Mini group project - pick a few games and explain why the narrative works

For this mini project we were split in groups and asked to come up with a few videogames that we think have got really good narrative and explain why we think that.

In our group, beside me, there were Tom, Owen and James. Between us, we came up with The Last of us, SpecOps: The Line, Grand Theft Auto the series and I supported Dear Esther.

The last of us:

To support our choice, I will just show a few comments from people that have played the game.

"One of the most moving and evocative games in memory. They break through a lot of clichés that plague gaming, and do so with a raw, gritty, unforgiving storyline. " ( Heychrisfox on metacritic ) 

"A masterpiece, that breaks the self imposed barriers of gaming narrative and ensnares the player with intelligent gameplay and brilliant A.I." (SpazioGames on metacritic )

  

So, in very few words, The Last of Us has a really well built story, linear, but very interesting and engaging. The voice acting makes a big difference to the game play as well. The player feels somehow responsible for the 14 year old girl that they need to rescue (Ellie) and as you get more and more immersed in the whole story, it is very easy to identify yourself with the main character, Joel, which comes to prove that the Narrative works really well in this game.



Dear Esther:

Dear Esther is a beautiful first person game, that immerses the player in a sad story told by a very talented voice over actor (Nigel Carrington), through letters read out. It is not everyone's choice of game, as there are no missions to be solved, no score cards,or enemies to fight, but from my point of view, the way the narrative, linear as it is, works in this is game, is sublime. "An argument has been raging among the judging panel of the Independent Games Festival. The flashpoint: whether the moody mystery narrative of Dear Esther constitutes a game at all." (http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-02-14-dear-esther-review

However, in the same article, it is mentioned that : "Dear Esther is a first-person experience and uses many of the narrative tricks familiar to Valve's games, silently building a story through the careful drawing of the world around you."
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-02-14-dear-esther-review

I find that Dear Esther is somewhere in between a text game and an audio book, not extremely interactive as gameplay goes, but very relaxing, and very engaging, a game that will draw your attention once you start listening to the story and will stay with you for a while after you have finished exploring the island.

SpecOps: The Line

One of the characteristics of a good, engaging narrative, that I have mentioned previously, was for the morality system to be central to the game play and be implemented in such a way, that the player feels that his/her action have got real implications, and the decisions taken will further affect the story line. One such game is SpecOps: The Line, " a provocative third-person modern military shooter that challenges players' morality by putting them in the middle of unspeakable situations where unimaginable choices affecting human life must be made." (metacritic)
It is quite a shocking game for the soft hearted player, as it exposes the reality and truth that only real life soldier would experience, and by this I mean, reaching "The Line" - "that razor's edge known only to men who deal in war. It is the line they cross when death and duty become one and the same. It is the end -- of self and sanity -- when their duty is done and only they remain". (metacritic )


Grand Theft Auto  - all series

This is a game where the narrative is showcased at its best, as it has all characteristics that I have initially mentioned for it to work. 

It is surprising and it goes beyond stereotypes in the most engaging way. It is a parody of modern life, and if you miss this point from the whole aspect of the game, you might have a completely different opinion. The narrative works brilliantly with the mechanic of the game. Being an open world, even though you have missions to accomplish, you have quite a lot of freedom to explore the environment. Morality system is really well built, but, with the game being a parody, it does not coincide with the real life morality system, that is a completely different concept.  The architecture and landscape are amazing, you get to explore entire cities, go into the darkest corners, and there will always be something for you to do and see. The extras are absolutely amazing! The radio stations supporting the entire game play are just fantastic and so emerging that quite a few times I was driving for the sake of driving and listening to some good music or a crazy radio show ( fernando martinez - emotion 98.3)  To end my opinion on Grand Theft Auto, I will quote an article from the Guardian related to this game: "Last of Us says more about humanity in five minutes than GTA V does in its 70-plus missions. Five stars for such a troubled proposition? That'll confuse and anger a few people, I know it. But no one constructs worlds like Rockstar and this one is worth many, many hours of exploration. It is fun, so much guilty, ridiculous fun. It is beautiful to look at, it is jammed with ideas" (http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/sep/16/gta-5-review-grand-theft-auto-v). 
This is a game different that any others, in a class of its own, hence the controversy around it.