What can be done to improve VG stories?

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Originally Posted by Yoshi

No, it's dead-on. No story can make-up for shitty gameplay, so saying that a game can be worth playing solely for the story is the fallacious side of the argument.

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What was your opinion of Snatcher?

I seem to remember you liking it. A lot of people did.

in spite of the fact that it had the worst gameplay imaginable. Everyone always said, "but the story's so good!".

Going back even further, do we have any geezers that played Infocom?

Yes, games can get by on story alone. Niche games like Snatcher. Niche games can also get by on a fishing controller like Sega Marine fishing. Obviously most games don't need a fishing controller. Most games don't need a story either.

Story is just one of those things that you could build a game on if you wanted to, but the majority of games just plain don't need. Thus, I feel no need to give a major shot in the arm to the craft of video game story telling.

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Originally Posted by Diff-chan

What was your opinion of Snatcher?

I seem to remember you liking it. A lot of people did.

in spite of the fact that it had the worst gameplay imaginable. Everyone always said, "but the story's so good!".

Going back even further, do we have any geezers that played Infocom?

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I didn't play Infocom, but I do (or at least did the last time I played) Snatcher. I don't think its gameplay is any worse than something like King's Quest.

I don't know why there's such resistance to pure games and interactive stories co-existing. Sometimes I feel like playing games like Unreal Tournament or Super Mario Bros. and sometimes I feel like playing games like Dreamfall or Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

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Originally Posted by Cheebs

Story is just one of those things that you could build a game on if you wanted to, but the majority of games just plain don't need.

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I thought this was so obvious asto not be worth mentioning. But yea.

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Originally Posted by Cheebs

Thus, I feel no need to give a major shot in the arm to the craft of video game story telling.

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Well, lots of games do engage in much storytelling, from all the RPGs down to some action and some stealth games, and its almost universally bad.

So yes, those videogames that do engage in story telling need a shot in the arm.

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Originally Posted by NeoZeedeater

I don't know why there's such resistance to pure games and interactive stories co-existing. Sometimes I feel like playing games like Unreal Tournament or Super Mario Bros. and sometimes I feel like playing games like Dreamfall or Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

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Because guys like Cheebs are jaded fucks that want to pretend like its 1989 again. Except, as you and I point out, tons of story-driven adventures were on the shelves in 1989.

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Originally Posted by NeoZeedeater

I don't know why there's such resistance to pure games and interactive stories co-existing. Sometimes I feel like playing games like Unreal Tournament or Super Mario Bros. and sometimes I feel like playing games like Dreamfall or Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

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I don't really read/hear much resistance like that. The thing I generally hear is, "Don't put story where it doesn't belong. When story is needed/desired, make it good."

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Originally Posted by RoleTroll

remember that TV show where you would watch the show while shooting the bad guys?

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captain power?

that show was ahead of its time. It would fit right in between stargate atlantis and BSG.