Hmmm, spoilers. Controversial subject.
I like to go into games fresh, without any preconceptions about what they are going to be like aside from the basic premise. It's nice to be surprised. In that respect, I agree with kritz (for probably the first time ever).
I also agree with Planet Jase:
I really don't care about video game endings, as I'm usually 4 or 5 years behind in what I play. Trying to avoid spoilers is useless. I can't remember the last game that I got shocked in, due to knowing the endings already or because they offer nothing shocking or surprising.
Having said that, I don't think being dismissive of other people wanting to preserve the ending is the correct attitude.
Videogame stories are 99% pish. They go nowhere significant, do nothing interesting and all they do is scratch the inner right-wing itch we all have a la the tv series 24.
I haven't played more than 10 hours of Mass Effect. Ive only played the first Gears of War. Ive only played CoD2 and half of MW2. I've played all of the Halo series and I can say this with quite some certainty:
They all seem to be going on the same narrative path and I bet my balls they all pretty much end with the same old shit: alpha male saves america/the world/galaxy/universe, suffers some immense personal loss along the way and ends with a perfunctory reflection on a mission well done. You might get a sombre or melancholy tone at the end, emphasised by a musical note that says *
shed manly tear here*.
You cannot spoil those stories - they have already been spoilt by the writers themselves.
What I consider to be spoilers:
* Showing off major setpieces in trailer footage (scarab battles, level walkthroughs, outlining the objective clearly - ie get 120 stars and then you get to collect another 120 but harder!)
* Showing all the playable characters in a story driven game where they play differently to the main character
* Describing the scenario
I dont think game stories are good - I cant name a genuinely good one that stands on its own. But I can name a number of good scenarios that lack enough information to let me fill in the gaps and from that "a good story" emerges. Some examples include:
* Rez - detailing some kind of alternate world to Neuromancer, the evolution of AI and as per Asimov, considering robots as good rather than pathos.
* Zelda - it's a fable with simplistic stories and lots of atmosphere
* Chrono Trigger - it's silly, encourages exploration and tells the story through the landscape changing over time
* Resident Evil 4 - it knows its a stupid story and makes this clear from the start.
General rule on spoilers:
I try to be vague when discussing a plot point in a book. ie compare certain characters to others in a book others might know. Last week I compared (ASoIAF character)
to a character in Asimov's Foundation series. If you know the Asimov character, you know what I'm talking about. If you dont, all you know is that there is a character called ............. who by my account has a similar role in ASOIAF, but you dont know what that role is. And mentioning his name is trivial since he is named in the first book.
Of course, if someone complains then its best to "STFU" and apologise.
If people think posting spoilers for a ~5 year old game is not cool, then thats it, I won't do it without tagging, not particularly much skin of my nose.
