The Great Adventure: Stories In Video Games

I did not get the chance to play Half-Life until five years after its release. Thus, the graphics were already outdated by the time I got my hands on it, and I was worried that it might put me off the game.

My worries were unfounded.

Half-Life is not a game that gives you a Plot 101 lecture. It does not give you a prior history of the game universe, nor does it even mention anything about the character you were supposed to be playing. Instead it assumes from the get-go that you know who you are and what you're doing, and pushes you through the hoops. Fortunately for you, those snippets of knowledge are not essential, for the whole setup bottoms-out within five minutes, and the only thing you need to know is how to survive this sudden nightmare and save the world.

PoP: SoT was one of the first games I got for my Old Xbox (you know, the original one). I plopped the disc in the tray, started up the game, and when next looked at a clock it was two hours later.

First things first: The gameplay was a joy to experience. The controls were fluid, the animation was smooth, and the puzzles and platforming were just perfect. Not too hard, but not that easy either. Oh, and you can control time, as well. Move backwards to redo a lousy jump! Stab enemies in a flash! Slow down time to dodge the traps!

And just as you thought that that's all the game has to offer, it boggles your mind with a great storyline to boot. The plot was reminiscent of an Arabian Nights tale. The Prince, who has made the mistake of shattering the Hourglass of Time and spilling its sands, must find a way to make things right again with the help of the princess. This all happens in a ginormous palace rich in Middle-Eastern motifs and decorations.

It is no surprise that the Prince and the Princess eventually develop a budding relationship, and it is also of no surprise that this relationship waxes and wanes just like all relationships are wont to do from time to time. The interactions between the duo are humorous, but they also show a human side to their characters. That was the main draw of the game - their personalities emerging within the story.

I won't spoil any of the plot here, but suffice to say that sacrifices were made and mistakes were committed, and there were grievous consequences to be had because of them. The ending was perfect, in my opinion. Not too cliche, and not too open-ended (for sequels, although those happened. Twice). If you have to play at least one platformer-puzzle game this decade, play this one. Please.

This, my friends, is required playing in order to understand the true extent of a video game's ability to entertain with an amazing story.

Baldur's Gate II was a Christmas gift from my uncle. It was a boxed collector's edition, no less: It had postcards, notepads, a ring-bound manual that I absolutely adore, and a nice little print of a dragon. Well, actually the biggest, baddest dragon in the game.

In the beginning, I had no understanding of the gifts that were bestowed me. To my shame, I had never played the first installment of the series, and my first run through the game ended in frustration after a mere half-hour.

(Veterans, you should know well that the Dungeon sucks anyway, even when you're a veteran.)

Luckily for me, I made another attempt soon after, and then I finally got the hang of the AD&D system. As a bonus, I made it out of the stupid starter dungeon and into the real game, where fantastic things can happen at every turn. And happen they did.

Baldur's Gate II hits you right from the start with a clear goal; finding out your captor, and bringing him to justice. Or, you could even consider joining him, or somehow learning new powers from him! The game does not keep you from doing anything you want, and when you're out you're given free rein on what to do. Carry on with the main quest? Dandy! Saunter off for a drink? Sure!

Or you could try chatting up a dragon, but they're not known to be hospitable...(Image from Gamespot.com)

But let me tell you; when you're done boozing it up or doing a few sidequests, you'll eventually head back on the main quest. Because that's where all the good story bits are at. The main quest is not a simple affair - my first time through to the bitter end clocked in at 75 hours played in real-time, although I was indeed taking it slow. But if you're like me, craving a good story, you would too... because there's just so much to read and absorb in the world.

The way I see it, the main attractions of the game have got to be the NPCs, especially the ones who can be your companions. Yes, the world is large and packed with so many sights and sounds, but it is the people in it that make it come alive. I get so attached to the characters because of their conversations and hilarious banter that when they die in combat, I couldn't wait to get back to a temple to resurrect them. That, or I quick-load as much as possible if I'm knee-deep in a dungeon and a temple was too far away.

And let's not talk about time where he suddenly... well, if you've played it, you know who and what I mean.

What I'm saying is this: Baldur's Gate II is considered one of the best, if not the best RPGs ever made for the PC. This is decided with a very good reason, and if thousands of people think it's worthy of such a claim, then it probably is.

Bioshock was considered one of the best games of 2007, and with good reason. It is another First-Person Shooter, and you play as a man called Jack, who was traveling on a plane over the Atlantic Ocean when it crashed. Jack finds himself floating in the middle of the ocean and soon discovers a small lighthouse close by. Exploring the structure yields a bathysphere parked inside that takes him down to the city of Rapture, where the real action begins.

From a gameplay standpoint, Bioshock delivers well with all the standard components of a shooter done right, with the addition of a new ability called Plasmids. These new powers are much like magic in the traditional sense, except that they're explained away as the newest technology Rapture has to offer. With it, you can conjure fireballs or mesmerize enemies to change their allegiance to better suit your purposes, which makes combat all the more interesting.

However, the plasmids also serve a another purpose in storytelling. The thing about plasmids is that they aren't mechanical contraptions - they're part of an evolved human's biological abilities. To 'pick up' a plasmid is to change your physical DNA in order to grow and equip an ability, and you can do wonders with plasmids. Fly, generate electricity, be invisible, it's all in the realms of possibility.

You can also freeze your enemies just seconds before they bash your head in with a big wrench. (Image from 1UP.com)

How is this possible, you ask? Well, it's all thanks for a bunch of special slug-like creatures down in the ocean floor that secrete a special chemical called 'Adam'. Adam is used to develop those plasmids. The inhabitants of Rapture (which consists of the world's finest and brightest) process the Adam in order to enhance their lifestyle down in their underwater city.

But there are two drawbacks to this fantastic new technology, mainly:

1.) Adam erodes the mind. The more you take, the more you go insane.

2.) Adam is scarce, and demand is astronomically high.

Put two and two together, and you can be sure that it is a surefire recipe for chaos. But that's not even the end of it.

Because Adam is basically a miracle drug, everyone wants some of it. But the slugs do not produce enough Adam to make it commercially viable. Therefore it was decided that a select group of little girls will be chosen to 'carry' the slugs within themselves, nourishing them and thus increasing the yield significantly. But this robs the girls of any personality and gives them a ghoulish pallor to their skin, turning them into something... else. And because their safety is paramount, huge bodyguards wearing diver suits and wielding drills to match their bulk - the so-called Big Daddies - are assigned to each Little Sister, as that is what they're called.

So it is that when you (Jack) enter the city of Rapture, it is in ruins and a madhouse to boot. Along the way, you will encounter people, allies and enemies, who have their own agendas. You will also learn about Rapture and what exactly transpired that made the once-shining city crumble into dust. Who knows, you might even learn something else while you're there, something so startling that it could make you think back, way back to the beginning...

Suikoden II has a bunch of things for you to do, including:

1.) Cooking contests
2.) Fishing
3.) A game of snakes and ladders
4.) Dice gambling
5.) Hot tub socializing
6.) Dancing

And that's not even touching the real meat of the game!

Seriously though, the above activities are actually in the game, but don't expect them to be in-depth and realistic. They're just mini-games. The cooking contests aren't even Cooking Mama-realistic, so you get the picture.

Suikoden II is a Japanese Role-Playing Game (JRPG) where you assume the character of a young man seeking his destiny. And as with all JRPGs, the story takes center stage in the game, giving each major character their motivations and histories that will drive the story forward.

For starters, you have yourself, and your best friend, Jowy. You guys are part of a youth army unit in charge of security while an international treaty between your country and the neighboring one is being held. One night, however, you find yourselves ambushed... by soldiers from your own country. Friendlies. Confused, you try to escape, but when you reach a dead-end on the cliff's edge, your commander catches up and totally blabs about it all being a conspiracy and a plot to force the two nations to war. To be fair, any sane person would conclude that it would be The End for the two boys, so it's standard fare for villains to admit that they essentially murdered their own people just before killing the survivors.

Disgusted by the truth, the boys decide to jump off the cliff into the river below. After all, a 0.0001% chance of survival has got to be better than a flat 0%, right?

Miraculously (well of course), the two boys survived, but were separated by the river's currents. The protagonist (that means you) then wakes up in the company of strange men who saw your rapid descent from the cliff...

Suikoden II is a long game. In fact, the above events probably make up just 1% of the entire game. I might exaggerate, but it did felt like it to me. The story keeps going after you recover from your fall, and if you choose to, it doesn't let up until the end. Sometimes, you might be tempted to make a detour to have a look at what the world has to offer, or maybe take a breather in your castle (oh yes, somewhere along the way you do get a big-ass castle) and do some fishing, maybe a bit of farming. But sooner or later you'll be back in the storyline, and you'll be sucked back in so quickly it's as though you've never left it hanging.

So what makes the plot so good? There are three factors:

Sensible, progressive storyline
The plot of the game flows in a somewhat linear fashion - you don't get to choose how the major events will happen or the aftermath of it, although there are a couple of minor exceptions that will be guaranteed to come with heartbreaks and an overall sense of moodiness. But it's not a problem, because the story crafted for you is so damn good. It has highs and lows, trials and tribulations, suspense, surprise, crescendos and satisfactory resolutions. It's not like a B movie, nor is it like a trashy romance novel - it's like a great storybook for reading beside a fireplace at night. That's how good it is.

Great Characterization
Here's a fact: Suikoden II lets you make 108 friends that stay in the castle with you. Yes, 108. And it's all incorporated into the overall story as well!

Each of them have their own quirks and personalities. You get the loud guy that likes a good brawl, the intellectual, the man-of-few-words, the bubbly girl-next-door, and everything in between. There's even a talking sword that's pretty full of itself and is pretty integral to the plot at some point. Sometimes they even talk, even irritate each other. With such a wide range of memorable characters, the world feels more... alive, somehow.

Great music
Music adds emotion to everything. The perfect dirge on a violin could make a normal sad scene into a flood-of-tears scene. In reverse, the gentle tunes of the harp serves to highlight the sense of peace and relief after a dire event has reached a favorable resolution. Suikoden II features an amazing soundtrack that could leave you humming the tunes days after you finish the game.

My first run-through of the game lasted about 60 hours played in real-time, and I absolutely enjoyed every minute of it. Some parts were funny, some were adrenaline inducing, especially in a particular section where you have to defeat a Big Bad that you just can't wait to pummel. Some were so sad that I found myself sympathizing with the characters. But to sum it up, it's one of the best plots that I've experienced in a video game.

Copies of Suikoden II are exceedingly rare these days, and those that are up for sale go for ridiculous prices. It's pretty clear that I'm not the only one who feels that the game is an extraordinary piece of work.