finalark
SNORLAX
Link to original post: [drupal=1245]Storylines in games: Comedy VS Drama[/drupal]
When it comes down to storylines in video games it's either comedic or dramatic. Both types are kept on either side of a three-foot thick concrete wall like two inmates who both hate each other for existing. It's hard to find a game that puts to two together anymore. If you're like me and you dig a storyline that's both a comedy and a drama then you'll have to back track to some older games like Final Fantasy VI or Chrono Trigger. And a lot of games went to the serious side around the time that the sixth generation of gaming started. Take Final Fantasy, for instance. Final Fantasy IX was the best one in the series as far as I'm concerned (just look at my avatar). It had a perfect mix of comedy and drama, making it so that you could enjoy the game regardless of if you were in the mood for only one or the other. But when Final Fantasy X came out all comedy just disappeared. Final Fantasy X was all serious, the game didn't even try to have fun in it's storyline. And that's the way it was from then on. And I'll admit that I thought that XII's storyline was freaking awesome. I personally loved how some of the dialog could only be understood by people who can read and understand the Odyssey without someone looking over their shoulder simplifying it.
The problem I usually have with serious storylines is that they sometimes take themselves so seriously that you can't enjoy them. But then on the comedic side of things there are games that just try to hard to be funny that it comes off as stupid. There are a number of comedy animes I've seen that I could say that that's similar to but I won't in fear of getting flamed. Anyway, when it comes to drama games there are a few that are like watching a movie only you have to press a few buttons every now and then to get it to move on to the next scene *cough*metalgearsolid4*cough*. The characters in dramas can also be very, very generic. Shooter heroes are almost always emotionless, heavily-armored guys who are convinced that all aliens are evil and must die. JRPG heroes are almost always teenagers who have ridiculous hair and look like they've blindly stumbled through a Kohls, throwing on whatever clothing they touch. I could say more, but I won't for the sake of getting this rolling. In comedies, these stereotypes (that are unfortunately true) are often poked fun at. Sorry if this seems a bit slower than usual, it's just that characters in games these days are just so... there's just nothing to them anymore. I remember back when your shooter hero could be an iguana with the BFG shooting dinosaurs on the Death Star and it would be still popular and mainstream. For those of you who want something a bit more familiar, look at Mario. A game about a chubby Italian plumber stomping on living brown mushrooms and turtles so that he can save a princess from a dragon/turtle hybrid. Only to have his princess-saving plan foiled when it turns out that he saved a short guy with a mushroom on his head rather than accomplished his goal. Had Mario Bros. been made in this generation it would probably be passed off as a "kid's game" and ignored.
Okay, back on track I guess. So to rap up my short little blog post, I guess that comedy storylines are dieing out and I personally blame the almighty Xbox 360. The common owner of the most popular system only likes his games gritty and as manly as possible and anyone who dares try to be funny is shot on sight. While the frat-boy community of 360 owners only like dirty humor and people hurting themselves in stupid ways. Before I have to dive into the bomb shelter to avoid getting flamed by all of the 360 owners I just want to say that all of my friends own a 360, and my comments on the typical 360 owner comes from my experience with the community and from other people who I know own one. So I guess it really does boil down to what kind of plot you like. There are times when I like drama more than comedy and there are times when I like comedy more than drama. But my favorite kind of story is a dieing breed that can only be found in games by Insomniac and Naughty Dog (plus a few others). But it's as I said before, I like games where comedy and drama are like two newlyweds skipping down the yellow-brick road holding hands and going to see the wizard of Oz... don't think too much about that analogy, I certainly didn't.
When it comes down to storylines in video games it's either comedic or dramatic. Both types are kept on either side of a three-foot thick concrete wall like two inmates who both hate each other for existing. It's hard to find a game that puts to two together anymore. If you're like me and you dig a storyline that's both a comedy and a drama then you'll have to back track to some older games like Final Fantasy VI or Chrono Trigger. And a lot of games went to the serious side around the time that the sixth generation of gaming started. Take Final Fantasy, for instance. Final Fantasy IX was the best one in the series as far as I'm concerned (just look at my avatar). It had a perfect mix of comedy and drama, making it so that you could enjoy the game regardless of if you were in the mood for only one or the other. But when Final Fantasy X came out all comedy just disappeared. Final Fantasy X was all serious, the game didn't even try to have fun in it's storyline. And that's the way it was from then on. And I'll admit that I thought that XII's storyline was freaking awesome. I personally loved how some of the dialog could only be understood by people who can read and understand the Odyssey without someone looking over their shoulder simplifying it.
The problem I usually have with serious storylines is that they sometimes take themselves so seriously that you can't enjoy them. But then on the comedic side of things there are games that just try to hard to be funny that it comes off as stupid. There are a number of comedy animes I've seen that I could say that that's similar to but I won't in fear of getting flamed. Anyway, when it comes to drama games there are a few that are like watching a movie only you have to press a few buttons every now and then to get it to move on to the next scene *cough*metalgearsolid4*cough*. The characters in dramas can also be very, very generic. Shooter heroes are almost always emotionless, heavily-armored guys who are convinced that all aliens are evil and must die. JRPG heroes are almost always teenagers who have ridiculous hair and look like they've blindly stumbled through a Kohls, throwing on whatever clothing they touch. I could say more, but I won't for the sake of getting this rolling. In comedies, these stereotypes (that are unfortunately true) are often poked fun at. Sorry if this seems a bit slower than usual, it's just that characters in games these days are just so... there's just nothing to them anymore. I remember back when your shooter hero could be an iguana with the BFG shooting dinosaurs on the Death Star and it would be still popular and mainstream. For those of you who want something a bit more familiar, look at Mario. A game about a chubby Italian plumber stomping on living brown mushrooms and turtles so that he can save a princess from a dragon/turtle hybrid. Only to have his princess-saving plan foiled when it turns out that he saved a short guy with a mushroom on his head rather than accomplished his goal. Had Mario Bros. been made in this generation it would probably be passed off as a "kid's game" and ignored.
Okay, back on track I guess. So to rap up my short little blog post, I guess that comedy storylines are dieing out and I personally blame the almighty Xbox 360. The common owner of the most popular system only likes his games gritty and as manly as possible and anyone who dares try to be funny is shot on sight. While the frat-boy community of 360 owners only like dirty humor and people hurting themselves in stupid ways. Before I have to dive into the bomb shelter to avoid getting flamed by all of the 360 owners I just want to say that all of my friends own a 360, and my comments on the typical 360 owner comes from my experience with the community and from other people who I know own one. So I guess it really does boil down to what kind of plot you like. There are times when I like drama more than comedy and there are times when I like comedy more than drama. But my favorite kind of story is a dieing breed that can only be found in games by Insomniac and Naughty Dog (plus a few others). But it's as I said before, I like games where comedy and drama are like two newlyweds skipping down the yellow-brick road holding hands and going to see the wizard of Oz... don't think too much about that analogy, I certainly didn't.
