LogFAQs > #977739574

adjl posted...

If the plot not going your way is enough to make you consider your investment in the gameplay busywork in the service of a story, that means you're only ever viewing your investment in the gameplay to be busywork in the service of a story that you hope goes your way.

Enjoyable gameplay is its own reward. Embrace that instead of expecting immutable stories to twist themselves to heap more rewards on you. You'll have a much better time that way.

That doesn't make sense. The two are related. That's the whole point. Gameplay and story aren't (or at least shouldn't be) separate. They BOTH have to go the same way and it's the gameplay part that should be immutable as opposed to literally every other medium that only has to worry about the story. As soon as they are separated, it becomes a problem.
adjl posted...

And that's just lazy writing.

We already have lazy writing and writing with a difficult constraint isn't lazy. Finding a way to make the story interesting while adhering to the limitations of it being a game that can be won requires effort and skill. It stops you from just regurgitating the same poor plot as the rest of the games and calling it a day.

adjl posted...

Why bother with greater depth than that if the only thing you want from the story is a pat on the back for winning?

Frankly, I don't need greater depth. A lot of games guilty of this aren't very deep. The game I was playing that prompted this was light hearted fun until you autolose in the cutscene, twice, get captured by the bad guy that has no reason to keep you alive, escape, immediately attack the bad guy without any new power ups from when you lost last time, beat him, beat the real final boss in the gemaply, but then lose in the cutscene AGAIN just for the gods to come down and beat it for you. The end. Wtf was I even there for?

We don't actually get the middle ground games I'm fine with, outside of MAYBE atelier games (although the ones I've played still follow this). We either get pokemons level of nonstory or this exact same heroes journey that forces you into a low point, usually due to a loss and capture at around the 60-70% mark.

If I had dozens of jrpg alternatives that do what I want, I probably wouldn't be complaining, although I still would about xenoblade and tales because I like the gameplay and the character and the side content and world building, I just hate the plot.

adjl posted...

Moreover, stories aren't tests.

But games ARE. We just disagree here fundamentally.