What do you prefer: Story or Gameplay?

Gameplay. People that say story are idiots. These are games... games... the word is in gameplay. If you want story, go watch a movie, TV show, or read a bool/comic, for a game, I want the best gameplay. Don't get me wrong though, great story is really nice to have, but gameplay is the most important aspect to a game. This being said, my favorite game of all time is Planescape: Torment.

[QUOTE="RageQuitter69"]

[QUOTE="drinkerofjuice"]You can have a great game with a poor story, but you can't have a great game with poor gameplay. Most games have trouble developing a competent story, let alone a "good" one.drinkerofjuice

Then why did you give Mass Effect 2 a 9, Mass Effect 2's gameplay is worse than poor.

Unlike the original game, Mass Effect 2 had a focus in its gameplay, which allowed it to shine as a rather exceptional action game as opposed to be being both a lackluster TPS and RPG. The game posesses a clear-cut intention on what it's trying to be, and it greatly succeeds as a result.

[QUOTE="RageQuitter69"]

[QUOTE="drinkerofjuice"]You can have a great game with a poor story, but you can't have a great game with poor gameplay. Most games have trouble developing a competent story, let alone a "good" one.drinkerofjuice

Then why did you give Mass Effect 2 a 9, Mass Effect 2's gameplay is worse than poor.

Unlike the original game, Mass Effect 2 had a focus in its gameplay, which allowed it to shine as a rather exceptional action game as opposed to be being both a lackluster TPS and RPG. The game posesses a clear-cut intention on what it's trying to be, and it greatly succeeds as a result.

I never liked Mass Effect 2 nearly as much as 1 (and I don't like any of them too much). Mass Effect 1 was very much focused on a story, and the characters were sort of secondary. I hated how in 2 they cut the story to a minimum and put the complete focus on characters. I find it hard to really care about characters if the main plot is lackluster, but I don't find it hard to deal with flat characters in an otherwise engaging narrative.

Gameplay, but I do love a good story.

[QUOTE="Gue1"]

it's hard to explain but let's put it like this. If I had to chose between:

Deus Ex HR

FF

Metal Gear

Uncharted

Yakuza

vs

Mario

Zelda

Vanquish

and another one

FrozenLiquid

This is like asking if you prefer gameplay or graphics? It's a misnomer since they're integrally inseperable to the experience. The same goes for gameplay and story.

Gameplay drives the story.
Story enhances the experience of the gameplay.

Why drive a wedge between these two (as with gameplay and graphics) when they each support the other.

AdobeArtist

Because then you get Mass Effect 3 where they interrupt the "gameplay" every 12 seconds with another cutscene, and companies like Sony snow people into thinking movies = games.

[QUOTE="AdobeArtist"]

This is like asking if you prefer gameplay or graphics? It's a misnomer since they're integrally inseperable to the experience. The same goes for gameplay and story.

Gameplay drives the story.
Story enhances the experience of the gameplay.

Why drive a wedge between these two (as with gameplay and graphics) when they each support the other.

ZombieKiller7

Because then you get Mass Effect 3 where they interrupt the "gameplay" every 12 seconds with another cutscene, and companies like Sony snow people into thinking movies = games.

[QUOTE="drinkerofjuice"]

[QUOTE="RageQuitter69"]

Then why did you give Mass Effect 2 a 9, Mass Effect 2's gameplay is worse than poor.

Whiteblade999

Unlike the original game, Mass Effect 2 had a focus in its gameplay, which allowed it to shine as a rather exceptional action game as opposed to be being both a lackluster TPS and RPG. The game posesses a clear-cut intention on what it's trying to be, and it greatly succeeds as a result.

I never liked Mass Effect 2 nearly as much as 1 (and I don't like any of them too much). Mass Effect 1 was very much focused on a story, and the characters were sort of secondary. I hated how in 2 they cut the story to a minimum and put the complete focus on characters. I find it hard to really care about characters if the main plot is lackluster, but I don't find it hard to deal with flat characters in an otherwise engaging narrative.

[QUOTE="AdobeArtist"]

This is like asking if you prefer gameplay or graphics? It's a misnomer since they're integrally inseperable to the experience. The same goes for gameplay and story.

Gameplay drives the story.
Story enhances the experience of the gameplay.

Why drive a wedge between these two (as with gameplay and graphics) when they each support the other.

ZombieKiller7

Because then you get Mass Effect 3 where they interrupt the "gameplay" every 12 seconds with another cutscene, and companies like Sony snow people into thinking movies = games.

Unlike other games however, most of the "cut scenes" in Mass Effect are still part of the gameplay. It's those moments where you interact with your party and other NPCs that populate the world. Which is far more dynamic and interactive since you don't passively watch the exchange unfold before your eyes. The gameplay in ME isn't just limited to the combat alone.

I personally find voice acting and dialog a lot more important than both the general plot and gameplay mechanics.

Gameplay since I haven't played that many games with a good story.

A game with great story line with bad gameplay or a game with great gameplay and a bad story.. I think that quite an easy pick.ArisShadows

Story is much more important. I'm currently playing through 999 for the DS and the gameplay isn't that great (its mostly reading text and Point-And-click which is fine but not much fun), but the story and characters are interesting enough to keep me going.

[QUOTE="Gue1"]

it's hard to explain but let's put it like this. If I had to chose between:

Deus Ex HR

FF

Metal Gear

Uncharted

Yakuza

vs

Mario

Zelda

Vanquish

and another one

FrozenLiquid

no no no... What I was trying to say is that gameplay borns from the story and that's why it's just as important! You just CAN'T have one without the other just like you can't make a game without graphics. You need a goal and that is its story. How good it is and how much you'll like it will directly affect your enjoyment of the overall game.

My comparison above are games which I enjoy more than the others below just because of the story and in this case story trumps gameplay (to me). And maybe you enjoy something simpler than MGS but that doesn't mean that it lacks a story. On my prior comment I used Super Metroid as an example because it has terrific level design and that could be considered a type of story-telling in which you create your own story while playing. But since the first time you put foot on Zebes you knew why you were there and what you had to do. What happens in between even if it doesn't have text or cut-scenes is the story and it was well made.

I know about all this because I once tried to make a video game and then I realized how hard it was when all these interrogatives I never thought about started to pop up around. This is something much more complicated than people realize and that's why they come in here with their naive thinking screaming: GAMEPLAY > ALL! But is not that simple.

i agree with the majority, gameplay.

If a game has a fantastic story, lackluster gameplay is overlookable, same goes in the opposite direction.

[QUOTE="Whiteblade999"]

[QUOTE="drinkerofjuice"] Because I don't share the same view as you? Crazy, I know.

Unlike the original game, Mass Effect 2 had a focus in its gameplay, which allowed it to shine as a rather exceptional action game as opposed to be being both a lackluster TPS and RPG. The game posesses a clear-cut intention on what it's trying to be, and it greatly succeeds as a result.

PannicAtack

I never liked Mass Effect 2 nearly as much as 1 (and I don't like any of them too much). Mass Effect 1 was very much focused on a story, and the characters were sort of secondary. I hated how in 2 they cut the story to a minimum and put the complete focus on characters. I find it hard to really care about characters if the main plot is lackluster, but I don't find it hard to deal with flat characters in an otherwise engaging narrative.

If a game has a fantastic story, lackluster gameplay is overlookable, same goes in the opposite direction.

jimmyrussle117

This is what i think aswell.

If a game has a fantastic story, lackluster gameplay is overlookable, same goes in the opposite direction.

jimmyrussle117

Gameplay obviously. It's what makes games fun to play.

But I like story too.

I personally find voice acting and dialog a lot more important than both the general plot and gameplay mechanics.

megadeth1117

Metroid Prime is an example of what I like in a story, the first one, Echoes was less than average, but back on subject. No cutscenes other than to give a better look at obstacles, in fact the story was optional. This adds to the game's incredible replayability. The story was integrated into the atmosphere and surroundings and never got into the way, having to look for scans was fun and again, adds to the gameplay. That is why I find Metroid Prime to be the best game.

The first time I played through it I ignored the story completely, I did it again the second time on hard mode, The third, I was playing to find the story (and to enjoy the game again).

And then you have Other M, which was ruined by its abundance of (bad) cutscenes. I played it a second time (after saying I wouldn't play it again after the first) and skipped all the cutscenes, and I wanted more after I beat it 100% (the second time), but it was still annoying to have to skip the cutscenes every time.

So, Gameplay > Story because that is why I play. It is up to the player, each will have their own preference.