O.K. So one of the most important aspects of a video game for me is the story. If the story is garbage, then it won't keep me entertained. However, there is that one story in which you never forget because it hit you hard.

That story comes from Square Enix's Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core. By following Zack's story, you play in his shoes and witness what happened before FFVII's story, what happened before Cloud's time. Zack's struggles in this game were told so well. It made the story stand out, it made you want to care for the characters. This was something that you don't see every day in games anymore, so it really hit me.

Now it's your turn. Say what game was your favorite story and why.

Final Fantasy XII. A lot of the games in the series are fantastic, but I was more moved by this one. It's fascinating how all the main characters come from different backgrounds, banding together to destroy the Empire. It's somewhat reminiscent of Star Wars, but I like the more medieval/modern kind of atmosphere.

The character development was also very well done. Vaan started out kind of like Aladdin: An orphaned child of the streets. Yet, by the time the game ends, he seems to have developed into a more independent person. That's one of my favorite aspects of games and stories: Good character development.

Final Fantasy games usually have excellent character development. Good story's are always dependent on character development. Without it, you feel no care for the characters, and without a care for the characters, you start to loose interest in the story as a whole.

Crisis Coooorrreeee D:
I can't beat Genesis Avatar D8<

Memorable stpry experiences...
-Ghost Trick
-9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors
-Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days

Pokemon.
The story of a young child who leaves home to explore the world of Pokemon. Facing fellow Pokemon trainers, professionals with years of experience and terrorists; against all odds, he/she becomes the Pokemon Master.
It brought tears to my eyes.

>>5 Too many people underestimate Pokémon's story. It is, indeed, underexplored by the games, but this gives a rare freedom of interpretation that is delicious to abuse of.

Anyway, mine's a big cliche. Ocarina of Time, of course.

OoC throws you into a living, interesting world, making you eager to explore the beautiful lands of Hyrule - but it mercilessly shows you, with tiny revelations, that you're living an adventure in a world you already failed to save. You see the places where you had nice and hard times change and the people you saw living happily around you start to suffer; and soon you begin to feel responsible for them.

Few final boss battles leaves so much weight on the players shoulders like the fight against Ganon does.

all the ff games i played.. they're good.. yup..
*legend of heroes: trails in the sky.. and still waiting for the SC. it's loooong game.. so, i'm still hanging til the SC arrives in english version.
*pokemon
*lunar
*harvest moon: innocent life
*kingdom hearts: birth by sleep

Most memorable...

I played a game that my older sister had rented years back. You got into a car wreck and your parents were dead or something, but the guy who saved you said you could only live if you turned into a super hero. So you did. You had blue armor and stuff.

I don't actually remember anything about the story, or even the game's name (oh god, but I've been trying to find it ever since).

It had sprites kind of like Legend of Mana did, and it was also for the PSX. I've played a lot of good games (Xenosaga will always stay with me, Chrono Cross is beautiful and FFVI/Tactics of course) But out of all the story and gameplay...

The game I think I'll always remember is the one I never found the name of.

Nice everyone! Keep it up with your favorite gaming storylines.

Bioshock 2. That game kept me playing all night, wanting to know what happens.

Final fantasy 12 it was the first rpg i ever played :D

Persona 3 ftw!! I loved how it mixed the normal high school life with the imagination of other creatures existing.

>>6 Also this.

Aveyond, the first RPG I played! It was just such an exciting world it took place in, and with great character development.

its a tie between SMT: persona 3 and SMT: nocturne

Persona 3. Definetely.

Have to go with Grandia II or Skies of Arcadia, both great stories of their time, but for different reasons.

Grandia II had a quality of not falling into too many tired cliches, a massive plot twist or two, characters you actually gave a damn about that had human failures and vices, and ended on a very very distinct message that carries over into the real world.

Skies, on the other hand, was the light in a sea of dark and depressing rpgs from the years leading up to it. It had colorful characters, entire nations with their own backstories, and gave you a sense of place in the world. Yes, it was often cut and dry good vs evil, but it was an epic journey from start to finish, and kicked all sorts of ass.

mine is sooo...wild arms for ps1...final fantasy 7 ps1..and skies of are arcadia dream cast!!..and never forget on how to beat them!

bioshock, its an amazing game with a great story and an unexpected twist :}. "would you kindly?"

Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic had the best story ever.

Full of love, betrayal, and plot twists. Interesting overall because of the Star Wars universe. Plus each companion had their own back story and quest that made you care for them more.

Did I mention you could also determine the route the story takes based on your decisions in the game?

The Bioshock series, and I'm eagerly awaiting Bioshock Infinite!

Cave Story.

I was very disappointed in the WiiWare port. I'm really hoping they pull it off correctly in the 3DS one.

FFXIII! I actually cried at the end. XD

For me it would be Medal of Honor (2010)
fighting for your life along side fellow soldiers who become brothers and the eternal saying "NO SOLDIER GETS LEFT BEHIND!" and the cruel reality that no gains come without risks. One of the best in my book.

ps: all Final fantasy games rock loved Dirge of Cerberus.

youtube link for trailer "leave a message" if anyone wants to see =)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HigXVoGpU24

the ending of Assassins creed 2, I got chills.

SPOILER: Pokemon Red, when the antagonist's Raticate dies.

I'm not sure if it counts considering it's a four game saga but I love the story of the original .Hack games (Infection, Mutation, Outbreak and Quarantine) but if that doesn't count then I guess another game that comes to mind is Tales of Symphonia

Heavy Rain. I think it's only for the PS3 but it has a really interesting plot and based on what you make the characters do the story changes. There are a ton of different endings based on what you do. It's addicting!

Okage Shadow King For PS2
It was one of the best games that nobody ever played....It was a shame too, I loved it soooooo much ><
It had mastered everything that an rpg should have
Plot, soundtrack, battle menu, graphics, dialogue, loveable characters....The list goes on and on D:
U guys should play it :3

Final Fantasy X
Been out for years, and I can still play this game because it was so great.
Persona 3
Great game, great system, great story, amazing story, amazing soundtrack.
.Hack//
In general, all of those games had great stories.

Mana Khemia
Enjoyed it so much.

Oh, and Blazblue was crazy shit too.

like 32 said Final Fantasy X, the storyline,characters, and music made me want to play and finish this game and i still play it, Also Castlevania Symphony of the Night, i say this was the best one ever made i love Alucard and the music and the design of the castle was amazing then u have all those awesome weapon choices like the crissegram. this game was made for the ps1 but i will always play it no matter how many times i finish it

Nice, this thread is becoming more popular than I imagined it would.

Bump

I was playing Black Ops at Jungle. so i went behind the cliff where everyone is at. I tomahawked the first guy, climbed up the ladder and knifed the two people that were up there. all three were on the game winning kill cam.

I like the story of ICO and shadow of the Colossus. I love these old games. The stories were very beautiful. They also all have a gloomy feeling.

@36

Not really what this thread is about. Yeah, that was something impressive, but I was talking about the game's single player experience. You know, like the story mode, or campaign.

i like the mortal kambat fatality lives story mode it let u play as a bunch of differnt characters in stead of just one.

Bump for interesting stories/nostalgia

Shadow Of The Colossus-One of the most tragic stories I have ever played and the minimalistic way the story is delivered only makes it better when you you get to the end. Shit brought a tear to my eye.

Crisis Core:Final Fantasy VII-Mainly just the way the last battle plays out as you are playing as Zack slowly dying and hist memories and powers subtly being taken away until his last breath. The way they programmed that battle to be so tragic was intense.

Bioshock-Great story that touches on many great ideals with an amazing unexpected twist.

Have more that I will put later.

hmm def dmc3 n persona 3, n assassin creed series

*cries*....Sniff!!!!! CRISIS CORE AND ASSASSINS CREED FOREVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Square Enix Games, All the way!!!
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probably god hand.

>>44

After the merge with Square Soft, Square's stories are sucking lately.

The merge was when Soft was going bankrupt, and so the head company in Japan, I think bought them out and merged, and now everything from the game-play to the stories are not as good as they once were.

D-R-A-G-O-N Q-U-E-S-T 8 J-O-U-R-N-E-Y O-F T-H-E C-U-R-S-E K-I-N-G

AND

D-R-A-G-O-N A-G-E : O-R-I-G-I-N-S

P r o b a b l y , on e , o f , t h e , b e s t , R P Gs , Y o u , w i l l , e v e r , p l a y.

>>47

I hate both. So your facts are wrong that it's the best I'd ever play.

What is the reason you hate them? Gameplay? GET OUTTA HERE!!!!! :P

Kingdom Hearts

@45
Someone else has played God Hand? *gasp* Don't get too many people saying that.

>>51 absolutely.

Mass Effect series. Assassin's Creed 2, brotherhood, revelations.
Uncharted series. .Hack G.U,1,2,3. Heavy Rain.

>>51

Also have it, got it at a garage sale for $1

Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Alice Madness (Just a little bit), Chrono Trigger (I forgot what the story was, but I remember my brother playing it), and Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles.

Kingdom Hearts II

Chrono Trigger, Kingdom Hearts 358/2, and another I forgot...

For me, it's almost impossible to single it out. As far as stories go, I found Tales of Symphonia 2: Dawn of the New World very entertaining. Maybe because I could see a lot of myself in Emil, driving me to see how his life would unfold, in the thought that maybe I would finally have someone to idolize. I personally can't say that any game has a better story than another (assuming the games that absolutely suck *coughSonic06cough* don't count at all), though if you want to count visual novels, my top 3 are:

Clannad
Tales of Symphonia 2: Dawn of the New World (Knights of Ratatosk)
Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-

Final Fantasy 13
Final Fantasy Crisis core
they both where so amazing o.o i love them and there graphics a breath takingand all the characters are sooooooo lovable

does anyone here remember Orphan? that was a fucking awesome game...

Persona 3. 'Nuff said

i haven't played it yet but i know it will be Final Fantasy Type-0

kingdom hearts birth by sleep final mix

Kingdom Hearts. Although it can be cheesy, its part of my childhood. The story itself always kept me having hope. (Does that sound really corny of what?) I don't know what it is about it but..yeah. Another huge one is Dark Cloud 1&2 :).... Same thing really, I just love it so much. Too bad its not all that popular.. kids could use that sort of influence these days. My hope for a 3rd has yet to die though.

your asking the near impossible..... lets see..... for me, its a 4-5 way tie:
FFX (my first FF ever)
FFVII (awesome, I know its strange but i like the low-quality of it nowadays)
FFXII (loved EVERYTHING)
Okami (I've played this 5 times through and I'm on my 6th re-play)
Lost Odyssey (i havn't played this much but I watched my uncle from begining to end, very touching in the end but not the best)

ah kingdom hearts missed that game for ps2`...
in the winter for the tv playing kh1 and 2

I only own an xbox so I would have to say the Halo universe. I love it and have read nearly all the books. That and he Mass Effect series.

kingdom hearts. so sad, so happy. I LOVE IT SSSOOO MUCH

Not my favorit, but one I like is the stroy line of Risen. Its about a man who washes up on an island where two rival organizations are fighting for control of the island. Basicly its about how the man save the island, and who he sides with.

Its an RPG.

JSRF

>>70

small pic is small

Kingdom Hearts 2

>>72 Gotta agree with Kazma, the entire Kingdom Hearts series has a great story. Kinda irks me that Birht By Sleep happens 10 years before the 1st game, even though it explains more about the 1st and 2nd games and the in-between games like Chain of Memories and 358/2 Days seem like different story lines but tie into the main story by interesting factors that I would ruin for anyone who hasn't played them yet:)

To many to name. My top 5.
-Kingdom Hearts series
-Mortal Kombat
-Dante's Inferno
-Devil May Cry
-Sphinx