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| Hey, don't mock the picture! A plot has to include characters, doesn't it? |
There is a delicate balance of gameplay and plot in video games. You don't want a game to sacrifice gameplay for the sake of the story. Likewise, it's hard to get into a video game with no story, even if the gameplay is fun. The first example I want to demonstrate is the game Wii Sports Resort, which I recently experienced for the first time. It effectively shows off the enhanced capabilities of the Wii MotionPlus accessory, so it relies heavily on gameplay as opposed to plot. Does is suffer from lack of plot? My answer is yes. Yes, it does. There's no final goal in that game: nothing to look forward to. Sure, the player can get pro status in every sport, but what good is that? I think the game would benefit from story-related tasks. For example, Showdown mode in the swordplay sport sees the player battling hordes of enemies in 10+ levels. What happens when all the levels are completed? You get a stamp (I think). A stamp? Yay. I feel like I should have rescued the princess after going through all that. Do you see what I mean?
But that doesn't mean video games can't get overpowered by the sheer amount of cut-scenes. I can't say I've played any that suffer in such a way, but I know they're out there!
Nintendo's hard-hitters (Zelda and Mario, basically) tend to hit a good balance of gameplay to plot. Even the original Super Mario Bros., as simple as it seemed, had a cohesive plot. The Legend of Zelda series has always been story-driven, but not at the expense of great gameplay.
So, once again, there you have it. Feel free to argue with me about anything you read in this post! I welcome the comments.
As a serious writer and an avid gamer, I definitely agree with the importance of an essential plot. However, I also feel the urgent need to add that just having a plot structure is simply not enough.
ReplyDeleteThe story needs to be engaging, fresh and actually interesting. As a huge lover of Nintendo, I am also quite critical of their missteps throughout the years.
When Square developed Super Mario RPG, it turned out to be an amazing gameplay experience with a great mixture of both, old and new characters in an unusual setting.
My point being, I'm so very tired of having to save the princess continuously for, what, over 25 years now?!
Mario RPG began with the usual princess getting kidnapped crap, but it evolved into something much richer, entertaining, and less predictable.
We already played tennis with Mario before. Do we really have to do it all over again without significant improvements?
This is why I'm also a proud owner of a PS3. Because, where Nintendo fails to give us a good story, the developers with Sony will deliver in spades. It makes me wonder if maybe Nintendo will no longer allow anybody else to make a Mario game. Because they may very well do a much better job than they can.
@Martin Alexander
ReplyDeleteSometimes I do feel disappointed when Nintendo delivers the same save-the-princess stories again and again, but it's the incredible gameplay that sets Nintendo apart, so I don't mind. If I want a good story, I'll watch a movie or pick up a book.