What game has a great story and is worth the time investment?

Submitted ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago⁩ by ⁨Perroboc@lemmy.world⁩ to ⁨games@lemmy.world⁩

I recently finished Rise of the Tomb Raider and Final Fantasy XVI, and I’m hesitant what I should play next (PC or PS5).

With FF I enjoyed the game and the story was all I expected from it, and I’m really looking forward to the DLC.

With Tomb Raider… damn that game is all over the place. The story is predictable, and also stupid. “Why did you rush in there? Without weapons? Against an army?”, and other similar thoughts kept running through my head. I don’t feel inclined to play Shadow of the tomb Raider (the sequel).

I have a backlog of too many games, and lately it takes a lot of effort to start because I don’t know if it’s worth the time investment. I love games with good stories, and playing a game that puts the lore and story in the background feels like a waste of time.

Sure, I could get started on Baldurs Gate 3, I’ve heard great things. But is the story great? Will I be able to say “oh that chapter/fight/act is awesome!” To other people looking for game experiences?

Experiences like Escaping from the ship in Super Metroid, helping that king in Witcher 3, fighting Psycho Mantis in MGS, fighting Titan in FFXVI, killing the first colossus, escaping from darth Vader, that first Mario odyssey stage, beating the first boss in Bloodborne, playing “Brothers” for the first time and getting to the ending… all great experiences with awesome stories to tell

TL;DR: what am I missing?

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Contramuffin@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
Outer Wilds (not Outer Worlds)

Ori and the Blind Forest

Hollow Knight

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- chandz05@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  +1 for Outer Wilds!
  
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- Poob@lemmy.ca ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  I came here to recommend Outer Wilds too
  
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- FooBarrington@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  Also wanted to add Outer Wilds. The story is incredibly interesting and well-told, and it’s one you have definitely not seen before!
  
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- seliaste@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  Outer wilds is the best story driven game ever
  
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- naticus@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  I wanted to say Outer Wilds too simply to have OP join us in our search for that high of another player experiencing this game for the first time. Nothing quite like seeing the game “click” when they finally get those big plot points.
  
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- richard_wagner@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  Pleasantly surprised to see Outer Wilds here, which I just finished the base game of the other day. Starting the DLC now.
  
  Great game!
  
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m_r_butts@kbin.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
Portal and Portal 2.

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- ruckblack@sh.itjust.works ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  Portal is one of my top choices for introducing people to video games who otherwise haven’t really been interested
  
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- Starb3an@sh.itjust.works ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  I love both of these. Sooo good.
  
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  - Perroboc@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
    Played them both! Awesome games, and glados is an awesome character!
    
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Darksouls1234@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
Mass effect trilogy

Soma

What remains of Edith Finch

Stanley parable

Spec ops the line

Fallout new Vegas

Detroit become human

Deus ex and deus ex human revolution

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- Blubber28@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  I want to second What Remains of Edith Finch. Tip: play it in a single go. It will take about 2 hours, but trust me when I say it’s worth it.
  
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- Squander@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  How would you classify Detroit becomes human? Its been in my queue for awhile. The preview looks great, sounds great, but I havent heard anyone bring it up. Which makes me worry if its worth the time.
  
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  - DichotoDeezNutz@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
    I’d say its worth the time. It has a lot of replayability, but I only played it once.
    
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  - richard_wagner@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
    It’s awesome. Mainly a dialogue-based game. Drama. A lot of choices that you have to make. Emotional.
    
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crypticthree@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
Disco Elysium

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- zaphodb2002@sh.itjust.works ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  My favorite game of all time. Second is Portal 2.
  
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- FullFridge@sh.itjust.works ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  This should be the top answer. I’m also a person that can’t really enjoy a game unless it has a good story and Disco Elysium blew me away. The best game to come out since 2019 as far as I’m concerned
  
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SCB@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
I definitely recommend Control, since a lot of games you like have big epic set pieces as well as an engaging story. That game is insanely rewarding if you’re willing to put the time and effort into looking for “collectibles” and piecing the game together. Very cool atmosphere and fun to play as well. You really get out of this one what you put into it.

Bioshock Infinite got shit on by both racists and leftists who completely missed the point of the game, but the ending is the best of the Bioshock series IMO and stuck with me longer than most anything else I’ve played. Lots of big cinematic moments, too.

Guardians of the Galaxy is slept on imo and has some amazing moments, and while the story is a retread of things the GotG comic has done, if you’re not a big comic reader, you won’t know, and if you are, you’ll be jazzed about how things are represented.

BG3 is incredible and the hype is well-deserved. The replayability is genuinely off the charts. Ive begun 4 playthroughs and beat it once and have not played the same game twice. Main story is the same but the variability in motivation, drive, and interactions is simply incredible. It is THE CRPG, and this is coming from someone for whom BG2 is my favorite game of all time.

New Vegas is New Vegas. It’s a shining example of what gaming can be for a reason. Needs no explanation (other than “don’t go north at the start”).

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- MaverickWolf@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  I came here to say Guardians of the Galaxy. The gameplay is fine, but the story and music in the game are awesome! I keep trying to get people to play it.
  
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Rhynoplaz@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
This one doesn’t usually get mentioned when people talk about good story: Borderlands 2. (1 is dry, 3 is stupid)

It’s light-hearted so I think people don’t take it seriously, but if you look past the fart jokes, and really pay attention. You get one of the BEST villains ever, and some real emotional moments.

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- lingh0e@lemmy.film ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  The Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep was a great continuation of the main storyline as well.
  
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  - Rhynoplaz@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
    As a long time D&D fan, I geeked out through the whole thing! So much fun!
    
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platysalty@kbin.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
The only problem with starting Baldur's Gate 3 now is that it's gonna be a crazy high bar for everything that comes after.

But if you want a great story that's affected by your decisions and character, it's a great place to go.

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garretble@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
Have you done any Last of Us, yet? Both games are excellent.

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- Perroboc@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  First one. The second one… I’ve read it’s more of a vengeance story in the first half, and then you play the same story from the other side, making you see how awful revenge is.
  
  Does it have scenes like the one with the giraffes?
  
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  - ProffessionalAmateur@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
    Yep. I hated ND at the time but by the end of the game I was blown away. One of the most immersive incredible gaming experiences I’ve ever had (story-wise, both games I mean). As amazing as the first was I almost prefer the second… I’m still torn.
    
    It’s not for every one though and it recieved a review bomb before it was released and a lot of those people still hate it.
    
    To answer the giraffe one and without spoilers… yep there’a lovely moments in it that stick with you
    
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  - mayo@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
    I’m replaying it right now on Survivor. Great game but so grim. I can’t do long play sessions because I find it too taxing. It’s extremely polished so you can play it at any difficulty level and it works well.
    
    I’m here now because I want to find another game to play alongside or after that isn’t so heavy.
    
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- Darksouls1234@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  I would agree that the first one is good, the second one is boring garbage in my opinion.
  
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  - garretble@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
    I like the second one better than the first.
    
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quams69@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
Outer Wilds

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JimmyMcGill@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
Bladur’s gate 3 is awesome but if you can wait, do so and you will have a much more seamless experience in the near future once more patches come out.

My recommendation is the following.

NieR Automata. It’s a masterpiece of a game with innovation all over the place. Trust me, it’s much more of a JRPG with some hot chicks. Go in blind and you will have an amazing experience.

On a similar note, Death Stranding. The story is less cohesive and honestly as a game it isn’t as good either but I still maintain that it is a game that everyone must try at least once. It’s not one of the best games I’ve played, by far but I am 100% happy that I played it.

Last recommendation is Hades. Flawless game with incredible amounts of polish.

P.S. all these games have AMAZING soundtracks

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- Big_Boss_77@kbin.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  I'll second the NieR suggestion, and raise the prequel/original. Both of those games have no right being as good as they are story wise.
  
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  - JimmyMcGill@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
    I’m already waiting for a discount to buy the first game
    
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- RedAggroBest@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  NieR, come for the 2Booty, stay for the existential questioning of the meaning of life.
  
  One of my favorite games of all time and I 1000% picked it up because the fan art of the MC is hot.
  
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ArchmageAzor@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
I highly recommend Outer Wilds if you haven’t already. Just don’t get it mixed up with Outer Worlds

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- bionicjoey@lemmy.ca ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  Outer Worlds is good too. Not as good as Outer Wilds, but still good. Sorta like New Vegas in space
  
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DefiantBidet@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
God of War 2018 - such a great story and you don’t need to know the previous games.

God of War - Ragnarock - it’s rare a sequel to a banger is good. Even more rare when the sequel to a banger is an even bigger banger. 2018’s story was good, ragnarock is so damn moving.

Red Dead Redemption 2 - never played the first one but bc 2 is chronologically before it, no matter. This game is so immersive and deep.

Horizon Zero Dawn - this one is probably hit or miss. You either lovr the lore or couldn’t be fucked. For me it was a great story. Gameplay may not stand the test of time however.

Ghost of Tsushima - this.game.is.so.fucking.pretty.

I can’t think of more but there are a ton 🙂

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- MajesticSloth@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  Horizon’s story stuck with me for a few weeks after completing it. Also one of the few games I played all the way through without playing other games as well. I usually have to play a few different games so I don’t get burned out of any one game.
  
  I agree on the God of War games as well. So well done.
  
  Also, Fuck Ted Faro.
  
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  - DefiantBidet@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
    Fuck Ted Faro.
    
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  - HeyJoe@lemmynsfw.com ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
    I also agree, I loved Horizons story and lore. I also agree people either love it or hate it which is super odd to me because it is such a great game and reminds me of all the other great games yet somehow this one gets shafted. You never got to see the past but just the retelling of what happened throughout the game was perfect.
    
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EarMaster@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
I was really surprised by Titanfall 2. Looks like an ordinary mech shooter (okay there is nothing ordinary about that these days), but the story was solid and the level design amazing.

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- thelongshot93@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  My only complaint is that it’s way too short of a campaign. It’s very easy to beat over a few hours, but it’s fun the whole way through and I just want more.
  
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Madbrad200@sh.itjust.works ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
Baldur’s Gate story is great, yes.

Dragon Age (fantasy magick adventure) and Mass Effect (space soap opera) are also great.

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- bionicjoey@lemmy.ca ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  Describing Mass Effect as a soap opera makes me irrationally angry. I think you meant “Space Opera”, although even that isn’t accurate. It’s far more like Star Trek than Star Wars.
  
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  - Madbrad200@sh.itjust.works ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
    I definitely meant space opera lol oops
    
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idunnololz@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
Undertale Ghost trick (it’s on steam now woohoo) BioShock trilogy

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potterpockets@sh.itjust.works ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
Spec Ops: The Line.

A bit dated, but one of the few shooters that makes you question your actions and view warfare for what it does to civilians and to soldiers. Definitely some memorable story moments.

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- Perroboc@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  Really good, played it when it came out. That phosphorus scene with the bodies of the victims stuck with me forever
  
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- FoundTheVegan@kbin.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  Not so thinly veiled take on Heart of Darkness via the games industry.
  
  Fantasic game. Intentionally meh gameplay. One of my faves, highly recommend.
  
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- 5ibelius9insterberg@feddit.de ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  This game is not fun. Not at all.
  
  But I do not regret playing it.
  
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Callie@pawb.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
NieR Automata for me, even with its 4 required playthroughs, it’s a fantastic story that genuinely made me question a lot of beliefs I had about life

Alternatively, NieR Replicant which is just as good on its 2nd and third playthrough because of knowing everything in the first playthrough

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pricklypearbear@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
Red dead redemption 2 has a really good story. Gameplay is pretty immersive and lots to explore.

God of war have a really good story and gameplay is overall fun.

Ni no Kuni II I found to be an interesting story. Gameplay was fun overall.

Ori, both games, has a good story to tell. Overall good platformer

Hollow knight is a fun platformer and overall story is good. Similar but not as good, death’s door.

Death stranding has an interesting story but kind of strange. Gameplay is OK but can get a bit repetitive at times.

Spider-Man, overall fun. Story is unique.

Ghost of tsushima, good story and gameplay. Visually lovely.

Cyberpunk 2077 I found immersive, story wasn’t bad but might not be for everyone.

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- ProffessionalAmateur@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  Second the GOW’s, RDT2 and GOT. Fantastic emotional plot driven games. I’d add both HZD’s too.
  
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  - pricklypearbear@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
    Forgot about Horizon. That was a good story as well.
    
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- JimmyMcGill@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  I’m halfway through RDR2 and the gameplay is boring af. Ok not all gameplay, mostly the quests. The world is amazing, and it’s quite immersive indeed but 90% of the quests are, go here, shoot some guys, come back.
  
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  - cygnosis@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
    The issue with quests in RDR2 is that they give you no autonomy. Most games set a quest objective and give you a dozen ways to achieve it. RDR2 forces you to follow the exact path through the quest that the game wants you to take. If you deviate it either fails to progress or simply fails the quest. It felt more to me like an interactive movie than a game in that respect, though you get full freedom outside of quests.
    
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UntouchedWagons@lemmy.ca ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
The Outer Wilds, Fallout New Vegas and Just Cause 3

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- ExtraMedicated@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  I was also gonna say Outer Wilds. My Steam library is almost entirely indie games and not much else stands out to me story-wise except maybe:
  
  Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
  
  The Upturned
  
  Song of Horror
  
  Withering Rooms
  
  May
  
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rmstyle@feddit.de ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
Since you seem to enjoy JRPGs I can’t recommend Persona 5 enough! Story is at times predictable, but the characters make it worth your time.

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- PrinceHabib72@feddit.nl ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  Seconded, though particularly the Royal version. The extra semester (and related content) and quality of life upgrades are completely worth it, and the best way to experience the game.
  
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ProffessionalAmateur@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
You’re missing Elden Ring. Bang for buck one of the best games hands down if you have 150ish hours to spare. Absolutely beautiful game with a great story, if a bit cryptic and dystopian. It’s a game that takes patience and can punish mistakes but just such a rewarding experience, wish I could start it over without knowing anything.

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- Montagge@kbin.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  The story in Elden Ring is super generic low fantasy. It's so boring.
  
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  - SCB@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
    I’m not the biggest fan of Elden Ring’s story, but it is decidedly not low fantasy.
    
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JokeDeity@lemm.ee ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
New Vegas

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- SCB@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  Hey man you know where you can find a great cup of coffee? Starbucks!
  
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Commiunism@lemmy.wtf ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
Disco Elysium definitely, as it’s probably one of if not the best written games available right now.

If you want something with more gameplay, you should definitely take a look at Pathologic 2. New content will be released relatively soon for it too (as in a different playable character and story), so it’s probably a good time to give it a shot.

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AEsheron@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
I’ve heard nothing but praises for Yakuza’s story thus far. And I’m only a short way into my first game in the franchise, Yakuza: Like a Dragon, and godamn does it live up to the hype. The characters, plot, world, they all are lovingly crafted and fit together so well. After this I’ll be going back to do all the Kiryu games.

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hogart@feddit.nu ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
The Last of Us. Damn I loved that game. First and only shooter that I’ve ever completed.

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Nfntordr@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
Kingdom Come Deliverance

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Argurotoxus@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
If you enjoyed FFXVI, it’s worth considering FFXIV.

It’s currently free to play through its first expansion and the second expansion will be free next year. So it’s a safe game to try from that perspective.

The producer of FFXIV is the same as FFXVI. His mentality has been that he’s wanted players who don’t want to play an MMO to be able to play through FFXIV’s story as if it were a mainline FF game. I’d say 95% of story content can be soloed at this point.

The two caveats are these: This is like playing through five full length JRPGs. To finish FFXIV’s story takes months. It’s easily 400+ hours of playtime imo.

The initial base game story, called A Realm Reborn or ARR is mediocre. It’s not bad, but the story quality spikes up in a big way at the first expansion and then never backs down. Even the end of ARR is really good, but it’s only decent up until then. However, after ARR is some of the best story writing I’ve ever had the pleasure to play. Shadowbringers and Endwalker in particular still bring tears to my eyes when I hear certain songs or rewatch some cutscenes. Truly a beautifully told story.

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Nibodhika@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
From some of the games you mentioned I think you’ll appreciate some of these games. All of them are the sort of games that have very rich stories that you will want to talk to people about, remember how you wanted to get your friend to play MGS blind just so you could see him face Psycho Mantis and have his mind blown and then you had someone to talk to about it? I had the same feeling for each of these games (which means I won’t tell you much about them, and you should try to avoid spoilers):

SOMA

Spec Ops: The Line

Life is Strange

I also think the Stanley Parable deserves an honorary spot it’s not exactly story rich but it’s a neat experience that I found quite unique.
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nevemsenki@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
Fallout New Vegas (with some mods), Vampire Bloodlines (with community patch) and Deus Ex Human Revolutions. I’d personally even put Deus Ex 1 there for the story itself, but the game is pretty old and may be jarring for modern audience even with mods…

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knobbysideup@lemm.ee ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
stray

black mesa project

portal 2
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