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Most convoluted or weird videogame stories?
- Thread starter TintoConCasera
- Start date
Magic Carpet
Member
Mother/Earthbound
Clear
CliffyB's Cock Holster
I always find it a bit of a shame that a lot of people don't seem to want to engage with game stories beyond the surface, narrative/plot level.
These things are all similar but subtly different; story is the meaning of the whole, while narrative is the minute-to-minute experience and plot is the sequence of key events that form the backbone of the narrative.
If you break it down this way Kojima's stuff for instance makes a lot more sense. The narrative is typically pretty straightforward as its where he takes his cues from his pet favourite movie tropes and styles. However the plot is usually a bit of a chaotic mess because his template is so knowingly video-gamey and tends to be no more than a series of set-pieces, twists and reversals. This is why the over-arching meta-plot of the Metal Gear universe is so batshit crazy, and essentially strung together with outlandish contrivances.
All this being said, Kojima is a very good and interesting storyteller because each of his games (and certainly every MGS entry) is distinctly about something. Within the form and structure (the videogamey part), and using the presentation conventions of his movie inspirations, he's always got a "story" -a meaning or idea that the work as a whole is trying to communicate.
Not to say that it has to work for you, or you're dumb if you don't "get the appeal"; just that there's method to his madness, and its all remarkably consistent and coherent even if the plotting of the saga/franchise as a whole really doesn't make anything resembling logical sense.
These things are all similar but subtly different; story is the meaning of the whole, while narrative is the minute-to-minute experience and plot is the sequence of key events that form the backbone of the narrative.
If you break it down this way Kojima's stuff for instance makes a lot more sense. The narrative is typically pretty straightforward as its where he takes his cues from his pet favourite movie tropes and styles. However the plot is usually a bit of a chaotic mess because his template is so knowingly video-gamey and tends to be no more than a series of set-pieces, twists and reversals. This is why the over-arching meta-plot of the Metal Gear universe is so batshit crazy, and essentially strung together with outlandish contrivances.
All this being said, Kojima is a very good and interesting storyteller because each of his games (and certainly every MGS entry) is distinctly about something. Within the form and structure (the videogamey part), and using the presentation conventions of his movie inspirations, he's always got a "story" -a meaning or idea that the work as a whole is trying to communicate.
Not to say that it has to work for you, or you're dumb if you don't "get the appeal"; just that there's method to his madness, and its all remarkably consistent and coherent even if the plotting of the saga/franchise as a whole really doesn't make anything resembling logical sense.
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Kupfer
Member
Soldier of Fortune 2 German version :
To avoid a possible indexing, the game was censored considerably for the German market. Again, all blood and splatter effects as well as screams of pain and death were removed. Additionally, all - in the original version human - characters in the game were converted into androids. Their artificiality is visually emphasized by their metallic skin with rivets and welds. As an explanation for this altered scenario, an additional backstory was invented, which tells that humans were wiped out by machines and replaced by robots that now imitate the lives of their former masters.
To avoid a possible indexing, the game was censored considerably for the German market. Again, all blood and splatter effects as well as screams of pain and death were removed. Additionally, all - in the original version human - characters in the game were converted into androids. Their artificiality is visually emphasized by their metallic skin with rivets and welds. As an explanation for this altered scenario, an additional backstory was invented, which tells that humans were wiped out by machines and replaced by robots that now imitate the lives of their former masters.
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Isa
Member
Interesting thread. Thanks for keeping it about gaming.
My recent memory pick, and I've been playing through it/them again on Xbox would be the Hotline Miami games. I love them to death, such a great setup, theme, music, vibe, action, gore, story etc. The feels man. I can get pumped up replaying some chapters and then the next scene has me questioning my sanity. Really cool stuff that even when people try to piece it together might not be as suspected. I like that its open to interpretation and let's the player come up with what's transpiring by themselves. That's good writing.
Honestly, I know people give a lot of flak to games and other media that doesn't "make sense", but like anything art is subjective. Some people like simple black & white obvious good and evil affairs, which is totally fine, and sometimes I want a deeper story where I might not really know all the details by the end of it. I also like batshit crazy story premises too, like all the old games. Weird concepts? Sure, but that's what made them so iconic, unique and recognizable. Standouts decades later. Whole other worlds myself and others can escape into.
My recent memory pick, and I've been playing through it/them again on Xbox would be the Hotline Miami games. I love them to death, such a great setup, theme, music, vibe, action, gore, story etc. The feels man. I can get pumped up replaying some chapters and then the next scene has me questioning my sanity. Really cool stuff that even when people try to piece it together might not be as suspected. I like that its open to interpretation and let's the player come up with what's transpiring by themselves. That's good writing.
Honestly, I know people give a lot of flak to games and other media that doesn't "make sense", but like anything art is subjective. Some people like simple black & white obvious good and evil affairs, which is totally fine, and sometimes I want a deeper story where I might not really know all the details by the end of it. I also like batshit crazy story premises too, like all the old games. Weird concepts? Sure, but that's what made them so iconic, unique and recognizable. Standouts decades later. Whole other worlds myself and others can escape into.
TintoConCasera
I bought a sex doll, but I keep it inflated 100% of the time and use it like a regular wife
That's weird as fuck but also one of the (if not the) best ways of censorship I've ever seen. Wonder if there are any more examples like this one.Soldier of Fortune 2 German version :
To avoid a possible indexing, the game was censored considerably for the German market. Again, all blood and splatter effects as well as screams of pain and death were removed. Additionally, all - in the original version human - characters in the game were converted into androids. Their artificiality is visually emphasized by their metallic skin with rivets and welds. As an explanation for this altered scenario, an additional backstory was invented, which tells that humans were wiped out by machines and replaced by robots that now imitate the lives of their former masters.
Yeah, I too miss the time when devs could get more creative or just go batshit crazy with their games, and it was cool being able to use our imagination to fill in the gaps.
But hey at least today we still have lots of indie and AA devs willing to do so.
Kupfer
Member
Well a little bit off topic, but the 90's and 2000's were wild (or more exactly weren't) here.
Robots in C&C generals, robots in HL, humans can't be killed in HL but sit on the floor shaking their head and ponder the meaning of life, characters in TF2 are not made out of flesh and blood but oil and springs ... Hitler doesn't even have a beard
It got better in the last years and also we are allowed to play most of the stuff uncut by now.
But that's probably a topic for its own thread rather than this one.
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TintoConCasera
I bought a sex doll, but I keep it inflated 100% of the time and use it like a regular wife
Hey this is very intersting! Like I always knew about Germany censoring games but I never knew devs could get so creative with their solutions.Well a little bit off topic, but the 90's and 2000's were wild (or more exactly weren't) here.
Robots in C&C generals, robots in HL, humans can't be killed in HL but sit on the floor shaking their head and ponder the meaning of life, characters in TF2 are not made out of flesh and blood but oil and springs ... Hitler doesn't even have a beard
It got better in the last years and also we are allowed to play most of the stuff uncut by now.
But that's probably a topic for its own thread rather than this one.
Glad to read things are getting better.
Lady Redfield
Member
Not sure if mentioned yet, but, Five Nights at Freddy's.
Uhhhhh
Uhhhhh