- EPANDEMIC
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- Intrepid Mythic Member
I think he made some good points but I don't agree with all of it.
For instance one of my favorite games of all time is Far Cry 2. There is almost zero plot in that game, but it is fun exclusively via the gameplay mechanics.
However another one of my favorite games of all time is Mass Effect/Mass Effect 2. Those games main selling point is the story. Mass Effect could've been an epic movie trilogy, but it's a video game and a very successful one at that.
All his points about the best games are those that give you the resources to make your own story are valid but BioWare did something special by allowing you to actually input your own decisions into a pre-written, overarching plot and allowing you to tailor certain aspects of the story to fit your Shepard. The Reapers always invade, you always kill Saren, you always "die" and end up working for Cerberus, but other things change from person to person and playthrough to playthrough. So I don't agree with the whole "chocolate and tuna fish" analogy he makes. I think good storytelling and solid gameplay mechanics can me merged successfully, but it's a rare occasion when that happens. I think Mass Effect is the ultimate counter-point to his argument. That being said, I can't think of another game in recent history that did what Mass Effect has done.