Which has better storytelling? The MGS series or HL series?

First I'll make it clear that its the storytelling not the story itself.

I personally don't know since I've only played HL2(didn't even finish it) and had never played any of the MGS games.

I want to know who the hell Gman is more than ANYTHING else in ANY other game. He's also the most badass character in all of video games, bar none. I love HL cause its cliffhangers and I want to know wth is going on.

So I'll take HL series mystery over MGS,

From Episode1 HL series has definitly surpassed MGS in storytelling. It actualy uses the unique strenghts of videogames as storytelling format. MGS doesn, to be honest Kojima didn't even try. MGS4 is just a game with a movie clips put between gameplay segments.

Now the story of MGS is a lot more complex and well rounded, but this type of storytelling isn't perfect fit for games, so Valve wins in storytelling, especialy since it allows them to let player into the story far more than any cutscene can. Alyx is best example, when you're already in episode2 the player feels more connection to fer, cares more about her than about any MGS character.

At the begginign of episode2 when Alyx gets impalled I actualy reacted with anger, which is something no game has managed to do with it's storytelling in well over a decade

I want to know who the hell Gman is more than ANYTHING else in ANY other game. He's also the most badass character in all of video games, bar none.

MrGrimFandango

This man speaks the truth. :o

However, Metal Gear Solid does play out the story in a well paced and clever way that makes you enjoy every cut-scene and codec sequence.

From Episode1 HL series has definitly surpassed MGS in storytelling. It actualy uses the unique strenghts of videogames as storytelling format. MGS doesn, to be honest Kojima didn't even try. MGS4 is just a game with a movie clips put between gameplay segments.

Now the story of MGS is a lot more complex and well rounded, but this type of storytelling isn't perfect fit for games, so Valve wins in storytelling, especialy since it allows them to let player into the story far more than any cutscene can. Alyx is best example, when you're already in episode2 the player feels more connection to fer, cares more about her than about any MGS character.

At the begginign of episode2 when Alyx gets impalled I actualy reacted with anger, which is something no game has managed to do with it's storytelling in well over a decade

AdrianWerner

SPOILERS? :shock:

SPOILERS? :shock:

super_mario_128

[QUOTE="AdrianWerner"]

From Episode1 HL series has definitly surpassed MGS in storytelling. It actualy uses the unique strenghts of videogames as storytelling format. MGS doesn, to be honest Kojima didn't even try. MGS4 is just a game with a movie clips put between gameplay segments.

Now the story of MGS is a lot more complex and well rounded, but this type of storytelling isn't perfect fit for games, so Valve wins in storytelling, especialy since it allows them to let player into the story far more than any cutscene can. Alyx is best example, when you're already in episode2 the player feels more connection to fer, cares more about her than about any MGS character.

At the begginign of episode2 when Alyx gets impalled I actualy reacted with anger, which is something no game has managed to do with it's storytelling in well over a decade

super_mario_128

SPOILERS? :shock:

[QUOTE="super_mario_128"]

SPOILERS? :shock:

AdrianWerner

I hate spoilers, big ones or small ones. Some idiot ruined the ending of episode 2 for me - you can imagine I was well PO'ed.

[QUOTE="AdrianWerner"][QUOTE="super_mario_128"]

SPOILERS? :shock:

super_mario_128

I hate spoilers, big ones or small ones. Some idiot ruined the ending of episode 2 for me - you can imagine I was well PO'ed.

[QUOTE="super_mario_128"][QUOTE="AdrianWerner"][QUOTE="super_mario_128"]

SPOILERS? :shock:

AdrianWerner

I hate spoilers, big ones or small ones. Some idiot ruined the ending of episode 2 for me - you can imagine I was well PO'ed.

i swear ive played half life 2 for like 5 hours and i have absolutely no idea what the hell is going on. Do you ned to play the first game to understand//pappa-ray

i swear ive played half life 2 for like 5 hours and i have absolutely no idea what the hell is going on. Do you need to play the first game to understand/?????????pappa-ray

The first would help you understand what is it about Gordon that makes everyone so jumpy, but that's about it. There's a huge time skip between the two games so players both familiar and not familiar with Half-Life would have the same experience.

The HL series is a shooter with a story.

The MGS franchise is a Story with some stealth and shooting involved.

I'm not knocking MGS its obviously a classic.

I've always felt Metal Gear Solid's method of storytelling was rather clumsy, and could detract from the actual game. The story itself is more suited to a book or movie than an action-stealth game. Really would have done a game like MGS2 more justice.

Half Life however was a pretty big player in pushing more naturalised ways to tell the story, though that obviously had its disadvantages, ie you can miss details.

if we're talking about the series, then half life series, but if it's metal gear solid (ps1) vs half life (pc) then mgs, since half life 1's story was almost meh, until half life 2 came alongDarkSan00

I'm asking about the storytelling, not story.

[QUOTE="pappa-ray"]i swear ive played half life 2 for like 5 hours and i have absolutely no idea what the hell is going on. Do you ned to play the first game to understand//super_mario_128

im driving a weird landcraft over some radioactive/toxic sludge and just past some resistance base, the games great and looks brilliant though after he got trapped in some crazy ass time warp thing at the start, i got completely lost.

[QUOTE="super_mario_128"][QUOTE="pappa-ray"]i swear ive played half life 2 for like 5 hours and i have absolutely no idea what the hell is going on. Do you ned to play the first game to understand//pappa-ray

im driving a weird landcraft over some radioactive/toxic sludge and just past some resistance base, the games great and looks brilliant though after he gets trapped in some time warp thing i got completely lost.

ROFLMAO at this post :lol:

[QUOTE="super_mario_128"][QUOTE="pappa-ray"]i swear ive played half life 2 for like 5 hours and i have absolutely no idea what the hell is going on. Do you ned to play the first game to understand//pappa-ray

im driving a weird landcraft over some radioactive/toxic sludge and just past some resistance base, the games great and looks brilliant though after he got trapped in some crazy ass time warp thing at the start, i got completely lost.

[QUOTE="pappa-ray"]

[QUOTE="super_mario_128"][QUOTE="pappa-ray"]i swear ive played half life 2 for like 5 hours and i have absolutely no idea what the hell is going on. Do you ned to play the first game to understand//super_mario_128

im driving a weird landcraft over some radioactive/toxic sludge and just past some resistance base, the games great and looks brilliant though after he got trapped in some crazy ass time warp thing at the start, i got completely lost.

gee, i was way off lol. I guess im too used to metal gear movie like cut scenes. cause when they were like talking at that lab i was walking around the room, unknowing that what they were saying crutial story points ahahhahaha.

OH and this gordon freeman character is mute ay.

my vote def goes to MGS series...specially after seeing the ending of mgs4 which left me speechless......def oone of my fav games this genDante2710

It left you speechless because of the endless un edited quasi philosophical drivel of a senile old man?

I lveo both but the way the story in mgs is told i like better however mgs is very complciated and my head almost hurts from it lol

Half Life has better story telling. It's one of the best ways to tell a story in a video game.

So much so the original Half Life's lame plot actually looked good.

[QUOTE="Dante2710"]my vote def goes to MGS series...specially after seeing the ending of mgs4 which left me speechless......def oone of my fav games this genArsuz

It left you speechless because of the endless un edited quasi philosophical drivel of a senile old man?

no reason to be ignorant. besides solid snake barely talks during the ending. its all----the guy in my avatar, who speaks very intelligently, and very proud. he's like leonidas in 300

no reason to be ignorant. besides solid snake barely talks during the ending. its all----the guy in my avatar, who speaks very intelligently, and very proud. he's like leonidas in 300

ronniepage588

Not being ignorant at all. With senile old man I meant the guy in your avatar. I didn't mention his name because it's a huge frickin SPOILER! I suggest you change it before some mad ninja executes you for ruining the ending. And that monologue really wasn't talking "intelligently". Eloquently yes, but he really had nothing to say. And I really suggest looking a bit more into literature before you compare someone who is intelligent with a frickin comic book character.

I haven't played HL1, but unlike pappa ray, I had no trouble understanding the story of HL2. Frankly, it's incredibly straightforward. What confused me was that the story was almost non-existent. The game just pushes you through linear environments with hardly any exposition.

After the fantastic start, you spend the next 3 hours shooting at faceless goons, before finally getting to Black Messa. After a tiny bit of story, you find yourself in a survival horror level that feels like it belongs in another game. Then you have to make your way to that prison, because someone gets kidnapped. Then back to City 17 to fight the Combine some more. And that's literally all that happens. There are no startling revelations, no shocking twists, no subtle message. I liked the game, but I was expecting a much deeper story after all the hype....

MGS's storytelling is convoluted and often ridiculous, but there's far more entertainment to be had from MGS stories than HL2's...

Half Life has better story telling. It's one of the best ways to tell a story in a video game.

So much so the original Half Life's lame plot actually looked good.

FrozenLiquid

I haven't played HL1, but unlike pappa ray, I had no trouble understanding the story of HL2. Frankly, it's incredibly straightforward. What confused me was that the story was almost non-existent. The game just pushes you through linear environments with hardly any exposition.

After the fantastic start, you spend the next 3 hours shooting at faceless goons, before finally getting to Black Messa. After a tiny bit of story, you find yourself in a survival horror level that feels like it belongs in another game. Then you have to make your way to that prison, because someone gets kidnapped. Then back to City 17 to fight the Combine some more. And that's literally all that happens. There are no startling revelations, no shocking twists, no subtle message. I liked the game, but I was expecting a much deeper story after all the hype....

MGS's storytelling is convoluted and often ridiculous, but there's far more entertainment to be had from MGS stories than HL2's...

streak000

[QUOTE="FrozenLiquid"]

Half Life has better story telling. It's one of the best ways to tell a story in a video game.

So much so the original Half Life's lame plot actually looked good.

AdrianWerner

:lol:

Agreed on both of those.

I think Half Life is more akin to a roller coaster ride than a narrative

Well, the storytelling in the MGS series would translate to a slightly better-than-average movie imo, while the storytelling in HL is tailored to videogames, it is actually telling you the story through gameplay rather than cutscenes viewed mostly from the third-person.

So HL for sure.

Well, the storytelling in the MGS series would translate to a slightly better-than-average movie imo, while the storytelling in HL is tailored to videogames, it is actually telling you the story through gameplay rather than cutscenes viewed mostly from the third-person.

So HL for sure.

Kritical_Strike

No way, it's worse than most American blockbusters which spoon-feed you every bit of information. Characters enter overdrawn monologues far too often to explain the situation to the player, and that's the biggest movie no-no you can do.

MGS is like the lowest of the low B-movies with A-grade production values.

Don't think I'm hating on MGS, because I revere it as the best video game series ever. But yeah, I guess it's a little charming like that.

I prefer cinematic storytelling (MGS) over in-game storytelling (HL).

What happened with HL2 for me just recently happened with Bioshock. I see everything through the eyes of the character I am playing, and when important dialogue is being exchanged I get caught up in looking around the environment for loot, ammo, and health. So I miss what was being said without really meaning too and, while it does offer a better flowing experience by not taking you out of the game, it just has some flaws for me.

In cinematic storytelling, the director shows you what he wants you to see. What creates more drama, what is more meaningful, etc.

There is room for both in the gaming world, but my vote goes to cinematic storytelling.

[QUOTE="Kritical_Strike"]

Well, the storytelling in the MGS series would translate to a slightly better-than-average movie imo, while the storytelling in HL is tailored to videogames, it is actually telling you the story through gameplay rather than cutscenes viewed mostly from the third-person.

So HL for sure.

FrozenLiquid

No way, it's worse than most American blockbusters which spoon-feed you every bit of information. Characters enter overdrawn monologues far too often to explain the situation to the player, and that's the biggest movie no-no you can do.

MGS is like the lowest of the low B-movies with A-grade production values.

Don't think I'm hating on MGS, because I revere it as the best video game series ever. But yeah, I guess it's a little charming like that.

Whoa, if I was basing that off of MGS's dialogue alone I would burn it with fire before even contemplating such a mess. The only reason it would be "slightly better-than-average" is because of

a. metal gears

b. ridiculous fight sequences

Trust me, if you watch enough Japanese cinema and anime you kinda get used to the obscenely drawn-out monologues.

Whoa, if I was basing that off of MGS's dialogue alone I would burn it with fire before even contemplating such a mess. The only reason it would be "slightly better-than-average" is because of

a. metal gears

b. ridiculous fight sequences

Trust me, if you watch enough Japanese cinema and anime you kinda get used to the obscenely drawn-out monologues.

Kritical_Strike

How do Metal Gears function as a pivotal point in MGS story telling? I can definitely see them being important for the story, but as for the storytelling, I reckon they're just as important as having a lightsaber instead of a glock.

To be honest I haven't seen many Japanese films that tell their stories the way MGS does. Grave of the Fireflies is but one example. If I can remember Seven Samurai was much the same. Heavenly Forest was too.

I think the only Japanese film I've seen that does this (apart from some really lame anime flicks), is the live-action version of Casshern.

^That's EXACTLY the Japanese movie I was thinking of, actually. I made the mistake of renting that movie and thinking it was some kind of CGI action-fest (like 300), yet it had so much dialogue...

Shinobi

Azumi

Evangelion

Gasaraki

^there are some heavy-monologuey Japanese films/anime. I'm not saying they tell their stories like MGS does, just that they share the same convention of Japanese film - un-succinct dialogue.

^That's EXACTLY the Japanese movie I was thinking of, actually. I made the mistake of renting that movie and thinking it was some kind of CGI action-fest (like 300), yet it had so much dialogue...

Shinobi

Azumi

Evangelion

Gasaraki

^there are some heavy-monologuey Japanese films/anime. I'm not saying they tell their stories like MGS does, just that they share the same convention of Japanese film - un-succinct dialogue.

Kritical_Strike

:lol: You watched Casshern too?! My first try at watching it was 3 in the morning and man did I fall asleep a quarter of the way in. It looked pretty at least.

I didn't think Eva was that bad, it just didn't have much action in it for the apocalyptic war setting. But I can see what you're getting at.