New Tech Stretches Game Writing Tasks

**Tommy Tallarico** · 01 Sep 2006, 05:10 PM

With the next-gen platforms come higher expectations, but not just in the visual department. Most gamers love a good storyline and they've come to expect high quality writing, voice acting and animation. Leading writers and voice actors chime in with their thoughts.

More...

**Bacon McShig** · 01 Sep 2006, 05:43 PM

Most gamers love a good storyline and they've come to expect high quality writing, voice acting and animation.

No, they haven't.

**Drewbacca** · 03 Sep 2006, 02:28 PM

Bacon McShig is right.

People keep citing Metal Gear Solid as some kind of pointer that cutscenes work in games. Except for the fact that the first game had a lot of cool gameplay boss battles (the ninja, the psychic guy, sniperwolf, etc.) The second game had a piece of shit story and MGS 3's sales payed for it.

Stories in games are secondary to gameplay.

**g0zen** · 03 Sep 2006, 04:42 PM

No they're not, there just aren't very many good stories yet.

Silent Hill 2 alone proves that you can carry shit gameplay if you have a good enough story.

**Thief Silver** · 03 Sep 2006, 04:50 PM

Gozen is speaking the truth.

**Joust Williams** · 03 Sep 2006, 05:19 PM

I hope it was a lot better than 1's because that was shitty (yet a few people go apeshit over it).

**g0zen** · 03 Sep 2006, 05:21 PM

Leaps and bounds better than any other Silent Hill's story. It's definiately worth playing.

**gameoverDude** · 03 Sep 2006, 06:48 PM

Storyline isn't so important, at least in my case.

I'd take a game with a generic ass "written in 5 minutes by Joe the Janitor" story and cheesy, House of the Dead style voice acting but great game play over a hollow shell of a game all gold-foiled in a Hollywood style multimillion dollar production. Anyday.

Cutscenes? 95% of the time I'll do the old "Press Start to Skip" thing.