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[jaysius]

Movies? Absolutely. Most movies, including the ones you mentioned in OP, are pretty shallow. Sorry, but I never understood all the hype about movies like Dark Knight, Inception, Dune or Shutter Island. They're enjoyable movies but not really deep in any way.

Books? Hell no. No movie or videogame will ever come close to telling a story as good as a good book can.

The newest Dune movie shows how hard it is with even a massive budget to adapt an amazing story into a movie. It's almost not worth it at that point.

I enjoyed the Dune movie, but still what I read was better than what they'd created on screen.

What you can do in 2 paragraphs, takes tens of thousands of dollars to do on screen.

Movies took decades to get to the point where they are, that we're really seeing stories truly fleshed out.

Games will take even longer due to technological limitations.

 

[DonkeyPunchJr]

Been thinking this forever.

I often watch some random obscure movie and think, wow, that was a better written and more complex story than any video game ever.

We have a long way to go.

And whenever studios try something new, simple minded gamers come with huge backlash, and stupid ass complaints about "wokeness" - Hard to tread new ground when gamers just want to be told the same fucking linear, shallow story over and over.

Partially agree with this. I find that even the best, most entertaining game stories are maybe on par with like an average Marvel movie. I’ve decided I like it more when games focus more on a story that’s fun and works well as a game, instead of trying to “out-Hollywood” Hollywood.

Disagree about the wokeness part though. I think that actually does make stories worse, when they try so hard to portray women/minorities/LGBTQ in the most Mary Sue way possible. Feels more like propaganda than a serious attempt to tell a compelling story.

 

[The Wheel of Fortune]

I think the problem here lies in folks judging books by their cover and not expanding their horizons enough. Most AAA games don't invest heavily in complex stories because it's not what most people look for in videogames.

That being said, here you have 3 examples of games (a JRPG, a rogue-like, and a VN/RTS) that may look generic or simple at first glance, but have some of the best time-travel related stories I've ever experienced in all forms of media:

 

[Punished Miku]

Citizen Sleeper is one of if not the best written game of 2022. Not a crazy time travel concept, but the actual writing is great.

Looking forward to Pentiment in a few weeks. Hopefully that also delivers.

 

[Dragon_Rocks]

He said complex not convoluted.

OP did state Tenet which is pretty much convoluted for most viewers. But then he also lists The Dark Knight which is pretty straight forward.

 

[Wildebeest]

I don't even like those Nolan movies, so I'm not really sure what you think you are missing out on. Some sort of science fiction setting with a theme focussing on understanding yourself through riddles and puzzles?

One only game which people are sick of talking about and hearing about is Planescape: Torment. "What can change the nature of a man?" I feel a more modern game which carries on this theme is Prey (2017).

A notable creator is Suda51 who is known for making games like Killer7 which have a puzzle like story structure.

One game I respect a lot is the Witness because it actually directly uses puzzle gameplay to challenge you to understand the world differently.

 

[Mibu no ookami]

OP did state Tenet which is pretty much convoluted for most viewers. But then he also lists The Dark Knight which is pretty straight forward.

Tenet wasn't convoluted at all. Most of Nolan's movies are straightforward even if the stories aren't told linearly.

 

[remember_spinal]

eh, idk…I’d say a lot of video games have stories on par with Nolan movies. I think people (including myself) love his movies because they usually have a bunch of twists in the final 3rd of the movie.

The batman movies have been pretty straight forward and not that much better than the Arkham games. Something like the Prestige is what I consider peak Nolan and it basically relies on meta-commentary of magic and fooling the viewer.

 

[Dragon_Rocks]

Tenet wasn't convoluted at all. Most of Nolan's movies are straightforward even if the stories aren't told linearly.

Yes it is. It is regarded as one of the most convoluted movie to follow and understand for most viewers in one viewing. It's up there with the Primer and similar movies.

 

[Danjin44]

Already people mentioned it but 13 Sentinels has one of my favourite stories in video game.

 

[samoilaaa]

Partially agree with this. I find that even the best, most entertaining game stories are maybe on par with like an average Marvel movie. I’ve decided I like it more when games focus more on a story that’s fun and works well as a game, instead of trying to “out-Hollywood” Hollywood.

Disagree about the wokeness part though. I think that actually does make stories worse, when they try so hard to portray women/minorities/LGBTQ in the most Mary Sue way possible. Feels more like propaganda than a serious attempt to tell a compelling story.

ofc wokeness can ruin a story , now this might be a sensible subject to some people i will talk about because i think that im free to talk about anything , lets take the most recent tv series , rings of power , i kept hearing from the actress that plays the "1st black female dwarf and the 1st person of color in a tolkien world and its a revolutionary moment for black people " these are her words

im curious did the lives of the average black people improved because a black female played a dwarf in a lord of the rings tv series ? i doubt it

 

[Cyberpunkd]

If you want good stories stick to movies or read novels, games are nowhere near good nor will they be. Nobody has figured out how to craft a game with a good balance of gameplay and character development and depth of story.

Planescape: Torment, Arcanum and Vampire: Bloodlines say hi. Also some Sherlock Holmes games.

 

[Thirty7ven]

Tenet doesn’t have a complex story it has a complex timeline.

 

[Guilty_AI]

Play ADV games

 

[Calverz]

Video games are still very much in their infancy when it comes to entertainment medium. Unfortunately, it’s still very much aimed/marketed towards children and young teenagers. As more time goes by, storytelling will improve. By the time the genre gets its own Shakespeare, we will all probably be dead.

 

[gaming_again]

Tenet wasn't convoluted at all. Most of Nolan's movies are straightforward even if the stories aren't told linearly.

Tenet was poorly rated because nobody can go three minutes without pulling their phone out anymore.

It’s a beautiful film. We don’t deserve Nolan.

 

[samoilaaa]

Tenet doesn’t have a complex story it has a complex timeline.

yeah , i know that the most complex thing is keeping up with when the things are happening but thats not the only reason i like it , i cant explain it , the characters are very interesting and they act so good



true detective seasons 1 is also in my eyes some of the best storytelling ive ever seen

 

[Lucifers Beard]

Xenoblade Chronicles has an amazing story. Loads of twists and turns too.

 

[gaming_again]

yeah , i know that the most complex thing is keeping up with when the things are happening but thats not the only reason i like it , i cant explain it , the characters are very interesting and they act so good



true detective seasons 1 is also in my eyes some of the best storytelling ive ever seen

He takes his characters to the rawmost edges of their emotional limits without it ever being melodramatic or saccharine. They are films made for adults.

 

[Nautilus]

What are you talking about? These movies stories dwarf in comparison to many games story(whi has a focus on story, of course)

 

[_Idea_of_Evil_]

I guess xenoblade chronicles as well

For suuuure - but I would even say Xenogears goes even deeper. Straight up mind-blowing stuff. Both are legendary individually.

 

[NomenNescio]

I find Nolan's stories way too convoluted to be compelling; he's a try hard. Dune is also unappealing as hell, why would I care about fictitious intergalactic politics when I read and hear all that shit in real life all day?

"Simple story, complex characters" - NEIL DRUCKMANN.

That's the way to go, man.

 

[mortal]

It seems like you're only concerned about AAA titles and from big studios and publishers, with most of everything else being ignored.

 

[K2D]

Those types of games will be few and far between due to rising cost of and sustained focus on graphics.

Much due to how easy it is to market to consumers.

 

[begotten]

Tenet was fucking garbage

 

[PhaseJump]

More games need to be adapted from novels.

Microsoft should drop bags of money on Steven Erikson and Ian Esslemont so Malazan becomes the next Witcher franchise at one of the huge RPG studios it owns.

 

[Flabagast]

You really need to play SOMA OP.

Best story in the entire medium.

 

[Apocryphon]

Quantum Break
LA Noire
Detroit: Become Human
Heavy Rain
Arkham Knight
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided

 

[SCB3]

• Alan Wake
• Control
• Silent Hill Series

All mindfuck kinda games

 

[I Master l]

Tenet was fucking garbage

Yep, The core of the movie is about changing something by travel back in time, The rest is just camera tricks
I give it 3/10

 

[a multicultural team of v]

Steins;Gate has the best, most creative and interesting, time travel story I've read, period.

428: Shibuya Scramble is another game with an exceptional story compared not just against other VNs but all media.

 

[Gaiff]

How about we stop wanting games to be like movies and want them to play to their strengths? Games haven't evolved in terms of gameplay in close to 20 years yet here we are talking about wanting movie-like stories out of them.

Movies already serve that role so why try to push that into gaming as well? Gaming has a lot of room to grow and I'm afraid the path of developers trying to be movie directors will just end up with them making games that fall short of movies and books in terms storytelling.

A key problem is the interactive nature of games which clashes with the passive aspect of books and movies. If you want to tell a compelling story like in the best movies, your narrative must be pretty heavy-handed which will take away from the play time and get in the way of the experience.

I don't care one bit for the stories in games. If they're good, it's a bonus. If not, doesn't matter so long as the game itself is good.

 

[Stuart360]

I like DUNE but i wouldnt exactly call in a complex story, its basically a darker AVATAR.

 

[gaming_again]

How about we stop wanting games to be like movies and want them to play to their strengths? Games haven't evolved in terms of gameplay in close to 20 years yet here we are talking about wanting movie-like stories out of them.

Movies already serve that role so why try to push that into gaming as well? Gaming has a lot of room to grow and I'm afraid the path of developers trying to be movie directors will just end up with them making games that fall short of movies and books in terms storytelling.

A key problem is the interactive nature of games which clashes with the passive aspect of books and movies. If you want to tell a compelling story like in the best movies, your narrative must be pretty heavy-handed which will take away from the play time and get in the way of the experience.

I don't care one bit for the stories in games. If they're good, it's a bonus. If not, doesn't matter so long as the game itself is good.

Agree 99%. But Dark Souls shows that games can do environmental and fragmental story telling better than, say, House of Leaves did.

 

[gaming_again]

I like DUNE but i wouldnt exactly call in a complex story, its basically a darker AVATAR.

The themes in the book are complex imo.

 

[Thebonehead]

This forum needs deserves something based on "The Room"

 

[light2x]

most people are too stupid

Including you.

 

[Kagoshima_Luke]

Try Ice Cimbers

 

[BadBurger]

I know the genre probably isn't most people's jams, but visual novel type games sometimes offer very compelling stories - such as The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante. There's plenty of surreal fantasy and sci-fi ones as well.

But have you tried Horizon and Horizon: Forbidden West? Taken together, their stories are certainly the kind of thing you're looking for.

 

[Shifty1897]

13 Sentinels and Nier Automata are probably the best game stories you haven't mentioned playing yet.

13 Sentinels in particular is just somebody taking all their favorite movie plot twists and (against all odds) somehow combining them into a coherent story. It's an impressive thing to behold.

 

[Paperclip Killa]

Hide or your mouth will scream, it's a PC game lauded for its narrative and atmosphere.

 

[adamsapple]

Legacy Of Kain fits the bill.

 

[SlimySnake]

Game developers nowadays are failed writers who couldnt make it in hollywood.

dont expect anything original or complex.

 

[N30RYU]

NieR
999
The World Ends With You

 

[RoboFu]

Tenant and inception are deep movies?

 

[midasmulligan]

13 sentinels has an absolute mind fuck of a story, and I mean that in a positive way.

Hmmm, about 5 or so hours in a looks like an anime high school simulator…crossing fingers here but it’s not looking great

 

[It's all in the wrist]

How about we stop wanting games to be like movies and want them to play to their strengths? Games haven't evolved in terms of gameplay in close to 20 years yet here we are talking about wanting movie-like stories out of them.

Movies already serve that role so why try to push that into gaming as well? Gaming has a lot of room to grow and I'm afraid the path of developers trying to be movie directors will just end up with them making games that fall short of movies and books in terms storytelling.

A key problem is the interactive nature of games which clashes with the passive aspect of books and movies. If you want to tell a compelling story like in the best movies, your narrative must be pretty heavy-handed which will take away from the play time and get in the way of the experience.

I don't care one bit for the stories in games. If they're good, it's a bonus. If not, doesn't matter so long as the game itself is good.

There's plenty of room for all kinds of games.

 

[april6e]

Yeah, this is the problem I've had with games for the longest time. Even the greatest games of all time (take the top 50 of the last decade for metacritic for example) have middle school level stories compared to even a decent Hollywood or TV storyline. Same with game music/sound in most cases.

Everyone should be screaming from the rooftops about how incredible games like Disco Elysium and Divinity: Original Sin 1+2 are and yet no casual gamers you talk to have played these games. Those gamers (which make up the vast majority of gamers) only care about plug and play experiences like Fortnite, Fifa or Rocket League. It actually is a common complaint lately (even from hobbist gamers) whining about how long games are these days and how open world games/roguelites are cancer. They don't want to play games longer than 12hrs long. But a proper story cannot be set up in this time.

We need more companies hiring actual Hollywood writers for gamers. But it would cost too much money and the vast majority of gamers don't give a crap about story. They skip all the cutscenes. Unfortunately, I don't think this problem will ever be solved unless a GOTY level game comes out that hires a Hollywood writer and also the game is amazing. Then it might become a trend and we can get better written games.

 

[rabbity-thing]

Kingdom Hearts series

Look, bro. I love the series. The story, however, is ummm..... it's bad. It's a poorly told labyrinthian mess.

 

[Hero_Select]

Anybody who says Death Stranding is silly. That game tries way too hard to sound deep but it's so on the nose.

Fragile. Deadman. The obvious symbolism and the CONSTANT droaning of the characters that basically explain why they're called what they're called is so goddamn annoying.