Best game writing wise in the last 5 years?

[Darth Roxor]

Hmmm, Dawn of War is '04, but its expansions are younger, so that. All the dialogues there are cheesy as fuck, but also classy and badass.

WE ARE FILLED WITH THE POWER OF CHAOS

AFTER A THOUSAND BATTLES, ONE ONLY SEES DEATH

@_@

 

[Gragt]

Are The Void and Cryostasis good games as far as gameplay goes?

Gameplay in The Void is good but rather brutal due to the deliberate lack of handholding. The basic mechanics are rather easy to pick up (collect colour, convert it in your heart to keep yourself alive and turn colour into a more useable form, use it to cast spells and attack enemies, etc.) but then the people around you may give you bad advice on how to use colour, either because they want to hurt you or because they simply do not know how their world works. In the end you have to manage finite ressources while not knowing what the next cycle will bring. You may be full of colour one moment and barely alive the next. Even when you know the mechanics and traps it can be challenging to play due to the randomness.

Cryostasis is a bit of a mixed bag when it comes to gameplay. The FPS combat is rather underwhelming and a bit clumsy, though it kinda fits the whole thing. The exploration on the other hand is rather nice and exploring the flashbacks of other people, both in order to solve puzzles and discover the truth about what happened to the ship, is well-designed and feels really fresh.

 

[Lesifoere]

Are The Void and Cryostasis good games as far as gameplay goes?

Can't say about Cryostasis, but The Void is a very gamey game. Not in a fourth-wall breaking kind of way, but it's not a cutscene spam or walls of text. It doesn't try to be a book or a movie. Instead, the story/writing is woven tightly into the gameplay; TV makes use of every aspect of a game, from the resource management (resources whisper in your head), the visuals, the atmosphere, the rune-drawing, choosing whom to trust/distrust, the balancing act of it all. The story is the game, the game is the story. I can't guarantee you will be having fun in the traditional sense. The game doesn't gratify you--the PC's survival is its own reward. But it's so compelling. You can't look away.

 

[DriacKin]

Anachronox and Vice City aren't getting nearly enough love, methinks.

Because both are older than 5 years. If we were looking at the past 10 years then finding games with good writing becomes MUCH easier.

Are they really?
Fucking hell. Shit makes me feel old...

 

[Rhalle]

Witcher-- the end of Chapter 1, the confrontation with the priest.

ME2-- the conversation with the Salarian about releasing the genophage.

To me those are memorable moments in RPGs recently. Not sure if the writing would stand up if looked at on the page, though.

 

[Haba]

Fate/StayNight

As far as "writing" go, I'd probably have to go with that. But then again it is not much as a "game", since the story could just as well be three separate novels. Also first released 2004 so...

Like Lesifoere pointed out, The Void makes a better job at integrating the story and gameplay. Even though if the gameplay itself was wonky.

Damn. Can't think of anything else. ME2 writing was mediocre at best, but it was very entertaining package if you didn't stop to think too much.

 

[Ermm]

Gears of War

 

[Phelot]

Risen.

TBH this is the only game I can think of that meets the OPs criteria. It's not stellar or long winded, but it was clever enough.

I would also say that Divinity 2 was pretty well written with some humorous writing at times.

 

[Sergiu64]

Good writing in Thief? Wtf ever.

BLASPHEMY!!! The mission introductions in the Dark Project were the best thing ever.

Anyway, regarding the original topic... I would say The Witcher.

 

[Sceptic]

Fucking hell. Shit makes me feel old...

Heh, I know how you feel. I started Fallout a few days ago and was greeted by splotches of color glitches everywhere. I say to myself, an 8-bit game? And there's a DOS version? WTF? Then I realized the game's now 13 years old...

ME2 writing was mediocre at best, but it was very entertaining package if you didn't stop to think too much.

ME2's problem is that it has sporadically good (or even great) writing drowned out by lots of it being mediocre. It doesn't help that everything to do with the MQ is pure, utter trite.

I would also say that Divinity 2 was pretty well written with some humorous writing at times.

I haven't played Div 2 (on my to-play list) but I have trouble giving writing awards to games that were originally in a language I do not understand (unless you're talking about the German version of course). I'm never sure if I'm praising/criticizing the game itself or a translator who probably isn't part of the development team and they most probably had nothing to do with the translation.

 

[treave]

He was probably having a moment. Were you, treave?

Wast re-ta-dred maen?

Anyway, no, just having a Biowhore moment.

 

[Felix]

Silent Hill Shattered Memories.

 

[Phelot]

I would also say that Divinity 2 was pretty well written with some humorous writing at times.

I haven't played Div 2 (on my to-play list) but I have trouble giving writing awards to games that were originally in a language I do not understand (unless you're talking about the German version of course). I'm never sure if I'm praising/criticizing the game itself or a translator who probably isn't part of the development team and they most probably had nothing to do with the translation.

Eh... I played the German with English subtitles so not really sure...

But I get ya. I found Twitcher to be unbearably bad in the writing department even after the Super Fuck All Enhanced Nuclear Edition came out, but our resident Poles beg otherwise so who knows? Maybe it's really good. Regardless, Div2's translation was good so I can only assume that the native version was good or better.

 

[ElectricOtter]

Are The Void and Cryostasis good games as far as gameplay goes?

Cryostasis is okay, it can grate on you though. The Void... well, it's unforgiving. But fun. At times.

 

[poocolator]

I thing your wrong.

stop fucking with my head

 

[CrimHead]

Witcher-- the end of Chapter 1, the confrontation with the priest.

This certainly isn't the case in the english version. That scene has some backward-ass dialouge.

 

[Raghar]

Fate/StayNight

As far as "writing" go, I'd probably have to go with that. But then again it is not much as a "game", since the story could just as well be three separate novels. Also first released 2004 so...

PS2 version was released in 2007. It's needed for voice acting. (It's basically the same problem as with Witcher EE. When he was released?)

Considering it has more choices and consequences than majority of other games, it has at least 30 bad endings, it's more a game than some non Japanese stuff.

(BTW are you talking about Japanese release? When was the English version released?)

 

[KalosKagathos]

Considering it has more choices and consequences than majority of other games, it has at least 30 bad endings, it's more a game than some non Japanese stuff.

Come on, the only choice is the choice of the route (and even that's not a choice as they are unlocked one by one), and after that is done you're more or less on rails. Most dead ends are avoided by going back to the previous node and choosing the other option. OK, two routes have different endings that depend on your influence with other characters, but that's it. Nothing compared to Sengoku Rance, the true Citizen Kane of video games.

 

[Felix]

Arkham Asylum is good, but I don't like the gameplay where computer decide which attack I use.

Fate/Stay Night and its use of Engrish? Yeah, whatever you say, they think it's cool and not pretentious or something. I like the route where that Sakura girl become a horny slut and batshit insane though.

And yes, I readplayed the original Japanese version, inb4 some fags call me weeaboo.

I prefer down to earth style in my novels so.....

 

[Sceptic]

Eh... I played the German with English subtitles so not really sure...

Mmm... is this option available in US/UK/int release, or did you get the German version then apply some weird patching to get this?

 

[Phelot]

Eh... I played the German with English subtitles so not really sure...

Mmm... is this option available in US/UK/int release, or did you get the German version then apply some weird patching to get this?

Got the German version with patch.

Oddly enough the German version shipped with English in packed files. You just needed to unpack them and replace the German stuff and there ya go. I actually like it much more then the English VOs.

I got the English one now and there is no option as far as I know to change it to German.

I have to admit I of course "found" the German version on the internet. Who knew? Anyways, they had a killer DRM for awhile there were it would check for the CD every few minutes and if it wasn't detected, shit in game would stop working (waypoints, special moves, etc) so I had to have some virtual CD program running.

I can confirm that the latest cracks DO seem to "fix" this though.

And don't worry Larian I finally bought your game.

 

[Raghar]

And yes, I readplayed the original Japanese version, inb4 some fags call me weeaboo.

Translated, you can play princess of darkness. What about doing some translation?

 

[Dark Matter]

Red Dead Redemption has some of the best writing seen in games, accompanied with some of the best voice-acting ever.

 

[laclongquan]

Sengoku Rance with such an collections of interesting ideas:

Consensual rape.
Tasteful Rape.
Marriage-trap a pedo by adopting a pre-teen girl.
And etc.

 

[Glyphwright]

The Sith Lords.
Vampire Bloodlines.