What's more important, story or gameplay?

Story for me.

I've finished many games were I don't like the gameplay but because of the story, I still managed to beat them. :)

Example is God of War. I don't like its gameplay (toooooo linear, only one way to play it, can't explore, fixed cam) but the story is just too great to stop playing it.

Another is Star Ocean 3. I bought it because I thought the battle system is similar Rogue Galaxy. The battle system of SO3 sucks. I just can't stand the fixed side view cam and characters get knocked out when MP is 0. But due to its interesting story, I played it till the end of time. Hehe! Radiata Stories cam angle is better.

I think that gameplay is more important there or plenty of games i have played not even paying attention to the story. Like playing diablo 2 online. all i focused on was what is the easiest way to lvl my character.

Depends on genre.

Fighting games.... story doesn't mean jack to me, or Virtua FIghter wouldn't be my favorite.

However, any story driven game, story is by far WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY more important than gameplay.

a story makes the game fun the first time around ,but when i replay it (if i replay it) is only because of the gameplay.

Its to close to call for me, but if its lacking in either catagory by too much then i wount play it a second time -ive never played a game that i havent finished [fun or no fun]-

Depends on the game. I don't think sports, fighting or driving games have a very fleshed out storyline, but they don't need one. RPGs on the other hand usually need (and have) great stories that are often far more important than the gameplay.

depending on the game like everyone said, is it hack and slash game, sport games, fighting games, etc..

however, the most important thing for me is gameplay, thats what gaming is all bout, but story does help.

as long as the gameplay is fun, thats what it matters, but ppl whos into story driven kind of games....

normally play a lot of RPG games,they always have sweet story.

They are both important, but gameplay usually wins out, on the replayability factor.

A test of anyone who claims that story is the determining factor. Should try: Koudelkia, Rule of Rose or Ar Tonelico. Then compare enjoyment with something like the Burnout series, SSX Tricky a Fighter or whatever else of pure gameplay. I'd say chances are very good that you won't be replaying the first 3 as much, if at all compared to the last 3.

As for SO3... a whole lot of people would have stated the reverse for that one.

I need both. Any game without both goes in the trash (ok back to gamefly) for me. Ninja Gaiden Sigma? Boring. returned it. don't care about gameply if it's an action adventure type game.

Even shooters I'm discovering. I'm playing Halo 3 right now and it's a borefest. Not even sure I'm going to finish it.

A good story is nice, but first and foremost it's all about gameplay for me. I want a fun interactive experience, and if it's backed by some interesting events all the better, but I've had just as much fun with some games that have no story (like sports games, especially Fight Night R3).

A good story is certainly important for certain genres (such as the JRPG) but a bad story won't break the game. If it's bad enough, I'll just start skipping the cutscenes. If it's decent enough, and the gameplay is mediocre, combined, that may be enough to hold me out till the end. But no matter how good the story is, if the gameplay isn't up to par (or I get bombarded with one long cutscene after another) that is really going to kill the game for me, personally.

i'm a big story person. don't get me wrong though, the gameplay has to be at least somewhat bearable. tgschmidt

True Dat.....I care about the story but the gameplay has to be somewhat good, if the story is good and the gameplay sucks, then it is more like a book than a game......

gameplay

rpgs are the only exception for me

Story

I mean, look at Devil May Cry 4, that's just all about gameplay and look how it turned out...

Stories arent game's main point of a ggame. People do not play games to find out other's (developer's) stories, they play to have fun and gameplay makes it happen. Stories are just add-ons after gameplay. Look at Pac-man, pinball, or other old games like ping-pong. They were created for fun and as gens passed by, they started adding stories and now all of the sudden people are interested in stories more.

Example: If you eliminate a story, the game can still be great (warhawk, socom:c, SSHD)

If you eliminate the gameplay, then the game wont.....well.....be a game anymore. Its a movie.

gameplay

rpgs are the only exception for me

AsadMahdi59

thats what i dont get, why do people like/play RPGs. All your doing is just pressing X on the move you want to use and u watch the move perform.

[QUOTE="AsadMahdi59"]

gameplay

rpgs are the only exception for me

GootHimp

thats what i dont get, why do people like/play RPGs. All your doing is just pressing X on the move you want to use and u watch the move perform.

That's called turn-based RPG. Not all RPGs are like that. There are also action/real-time RPG like Kingdom Hearts, Rogue Galaxy, and Star Ocean.

I hate turn-based. :)

i'm a big story person. don't get me wrong though, the gameplay has to be at least somewhat bearable. tgschmidt

Me too. I only buy games that has a story except NBA games. Hehe.

Overall, gameplay. If I am going to buy a game, both. I refuse to pay a for a game with an amazing story if it's game play is.... well, for lack of any other comparison, Big Rigs. Then again, I refuse to pay for a game with awesome gameplay if the story is.... well, Big Rigs.

It's hard to say, it really depends on a genre. I don't expect rich story line in NBA 2K9, but I do expect great gameplay.

Overall they both go side by side and are the key elements to majority of the games.

I would say that it is a balance and that balance depends on the type of genre. I agree with previous posters that if the game is a fighting game, sports game, etc. Then story can take a back seat, but if it is an RPG then Story tends to be more important. However that is the spectrum with the extremes. For the games that tend to be like adventure, there needs to be a balance.

If you have too much story and not enough gameplay (I don't mind this that much) then it can get quite frustrating, and you won't be able to like the story too much even though it could be really really good. If you don't have story but have gameplay then it can get boring and not have anything driving the game forward. If everything is balanced out nicely you can end up with games like Uncharted.

I would have said gameplay at one point but now that I've recently played a game that the story was totally lacking. I would now say story. Like others have said I've finished games that just because the story was great I finished. And after looking at my collection and seeing what has been finished and what needs finishing, it is always the games that lacks a good story.

Give me a Good story and decent to great gameplay and you sir have a hit on your hands :) lol

Story for me.

I've finished many games were I don't like the gameplay but because of the story, I still managed to beat them. :)

Example is God of War. I don't like its gameplay (toooooo linear, only one way to play it, can't explore, fixed cam) but the story is just too great to stop playing it.

Another is Star Ocean 3. I bought it because I thought the battle system is similar Rogue Galaxy. The battle system of SO3 sucks. I just can't stand the fixed side view cam and characters get knocked out when MP is 0. But due to its interesting story, I played it till the end of time. Hehe! Radiata Stories cam angle is better.

skp_16

Gamepay comes first imo, but I have played games for their stories, even though I wasn't that found of the gameplay..(Mass Effect)

[QUOTE="AsadMahdi59"]

gameplay

rpgs are the only exception for me

GootHimp

thats what i dont get, why do people like/play RPGs. All your doing is just pressing X on the move you want to use and u watch the move perform.

Think of it as a replacement for watching a movie, then..... If you really don't get it. It's more involved and last longer.... You can then argue to read a book.... but a book doesn't have FMV's.