Does the story make or break the game?

I've seen reviewers seemingly take points from review scores because they didn't get enough out of the story, even though everything else in the game was fine. Should it really matter?

Of course it depends on the type of game. No one complains if a sports game has no storyline, but mess up the ending to trilogy and people get pissed. In general what works for you?

Personally I would rate a 3. If a game is fun that's all I care about. If I want a story I'll read a book or watch a movie, but when I want to kick the ass out of crap I'll play a game.

Games like Earth Defense Force, Crackdown, Borderlands and Just Cause I can jump right into and have a blast at without knowing anything about the narrative.

 

If the game is made to have only 1 player, no multi, and the campaign lasts 15 hours, then story is critical.

If it advertises multiplayer, then screw story (unless you don't want to pay for Xbox live. Then you're an idiot for buying a multiplayer game).

Game play is also critical. If the controls are too clunky or too repetitive, then you'll probably be bored in a few hours.

 

The story is a highly important part of why I play games. I like it when I play games where I feel like I'm playing the main character of a movie. I rarely buy games that don't have a decent story and the main exceptions to that are sports games and racing games (though I wish more racing games would at least try harder to have a good story than the disappointing NFS: The Run). My two favorite gaming franchises right now are Uncharted and Assassin's Creed because they have stories and characters I get invested in. If I care about who I'm playing as, then I will try to die less. I play Call of Duty: Black Ops more than Battlefield 3 because Black Ops has an interesting story that cleverly weaves real history and conspiracy theories together. My most anticipated game of 2013 is The Last of Us because it is probably going to have a great story.

 

It depends on the style of game it is. If I am playing a FPS for Single Player with any sort of Major Online lobby setup to kill other players, story matters little. I do though expect some half ass'd attempt at a story for any Co-Op mission type structure though.(Like the COD Spec Ops and such)
If I am playing any sort of RPG, online or not, It better have a Story and Lore to go with it. If any RPG fails to grab you at all, in the mildest way, I can tell you I have stopped and not finished the game(looks at the 30 or so RPGs started and not finished on my wall).
If its a Sports game with a story, most likely some sort of fake sport, or some off the wall crap, I already don't care to play it.
Racing games are most likely the only game type, I can do, or do without any sort of Story setup. Easy example would be the Forza 4/Forza Horizon differences. One is based on Sim, with Real Tracks, or Fantasy Tracks based on real areas, car tuning, and NO story, unless you consider the Narrator telling you where you next race is. Then Forza Horizon, overseen by the same people, built a game on the same Sim setup, but in a open world with a story to become the best at a festival of Speed. Might not be the best one, with some annoying ways they show the people, but its there, and you gotta deal with it.

I could keep going on different genres, but its pretty easy to see how I prefer my games.

FYI, I do like it when company's put in backstories to there game, before,during, or after release, and see how it was implement in there game, hidden as a easter egg, or a main part in the part of its story.

 

Depends what the game sets out to do. I'll forgive the likes of Jet Set Radio and Dark Souls if they have a weak story, because the game is more about action rather than seeing through a plot. But Assassin's Creed, Halo, hell even to some extent Gears of War, I'd deduct points too of the story isnt up to snuff.

 

I can't give it an overall score becuase it depends on the type of game. See, I will always say having fun is the most important aspect of the game, and most people will say that's all in the control, but I don't agree. When you take a game like Silent Hill 2, that game was fun yet the play control was nothing to write home about. Most menu combat RPGs that I like are fun but the battles are still waged via menus. So in some instances, the story rates at least an 8 or 9 if that's what made me have fun. For a fighting game, I would say it's about 2 since I like to see the characters have motivation but obviously precise control is key. Mass Effect was a hybrid shooter/RPG, and it wasn't the best of either world but thanks to the story and choices in the story, it was a game I will never forget and always come back to.

 

Pretty important. I'm a lot more likely to actually want to finish a game if I want to see how the story plays out. And there are games I've bought purely because I wanted to experience the story for myself.

 

I'd say it's pretty important if it's not supposed to be extremely simple, like Tetris or any old school game involving pixelated ships and alien targets. For games that are supposed to immerse you into the game universe, the story needs to be compelling and make the player feel like they're performing actions in a full world (I.E. Skyrim or just about any good RPG).

It also shows that the creators understand what they've made and actually try to develop it into something worthwhile. Metroid is a GREAT example of how NOT to do this, since Other M pretty much destroys everything that made Samus a likeable female heroine from the past 25 years simply because the series creator wanted to try and develop Samus as a character in a completely opposite direction. Which is made only worse considering how the Prime trilogy was so damn good in everything, including a story spanning three games.

 

As long as it's fun I can overlook a silly story.

 

Most important part of the game to me. I can overlook glitches and problems if the story is enticing.

 

I'm about an 8 for modern games. I don't do much online gameplay unless it co op with a friend. So story a big deal that's why I really enjoy games like halo, uncharted and metal gear solid. But story also does needs to be on the same level as gameplay. If it an old game I mostly focus on gameplay.

The closest I got to crying is in red dead redemption ending.

 

I'm torn. I think a good story can absolutely make a game even if the gameplay itself is mediocre (Deus Ex HR, any visual novel), but I can totally overlook a bad story if the game is fun (Mirror's Edge, Vanquish). Of course, it's always nice to have them both well done, but that's becoming something of a rarity nowadays.

 

About nine. The story has to capture my attention first in order for me to consider playing/buying it, then it's gameplay and Multiplayer.

 

I didn't realize that I considered story as important as I did until I picked up Borderlands 1 a couple months ago and experienced it's complete lack of a story. I haven't been able to work myself up for a second play-through, even though I did enjoy how the game played. The non-existent story just makes the entire thing seem pointless.

 

Depends. When I play RPGs or Action Adventures, the story is very important. On a beat'em up I don't need a story. In a shooter I need only a rudimentary story. Like DOOM, DOOM2 or Quake 1, they're still the best. Most important is always the gameplay. Without it, even the best story is not enough. Also graphics are not needed to be high-end, as it is the gameplay that makes you have fun and not the graphics.

 

More than likely needs a storyline to it.

 

Completely depends on the game.

More whimsical, cartoony games rarely need a solid story. Mario's gotten by solidly by saving Princesses from castles for 20 some-odd years now. Rayman Origins was amazing, and its "story" basically amounted to "these ugly mofos interrupted my nap. Get 'em out so I can go back to catching some Z's".

A high score arcade game like Tetris really doesn't need anything.

But as things tend towards realism, you start questioning the motivations of why this dude wants to murder that other dude, and the need for a decent story starts to arise.

There are of course, exceptions in all cases. Cartoony games can have deep, engrossing, moving plotlines, and hyper-realistic ones can be "shoot that MF'er 'cause I said so". In the end, it's all another mechanic to keep the player playing until the conclusion.


I enjoy a good story as much as the next person, but sometimes, story just gets in the way of the fun bits.

 

Depends on the game, but most of the time I don't care for it. I never look at new games and wonder if the story is good before I purchase it. I look at visuals, gameplay and replay value. If it ended up having a good story when I'm done, then I'd be interested in the story for the sequel. If not, then I'd only maybe care about what happens at the end out of curiosity. Very few games where I care about the story.

 

It's extremely important. Not as important as gameplay but as important as it would be in a movie. I consider games like Call of Duty 4 to be a much better way to spend a couple hours than anything on tv.

 

Story is extremely important. Games like Gears of War and Vanquish have great gameplay, but the story and writing is so bad it makes the game less enjoyable. This part of the reason why I don't play games like Medal of Honor or any other generic military fps games, because they all have a shitty story(but mainly because they're all the same)