Great Games That Lack Gameplay

**NeoZeedeater** · 13 Sep 2002, 02:49 AM

That title might seem contradictory but what I'm talking about are games that lack in what is traditionally deemed gameplay(action or thinking) and are more of an "experience" than anything else.

Some of my favorites are:

Snatcher - It makes you think a bit and there are those shooting sequences but overall Snatcher doesn't really challenge you like a Western-made adventure game would. Still, I found the game completely enthralling with its atmosphere and story.

Xenogears - Most of the game is spent reading text but I loved its twisted story so much that I didn't care that it was completely linear.

Shenmue series - These games are mostly about going from point A to B but I loved the environments, music and time-wasters enough that they were great experiences.

All of these games/series lack in traditional "gameplay" but each would make my Top 50 All-Time Games list.

**Stone** · 13 Sep 2002, 03:43 AM

Ah, for me, the topic's title is absolutely 100% contrary.

Games have gameplay. Experiences, on the other hand, don't have to worry about gameplay, since that's not what they're about. So, in the case of a piece of media like Xenogears or Snatcher, I don't think you're really talking about a game in the first place.

Those Experiences bear as much relation to Games as Subtitled Movies do to Books, I think.

**Punky Skunk** · 13 Sep 2002, 04:18 AM

Shenmue II was fairly challenging in sections, like ascending the Ghost Building or the Don Nui battle (hope I got the names right).

Games have gameplay.

Don't confuse lack of gameplay with non-challenging gameplay. Big difference.

**sleeve** · 13 Sep 2002, 04:19 AM

I'm with Stone on this one. There are games that are *games*, and there are games that are interactive experiences. Snatcher and Xenogears fall into this category.

This isn't to say that game-experiences can't have enjoyable game-like mechanisms. The best console RPGs, such as Valkyrie Profile and Chrono Cross, have some enjoyable combat systems that break the monotony of passively following the story. But I would never call either title a proper "game", nor would I do the same for any other console RPG.

Of course, the first great game-experiences (and my personal favorites) were Dragon's Lair and Space Ace. Great animation, but no game to speak of.

**rezo** · 13 Sep 2002, 07:01 AM

Of course, the first great game-experiences (and my personal favorites) were Dragon's Lair and Space Ace. Great animation, but no game to speak of.

what do you mean? you gotta . . .push. . .the button. . . when the light. . .flashes. . .

but I'm with Stone and sleeveboy and whoever else agrees. I consider RPGs and certain forms of adventures more as a story telling medium than one for gameplay. That said, the gameplay can't be discounted completely. I may not care for the combat in Suikoden beyond the fact that the fights are short and don't come often, but someone may enjoy collecting the people spread about and such. So they are games, but really, the gameplay isn't what people like the most about them. Or, not what I like. PC adventure games on the other hand, are for the most part puzzle games with elaborate stories. =\. I'll stop typing and go to sleep.

**EightBit** · 13 Sep 2002, 07:11 AM

I'm gonna go ahead and consider this a "greater than the sum of its parts" type thing. And in that case...

GTA3.

Chakan.

Thousand Arms.

and probably a few more if I wasn't just getting up.

Z-roe

**Stone** · 13 Sep 2002, 11:27 AM

Originally posted by Rob
Don't confuse lack of gameplay with non-challenging gameplay. Big difference.

Well, I dunno, doesn't gameplay have to be somewhat challenging, in order for it to BE gameplay? Gameplay I think ought to be defined as a set of meaningful interactions with the rules of the game (just saying "interaction" is too broad, I'd say).

In a RPG or in a game like Snatcher, the game's focus is off of its rules/off of player-game interaction and on narrative, defining the player's position in the game. Often, a game throws its focus so strongly towards narrative that the player's interaction with the rules is meaningless (a RPG that offers 6 different choices (none of which required any prior learning to undertake) which all lead to the same result - the story progressing). I don't think that's really gameplay at all.

**NeoZeedeater** · 14 Sep 2002, 03:49 AM

I suppose it all depends on where you draw the line as to what constitutes a video game. It's a continuum. Dragon's Lair is more game-like than a regular movie and Shenmue is much more game-like than Dragon's Lair.