Board 8 > Hot take time: What is the worst story you've ever seen in a story-driven game?

(+) Yeah! (+)

This topic is brought to you by Death Stranding.

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Probably Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney!

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First thought was FF7 Remake but that might be too harsh

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PrinceOfKoopas posted...

Probably Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney!

Thats interesting, I never played it but I know the reception was very mixed and people hate the last case. What was so bad about it?

MZero posted...

First thought was FF7 Remake but that might be too harsh

I dont think FF7 Remake is even a bottom three Final Fantasy story of the last ten years!

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I'm sure some early RPGs were way worse, but my more recent answer is Octopath Traveler.

Star Ocean 4

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....... Apollo Justice, probably.

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I hated Bravely Defaults story not because of the universe loops but because the dialogue with half of the bosses was You fools dont know what youre doing, you have to stop but none of them would ever just explain why to you.

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Tales of Symphonia or FF12

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MrSmartGuy posted...

....... Apollo Justice, probably.

Yeah, this.

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Tales of Symphonia 2

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Definitely thought of Apollo Justice as well.

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Tales of Graces

Kingdom Hearts

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Just started Death Stranding, oh no

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Thats interesting, I never played it but I know the reception was very mixed and people hate the last case. What was so bad about it?

Well, basically.
Case 1 is introduction to Phoenix Wright style gameplay.
Case 2 is introduction to Witch Trials.
Case 3 is an actual Witch Trial.
Case 4 is "no Phoenix, the rules of Witch Trials don't apply here, because reasons." Also, in the second half, Layton's explanations for why everything supernatural wasn't really supernatural are considerably more contrived than "supernatural exists"... particularly given that Luke can talk to animals, and Maya can talk to ghosts. (Although I don't believe the latter point comes up over the course of PL vs AA).

I wouldn't say that I hated Case 4 - riding the crazy train was fun! - but I can understand why people would.
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Soul Calibur V

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I've played a lot of the games mentioned in this topic so far and I'll just say that Fire Emblem Fates: Conquest is significantly worse than all of them put together.

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MalcolmMasher posted...

Case 4 is "no Phoenix, the rules of Witch Trials don't apply here, because reasons." Also, in the second half, Layton's explanations for why everything supernatural wasn't really supernatural are considerably more contrived than "supernatural exists"... particularly given that Luke can talk to animals, and Maya can talk to ghosts. (Although I don't believe the latter point comes up over the course of PL vs AA).

Yeah, after Godoor was a spell I had no reason to doubt that magic was a thing, especially given that I was coming into this with the perspective of someone that's seen spirit channeling and psyche-locks.

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WazzupGenius00 posted...

I hated Bravely Defaults story not because of the universe loops but because the dialogue with half of the bosses was You fools dont know what youre doing, you have to stop but none of them would ever just explain why to you.

I like this answer because this infuriated me too. Although to be fair calling it "story-driven" is pretty arguable.

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Tales of Zestiria and it's really not close.

I've used this comparison before but it reminds me of one of those old cartoon ransom notes with all the letters made up of magazine clippings with how many unrelated themes and random crap it tries to throw in all at once. And that's even before Rose shows up and turns it into an outright unmitigated disaster.

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Guess I'll go with Final Fantasy XIII although it feels like there's probably a better answer
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Kenri posted...

I've played a lot of the games mentioned in this topic so far and I'll just say that Fire Emblem Fates: Conquest is significantly worse than all of them put together.

NBIceman posted...

Tales of Zestiria and it's really not close.

It's probably one of these two, these are good calls.

and probably fates.

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MZero posted...

First thought was FF7 Remake but that might be too harsh

Well if your goal is just to hot take instead of give a popular answer, then you picked a "good" one.

I'd pick Xenosaga Episode III if I could limit it to the last few hours.

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Also Layton vs. AA is neither the worst Layton story (that's Diabolical Box) or the worst AA story (that's Apollo Justice, as others have said)

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The Last Of Us Part II

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take your pick from the Kingdom Hearts games

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PrinceKaro posted...

take your pick from the Kingdom Hearts games

Hmmm...Worst story is probably...Coded.

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Death Stranding's not a story-driven game. Most of the games mentioned aren't story-driven. If there's levels, character growth mechanics, or action based gameplay I don't think it's right to call them story-driven. So this eliminates rpgs and adventure games right off. If we're just saying "what's the worst story" then fine, anything goes. My answer would be Ultra Despair Girls.

But in terms of pure story driven games, where the gameplay basically is minimal or complementary to the story itself, you could go with Apollo Justice or Layton vs. AA but I'd go with Telltale's The Walking Dead. Absolutely hated it and never tried a Telltale game after that.

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Probably FFXIII

ExThaNemesis posted...

The Last Of Us Part II

Nope. Not even in the bottom half of stories Naughty Dog has done, and Im not even sure its the worst TLoU story. It only got hate because of the leaks and separately an absurd movement motivated by, lets be honest, hatred of women and LGBT people. For that reason its not even a good hot take! Just regurgitating insipid rhetoric.

Though there are major issues with it, the last chapter is bad.

PrinceKaro posted...

take your pick from the Kingdom Hearts games

Kingdom Hearts is weird since no one story is terrible in its own right but the overarching story is absolute nonsense of the highest order.

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How has Metroid: Other M not been mentioned here?

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Man of Medan maybe, especially if you only play it single-player.

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Also since it came up I am using a broad definition of story-driven, not games focused solely on story (and besides, none except the most basic visual novels are purely story-focused). A story-driven game is a game where the story is clearly intended as a major part of the game and a reason to play. Uncharted qualifies for instance, or MGS, maybe going as far as something like Ocarina of Time but probably no further than that. It excuses games where the plot is just a basic concept like a Super Mario Bros.

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Leonhart4 posted...

Well if your goal is just to hot take instead of give a popular answer, then you picked a "good" one.

if they took the ghosts out it would be fine but alas

also I'm noticing I haven't played a lot of games with bad stories, most are at worst forgettable

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Final Fantasy Tactics Advance isn't the worst, but it is my least-favorite.

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Lightning Strikes posted...

Nope. Not even in the bottom half of stories Naughty Dog has done, and Im not even sure its the worst TLoU story. It only got hate because of the leaks and separately an absurd movement motivated by, lets be honest, hatred of women and LGBT people. For that reason its not even a good hot take! Just regurgitating insipid rhetoric.

I just thought there were a lot of seriously obtuse story-telling method employed. It was such a heavy-handed and obnoxious way to say "revenge bad" while alienating the very people who were invested in the game in the first place.

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ExThaNemesis posted...

I just thought there were a lot of seriously obtuse story-telling method employed. It was such a heavy-handed and obnoxious way to say "revenge bad" while alienating the very people who were invested in the game in the first place.

Bigot.

FF XIII-2

the ending makes the whole game pointless. Retroactively making it the worst story, because I liked the story until the ending.

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Final Fantasy XIII has some serious, serious issues.

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Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World. Its just a complete embarrassment and I have no idea how their skin wasnt crawling having to act out all that horrible dialogue either.

The answer really is Other M and I cannot think of anything close.

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also I'm sure there are objectively worse stories but I just hate the way that one makes people act. Because of the vitriol against it there is equally as much vitriol in defense of it and as a consequence anyone that actually wants to analyze the game just gets drowned out in all the nonsense.

Cursed game.

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can only think of XIII, just an absolute worthless cast of antagonists

*edit* oh yeah Other M is a good pick, not just the baby stuff but the ending just comes out of nowhere like oh hey this is over now

mind just doesn't go to platformers when thinking stories!

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Y'all aren't appreciating how good video game writing has gotten. Final Fantasy 1 basically has the worst story possible. It basically boils down to elemental demons did random elementally-appropriate bad things for no reason hundreds of years ago so you gotta kill them. And there's a SURPRISE TWIST at the very end.

Here is the whole plot according to https://finalfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Final_Fantasy:

About four centuries ago, a group of people known as the Lufenian used the wind crystal's power to craft a giant aerial station ("Flying Fortress") and airships, and watched their country decline as the wind crystal went dark. Tiamat, the fiend of wind, waged a battle against them, taking over their flying fortress and the Mirage Tower. A Lufenian called Cid hid an airship on the south continent.

About two centuries ago, Kraken, the fiend of water, used violent storms to sink the water shrine that served as the center of an ocean-based civilization to use it as his personal hideout and to darken the water crystal.

Shortly before the Light Warriors embark on their journey, Lich, the fiend of earth, darkens the earth crystal and plagues Melmond as the plains and vegetation decay. At an unspecified point, a sage called Lukahn tells of a prophecy that four Warriors of Light will save the world in a time of darkness.
Marilith, the fiend of fire, awakens two centuries early as a response to the Warriors of Light's appearance and darkens the crystal of fire.

The four Warriors of Light appear, each carrying a darkened crystal, one of each element. They arrive at Cornelia, a powerful kingdom that has witnessed the kidnapping of its princess, Sarah, by a rogue knight named Garland who wants to conquer the kingdom. The Warriors of Light travel to the ruined Chaos Shrine in the corner of Cornelia, defeat Garland, and return Princess Sarah home. The grateful King of Cornelia rebuilds the drawbridge, enabling the Warriors of Light passage east of the country.

Traveling east, the Warriors of Light learn a dark elf wizard named Astos has been terrorizing the area surrounding the southern continent's inland sea, Elfheim, stealing a crystal the witch Matoya needs for sight, putting the prince of the elves into a coma, and stealing the crown of a minor western king. As they travel, they liberate the town of Pravoka from a band of pirates and acquire the pirates' ship for their use. The Warriors of Light travel across the water, but remain trapped within the Aldean Sea, in the center of a large continent. A large rock blocks the only exit from the sea. There is a group of dwarves in Mount Duergar trying to remove the rock, but they find themselves unable to proceed without Nitro Powder.

The Nitro Powder is contained in a locked room in Castle Cornelia, the only key to which is held by the sleeping elven prince. They retrieve the stolen crown, only to find the minor king was actually Astos. After defeating Astos, the Warriors of Light recover Matoya's crystal and return it to the witch, who makes them an herb (Jolt Tonic in later releases) to awaken the elven prince. The prince gives the warriors the Mystic Key, with which they travel to Castle Cornelia and retrieve the Nitro Powder, which they take to the dwarves to help them finish the canal. With the rock cleared, the Warriors of Light proceed into the greater world.

Sailing to Melmond, the Warriors of Light seek out and destroy the Fiend of Earth, the Lich, who is responsible for the earth's rotting. The Warriors of Light enter the volcano Mount Gulg and defeat the Fiend of Fire, Marilith, who was awakened two hundred years prematurely by the defeat of Lich. The Warriors acquire an airship and visit the Cardia Islands to meet with the dragon king Bahamut who tasks them to survive the Citadel of Trials and getting a Rat's Tail as proof of their deeds. When they return he upgrades their job classes.

The Warriors defeat the Fiend of Water, the Kraken, in an underwater palace near Onrac, and Tiamat, the Fiend of Wind, in the Flying Fortress. The Four Fiends defeated, and the crystals restored, the Warriors find their quest is not yet over: The power of the four restored crystals is still
being absorbed by an unknown entity through a time portal located in the Chaos Shrine.

Once they travel 2,000 years into the past, the Warriors of Light meet the four arch-fiends newly created by Chaos. They defeat them, before Chaos can send the arch-fiends into the future to bring Garland back to the past, shortly before he would die during the fight with the Warriors of Light, and darken the crystals to steal their energy. Chaos turns out to be Garland who was not killed, but brought back into the past by the Four Fiends and empowered by the energy stolen from the four crystals to become Chaos. Garland created the time loop to live forever.

The Warriors of Light, upon defeating Chaos, return to their own time. Having broken the time loop, peace returns to the world. While the people are unaware the ordeal took place, and though the Warriors themselves do not recall their adventure either, order has been restored, and the darkness has been vanquished.

My actual hot take answer is Persona 5. I'd say Persona 3 but I literally do not remember a single story event in it.

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as someone that hasn't played any TLoU I can't say I've really seen much if any defence of 2

maybe defence is the wrong word, I guess dismissals but no actual praise

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Deadly Premonition 2, because it's not only god awful and unfinished, but it follows after one of the best stories in a story-driven game ever.

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Zesteria is definitely the worst offender personally. The story of why it went shit is still funny to me, though.

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ninkendo posted...

Star Ocean 4

Kenri posted...

I've played a lot of the games mentioned in this topic so far and I'll just say that Fire Emblem Fates: Conquest is significantly worse than all of them put together.

One of these two, probably SO4.

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UshiromiyaEva posted...

Zesteria is definitely the worst offender personally. The story of why it went shit is still funny to me, though.

Please tell me more