Best storylines in a game series

[James]

Continuing the semi-trend of making threads for various categories.

What games do you feel have the best storylines to them? Remember, it has to be a series. And, you know, continuity always makes for a great story too. So in other words, I don't think Zelda would count as to having a great story.

Mortal Kombat: Granted, it's not the deepest in the world. But there is a lot to it, and more than any other fighting game. And there is a lot of open ends to continue branching the story out without making it feel disconnected. I'm mildly obsessed with the story of MK, but I imagine you all know that by now (ask me anything. ASK ME ANYTHING).

All things Blizzard: Yes, that includes Starcraft (I consider it a series, since there's the expansion and SC: Ghost, which I imagine will factor into the overall story). The Diablo series is a little iffy, but it's still got a lot going for it, ESPECIALLY if you read the booklets. But WC and SC definitely have an excellent storyline that plays out during the games.

Resident Evil: It's cheesy, filled with B-movie themes and plot devices, and... it's cheesy. But I'll be damned if the overall story for the series isn't so fucking awesome. They're something very enjoyable about it.

[Schimid]

Fallout, Eternal Darkness, and FF7.

[James]

...

Someone should punch you in your right kidney.

[Rongi]

Silent Hill had the creepiest fucking plot ever. I couldn't even finish it. The school part scared the living shit out of me :(

[soundtest]

Metal Gear. I don't like where they went with MGS2, and I'd be a lot happier it if they'd lose the freaks that IMO take away from the story (Vamp? :rolleyes), but other than that it's decent.

[James]

Vamp is the greatest enemy ever.

Yeah, MGS has a decent storyline (and I liked the change to Raiden. It was unexpected, ballsy, and I didn't see a reason to bitch about him), but it felt a little too detached between games.

[ItalianStereotype]

Legacy of Kain series. I even like the Soul Reaver storyline, just not the games themselves.

[AChimp]

Baldur's Gate, and to a lesser extent, Icewind Dale.

[Les Waste]

The Metroid series.

[Zomboid]

I agree with silent hill, resident evil, and fallout series (...s).

[James]

I gotta disagree with Metroid. The stories for each game ends up being summed up in a paragraph or two either in the book, or in the beginning of the game, and there's no progression of the story during the game.

But maybe that's changed with Prime and Fusion. But still.

[AChimp]

You homos.

This thread was supposed to end when I said "Baldur's Gate." >:

[Anonymous]

MARATHON

http://marathon.bungie.org/story/

Halo is only a prequel :<

[Mockery]

Starcraft and the Resident Evil games that I've played have had me hooked as far as the stories go. A lot of old NES games I enjoyed too, though they weren't as deep.

[UnDeath]

the KoF series (well, those that had a story attached, a few were just put out there to appease the fans), Planescape: Torment (if anything, you are more or less a zombie with a working brain), and of course the Fallout series.

[Ninjavenom]

Samurai Shodown, Fatal Fury, and KOF all had awesome stories and fuckin' cool characters.

[timrpgland]

The Ogre series, FFIV-FFVII :) , Xeno series (so far), BOF (haven't played 5), and Front Mission.

[Grazzt]

You all know that I'm going to agree with Torment, since I feel it's my duty to push this game endlessly.

Other than that, the story for the Blood games is fun, and almost every adventure game Sierra made, but especially Space Quest and Quest for Glory.

[James]

Err, Tim? We already established FF doesn't count. Do any of those other games (aside from Xeno) have any continuity?

Same goes for Grazzt's picks.

[soundtest]

Vamp is the greatest enemy ever.

I'll admit I'm not picking it up here, but you have to be joking.

Let me rephrase: I don't despise the freaks, I just think they'd do so much better in a game I wasn't trying to take seriously. It throws me off and kinda hurts my feelings. One minute I'm getting into this deep and intriguing story revolving around government and military conspiracy or whatever, the next thing I've got some bald fat fuck on ROLLERSKATES hurling bombs everywhere. Amazing.

I didn't mind Raiden that much.

[timrpgland]

Oh ok, I see what you're saying.

Metal Gear, Arc the Lad, and Xeno still counts.

[James]

Fucking double-post.

[James]

I'll admit I'm not picking it up here, but you have to be joking.

Vamp is just awesome. You can't go wrong with a guy who fucked the father of the leader of the group he's currently in. At least, that's how I remember it. And then, didn't he fuck the daughter too?

Him and Psycho Mantis rule the school.

[timrpgland]

Speaking of psycho mantis (he's kick ass). He is still beatable with the 1st controller, just takes a while. "WHY CAN'T I READ YOUR MIND!?" "YOU LIKE CASTLEVANIA???" "YOU LIKE AZURE DREAMS??"

[James]

There has yet to be a boss battle that rivals the genius of Psycho Mantis'.

[Spectre X]

James, on a MK related question: What does Kabal call his teddybear?

as for storylines:

-Max Payne, heathens >:
-C&C Red Alert 2 and Yuri's Revenge
-C&C Tiberian Sun and Firestorm
-Postal 2, just for the absurdity of it all :lol

[James]

Kabal doesn't HAVE a teddybear. He doesn't even HAVE a life anymore, since he's DEAD! Supposedly.

Score one for me!

[Cap'n Crunch]

Zelda:OoT had a great storyline.
I also liked the storylines for FF VII, MGS, and Golden SUN.

[James]

Yeah, I think Cap'n Crunch can be banned now.

Spectre just needs to try again. He doesn't have to be banned.

[Schimid]

You asked for good storylines, then make rules about how we do it. If you didn't want opinions, you shouldn't have made a thread.

You make me :(

[Spectre X]

Well, I'll keep my original ones and then add whatever good games you guys mentioned before and which I'm too lazy to check back now.

[soundtest]

There has yet to be a boss battle that rivals the genius of Psycho Mantis'.

Totally. Fucking genius.

[James]

You asked for good storylines, then make rules about how we do it. If you didn't want opinions, you shouldn't have made a thread.

You make me :(

Err, no. Go back and read, you fucking retard. I said, what game series have the best continuous storylines. Not my problem you people can't read. The question was there from the start.

What that means, since some of you people just suck at being people, is: Think of a game series (more than one game, but they all have to do with one another) that has an ongoing story that ties them all together.

So yes, naming a single game, or a series where the games don't tie into one another doesn't count. Or, at the very least, they don't count as being the best storylines ever.

[Spectre X]

oops. Well, then I choose the C&C games. except for Generals, since that is the only game not related to the rest of 'em.

[timrpgland]

I was just a moron and didn't pay attention to the continuous part, my bad.

No One Lives Forever ;)

[Rongi]

Zelda:OoT had a great storyline.
I also liked the storylines for FF VII, MGS, and Golden Axe.

Ugh, I thought that charity was starting to work >:. Golden Axe?

I have to disagree with KOF. KOF99 had a pretty crappy plot, but it was definatly fun.

I can't beleive I forgot MGS. MGS's plot fucking rocks, and the characters are awesome :love.

[Cap'n Crunch]

Shit, i meant Golden Sun.

[Grazzt]

Uh, yeah... Sierra's adventure game series ALL have continuous plots. Pretty cool plots, too. I also like the plotline of the Elder Scrolls somewhat. Try playing an actual computer game, and not just a rom.

[Schimid]

My fault, yo. :(

Still. Fallout.

[snake]

Baldurs Gate
Fallout
Vampire: the masquerade Redemption
Grim Fandango

C&C stories are complete bullshit and the acting is bloody cheesy.

[Grazzt]

Yup. Fallout and Baldur's Gate.

[Cybernetico]

The Metroid series.

Metroid never had a story till Fusion. Before that you'd just read the booklet for backstory. But still a cool concept.

Vamp is the greatest enemy ever.

Yeah, MGS has a decent storyline (and I liked the change to Raiden. It was unexpected, ballsy, and I didn't see a reason to bitch about him), but it felt a little too detached between games.

I agree. People who complain about Raiden paid no attention to the end fo the game. The S3? Solid Snake Simulation? They brought Raiden in because he was as close to snake as you could get.

Raiden MGS2~
Ugly background with war (child soldier)
Long yellow hair
Someone personal on mission (Rose, eventually Emma)
Finds out dark things about past
He was used by the bad guys

Snake MGS1~
Ugly background with war (MGS3 will explain it all)
NATURAL long yellow hair (watch MGS1 briefing)
Someone personal on mission (Master Miller, Colonel Campell, eventually Meryl & Gray Fox [it's spelt gray])
Find out dark things about past (BB's clone)
He was used by the bad guys

See? Some people are too busy complaining to realize the brilliance behind Kojima's stories. Not many people can take a cheesy 8-bit game and give some pixilated images personification like that.

[timrpgland]

People who complain about Raiden paid no attention to the end fo the game. The S3? Solid Snake Simulation? They brought Raiden in because he was as close to snake as you could get.

No...the reason people complain about Raiden is cause he was a whiney bitch and Snake would have been funner to play, as well as expected (if the change is for the worse, don't change it). The story would of course have to change but it was a letdown. The game was still great, it's just no MGS. During the cutscenes I couldn't help but bitch at Raiden and all his gayness.

[Spectre X]

C&C stories are complete bullshit and the acting is bloody cheesy.

fuck you >:

[Grazzt]

D'oh. I forgot the Gabriel Knight series, which has the best story hands down of any game anywhere ever.

[Ihach]

at this point (since the FF series is excluded), im going to have to vote for metal gear. i loved the first story, and the second one was pretty cool, with the setup for a sequel (with snake!) all arguements for raiden aside, he just wasnt as cool as snake, thats why people dont like him....

[executioneer]

system shock :/

-willie

[Immortal Goat]

I can't balieve that only one person mentioned the Legacy of Kain series. The story is so grandiose, and the plot a deep and engaging. By the end of Soul Reaver 2, I didn't know what the hell was going on, who was on my side, and who I could trust, if anyone. MGS is a great story as well, but I think that Deus Ex bests them all. That was one deep storyline, and what made it the best was that at the end, you could actually choose who you trusted the most and follow their lead. Now THAT is open-ended gameplay at its best.

[James]

MGS is a great story as well, but I think that Deus Ex bests them all. That was one deep storyline, and what made it the best was that at the end, you could actually choose who you trusted the most and follow their lead. Now THAT is open-ended gameplay at its best.

At this time, Deus Ex is only one game. So that can go suck MGS' asshole.

[Grazzt]

Gabriel Knight >:

[Anonymous]

See? Some people are too busy complaining to realize the brilliance behind Kojima's stories. Not many people can take a cheesy 8-bit game and give some pixilated images personification like that.

Bah. One of my friends and I played through Zone of the Enders (or more appropriately, Zone of the Whiners) and it took our combined willpower to resist killing ourselves while listening to Leo Stenbuck piss and moan about not wanting to kill people, and then having to hear the villains expound upon their own emotional baggage.

Also, it must take a brilliant writer to come up with such a dynamic and original background for Snake as "deadly soldier wishes to leave behind violent past, but is pulled back in".

[Rongi]

I liked ZOE 2nd runner :(

[Grazzt]

Also, Ultima. The only RPG to ever make me think about what I was doing. Plus I really actually cared about the characters, and the Avatar was the coolest undetailed character of all time. Until EA fagged the series up. >:

[timrpgland]

The Ultima series was a great series but I wouldn't go as far as putting it up there with the best storylines. It was too open-ended for that (which is what made it good).

[Anonymous]

I liked ZOE 2nd runner :(

Yes, ZOE 2 was good. Except that the hero was named Dingo Egret.

[Protoclown]

System Shock :rock

[Rongi]

Yeah. When I head the main character's name was Dingo Egret I almost decided not to play it :(

[Grazzt]

It's better than a lot of the crap mentioned here, tim. A hell load better.

[timrpgland]

I guess that's true. Good continuous stories in video games are somewhat hard to find.

My favorite was VII, personally.

[Grazzt]

Jazz Jackrabbit

[executioneer]

Star Control 2 >:

-willie

[Sam]

Monkey Island :)

[Grazzt]

Star Control 3 :)

[Blackjack]

Max Payne :(

[RebelOutlaw_Ace]

Half-Life (Gordon Freeman is the coolest nerd ever). And the Jedi Knight Trillogy. That's pretty much all I can think of right now that hasn't been mentioned.

[executioneer]

Jedi Knight Trilogy? Are you daft or something >:

-willie

[Spectre X]

no, see there's Jedi night Dark Forces, Jedi Knight Dark Forces II, and Jedi Kinght 2, something something.

And Proto, you're gith, System Shock kicked ass.

Oh, and Max Payne IS a series, because they're working on the sequel. Max Payne 2: The fall of Max Payne.

[Zomboid]

No, I'm pretty sure there's dark forces, dark forces 2: jedi knight, and then jedi knight 2: jedi outcast. So there's not necessarily a trilogy until jedi academy comes out.

Why do I know about this? :(

[Spectre X]

well, both all of those games follow the same storyline and have the same person as the main character, so it's technically a trilogy.

[executioneer]

well then wouldn't it be the "Dark Forces" trilogy? :/

-willie

[IdiotSavant]

Torment's probably is the most original, if not downright best, storyline in a game.

How about System Shock? Not so much in one, but there are some great twists in 2...

[RebelOutlaw_Ace]

Allow me to shed some light on the Star Wars subject.

Dark Forces stars Kyle Katarn, but he does not have any Jedi powers or lightsaber, nor does it have the title Jedi Knight.

Jedi Knight: Dark Forces 2, he has lightsaber & Jedi skillz.

Jedi Knight: Dark Forces 2: Mysteries of the Sith has Kyle Katarn for about four levels, then you switch control to Mara Jade.

Jedi Knight 2: Dark Forces 3: Jedi Outcast has Kyle coming back from Jedi-monkhood and using the Force & saber again.

So, in all honesty, we have four games with Kyle Katarn, but only in three does he have the title Jedi Knight. Mysteries of the Sith is an expansion pack, so it wasn't referred to as Jedi Knight 2. When Jedi Academy is released, its full title would probably be Jedi Knight 2: Dark Forces 3: Jedi Academy.

Numbering in the titles hasn't been this fugged up since the days of Street Fighter and the Mega-Hyper-Ultra-Turbos.

[Duncecap]

Mario 64, it starts because the princess invites mario over because she made a cake, if thats not great i dont know what is.

[ScruU2wice]

i think ace combat 4 has kept a respectable storyline for a fighter plane game