jefequeso: Naughty Dog are the absolute last people I want to see "changing the industry" with their storytelling methods. Second only to maybe Infinity Ward. The Uncharted games are perfect examples of everything that is wrong with videogame storytelling, and if anything they are holding the industry back with their "let's just copy movies to a T!" mentality. I'm going to counter-chastise Naughty Dog for thinking that doing exactly what movies have done for decades is anywhere close to being revolutionary. Wake me up when Valve decides to "change the industry." At least they have a damn clue how to properly use a videogame to tell a story.
KneeTheCap: I disagree here. I think that the story (plot, voice acting, characters, locations) itself is very well made in the uncharted series.
And what has Valve done then? Is the plot of Half-Life that original?
Doesn't matter. I don't care how much money they spent hiring screenwriters, I refuse to applaud an effort that try to turn games into "little brother" movies. The Uncharted series is still just copying Hollywood, and no matter how good a job they do at that they're still holding the industry back as a result. How do you think the movie industry would be nowadays if it had never diverged from the style of stage plays? Games are NEVER going to be anything but a cheap knockoff of movies if they don't start trying to do something other than be a cheap knockoff of movies.
And no, the plot for Halflife isn't particularly original, but it's a hell of a lot more original than the plot of Uncharted, and is actually told in a way that couldn't have been done effectively in another medium. They're still a long way off from being the best that videogames could offer, but at least they're trying, instead of just going "We made a bunch of cutscenes and scripted cinematics! See how amazing we are at storytelling? We're just like big brother Hollywood! REEEESPECT USSSSSSS!"
StingingVelvet: They make movie stories, not game stories. And this article is them wanting more people to make movie stories, and better movie stories.
In short: screw that bullshit.
Games should embrace their medium and make stories tailored to it, not emulate movies. I mean I enjoy the cinematic storytelling of Mass Effect or Uncharted as much as the next bloke, but at the end of the day they feel like interactive movies. Games should aim more for the interactive and adaptive storytelling of a game like Deus Ex.
Exactly.
You have to understand that I'm not saying that NO GAMES SHOULD EVER TRY TO BE LIKE MOVIES! But the fact that this is the standard practice, and is in fact seen by many as the best route, is incredibly frustrating to me. I don't think Uncharted is a bad game. But I think that its philosophy exemplifies the sort of philosophy that is going to ultimately keep videogames from ever being anything other than popcorn entertainment.
