Board 8 > What video game series has the most convoluted plot?

(+) Yeah! (+)

I'm watching a youtube video on Kingdom Hearts and it's hard to think of any competition.
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Anagram posted...

I'm watching a youtube video on Kingdom Hearts and it's hard to think of any competition.

There is none. Maybe in some Japan only series? But for games that came to NA, nothing comes close.
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the only things i can think of that even approach KH are blazblue and metal gear
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Metal Gear Solid is up there
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KH is the correct choice.
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Valkyrie Drive
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Metal Gear is certainly up there but KH is a different weight class
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MGS is Glass Joe compared to KH.
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I think you nailed it with KH.
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Yep. Among the shittiest, too!
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Kingdom Hearts, and there is no competition.
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Blazblue heavily approaches it, but yeah... KH.
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Xenogears
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Xenosaga?
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Kingdom Hearts is one of my all-time favorite franchises

And it's easily that too
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Chrono Cross
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Drakengard + Nier puts KH to shame
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Kingdom Hearts is at worst my second favorite franchise, and realistically maybe it is above LoZ for number one.

So understand how much this means coming from me.

It is Kingdom Hearts.... and it isn't remotely close.

1st round 1st minute knockout...

MGS is damn coherent compared to KH.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uW0wjcS7-00
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KH is pretty simple really

everyone is either Sora or Xehanort
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KamikazePotato posted...

Drakengard + Nier puts KH to shame

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Zero Escape

Legacy of Kain
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Paratroopa1 posted...

Zero Escape

Yeah, this is a really good answer.
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I thought of Kingdom Hearts before coming in.

MGS isn't that bad.
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I have to go with Blazblue over KH or MGS, really.
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MGS is just really long across many games. Continuity lockout I think its called?

its not complicated though
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Punnyz posted...

MGS is just really long across many games. Continuity lockout I think its called?

its not complicated though

Agreed. For this reason I actually think it's BlazBlue.

Both MGS and KH seem insanely convoluted if you're trying to explain it to someone who hasn't actually played the games, but if you play them and are at all paying attention (yes, even for KH) I don't feel like either one is difficult to keep up with at all. KH is a bit tougher because you have to play a bunch of side games but that's kind of your fault if you don't.

BlazBlue by comparison you can play, pay attention and still not know wtf is happening unless you check a wiki.
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Yeah, I don't think KH is necessarily hard to keep up with if you play all the games. It's not hard to explain. The explanation just sounds absurd. Same with MGS.

Zero Escape is convoluted because of all the different timelines across three games, and it can be hard to keep straight what happens on which timeline.
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LeonhartFour posted...

Zero Escape is convoluted because of all the different timelines across three games, and it can be hard to keep straight what happens on which timeline.

Drakengard + Nier is this but five times worse
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I don't find Nier to be that complex. I guess it is if you combine it with Drakengard.
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Drakengard is what makes it pretty nuts, yeah. There's alternate timelines all over the place.
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Nier isn't complicated. It's just part of a series that is.
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I think Blazblue is probably the right type of answer here. It or Guilty Gear or Mortal Kombat or something. Definitely a fighter. Trying to untangle which of the story modes and supplemental material are canon when half of them contradict each other is a real chore. I think it's probably not Blazblue just because there's less material to sift through than with the longer running franchises even if it's more efficiently contrived but yeah.
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if we removed the series qualifier, I would say Killer7's plot is pretty dense and weird and impossible to explain to anyone who hasn't played the game
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Mortal Kombat is not remotely convoluted. Even its brief time change is simple.
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I don't really pay enough attention to MK's plot to be able to effectively argue its complexity or even be absolutely certain you're wrong, but I do think you're probably underselling it as I don't think I've played any fighters that I'd say have "simple" plots.
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Yea, Blazblue

the story is basically a VN with branching paths and different endings for each character across multiple games

and spoilers theres a bunch of weird time\dimension shit going on so it makes EVERYTHING canon

on top of other stupid bullshit

and not only that, its a fighting game, so you STILL don't get all of the story in the games
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Before Dream Drop Distance, I'd say KH probably didn't truly belong here.

after it though it is certainly a worthy contender
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Lopen posted...

I think Blazblue is probably the right type of answer here. It or Guilty Gear or Mortal Kombat or something. Definitely a fighter. Trying to untangle which of the story modes and supplemental material are canon when half of them contradict each other is a real chore. I think it's probably not Blazblue just because there's less material to sift through than with the longer running franchises even if it's more efficiently contrived but yeah.

This is severely underselling Blazblue

It's got more story in lesser games than MK by a loooong shot.
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Lopen posted...

I don't really pay enough attention to MK's plot to be able to effectively argue its complexity or even be absolutely certain you're wrong, but I do think you're probably underselling it as I don't think I've played any fighters that I'd say have "simple" plots.

I'd actually argue the opposite. The only time fighting games get convoluted is if you go in assuming every single character's story is true and then trying to figure out how they all fit together. A majority of fighting game series make it very clear what's true and what's not in the next installment. Beat Tekken 3 and not sure who won? Don't worry, Tekken 4 told you. Most fighting games follow that logic. They're only complicated if you make them.

Now, the fact that you typically have to wait for the next installment to know for sure does make them... Something, but I wouldn't say convoluted. Especially since you can sorta figure it out based on tossing aside all the secondary characters that have little plot relevance and then just piecing together what happened with the main characters.

Blazblue is unique in that it's basically a VN built onto a fighting game frame.
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Haven't played them, but based on what some people say, it seems it would be Xenogears/Xenosaga
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kind of a technicality but Nasuverse has to be up there
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