Cliche vs. Original, Game vs. Novel, and Marketing OELVN

[SundownKid]

I'll say one thing in terms of story vs. gameplay in the western market... the point where the "gameplay" got in the way of the "story" didn't quite happen yet in the western market. I think that's what happened in Japan a very long time ago.

It's starting to happen with the "story-focused" mode in games like Mass Effect. Just saying.

I think such a thing is just a general problem with the traditional definition of video games, where the ludonarrative dissonance of a simplistic action game clashes with a more deep and mature plotline. It's just that in Japan, they took visual novels and slapped games on top, while in the West, they took action games and then later added story on top. I don't think such a thing can be completely fixed until the control methods of games become more complicated and virtual reality-like, so that the objectives of a game could become more complicated as well. I don't think they have ever completely jived, and thus split gamers into two different camps, one that likes a visual novel interspersed with their game, and one that wants to get rid of it completely.

[ktalkimist]

Have you guys played the VN-type games on the DS? They're a perfect marriage of VN-style storytelling and interactive gameplay.