In my eyes GW2 earns the place because of how it's driven the entire game since launch with story, world changing events, and more. It hasn't always been the BEST story, but how it's done in the game is nothing short of phenomenal.
I've always been of the opinion that the Original GW2 had the worst story and worst way to tell a story out of almost any high-profile game. Though I recognize my bias in comparing it to GW1. Two minute missions with 5 minutes of dialog just really irked me. As well as one of those missions every 3 levels (or 2-3 missions every 10 levels now). Though the way they told an area's story through events was pretty good.
HoT and PoF are okay. The first season of Living World had a lot of problems. Second season was better. Third ended in a rushed fashion. Still, I would rank it above WoW for sure. Personal bias towards some other games disallow me an objective opinion.
In essence, it's proof of concept of post-game story was good (even the last story mission of the original was a big mess), but if implementation is a factor, then that would significantly drop its rating, in my opinion.
Due to frequent travel in my youth, English isn't something I consider my primary language (and thus I obtained quirky ways of writing). German and French were always easier for me despite my family being U.S. citizens for over a century. Spanish I learned as a requirement in school, Japanese and Korean I acquired for my youthful desire of anime and gaming (and also work now). I only debate in English to help me work with it (and limit things). In addition, I'm not smart enough to remain fluent in everything and typically need exposure to get in the groove of things again if I haven't heard it in a while. If you understand Mandarin, I know a little, but it has actually been a challenge and could use some help.
Also, I thoroughly enjoy debates and have accounts on over a dozen sites for this. If you wish to engage in such, please put effort in a post and provide sources -- I will then do the same with what I already wrote (if I didn't) as well as with my responses to your own. Expanding my information on a subject makes my stance either change or strengthen the next time I speak of it or write a thesis. Allow me to thank you sincerely for your time.
If you liked the SWTOR story, you clearly didn't play a Bounty Hunter. The story they had was an utter mess. It started okay, but then at about the middle it starts going in 80 different directions and is an incomprehensible mess.
From what I have heard this is similar to most classes, because they changed writers too much in development for each one.
Imperial Agent was pretty good.
Due to frequent travel in my youth, English isn't something I consider my primary language (and thus I obtained quirky ways of writing). German and French were always easier for me despite my family being U.S. citizens for over a century. Spanish I learned as a requirement in school, Japanese and Korean I acquired for my youthful desire of anime and gaming (and also work now). I only debate in English to help me work with it (and limit things). In addition, I'm not smart enough to remain fluent in everything and typically need exposure to get in the groove of things again if I haven't heard it in a while. If you understand Mandarin, I know a little, but it has actually been a challenge and could use some help.
Also, I thoroughly enjoy debates and have accounts on over a dozen sites for this. If you wish to engage in such, please put effort in a post and provide sources -- I will then do the same with what I already wrote (if I didn't) as well as with my responses to your own. Expanding my information on a subject makes my stance either change or strengthen the next time I speak of it or write a thesis. Allow me to thank you sincerely for your time.
In my eyes GW2 earns the place because of how it's driven the entire game since launch with story, world changing events, and more. It hasn't always been the BEST story, but how it's done in the game is nothing short of phenomenal.
You are wrong. Accept it gracefully or face the consequences.
Ohh god, another list! Kill it with fire!! Kill it with fire!!!!
I guess its more of a 'how story is implemented' list then a 'high quality story' list, which is fine with me.
My simple observation is the more story there is, the less freedom you have, SWtOR being the worst offender. I also think stories should be created by players and that the lore/stories that actually are present in an MMORPG should be optional, a background so to speak, not the road you follow.
Then again, I play and love FF14, go figure...
/Cheers, Lahnmir
'the only way he could nail it any better is if he used a cross.'
Kyleran on yours sincerely
'But there are many. You can play them entirely solo, and even offline. Also, you are wrong by default.'
Ikcin in response to yours sincerely debating whether or not single-player offline MMOs exist...
'This does not apply just to ED but SC or any other game. What they will get is Rebirth/X4, likely prettier but equally underwhelming and pointless.
It is incredibly difficult to design some meaningfull leg content that would fit a space ship game - simply because it is not a leg game.
It is just huge resource waste....'
Gdemami absolutely not being an armchair developer
I could not remember the main questline of GW2, TERA, RIFT, ESO, STO and some others. Vanilla & TBC WoW I do remember and SWTOR too. Even small side quests. The other expansions were good too, but those I played after maxed out in Legion.
I miss Neverwinter in the list. Maybe not because of the main story line, but because of the player generated content.
GW2 No. 1 honestly !? ahead of ESO, LotRO and SWTOR, you can´t be serious. This makes no sense either from a technical (cut scenes, voice acting) or from a writing quality point of view.
Gosh, I just Luved the Matrix Online. I did a screen gab of each story screen, I just wish I still had those images. Thanks for including her on the list.
Pardon any spelling errors
Konfess your cyns and some maybe forgiven Boy: Why can't I talk to Him? Mom: We don't talk to Priests. As if it could exist, without being payed for. F2P means you get what you paid for. Pay nothing, get nothing. Even telemarketers wouldn't think that. It costs money to play. Therefore P2W.
Ofc guild wars 2 is number 1 . Not because it has the best story ever , but the atmosphere they created and the fantasy world , i just love it so much , can t live without it . It s my only chance to leave this worlds hard painfull reality . Guild wars 2 is far more than a simple mmo game , it s beyond a game , its my second life . Well if u want facts instead of feelings , one of the most fantastic and insubstantial lore , environment they preserve almost for every season (and even more) , the best emotional and marvelous music , the wonderful artwork in every possible place etc .. The atmosphere is just amazing u can t compare it to other classical mmo s
I'd go along with Guild Wars 2, as it has so much story of so many different kinds... but it would have been nice to see the old original Guild Wars in there too, even if the "massively multiplayer" bit is limited to outposts...
I know there is some crap thing about GW2 running, but never really got it. I cant remember any story of GW2 but alot on SWTOR and I only played that the first 2-3 week after release until content was over.
Imho GW2 is should be placed on 5-6...
Exactly! GW2 is anything BUT story driven - thousands of players never even saw the story there, they go directly to PvP fields and never leave.
In any technical aspect GW2 is an exceptional game, may be the best out there. But story is not it's main element, not even second. While in SWTOR anything you do (literally) is story related. You simply can not bypass the story, it's very definition of "story driven game".
Opinions is a good thing, but not when officials begin to declare oranges to be apples.
Guild wars two in the top five is the biggest joke possible. SWTOR and ESO should lead this by any means. Even Lotro has more and deeper storytelling than GW2. But the point is: it is "storydriven" as mentioned in the title, which GW2 is not. Maybe the horrible HoT part of GW2 can be called storydriven, but even than it is not done very well.
This top ten is more biased than most and far from the truth.
Ohh god, another list! Kill it with fire!! Kill it with fire!!!!
I guess its more of a 'how story is implemented' list then a 'high quality story' list, which is fine with me.
My simple observation is the more story there is, the less freedom you have, SWtOR being the worst offender. I also think stories should be created by players and that the lore/stories that actually are present in an MMORPG should be optional, a background so to speak, not the road you follow.
Then again, I play and love FF14, go figure...
/Cheers, Lahnmir
Apparently you are a conflicted gamer.
But I agree with your points including SWTOR being the worst offender. Which is why its rating so highly in this poll of course.
One could almost say the list of MMORPGs with the best story is synonymous with the list of games least like a MMORPG, or most like single player game.
I think its the linearity that I struggle most with, even in single player games I dislike it.
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
Seriously, ESO is the only story that hooked me. It seems like every quest in ESO is somehow related to a faction story and loosely related to the main story. To me that makes the story more engaging and believable. In defense of the other games however, TES lore has been around for a lot longer so there's more to initially draw from.
As for LOTRO, I don't really think it should be on the list. The difference here is the "story" in LOTRO isn't designed by the developers, like ESO, GW2, etc. They didn't create the world and mythos. That game draws from a decades-old classic book and frankly, the only thing Turbine did was take a great story and turn it into a mediocre set of tasks.
GW1 story was much much better then the GW2 story. That's why they fall back on Elona and Palawa Joko from GW1 in the new expansion. And SWTOR stories are the best!
Exactly! GW2 is anything BUT story driven - thousands of players never even saw the story there, they go directly to PvP fields and never leave.
Excuse me, but that doesn't make any sense.
It's not because some players skip it that the story doesn't exist.
It's actually a good thing that it's not mandatory (like in LOTRO or SW:TOR), it gives players choices and doesn't force them in a single way road.
I think his point is that even though the story exists, the game is not driven by it. So while options are good, and I agree with that, it's difficult to apply the term "Story driven"........GW2 is not.
Seriously, ESO is the only story that hooked me. It seems like every quest in ESO is somehow related to a faction story and loosely related to the main story. To me that makes the story more engaging and believable. In defense of the other games however, TES lore has been around for a lot longer so there's more to initially draw from.
As for LOTRO, I don't really think it should be on the list. The difference here is the "story" in LOTRO isn't designed by the developers, like ESO, GW2, etc. They didn't create the world and mythos. That game draws from a decades-old classic book and frankly, the only thing Turbine did was take a great story and turn it into a mediocre set of tasks.
Actually, what they did in LoTRO was create stories surrounding and related to that of the books. I suspect that in some ways that would be more difficult than being able to create the world whole cloth as you must deal with details as they were presented rather than being able to define them as suits you.
As for LOTRO, I don't really think it should be on the list. The difference here is the "story" in LOTRO isn't designed by the developers, like ESO, GW2, etc. They didn't create the world and mythos. That game draws from a decades-old classic book and frankly, the only thing Turbine did was take a great story and turn it into a mediocre set of tasks.
I guess we've played two different games Turbine did nothing with the great story of Tolkien, that was the point - and the writing team did a pretty good job actually, building a story around and inbetween Tolkien's work. So the "story... isn't designed by the developers" part is simply not true. On a sidenote, it wasn't an easy task either, considering ME is one of the most detailed world out there, which is also cohesive and from one man. (True, there's a fair share of Christopher's work in it, especially in History of ME, to give credit where it's due)
"They didn't create the world" also not entirely true, they did create quite a lot, especially in areas which have a past but not mentioned or detailed during the Ring's journey - and their work of presenting those areas fits well into the lore (all the way to the finer details like the names in Forochel Turbine derived from older finnish words because of the Kalevala's influence on some names Tolkien used in relation with the north)
SWTOR is the only MMO I ever played JUST for the story. I don't know how this could ever not be #1 in this category. Even if you don't like the game itself, people play just for the story. How many people play GW2 or ESO just for the story? I would bet the list is not very big.
Comments
I've always been of the opinion that the Original GW2 had the worst story and worst way to tell a story out of almost any high-profile game. Though I recognize my bias in comparing it to GW1. Two minute missions with 5 minutes of dialog just really irked me. As well as one of those missions every 3 levels (or 2-3 missions every 10 levels now). Though the way they told an area's story through events was pretty good.
HoT and PoF are okay. The first season of Living World had a lot of problems. Second season was better. Third ended in a rushed fashion. Still, I would rank it above WoW for sure. Personal bias towards some other games disallow me an objective opinion.
In essence, it's proof of concept of post-game story was good (even the last story mission of the original was a big mess), but if implementation is a factor, then that would significantly drop its rating, in my opinion.
Imperial Agent was pretty good.
I guess its more of a 'how story is implemented' list then a 'high quality story' list, which is fine with me.
My simple observation is the more story there is, the less freedom you have, SWtOR being the worst offender. I also think stories should be created by players and that the lore/stories that actually are present in an MMORPG should be optional, a background so to speak, not the road you follow.
Then again, I play and love FF14, go figure...
/Cheers,
Lahnmir
Kyleran on yours sincerely
'But there are many. You can play them entirely solo, and even offline. Also, you are wrong by default.'
Ikcin in response to yours sincerely debating whether or not single-player offline MMOs exist...
'This does not apply just to ED but SC or any other game. What they will get is Rebirth/X4, likely prettier but equally underwhelming and pointless.
It is incredibly difficult to design some meaningfull leg content that would fit a space ship game - simply because it is not a leg game.
It is just huge resource waste....'
Gdemami absolutely not being an armchair developer
I could not remember the main questline of GW2, TERA, RIFT, ESO, STO and some others. Vanilla & TBC WoW I do remember and SWTOR too. Even small side quests. The other expansions were good too, but those I played after maxed out in Legion.
I miss Neverwinter in the list. Maybe not because of the main story line, but because of the player generated content.
Until you cancel your subscription, you are only helping to continue the cycle of mediocrity.
Boy: Why can't I talk to Him?
Mom: We don't talk to Priests.
As if it could exist, without being payed for.
F2P means you get what you paid for. Pay nothing, get nothing.
Even telemarketers wouldn't think that.
It costs money to play. Therefore P2W.
Exactly! GW2 is anything BUT story driven - thousands of players never even saw the story there, they go directly to PvP fields and never leave.
In any technical aspect GW2 is an exceptional game, may be the best out there. But story is not it's main element, not even second. While in SWTOR anything you do (literally) is story related. You simply can not bypass the story, it's very definition of "story driven game".
Opinions is a good thing, but not when officials begin to declare oranges to be apples.
This top ten is more biased than most and far from the truth.
But I agree with your points including SWTOR being the worst offender. Which is why its rating so highly in this poll of course.
One could almost say the list of MMORPGs with the best story is synonymous with the list of games least like a MMORPG, or most like single player game.
I think its the linearity that I struggle most with, even in single player games I dislike it.
"True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde
"I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
No fate but what we make, so make me a ham sandwich please.
2. Those that are not ESO
Seriously, ESO is the only story that hooked me. It seems like every quest in ESO is somehow related to a faction story and loosely related to the main story. To me that makes the story more engaging and believable. In defense of the other games however, TES lore has been around for a lot longer so there's more to initially draw from.
As for LOTRO, I don't really think it should be on the list. The difference here is the "story" in LOTRO isn't designed by the developers, like ESO, GW2, etc. They didn't create the world and mythos. That game draws from a decades-old classic book and frankly, the only thing Turbine did was take a great story and turn it into a mediocre set of tasks.
~~ postlarval ~~
Ah, its bill......GW2 will always be tops.
Turbine did nothing with the great story of Tolkien, that was the point - and the writing team did a pretty good job actually, building a story around and inbetween Tolkien's work. So the "story... isn't designed by the developers" part is simply not true.
On a sidenote, it wasn't an easy task either, considering ME is one of the most detailed world out there, which is also cohesive and from one man. (True, there's a fair share of Christopher's work in it, especially in History of ME, to give credit where it's due)
"They didn't create the world" also not entirely true, they did create quite a lot, especially in areas which have a past but not mentioned or detailed during the Ring's journey - and their work of presenting those areas fits well into the lore (all the way to the finer details like the names in Forochel Turbine derived from older finnish words because of the Kalevala's influence on some names Tolkien used in relation with the north)