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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ansik@kbin.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
Currently playing a second Fallout 4 play through so that will color my view but honestly, all the fallout games.

Not the main story necessarily but all the smaller stories you find absolutely everywhere in those games are magical, piecing together what happens with a family who’s been dead for 200 years through terminals and notes or going through a vault slowly realizing what horrors have taken place keeps me pushing to exploring!

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Scrof@sopuli.xyz ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
Torment: Tides of Numenera, Disco Elysium, Age of Decadence, Shadowrun: Dragonfall, Shadowrun: Hong Kong, Tyranny, Fallout: New Vegas, Planescape: Torment

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Taztrophe@kbin.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
BioShock. The whole series has an interesting storyline. One and two are related directly. BioShock Infinite isn't directly related to the first two but arguably has the most compelling story arc. The ending is one of the first games I remembered being just dumbstruck.

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- Perroboc@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  I should play them again. I played 1 and Infinite only. Bioshock 2 felt like a cash grab at the time. Is it worth it?
  
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Endorkend@kbin.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
If you can deal with dated graphics 100% the original DeusEx.

And DeusEx Human Revolution still looks splendid and also has damn great story.

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- Perroboc@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  Played both Human Revolution and Mankind divided. Incredible games, shame that the second one was cut before the story finished 🙁
  
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- aaaantoine@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  Also, the other good Ion Storm game, Anachronox.
  
  I haven’t played it in 20 years and still remember some great moments.
  
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  - Chobbes@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
    I was kind of disappointed with all of the planets after leaving Anachronox and I kind of just stopped playing at some point. I kind of want to pick it up again but I’m not super into the combat system either.
    
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  - Endorkend@kbin.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
    Oh yeah, one of the more original RPG stories still.
    
    Democratus is still one of my favorite RPG companions of all time.
    
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DasRundeEtwas@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
borderlands 2

optimally you scour up up to three friends to play with, but even alone the game is excellent.

it has a great story with one of the best villains in gaming ever (my opinion) as good as glados.

apropos glados the portal games are also a definite must play (what with portal 2 being the highest ranked steam game ever.)

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- hangonasecond@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  My personal disclaimer on this is that Borderlands is way more fun with friends, but if you want to pay attention to the story you probably need to be selective about who you play with. I find most of the people I’ve played with don’t really pay attention to the story and I either need to skip everything or force them to wait for me, not ideal for either person.
  
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Squizzy@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
Oh thanks for this list, I wish there were more that weren’t scary. I’m a total coward.

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kratoz29@lemm.ee ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
Hotel Dusk and Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney if you want something with a slower pace.

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secondaccountlemmy@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
Spider-man is something that isnt mentioned here yet. It has amazing setpieces and a good story.

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JakoJakoJako13@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
The first three Metal Gear Solid games have fascinating stories. They’re not the most logically sound stories and they have a lot of weird elements that make them hard to follow. At the micro scale they’re not the most comprehensive. On the macro scale they’re not hard to get into at all. When the story hooks you it really hooks you.

I was a child when I completed the first two MHS games. I never finished MGS3 because the disk got smashed to pieces. I do remember liking it a lot though. MGS2 is my favorite of the bunch. It was a good mix of old characters and new that carried the story in a satisfying way.

The absolute best story in video games(IMO) is the Mass Effect trilogy. For the longest time those games set the bar for video game story telling to me. Every character was so easy to get invested in. I cared for all of them and deciding who completed the journey or not was a series of deeply personal tough choices that carried across three games. Did the ending suck? Absolutely. Do not let that last 0.1% mar what is easily %99.9 one of the best space scifi stories in any medium.

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- platysalty@kbin.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  MGS2 will blow your mind. This scene from MGS2 has been living rent-free in my mind since I first saw it as a teen when MGS2 came out.
  
  Remember, this game came out around 2000. The internet was just starting to become relevant back then.
  
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  - H_Interlinked@kbin.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
    The 3rd act of MGS2 hits like a sledgehammer after so much light hearted, self-parodying, comfortably familiar heroic espionage. The story has aged so well. It invokes that eerie 4th wall break feeling that Psycho Mantis delivered, but on a prolonged and more meaningful scale.
    
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boletus@sh.itjust.works ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
The Hex, Inscryption

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AnyProgressIsGood@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
Homeworld

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nodimetotie@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
Quantic Dream makes pretty good story-driven games. People have recommended Detroit, but earlier games are also worth checking out, like Beyond: Two Souls

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dutchkimble@lemy.lol ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
Ghost recon wildlands, it’s the game that keeps on giving

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- Adulated_Aspersion@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  I’ve platted this game, amd I love it dearly. We need a Wildlands 2. Not Breakpoint.
  
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  - dutchkimble@lemy.lol ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
    Indeed we do
    
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implicit_cast@kbin.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
Inscryption.

I don't dare say anything at all about it. Go in completely blind.

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- chandz05@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  God damn yes. What a mindfuck of a game. Loved everything about it
  
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LordTekno@kbin.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
Conversation that could go a few different ways. Are you looking for games with massive lore and world building? Dark Souls, Destiny, Nier, FFXIV.
Are you looking for something short and sweet that keeps you engaged with story the entire time? Bioshock, Horizon, Last of Us

I would recommend trying FFXIV if you liked XVI. Same team (Creative Business Unit III) worked on both games. They have done a lot of work so that even tho it is an online game, mass majority of the story elements can be finished solo. And then there's the joke about the free trial....which expands this October to not only include the base game + The full first expansion Heavensward...they are also adding in the second expansion Stormblood for absolutely free.

Also, if you want a mecha sdci0fi game, play 13 sentinels. It is an fantastic unique storytelling experience.

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- Perroboc@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  I absolutely loved FFXIV, it was one of the reasons I played XVI. Yoshi-P, Zoken, and Koji Fox are awesome.
  
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  - ArtVandelay@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
    Do you know… La-Hee?
    
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sutlusalca@kbin.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
Metro series. It is not a horror game but have a nice story. Also, Astroneer is good. I didn't give any change to these two games in the past, but now I regret my decision.

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- Haui@discuss.tchncs.de ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  I was gonna say metro as well. Caught it on stream two years ago, liked it. Read the books, awesome. Playing the first one rn, found out I‘m a wimp.
  
  Also fallout except 76 (I have it but i dont like playing it, I really don’t like the always online part).
  
  The witcher series (currently reading the first book after watching the series and finishing all three games.
  
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Montagge@kbin.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
Subnautica
Oxenfree

I definitely get your concern with BG3 as Lariat had a pretty lousy story in both DoS and DoS2. In both games they tried to be serious and funny without doing a good job at either.

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- ono@lemmy.ca ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  I second Subnautica. It’s not a big story, but I love the way it’s told: gradually unfolding through exploration and discovery.
  
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Navarian@lemm.ee ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
I’ll throw my hat in the ring and say - the newer Wolfenstein series.

Incredible story, Incredible gameplay with choices that matter, and a lot of content to occupy your time across the like 3-4 games.

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- Perroboc@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  Including the one with the sisters?
  
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  - Navarian@lemm.ee ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
    I believe that has some relevance to the story but honestly I haven’t tried that one.
    
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Cavemanfreak@lemm.ee ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

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?

I can only speak for the first 1,5 acts (I think I’m getting closer to finishing act 2). The main story is good so far, but perhaps not the best. There are loads of great side quests, fights and even choices though. And you can complete most tasks in a myriad of different ways.

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kingludd@lemmy.basedcount.com ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri

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slazer2au@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
Mass Effect and Borderlands

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Nerorero@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
Wait, did you not list the first deus ex???

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CitizenKong@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
Baldur’s Gate has some of the best gaming moments in my recebt memory, but those are more character and story moments. On the other Hand, FFXVI has the most epic boss fights I’ve ever played, basically Kaiju beating the shit out of each others.

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Squiddy@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
I see Undertale but not Deltarune. If you haven’t tried it yet, the two released chapters are free.

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theragu40@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
I’m late to the party, but just wanted to say that your list of purchases and recommended to purchase are just monumental lists of games. So many amazing choices.

I want to add two more if you have room.

Psychonauts and Psychonauts 2. They won’t get you as much in the way of epic set pieces, but they are dripping with charm and very well crafted games with some of the most interesting levels I’ve seen.

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- Perroboc@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  Both games are awesome! I’ll add them
  
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calypsopub@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
I’ve been playing Star Wars: The Old Republic MMORPG on the PC since its inception more than a decade ago and I am still loving it. It’s playable as a solo game (I rarely group up for anything) and there are 8 different character classes, each with their own unique story and missions. It’s very much a typical Bioware product. So YMMV I guess.

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MrNesser@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
It’s a bit older but I always loved Grandia’s storyline it’s on steam at the moment.

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flames5123@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
God of War 2018 & God of War: Ragnarök. I would recommend this first on PS5.

Next I would say is 100% worth the time investment: Final Fantasy XIV. It’s an MMO, but the story is amazing. You can play 99% of the story with NPCs easily. They made it so easy to pay older dungeons with the new NPC system to keep players going. It starts off very slow and just bleh (war story with light fantasy), but it gets better and better. I’ve played the 3rd expansion twice and plan on playing the 4th expansion again soon. I’ve cried so much. Even the side stories have great stories as the writers get their footing after the first bit. You’ll recognize several of the fantasy elements from FF16. I’ve only every played 15 before 14, so it’s not like I’ve spent a a lot of time in the series.

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meiko60@lemmy.sdf.org ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
Octopath Traveler 1 & 2

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Starb3an@sh.itjust.works ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
I haven’t seen anyone mention BioShock. BioShock 1 and 2. I’ve heard mixed reviews about the third and haven’t played it so I’ll make no comment on it.

Prey is in the same vein as BioShock.

Dead space has some horror but is also good.

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- Sovereign_13@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  All I’ll say about Bioshock Infinite is that it feels/plays very differently from the first one (and, I assume, the second).
  
  The atmosphere is just entirely different and lacks most of the “horror” element that you had in the ruins of Rapture.
  
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  - idunnololz@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
    I love the setting tho
    
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