonition

The Darkness.

i just wish they were some where near as good as old rpgs.

Bioshock was awesome. The twist was amazing. The golf club scene is my second favourite moment this gen (right behind the sublime nuke explosion in CoD4). The story of a failed utopia was unusually thoughtful and "adult" for this medium, and the game's overall atmosphere is second to none. Calling it overrated is ridiculous.

So yeah:

Bioshock

Deadly Premonition

The Darkness.

streak000

I cannot believe my eyes!!! Somebody has actually played Deadly Premonition and puts it out there as one of the games with Best Stories for this gen. I bow in front of you mate!

My list:

1. Deadly Premonition

2. Bioshock

3. The Darkness

4. Mass Effect

5. RDR

Bioshock, Atmospheric, oriognal (At least in terms of in video games) and all round top notch.

Uncharted 2, A good bit better than the last Indiana Jones movie to say the least, Brilliant acting.

Final Fantasy XIII, Starts of dull and confusing but all slots into place by the end of the game and amazing CGI and production values.

MGS4

Heavy Rain

Mass Effect-series

Bioshock-series

The Uncharted-series has great storytelling but the actual story isn't that special.

I would have say Bioshock. Not very games or even movies have the impact of the end of that games story

I would have say Bioshock. Not very games or even movies have the impact of the end of that games story

Jachael

I thought the end was very disappointing. They try to set up an original, philosophical story and then conclude it by going all 'and they lived happily ever after'. Unless you decided to be a bastard and kill off all the Little Sisters of course.

Either way, the ending to BioShock 2 absolutely destroyed it imo.

I would love to say something else but I would be just naming something else for the sake of it, as without doubt Bioshock is one of the best stories ever told in a videogame. I remember reading an interview with the writer of that game, he had some very interesting things to say about storytelling and it's all stuff I have taken to heart.

His main rule was simplicity, which may not be what you initially think. He put it this way -"If you were to stop indiana jones at any time during the movie Raiders of the Lost Ark and ask him what he's doing, he would reply "Looking for the ark". This might require some further explaining to some readers because of the way it sounds at first, but it's a very true statement, something that many writers fail to do and as a result end up with one messy tangled web of a plot that contains many holes and surprises that end upfalling flat. It's not so much simplicity as in the plot as a whole is simple, but more of a technique of telling the story, it's why the game was so engaging and caused you to play it through. As the character Frank, you always knew what your next aim was and WHY you were doing it, the same as you know why Indy cut the rope bridge when he was surronded by the temple fanatics in The Temple of Doom.

BioShock...one of the most over-rated games ever made, especially for all the praise it gets for its story. In my opinion, the story fell completely flat. Irrational tried to make the twist compelling, but they failed because I knew virtually nothing about the characters involved, I never met them, I didn't give a crap about them. The emotional connection was never established.

Anyway, I'd go with Red Dead Redemption, Grand Theft Auto IV (Trinity), Portal and The Darkness.

UpInFlames

I actually thought that Red Dead Redemption's story was kind of dumb, due to the fact that most of it was John helping people so he can find the gang members. Sure, it was presented well, but it was really quite stupid. In real life, John Marsten probably could have forced at least half the characters in the game to help him.

Heavy Rain

[QUOTE="UpInFlames"]

BioShock...one of the most over-rated games ever made, especially for all the praise it gets for its story. In my opinion, the story fell completely flat. Irrational tried to make the twist compelling, but they failed because I knew virtually nothing about the characters involved, I never met them, I didn't give a crap about them. The emotional connection was never established.

Anyway, I'd go with Red Dead Redemption, Grand Theft Auto IV (Trinity), Portal and The Darkness.

turtlethetaffer

I actually thought that Red Dead Redemption's story was kind of dumb, due to the fact that most of it was John helping people so he can find the gang members. Sure, it was presented well, but it was really quite stupid. In real life, John Marsten probably could have forced at least half the characters in the game to help him.

He probably could have, but the theme of the game is redemption, so...

Sadly, not a lot of recent games with great stories, here's a few of mine.

Uncharted 1 and 2

Halo Reach (yeah I know)

Final Fantasy 7: Crisis Core (had to agree with previous post)

Condemned 2

Batman Arkham Asylum

Am confused why people thought bioshock had a good story. It was just told really well, but a good story...not really, predictable with not much that actually happened.

F.E.A.R. - Any body else really enjoy F.E.A.R.'s story? (and atmosphere) one of my favorites. But it wasn't told Via cut scenes and you could easily miss components of the story by not finding all of the intel. once you did get it all figured out though I thinks it was pretty great.

Bioshock - 'nuff said

Uncharted 1 & 2 - I love Indiana Jones, so it's a natural fit for me. And I love the characters in these games.

Donkey Kong Country Returns!

:P

Final Fantasy 7: Crisis Core (had to agree with previous post)

demonic_85

Finally! Someone who agrees :)

Bioshock was awesome, I like simplicity with an epic twist, so I also loved InFAMOUS, Assassins Creed 1,2 and Batman.

Dragon Age was ok, it was really about the character connection with each race your hero went to.

Enslaved had extremely good character development and more people should be mentioning it.

Littlebigplanet :shock:

Brutal Legends is really underrated

Heavenly Sword was extermely good. The villians are some the best Ive seen, loved them all. Bohan and Andrew Ryan are my favorite villians.

Everyone saying that there arent many good stories but you need to open your eyes and not just think about 20 games.

The reason I can not say Mass Effect is the best story is that large pieces of the two are not link.

Jade Empire PC