Perhaps this is a discussion for another thread, don't wanna derail this one any further...
mikey wrote:I'd divide that into story and writing. I don't think story is necessary - I actually prefer games where there's nothing really happening in terms of plot (I don't like complicated plot-twisters) - however bad writing will destroy even the best designed style-over-substance games.
I think here we're actually saying the same thing. If you split it into two, the story being the "what" and the actual writing being the "how", then I'd consider the how, the writing, as part of the project's style. The way sentences are structured, the words that were chosen, the methods used to get the point across. I consider that part of the presentation, not the content. So yeah, if the writing is bad, then you're making a style-over-substance game that has no style... In my last post, whenever I said story or writing, I really meant the plot. The meat, the substance of the story. I'd easily forgive a story with a poor or non-existent plot if it's presented in a stylish manner.
absinthe wrote:The thing is, good writing tailors itself to the product. So the writing doesn't have to be heavy-handed, long, deep, and meaningful to be 'good', for example, if the story is a light-hearted one.
I didn't want it to sound like I said a story has to be heavy-handed, long, deep, or meaningful to be good. Actually, I was trying to say the opposite. My point was that a game with a bland or shallow story, presented in an interesting, unique way isn't any less "good" than an excellent story with a less colorful execution.
I can stand ugly or basic graphics, but too many writing and plot issues and I'm done. Flashy graphics, unless it's an action game, can only cover up deeper issues with the story (Fable and Oblivion leap to mind) for so long.
I should have made this clearer, but I'm not celebrating the gimmicky "BUY ME NOW!" type of graphics for a story (which many, many commercial games focus on). I'm referring to a creative use of visuals to liven up a story that may be lacking. Something more like what an art student would make, trying to say something without relying on words, not a business that's solely looking for a profit. So ignoring the greedy suit in the corner who has nothing but flash to sell his project, this is more of an argument between an English major and an Art major. If they both produced their own VNs, the writer with a great story but weak presentation, and the artist with a weak story with great presentation, is one game necessarily better than the other? I'm just trying to counter the mentality that may exist that thinks that the "superior" title defaults to the game with the better story.
