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Help me out here Dakka, I need to find some decent story-driven games for my wife.

For some reason, I can't get her to play Mass Effect, and I have no idea why, so don't suggest that :(

Probably because the

Mass Effect 2 is much better, at any rate (missing out on the incredible experience of ME2 is a tragedy, to be sure).

I suggest The Witcher 2 (Excellent story-driven game with huge game-changing decisions to make at every turn), Heavy Rain (One of the few games that relies completely on storytelling), and Red Dead Redemption (Great unexpected twists and memorable characters with lots of miscellaneous activities to help make the game feel like a complete experience).

What systems do you own? That might make this a bit easier.

See all of those sound great, but the problem is they have a lot of combat. What I was referring to was classic adventure-story heavy games like "return to monkey island", the new Sam & Max stuff, etc, or anything without a lot of combat.

While I agree the side story stuff in ME2 is great, the overall plot is pretty meh imo.

My platforms are 360, wii and PC.

Monkey Island.

I would say that Heavy Rain is a good one, but that's PS3 only.

LA Noir is supposed to be pretty good, the Resident Evil series has a wide arching story, but I don't play PC as much so I can't offer any help with those games.

Heavy Rain is about as close as you're going to get to a triple-a point and click title in this age, as the genre is all but dead. Unfortunately, you don't own a PS3.

It is practically impossible to find a game that is completely story-driven nowadays, and you're usually required to contend with some sort of combat system or something, so it's good to find a game that is rather forgiving. Red Dead Redemption is a great example of this (the combat is much easier than Mass Effect, for example, and this keeps the game from ever frustrating you, but overall, the action still feels rewarding in it's own right). Assassin's Creed 2 is another really great example (I still haven't played brotherhood), as the game focuses more on the freerunning 'puzzle' elements than combat, combat is incredibly easy, the RPG 'lite' elements give you something to work towards, and the storyline is told in a really interesting way (playing the first game is not really a requirement, though it has some interesting nods to the first game). Unfortunately, the storyline devolves near the end (and the best parts of the story are hidden away completely), but that doesn't stop it from being an amazing experience up to that point.

While I agree that Mass Effect's overarching story was better than the second game, the side content makes all the difference. You actually cared for your characters by the end of ME2, which is something the first game didn't really achieve for me. It also succeeds at keeping you totally focused on the gameplay and the storyline, and gives you a strong sense of achievement instead of forcing you to dick around with completely trivial RPG elements

Penumbra is pretty good at having minimal combat and being focused on the story and atmosphere.

If we're going with indie titles like Penumbra, gonna hafta recommend Amnesia: The Dark Descent. No combat, just lots of running from unseen and rather terrifying enemies. You will brown yourself.

Amnesia has a story? I thought the point of it was just to be scary.

bioshock..........

halonachos wrote:Amnesia has a story? I thought the point of it was just to be scary.

A pretty good one, in fact. Based on Lovecrafts The Outsider, if memory serves.

I never read Lovecraft. I probably should seeing as though even Stephen King had a reference to a Lovecraft story in one of his stories.

Laughing Man wrote:

halonachos wrote:Amnesia has a story? I thought the point of it was just to be scary.

A pretty good one, in fact. Based on Lovecrafts The Outsider, if memory serves.

Indeed. Both Penumbra and Amnesia-- both made by the same company I should note-- have excellent stories.

Frictional games does one thing and one thing well-- tell excellent scary stories where you are not a badass, but a scared mofo trying desperately not to get slaughtered by the monsters around you.

I bought amnesia, played amnesia until I was able to melt the goo thing that was blocking the next section of the castle

then i stopped playing

i couldnt take it anymore

i couldnt even play amnesia in bright summer's day for crying out loud

yes this is an endorsement for the game

Deus Ex 1.
Cracking plot to it.

I think Eternal Sonata is pretty story driven (though I played for about an hour and a half before giving it up as not much had happened). Has combat similar to FF games from what I remember.

Zelda games have combat in them but are pretty story driven.

From what I understand Heavy Rain is pretty story orientated, though I think it is only on PS3.

Both Bioshock 1&2 have a great Story line to them and relies on learning about the Fall of Rapture.

Bioshock is a somewhat difficult first-person shooter that focuses on a fairly intricate combat system and atmosphere more than it's story. The story can be summed up in about a paragraph; it's the feelings that the game evokes in you that make a lasting impact

Legend of Zelda games have more merit when you've played the entire series. Individual games don't have a complex story or great dialogue by any means, but when you tie all the games together, the storyline becomes incredibly complex and thought-provoking. However, they all tend to copy each other, and while the puzzle-heavy action is pretty awesome, they don't have a mindblowing storyline without the context of the other games in the series.

I'm quite partial to the storyline of Final Fantasy Tactics. It is full of betrayal and political intrigue (moreso than any other game I can think of), and it questions a lot of things that no other media has dared to. No other game has shaped my outlook in such a profound way (given I first played it when I was eight years old, but it still holds a lot of value even at twenty years of age). The combat is just as big of a focus as the story, but since it's a turn-based tactical game, it's not as twitch or skill oriented as most other games, and it allows you to formulate a strategy and give a lot of thought to every action (and the leveling and job system is perfect,). I strongly recommend it, especially the remake for the PSP.

I also love the storyline of Morrowind, though it contains so many other aspects that it is easy to get lost in the world. It has a rather high barrier of entry, since most of the dialogue is written and the graphics are piss-poor in comparison to modern games. The skill system is also a big focus, though it feels much more natural than any other RPG-. Morrowind provides you with a fully fleshed out world in a way that no other game has really come close to, and becoming immersed in it makes everything exponentially better. There is a ridiculous amount of backstory to consume, and side quests are of the same excellent quality as the main story. The way that this enhances the storyline as a whole is rather awesome, and difficult to find in other games. It can be rather unforgiving when you first start out, but it is easy to push past this barrier simply by enhancing your skills. It also doesn't hold your hand as much as other games tend to, and quests are often resolved by using your own intelligence and navigational skills. This may be a problem for a casual gamer, but the experience is unlike any other game, and is totally worht investing your time in.

DS has several interactive books. Still, there will always be a focus of some sort on gameplay as they are, you know, games. For pure story might I suggest a book?

and the graphics are piss-poor in comparison to modern games.

I beg to differ

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/363115.page

I wouldn't recommend penumbra or amnesia myself, but that might be due to me not liking lovecraft.

halonachos wrote:I never read Lovecraft. I probably should seeing as though even Stephen King had a reference to a Lovecraft story in one of his stories.

Tommyknockers may as well have had a giant sign saying THIS BOOK IS INFLUENCED BY LOVECRAFT on the front cover.

Try Myst, Riven, or The Omega Stone. They're old, but they are totally committed to story and puzzles. In fact, when I played Riven (the sequel to Myst) I only encountered four living things.

Myst and Riven are Sci-Fi, while The Omega Stone is fiction on earth.

Myst is a great game...

L.A Noire has a very good story. Assassins Creed Brotherhood, definitely. You could catch up to Bioshock before the sequel arrives, it´s story is very exciting and fresh (very scary, though, so be prepared for that).

That´s all Iv´e got

Avoid assassins creed if you don't want combat

I have to suggest L.A. Noire as well. The game relies more on your ability to gather clues and information, then you also have to pay attention to facial expressions when questioning suspects to see when they are lying, etc.

So far, there havent been too many firefights or car chases that were "mandatory" and I am currently at the Vice desk (you progress from Patrol, to Traffic detective, to homicide, and then to vice and arson.

corpsesarefun wrote:I wouldn't recommend penumbra or amnesia myself, but that might be due to me not liking lovecraft.

halonachos wrote:I never read Lovecraft. I probably should seeing as though even Stephen King had a reference to a Lovecraft story in one of his stories.

Tommyknockers may as well have had a giant sign saying THIS BOOK IS INFLUENCED BY LOVECRAFT on the front cover.

Only Tommyknockers? The entire Gunslinger saga has more veiled (and not so veiled) Lovecraftian elements that the Crimson King might as well be part of the Mythos.

Laughing Man wrote:

corpsesarefun wrote:I wouldn't recommend penumbra or amnesia myself, but that might be due to me not liking lovecraft.

halonachos wrote:I never read Lovecraft. I probably should seeing as though even Stephen King had a reference to a Lovecraft story in one of his stories.

Tommyknockers may as well have had a giant sign saying THIS BOOK IS INFLUENCED BY LOVECRAFT on the front cover.

Only Tommyknockers? The entire Gunslinger saga has more veiled (and not so veiled) Lovecraftian elements that the Crimson King might as well be part of the Mythos.

Of the ones I have read Tommyknockers was the most obviously lovecraft inspire.

Can't really go wrong with the majority of the Final Fantasy, Zelda, or Legacy of Kain series's for great storyline and gameplay.

For the Wii, go out and grab Lost in Shadow. Its a story driven puzzle/platform kindda game. At first I started playing it only because it was a REALLY clever and new way to play/make a game. Then the story started putting those hooks in me, making me wonder what the hell is going on here. Seriously I fell in love with the game