Top Five Story-Driven Games
Written By: Roger Taylor

I have always been a sucker for games that center around plot and story. Perhaps it is because I stopped reading novels regularly when I first started getting serious about video games, and I needed a substitute of sorts. Or maybe it is just a coincidence that some of my favorite games of all time are based on complex tales. In any case, here are my favorite story-based games of all-time.

The first game on the list is one that I am sure many of you have never even heard of. Star Control is a series made by the under-funded West Coast developer Accolade, makers of the Test Drive and Hardball series, and now owned by publishing giant Infogrames. Accolade is notorious for implementing lots of great ideas into their games…and then coming up short on the final product. The Star Control series has been the one shining exception. While the gameplay and graphics are nothing to write home about, interacting with other species – choosing what to say to them, working out diplomacy, and trying to pump information out of them – is all extremely entertaining and well done. 

While many fans were disappointed by the third game in the series for its failure to reach the heights of perfection that Star Control 2 attained, the fact remains that it was a great game. Star Control 3’s highest point is that of history and background. Each of the 24 races you encounter have very long and detailed histories, which are a joy to hear about, most often straight from the mouths of the aliens themselves (this game features an amazing amount of speech, considering it was made in 1996). Possibly most gripping is the tragic history of the Ur-Quan, which are a green, tentacled species that enslaved the human race for a few dozen years. When the Ur-Quan first began exploring the stars, millions of years ago, they induced fear in the hearts of ever species they would encounter. But soon they met a rock like species called the Taalo, who did not fear the Ur-Quan, instead befriending them. The Taalo saw the enormous potential of the Ur-Quan race and began teaching them culture and trading with the green monsters. But while exploring a seemingly uninhabited world, the Ur-Quan discovered a race called the Dynarii, whose mental and psychic abilities were so strong that they were able to take over the minds of other species, making them unknowing slaves. The Dynarii’s ultimate goal, of course, was to take over the galaxy. So with their mindless Ur-Quan assistants, the Dynarii began enslaving every other race in the galaxy. However, the Taalo’s rock-like nature gave them a natural immunity to the Dynarii’s psychic capabilities. Unable to enslave the Taalo, the Dynarii instead opted to have them wiped out…by their friends the Ur-Quan. The Ur-Quan, still under the psychic control of the Dynarii, unknowingly slaughtered the only star faring race they had ever bonded with. The Taalo were such good friends that they refused to take up arms against the Ur-Quan. … The story goes on much longer, and becomes better as it does so. But I don’t want to give too much away. Keep in mind that the little snippet you just heard is only a third of the history of one of twenty-four different races. And that’s to say nothing of the actual plot of the game, which by the way involves the collapse of hyperspace travel, the search for artifacts of a great, ancient race and a war with an evil band of races called the Hegemonic Crux.

Ever had the need to explore new worlds? Unfortunately, it’s a bit hard to do that in the world today, without venturing into space, which is not something that just anyone can do. But fortunately, we have Skies of Arcadia, in which you take the role of Vyse, a young Blue Rogue (which is a group of Robin Hood-like crusaders) and sail around the skies in a giant airship (a flying boat; think Final Fantasy III). The experience of discovering new lands and interacting with the people there is enough to make this game exciting. But it also has a long, detailed and extremely interesting story, involving five moon crystals, which were broken off pieces of each of the five moons orbiting the planet, that had the power to summon five different Gigas, which were ridiculously powerful monsters. 

Of course, that all happened thousands of years before the story begins, and most people don’t take much stock in those types of legends. So no one takes ant notice when the oppressive Valuan government begins searching for these crystals. As Vyse, you and a couple of your friends are the only ones who can stop Valua. The lively cast of characters includes a womanizing rogue; a mysterious, but polite, woman from a far off civilization; a bitter, old fisherman; a beaten down, drunkard of a sailor; and a conniving, charismatic general. Most of the supporting characters have interesting stories to tell, and if they don’t they at least have engaging personalities. Perhaps the best part of Skies of Arcadia is that despite its often happy-go-lucky feel, it imitates real life in its occasional darkness. Many of the characters are worn out by life, which, given the quality of life in some of the areas you’ll visit, is realistic. It also shows that both well-intentioned rogue forces, and dominant warlord governments have their share of problems and internal conflict. The characters may not look realistic, but they act it.

Keep in mind as I write this that I speak and write Chinese, watch Japanese Animation, Kung Fu and Japanese professional wrestling, and eat Chinese food constantly. I love East Asian culture. So Shenmue was special for me just for the opportunity to be fully immersed in Yu Suzuki’s version of 1986 Japan. However, Shenmue is a great game even if you didn’t major in East Asian Studies in college. The story opens with young Ryo Hazuki arriving home from school only to discover his martial-arts sensei and father his being accosted by a mysterious man in a green robe (later revealed to be named Lan Di) and two guys in matching black suits. Lan Di asks for the whereabouts of some sort of mirror, but Hazuki-sensei refuses to tell the man where it is located. Seeing that he would never tell, Lan Di picks up young Ryo and threatens to kill him if he is not told where the mirror is. Dreading to see his beloved son hurt, Hazuki-sensei confesses that the mirror is indeed in his possession, and buried underneath a tree outside. 

The two suits go out and dig up the mirror, as Lan Di takes care of Master Hazuki. The two engage in a brief fight, with Lan Di killing Hazuki in battle. This all happened right in front of Ryo’s eyes. The rest of the game deals with Ryo’s quest for revenge for his father’s murder, taking more twists and turns then I care to count in the meantime. Shenmue is one of the few realistic games I have ever played. Ryo Hazuki is not just a cookie-cutter hero. He makes mistakes. He has wants and needs beyond that of the core plot. He is a person. Not only that, but those around him are also people. Nazomi is a quiet, nice girl, but not without her share of problems. Fuku-san always means well, but is also a bit of a screw-up. Ine-san is a wonderful, generous woman, but a bit stubborn on certain subjects. These are realistic characters with faults, motives and everything else that you and I have. I can’t wait for the next chapter of Shenmue, but this certainly works as a stand-alone game, with one of the deepest stories ever crafted. No comment on Sega’s decision to not release it for the DC in the USA, that’s a whole different editorial on its own

Okay, who remembers the French Revolution from history class? I’d better explain it quickly for those of you who didn’t/don’t pay attention in school. The main cause of the French Revolution, which last from 1789-1799, was that of social division. The upper class was made up entirely of clergymen and nobles and took up only a small percentage of the population. The lower class was composed the peasants and even middle class members, and most had hardly enough money to feed their families. Of course the upper class didn’t want anything to do with the peasants and had no intention of helping them in their times of need. The broad story in Ogre Battle mirrors that of late 18-century France. As Magnus Gallant you start out as a young member of the Imperial Army, and are sent out on missions to squash the peasant’s rebellion. But in doing so you begin to see just how horrible the conditions are, and your feelings begin to change. 

On one hand you have a great respect for the tradition of the current ruling, but on the other, you can’t stand to see how this peasants are treated. The wonderful thing about Ogre Battle’s story is that it deals with deep, personal issues with the backdrop of a major historical event. So you almost get two interesting stories in one: one dealing with Magnus’ struggle to find himself, and the other dealing with the fascinating politics of Revolution (complete with backstabbing and selfish royalty). The story goes a little overboard toward the end, and becomes less interesting as it begins to focus more on the fantasy aspects of the plot and less on the grounded character work, but it brings it all together in the end very well.

Star Control 2, arguably the greatest computer game ever made, also features what is almost definitely the most deep, involving, complex, humorous, exciting and enthralling story in the history of video games. It takes place in the near future, after mankind has taken to the stars and begun to make contact with alien races. You play a boy who was born on a planet of marooned travelers. You grew up with the technology of an ancient, mysterious race called the Precursors, and build a ship using their designs when you are still a teenager. Though not finished when you first fly it, it is still more powerful than anything else in the galaxy. You leave the planet you were born on and head for Earth, only to discover that it is covered by an impenetrable force field. After flying to an orbiting space station you learn that the force field was put in place by a race called the Ur-Quan, who have taken over most of your quadrant of the galaxy. Humans and their allies have been reduced to slaves, while former enemies are now nothing more than the petty thugs of the Ur-Quan. Needless to say your pissed about this, so you take your ship and begin making contact with the old allies of the humans, trying to get them in line to lead a revolt against the Ur-Quan. You are set back considerably though, when you realize that two races cannot be contacted, that the one race isn’t interested in fighting, and yet another race has disappeared entirely. This all happens within the first hour out of 50 or so of gameplay. This is to say nothing of the interstellar traders, the religious zealots, the perverted enemy captain, or the beautiful, if violent, story of the Eternal Doctrine. This game is hard to find, so let me state this: IF YOU HAVE SEEN THIS GAME ANYWHERE, BUY IT NOW. Any price is worth it. A paragraph of writing cannot possibly do justice to one of the greatest stories ever told…and I’m not just talking about video games when I say that.

Please don’t send me hate mail for not including any Final Fantasy games. They are great games, and many of them had great stories (I seriously considered putting FFVI on the list), but I don’t feel that any of them quite reached the level of the games listed above. But other negative comments (and positive ones too!) can be sent to me at jonas42@vgf.com. Your comments, suggestions and questions will help me write more enjoyable articles!

Posted: 11-07-01