Best game writing wise in the last 5 years?

[Joghurt]

So my console loving friend finished Mafia 2 and told me that he really enjoyed the writing of it. I haven't finished it yet (I only managed to get to chapter 5 I think)because I have no time right now, but I'm sure I'll finish it during the next week. That got us to conversation about the video game with best writing. Of course I mentioned to him old classics like Planescape, Betrayal at Krondor or Thief. We agreed on most of the older games that both of us have played, but we could agree on newer games.

What does codex think? The game has to be no older than 5 years and it has to be AAA title (that pretty much means it has to be a multiplatform game).

 

[Turisas]

I just finished Mafia 2 today, and thought the ending was pretty bullshit (and, if the data-mined stuff is true, they cut out a few chapters from the end, no doubt to sell as DLC later). The story was ok I guess, but the actual gameplay was way too much repetitive driving back and forth.

As for best writing in last 5 years... Eh, MOTB I guess.

 

[Joghurt]

The game has to be no older than 5 years and it has to be AAA title (that pretty much means it has to be a multiplatform game).

Are you intentionally trying to kill us?

That is the challenge here. Can the hivemind agree on at least one such game? :D

 

[Unkillable Cat]

Psychonauts?

 

[Turisas]

MOTB is not multiplatform, Psychonauts isn't a triple-A title.

Who cares, that AAA/multiplatform rule was lame anyway. MOTB!

 

[Joghurt]

Well it doesn't have to be multiplatform. It just has to be AAA tile. For example Starcraft 2 or The Witcher are PC exclusives and are AAA, but I wouldn't nominate them to the best writing award in any universe.

 

[Mackerel]

AAA just means large production costs and a whole lot of hype, right? So why would you even bother using it when talking about writing? Please, don't adopt more meaningless marketing terms into your gaming lingo.

 

[Overweight Manatee]

What exactly does AAA mean? Is there a AA? Or is it just EXTREME marketing to distinguish any title from the obviously inferior indies?

As far as superior writing goes, I think the Codex can agree on one thing.

 

[racofer]

Dragon Age.

 

[CrimHead]

Oblivion

 

[zeitgeist]

The game has to be no older than 5 years and it has to be AAA title (that pretty much means it has to be a multiplatform game).

Saints Row 2

 

[SoupNazi]

Quake 4

 

[Achilles]

Mass Effect 2. Great characters, plot was meh, but overall another stellar performance from Bioware.

(Stellar. Get it? Because the game is set in space... I'll get my coat.)

 

[Melcar]

Hilarious.

 

[CrimHead]

To be serious for a moment, its probably Dreamfall.

 

[Sceptic]

Going by the LP, yeah, this is probably the one. Which is kinda sad really.
But otherwise, MotB. There really is no competition in the writing department, unless you start including indies (at which point Vogel comes in I guess?).

I'll get my coat.

Preferably the asbestos-coated one.

 

[ElectricOtter]

Has to be Geneforge 5. Fuck your AAA title bullshit

 

[Dire Roach]

Did you mean to ask, "what is the most overly wordiest game in the past 5 years?"

 

[Destroid]

AAA = marketing budget > development budget.

 

[DriacKin]

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

 

[Nihilism]

Good writing in Thief? Wtf ever.

 

[Luzur]

best game writ in the last five years.....
................................................
..........hrrm.......................
...................................
.......uh...........
...........
.....

i dunno.

 

[Raghar]

Fate/StayNight

 

[deus101]

I could add one up for Dreamfall....Annoying as hell that Funcom decided to go with the MMO-shit road....I was hoping i could work for them but because of Age of Conan turned to shit they decided to move jobs to Canada...CANADA!!!

 

[Cassidy]

Risen. Plot can't be divorced from writing. Thus Dreamfail can be automatically discarded as it starts nowhere and ends nowhere, even worse than Half-Life's ending. It was a huge



I'm glad it flopped or even adventures would perish to the decline instead of surviving, somehow, as a niche genre.