It’s movie time again, Geekadelphians. If you’re not in the mood to watch this video, allow us to explain. A recent ABC News Web Exclusive explored the idea that Nintendo and Retro Studios may have successfully mastered the art of interactive storytelling with the Metroid Prime Trilogy. IGN’s Michael Thomsen goes on to relate the Metroid series’ success to Orson Wells’ critically acclaimed Citizen Kane, which many argue changed cinematography forever. Alright, now you probably want to watch the video.
If it’s true that Metroid series revolutionized narrative in video games (which would be difficult to argue against), there must be other titles that have at least contributed to video games’ progress as a popularly appreciated narrative medium. Titles like Shadow of the Colossus, which depicts a deep and engaging narrative using minimal dialogue, and select titles from the Final Fantasy series (a traditional-yet-effective approach) come to mind.
Putting Thomsen’s argument aside for a moment, have video games have come so far as to be regarded as an acceptable narrative medium? If so, what titles or franchises come to mind? If not, what is barring video games from achieving this status? Click on that headline and let’s discuss!
(Image via Wired)
Excellent post – really engaging topic for discussion. The first Metroid Prime (the only one of the series I played) was very effective in making the player feel isolated and vulnerable. It had a very haunting quality. Up until now (and one could definitely argue last generation of consoles) the technology would not allow for video games to be capable of portraying an engaging story on the same level of say a miniseries or feature film. We are now at a point where I believe that is fully possible. Mass Effect was an unbelievably good story that happened to have excellent gameplay. Eternal Darkness on the gamecube is another great example. Heavy Rain I think (and hope) will be a title that will break the mold of what can and will be expected of video games. The recent Uncharted 2 commercial where the guy talks about how his girlfriend thinks its a 10 hour move is another great example of how the perception of video games are changing. I think the biggest roadblock in acheiving widespread acceptance is the perception that video games are for kids. A lot of people still believe video games to consist of mario jumping over mushrooms so its easy for them to dismiss the possibility of getting a good story out of a console. I’m hoping that changes.
I personally believe the Resident Evil series did a lot more for narrative game experiences than Metroid. Metroid was always just far enough out there that it was like playing through a cartoon, whereas the Resident Evil series went out of it’s way to suck you into it’s world in a realistic way, out of necessity, so that it could effectively scare the shit out of you. Metoid felt like a game, Resident Evil (especially once they got the control issues worked out, interestingly enough, on the Gamecube version of 4) felt like being in a movie. Maybe that’s just me though?
@ chris: I totally agree with the atmospheric qualities of the Metroid Prime series and the quality of its interactive narrative. I think Heavy Rain has the potential to again revolutionize narrative in video games. Let’s just hope it lives up to its promises.
@Dx: While I totally agree that Resident Evil has done much for the progress of narrative in video games, I don’t feel that it’s purely because of its realism. A video game can be deeply entrenched in fantasy or science fiction and still present an engaging storytelling experience. Call me a fanboy, but look at Shadow of the Colossus and you’ll see what I’m referring to.
Excellent points guys (man, I love this gig)!
Chris Roper’s IGN review hit the nail on the head when he called Shadow of the Colossus a work of art. Its easily in my top 10.
This is definitely something I’m going to have to pick up. I played Metroid Prime 1 and loved it, pre-ordered the second game, then ended up only playing it for an hour, I have no idea why. I’ve always loved the series, so I definitely owe these games a play. Especially with a new Metroid in the works, I don’t want to fall behind. I’ll definitely have to check out that video now, I’m intrigued.