Just curious about what everybody thinks.

Here's my list, not set in stone. I also tried to only have 1 game represent each series(so I don't have 3 Final Fantasys)

1. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
2. Xenogears
3. Final Fantasy VII
4. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
5. Kingdom Hearts II

Honorable mentions: Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Halo(probably will make the list but I want to wait until I see the third act), Final Fantasy Tactics,  Balder's Gate, Xenosaga probably more...

Story means a lot to me when playing games. For that reason I can't play mindless shooters or World of Warcraft or any online sensation. If there's not story, then I don't see the point in playing. (For the most part).


1. Definitely StarCraft.

I basically only played that game for the story and the cut-scenes. Even though it's deriviative (Aliens and Starship Troopers) it has a unique universe and amazing artwork. The atmosphere is quite simply amazing and the backstory so incredibly vast they include a 9-page prologue in the manual.

2. Knights of the Old Republic II.

Now this was a very flawed game but the characters this game had were superb. the voice-actors were extremely professional and drew me into the story immediately. Hell, I almost fell in love with Mira the bounty hunter.

And after finishing that sentence I now realize why I don't have a girlfriend.

3. Vampire the Masqerade: Bloodlines.

Again, atmosphere does a lot here, but I'm a sucker for vampires (pun so intended) and this had multiple great short stories disguised as missions. I mean, the haunted mansion mission itself was worth a movie.

4. Maniac Mansion II: The Day of the Tentacle

Come on, what's not to love! it has three super-geeks who time-travel back in time to the founding fathers and alter history and save the world from humanoid green tentacle gone mad with power. By way of time-travel toilets powered by the world's largest diamond!

Why didn't I come up with that? Oh right, I was 7.

5. Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis

It has Indy. It has Nazis. It has broads. It has 8-bit sound.

I had you at "Indy".

Runner ups:

Half Life
The Fall of Max Payne

1. Silent Hill 2: IMO the best game ever. My friend introduced me to this game in highschool and I've been hooked on it ever since. Coming second to this is Silent Hill 4. if you haven't played it, please do so. It will shock you. Great music, characters, story.

2. Metal Gear Solid for ps1 - fantastic characters and several sub plots. I think that game is a great way for people to learn character development.

3. Godfather - makes one feel as a mafia member.  You can't be one in real life, one can be in this one.

4. Kingdom Hearts - reminds me of my childhood. you play as disney characters.  

5. Grand Theft Auto - it's a scarface storyline, and I enjoy scarface.

Gabe

This is a good discussion. I think sometimes people forget there are video games out there with storylines. It's not all just shoot-em-up or what not. I don't play video games much anymore but here are the games I felt that stood out in the story department (a few of them are majorly underrated):

1. Thief Series - With the exception of the Sonic the Hedgehog games, I'd say the Thief series (particularly I and II) is the best video game series of all time. The storylines are so rich and original and the mythos is so intricate, you could write a series of books based on them with an almost Harry Potter page count. Also, excellent melding of genres such as fantasy, mystery, horror, steampunk and even a little political thriller in there. Not to mention the protagonist is a great character and very unconventional as far as video games go.

2. Clive Barker's Undying - Clive Barker is a writer/filmmaker and wrote the game's storyline himself (instead of just attaching his name to it like Tom Clancy) so it's only natural it would be larger than the game itself. Not to mention it's original, atmospheric, gory as hell (come on, the guy directed Hellraiser), and contains some pretty interesting characters and creatures. It's kind of like a horror version of Kill Bill is Clive Barker decided to write it himself.

3. Deus Ex - Even more complicated than Thief as far as the storyweb goes. The game has multiple endings so naturally, there are a multitude of storylines that can occur. Just about every I said about Thief applies to this one except Deus Ex opts for the sci-fi/political thriller genres as opposed to horror/fantasy. The protagonist in this one isn't all that great (he's a video game character, to say the least) but there are others that are a little more developed.

4. Resident Evil (original) - Paul W.S. Anderson and co. really wasted their time making up new stories for the movies. The original game's story is already pretty solid as it is. Great mix of old school horror, sci-fi, and conspiracy thriller. The characters are a little flat and the dialogue is questionable but the original Resident Evil was definitely throwback to 70s and 80s zombie flicks as well as Hammer films and haunted house movies.

5. American McGee's Alice - Some might think the original book is scary enough but the storyline in the game makes it even scarier yet still is thought out and detailed enough not to come off as made for a video game. Definitely a great horror spin on the original story and actually pretty faithful to the original literature and not the stereotypes generated by the many adaptations (Disney's version and such). The storyline actually feels a lot more like a new chapter to the mythos rather than a reinvisioning.

Have we forgotten RESIDENT EVIL?

The Game Cube remake is incredible.

Quoted from ABennettWriter Have we forgotten RESIDENT EVIL? The Game Cube remake is incredible.

Quoted from James McClung 4. Resident Evil (original) - Paul W.S. Anderson and co. really wasted their time making up new stories for the movies. The original game's story is already pretty solid as it is. Great mix of old school horror, sci-fi, and conspiracy thriller. The characters are a little flat and the dialogue is questionable but the original Resident Evil was definitely throwback to 70s and 80s zombie flicks as well as Hammer films and haunted house movies.

Well.. um...

I'm putting the remake on my list.

Looks like I'm the only RPG guy here...

I haven't played most of the games you guys bring up so I can't really say I agree/ disagree. But on:

Quoted from Death Monkey 2. Knights of the Old Republic II. Now this was a very flawed game but the characters this game had were superb. the voice-actors were extremely professional and drew me into the story immediately. Hell, I almost fell in love with Mira the bounty hunter.

While I agree it was a flawed game I thought it was superior to KOTOR I in every way except for story.

II had great characters but so did One. One also didn't get as rushed in development so they could complete character stories instead of just kind of ending it.

And about Mira, she was ok but she was no Hanhar, Wookie Rage-- +2 to half your stats for every person you kill, I fell in love with that.  

Quoted from Mr. Ripley 2. Metal Gear Solid for ps1 - fantastic characters and several sub plots. I think that game is a great way for people to learn character development.

Completely agree. It was a toss up for me between MGS I and MGS III. I went with III because I thought the ending was really powerful, MGS III is one of a handful of games thats have manipulated me emotionally.

Quoted from Mr. Ripley 4. Kingdom Hearts - reminds me of my childhood. you play as disney characters.

I thought Kingdom Hearts II had a stronger story that was better delivered, but I might be biased. I thought it was really cool that  DiZ was voiced by Count Dooku.

About GTA and The Godfather ( I didn't play much of it but it looked pretty similar to GTA) They had lots of solid characters and there was some good dialog but I didn't feel like there were really any character arcs (with perhaps some exceptions, This might not apply to San Andreas which from what I saw looked like they developed the characters more. I'm talking mainly about my experience from III)

BTW I just finished Twilight Princess and although a good game I thought the story was pretty weak. Just thought I'd mention it while were on the subject.

sheepwalker

Quoted from Soap Hands Looks like I'm the only RPG guy here... I haven't played most of the games you guys bring up so I can't really say I agree/ disagree. But on: While I agree it was a flawed game I thought it was superior to KOTOR I in every way except for story. II had great characters but so did One. One also didn't get as rushed in development so they could complete character stories instead of just kind of ending it. And about Mira, she was ok but she was no Hanhar, Wookie Rage-- +2 to half your stats for every person you kill, I fell in love with that.

I don't think the characters in KOTOR I were that memorable. I liked Mission and the droid but that was really it. Too many of the characters were too goody-two shoes and all sterotypical in their "work first then play!" attitude. Maybe it was just the bland voice-acting but Bastila left me annoyed, same goes for Car-something.

II had Mira whom I loved, Atton AND Kreia who was a great ambiguous character. II was a much bigger moral grey area than I. While being a baddie, Kreia did have some good points. I was almost swayed by her. That's very impressive in a villain.

The game, story-wise, was amazing, except for the ending which was ridiculous and non-sensical. The first two acts were inredible, though.

Furthermore I never care about stats in these kinds of games. I just pick the two prettiest lady-characters to go with me and dress them up in the skimpiest outfits available.

Quoted from Death Monkey I don't think the characters in KOTOR I were that memorable. I liked Mission and the droid but that was really it. Too many of the characters were too goody-two shoes and all sterotypical in their "work first then play!" attitude. Maybe it was just the bland voice-acting but Bastila left me annoyed, same goes for Car-something.

What about Jolee Bindo? He was like a black Obi Wan Kenobi. Actually, in many ways he was pretty similar to Kreia except falling more on to the light side then Kreia who was at the end darkside.

Also, I'm not quite sure what you mean about them being too goody-two shoes. As I recall all of the characters could be converted to the dark side except Carth and Bindo.

Quoted from Death MOnkey II had Mira whom I loved, Atton AND Kreia who was a great ambiguous character. II was a much bigger moral grey area than I. While being a baddie, Kreia did have some good points. I was almost swayed by her. That's very impressive in a villain.

Like I said before I thought Mira was ok, I don't quite understand her appeal for you but whatever to each his own. I thought Atton was a douche, his cockiness annoyed me. I can see how you might find him humorous but if I had the chance I would have killed him.  

I agree Kreia was a pretty good character and a good villain but Malak and Reven held their own.

II did seem to have more characters that started more towards neutral but like I said before in I, as I recall, most of the characters could be converted either way. I can see how having the more neutral characters to start with might appeal to you because so much of the game revolves around morality but I would classify that as a game mechanic and not story or in other words: morally ambiguous characters does not necessarily equal a good story(at least for me, if your still unswayed I'll just go ahead and grant you the point)

Quoted from Death Monkey The game, story-wise, was amazing, except for the ending which was ridiculous and non-sensical. The first two acts were inredible, though.

Yes but the last act was a travesty-- unforgivable. This stains the rest of the story for me frankly, a lot of the game too. For me anyway, generally speaking, the end is the most important part of the story and it would take a whole lot to make up for an ending that bad.

As I recall the only characters that got sufficient development in the last act were the main character and Mira. I think this might be part of the reason why you might like KOTOR's story better then I do.

And one last thing, although it might not be a an apples to apples comparison because I was expecting it in II, but the twist in I totally got me where as the twist in II I was pretty much able to see coming.

Sheepwalker

Quoted from Soap Hands What about Jolee Bindo? He was like a black Obi Wan Kenobi. Actually, in many ways he was pretty similar to Kreia except falling more on to the light side then Kreia who was at the end darkside. Also, I'm not quite sure what you mean about them being too goody-two shoes. As I recall all of the characters could be converted to the dark side except Carth and Bindo.

Exactly. A black Obi-Wan Kenobi. He was a rehashed character whom they just gave another skin-color. I feel what they tried to do with Jolee Bindo actually worked with Kreia.

Goody-two-shoes: Bastila and Carth. Of course you can sway most characters to the dark side, but most of the prset cut-scenes and their default temper were pretty boring. I don't there was any real personality.

Quoted Text Like I said before I thought Mira was ok, I don't quite understand her appeal for you but whatever to each his own. I thought Atton was a douche, his cockiness annoyed me. I can see how you might find him humorous but if I had the chance I would have killed him.

Then let me explain: Emily Berry. the voice-actor. She made that character. Also, I'm not sure if you're a guy or a girl, but I kinda like smart-mouthed, hot chicks who know how to kick ass. But each to his own, yeah...

Quoted Text I agree Kreia was a pretty good character and a good villain but Malak and Reven held their own.

I totally disagree with that. Malak and Revan were copy pasted from "generic bad guys" hall of fame. In fact, I feel like many of the characters from I were trying to be like characters from the movies.

Quoted Text II did seem to have more characters that started more towards neutral but like I said before in I, as I recall, most of the characters could be converted either way. I can see how having the more neutral characters to start with might appeal to you because so much of the game revolves around morality but I would classify that as a game mechanic and not story or in other words: morally ambiguous characters does not necessarily equal a good story(at least for me, if your still unswayed I'll just go ahead and grant you the point)

And I'll just go ahead and accept it. Yay.

Quoted Text Yes but the last act was a travesty-- unforgivable. This stains the rest of the story for me frankly, a lot of the game too. For me anyway, generally speaking, the end is the most important part of the story and it would take a whole lot to make up for an ending that bad.

I think a lot of movies fail, exactly because they uphold the end to be SO important. I actually feel like The Village was a good movie, even though it had a terrible ending. If they'd crammed in a horrible second act the movie would've suffered the same.

LIke I said, I hated the ending, I could the focus on the two first acts.

Quoted Text As I recall the only characters that got sufficient development in the last act were the main character and Mira. I think this might be part of the reason why you might like KOTOR's story better then I do.

That's not true. If you dig, you find out Atton was a murderer during the Madalorian Wars that can't forgive himself. Of Course there's Kreia and The Hand-Maiden too; you find out why she's special and unlike her sisters.

Quoted Text And one last thing, although it might not be a an apples to apples comparison because I was expecting it in II, but the twist in I totally got me where as the twist in II I was pretty much able to see coming. Sheepwalker

I saw the twist in I coming after the first dream sequence. So predictable, IMO. I'm not sure what the twist was in II, though? I think what I liked about it was that it didn't have any real twists.

1. Resident Evil 4- The most intense game I have ever played!
2. Resident Evil(Original)- Good old zombie fun.
3. RainbowSix 3- A solid game that'll feed your tactical hunger.
4. Diablo 2- C'mon, you know you love it.
5. Poke'mon(the originals for thhe original gameboy)- What's that? You hated that game? You're lying.

~Zack~

Quoted from Death Monkey Exactly. A black Obi-Wan Kenobi. He was a rehashed character whom they just gave another skin-color. I feel what they tried to do with Jolee Bindo actually worked with Kreia. Goody-two-shoes: Bastila and Carth. Of course you can sway most characters to the dark side, but most of the prset cut-scenes and their default temper were pretty boring. I don't there was any real personality.

While I'll agree that most of the characters, from both games, fall into a certain character template I would not agree that Bindo was merely Obi Wan Kenobi with black skin. That doesn't give nearly enough credit to Bindo's character. Obi Wan was not tempted by the dark side as Bindo was, he did not have the love story that Bindo had. You may say that this was just a copy of the Anikin-Padme story but I disagree with that also. I think Bindo's story, while similar, goes in a different direction and explores new ground.

I can agree that Kreia was, for the most part, a better executed version of Bindo (wouldn't this make her something of a rehash also, at least as much as Obi wan compared to Bindo) but the differences between the executions of these two characters was not that great.

As I recall, and its been a while since I've played this but, most of the major cut scenes had a dark side version and a light side version, and in both versions the side characters didn't do much so they wouldn't have to completely create two versions, but that said, the major ones did characterize them.

Once again I'll agree that II did a better job at this but, in my opinion, it wasn't much better.  

About the default character settings, after a couple of hours of play, for most of the characters, you could set them along the players desired path. I believe by about a  third into the game you could get bastilla second guessing her loyalties to the light side.

Quoted from Death Monkey Then let me explain: Emily Berry. the voice-actor. She made that character. Also, I'm not sure if you're a guy or a girl, but I kinda like smart-mouthed, hot chicks who know how to kick A**. But each to his own, yeah...

I'm a guy and I'm also known to have, on occasion, enjoy the smart-mouthed, hot chick who knows how to kick A**. Frankly, she didn't leave that much of an impression on me, I don't recall the voice actress at all. That said, it is perhaps that when I was playing my light side game(when you get her instead of Hanhar) I went to her planet last, so I got all of her story basically in one sitting before heading off to Malachor V. This may have ruined my experience with her so I'll go ahead and give you this point also.

Quoted from Death Monkey I totally disagree with that. Malak and Revan were copy pasted from "generic bad guys" hall of fame. In fact, I feel like many of the characters from I were trying to be like characters from the movies.

Again, I'll agree that the characters, from both games, generally fall into a template. I also think this isn't necessarily bad for these games or the star wars movies in that they're dealing with myths and myths involve archetype characters. So I perhaps am a bit more forgiving when it comes this this.

But still, to defend Malak and Reven, while they mirror the Vader-Emperor relationship they go in a different direction with it, and as you have a certain control over one of the characters you can make that direction even that much more different.

Quoted from Death Monkey I think a lot of movies fail, exactly because they uphold the end to be SO important. I actually feel like The Village was a good movie, even though it had a terrible ending. If they'd crammed in a horrible second act the movie would've suffered the same. LIke I said, I hated the ending, I could the focus on the two first acts.

After thinking about this more I think you've in part swayed me. One can not have a good ending with out a proper set up. So, if a proper set up is required this would make it of grave importance as it is essential for a good ending.

However, a good ending is still very important for me as it is the last word if you will. It is very important, for me, that it finish strong.

That said, as we are trying to rank the top 5 narratives, I feel that it's important to critique the entire narrative and not only focus on the first two acts.

Quoted from Death Monkey That's not true. If you dig, you find out Atton was a murderer during the Madalorian Wars that can't forgive himself. Of Course there's Kreia and The Hand-Maiden too; you find out why she's special and unlike her sisters.

Thats not what I was referring to. I'm talking about the last level, on Malachor V when Mira basically got a portion of it devoted to her, she dealt with Hanhar and everything else, her character really finished strong. From what I remember it seemed like they had this set up for other characters also, but they just didn't get into the game for what ever reason. *cough*low budget and deadlines*cough*

Specifically, I recall them leading towards the factory where HK-47 was created, his place of origin. They had half the quest but just didn't have the end and his character, like many other characters were left hanging. This may have bothered me more as, in my opinion, he's the best character  from either game, and he is in both games.

Quoted from Death Monkey I saw the twist in I coming after the first dream sequence. So predictable, IMO. I'm not sure what the twist was in II, though? I think what I liked about it was that it didn't have any real twists.

In my opinion, finding out Kreia, your old aged Jedi mentor, was actually a Sith Lord (Darth Tyranus), that was using you to kill the remaining Jedi counsel, and that she trained Darth Nihilus, Darth Sion, and Reven was a twist. It might just be that your so good at predicting these things that it didn't even occur to you that the poorly concealed twist of II was even a twist.

To clarify, while I think II did a lot of things better then I, it did not do them that much better and certainly not well enough to compensate for the travesty that is the end of the game. Thus, in my opinion, KOTOR I had a better story.  
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Quoted from Zack Akers 5. Poke'mon(the originals for thhe original gameboy)- What's that? You hated that game? You're lying.

Hell yeah! I think the original pokemon(red and blue) where some of the beat games ever crated, definitely in my top 10 RPGs all time, maybe my Top 5. However, I don't know if it should be on a top narrative list...
Unless of course your really into minimalism...

Sheepwalker
  

Sheepwalker,

I hope you understand if I don't wanna spend the next hour or so replying point by point to your post, so I'll just agree to disagree with most of it.

However, as for the twist in the end. What I saw coming, fairly early on was that Kreia was the "real" antagonist. I didn't foresee that she was Revan's teacher, but I don't consider that a twist in itself. Just a revelation. A twist is something that turns the story upside down, IMO.

As for everything else let's just agree that the ending of II sucked and HK-47 is an awesome character. And here's hoping for nr. III.

1. God of War - The tale of Kratos is just beautiful and epic

2. Elder Scrolls 4 - While I think the best part of this game is the free roaming I also enjoy the underlying story of lost heirs and an otherworldly evil.

3. Metroid (all) - This whole games series is just classic

4. Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb - As Death Monkey said

"It has Indy. It has Nazis. It has broads.

I had you at "Indy"."

5. Drakengard - not the best game to play but the stories in both were both brilliant and moving.