![]() It’s hardly ground-breaking material for sci-fi, but Mass Effect 2 taps into one of the all time classic adventure stories: uneasy allies versus overwhelming odds. Red Dead Redemption 2Īssemble a crew of sidekicks, achieve the impossible, save the galaxy. When the game ultimately ends, it’s hard not to shed tears for all you’re saying goodbye to. When the story reaches its satisfying climax, you feel like you’ve gone through a life-changing ordeal with your best friends. Characters like Teddy, Kanji, and Chie are well-defined by scenes that shift between comedy and drama fluidly, and you express your unique feelings for them through the expansive dialogue choices. Persona 4’s tale takes more than 80 hours to experience, but it never feels drawn out as every day is a new chance to get closer to your friends. You may enter a shadowy world of dungeons and monsters, but you become so attached to your new companions that a small moment in the park with one of them has more impact than most intense boss battle. You dig deep into a murder mystery while also attending high school, working part-time jobs, and (most importantly) bonding with your new friends. The life of the protagonist plays out one day at a time for an entire year in the quiet town of Inaba. ![]() Persona 4’s greatest strength comes from pacing. Chell's story, too, ended up concluding well, turning the relatively quaint story of the original into a saga as epic as nearly any other. Learning Aperture's backstory and finding out about GLaDOS's history was surprisingly touching. Exploring the depths of the derelict business introduced us to new bits of lore, fleshing out the most important character in the series: the facility itself. Yes, there was still plenty more to see (and curse) from Aperture. All of the new characters added character to the world of Portal 2, from the curious Wheatley to the amazingly charismatic Cave Johnson. How could a stunning short story be followed up with a full retail release? Could new characters really stand toe-to-toe with GLaDOS? The answer, astoundingly, was yes. Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch (via the Portal: Companion Collection)Īfter Portal's brilliant, minimalist narrative introduced gamers to the silent Chell and the decidedly less silent GLaDOS, Valve faced a tall order. Play it over and over again, you deserve it. And like the original, every decision you make changes the flow of the story. It feels more grounded because of its lack of the supernatural, helping make the story options connect and more importantly, resonate. It’s a powerful narrative on growing up, loss, and emotions. The prequel focuses on the relationship between Chloe and Rachel before the events of Life is Strange. It’s very much focused on how you want to tell the story, and the branching narratives mean that it merits a few playthroughs just so you can see just how far the ripples of your actions and words stretch.Īnd when you’ve done that, go play Before the Storm. Across three episodes you uncover a terrible secret about what happened to a missing girl, Rachel Amber, who happened to be incredibly important to Chloe. The original Life is Strange tells the story of Max Caulfield and her friend Chloe Price facing the perils of adolescence, love, and an impending supernatural, town-destroying, storm. ![]() It seems almost mean to bundle both these brilliant episodic titles into one entry for the best game stories, but they’re best experienced as one package. Platforms: PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, Switch Horizon Zero Dawnĭeveloper: Dontnod Entertainment/Deck Nine A fully-fledged psychopath, played with wonderful glee by Steven Ogg, GTA finally has a vehicle for its frenzied bloodbaths in the form of an unrepentant character who couldn’t care less about ludonarrative dissonance. Knowing and loyal, you want to actively limit the damage you do when the game puts you in the role of the young carjacker. Presented as miserable and remorseful, Michael isn’t the guy you do drive-by shootouts with. Such is the quality of the voice acting and mission structure, you’ll find yourself subconsciously role-playing whoever you think Franklin and co. Thanks to its innovative character-swapping gameplay, GTA 5 lets you live three very distinct lives over the course of a single campaign. Most of the time though, this Los Santos yarn is way too hard to pin down… and that’s a compliment. At times it’s a wisecracking take on Michael Mann’s Heat – those headline scores are incredible. The most subversive story Rockstar has ever told in GTA is also the series’ best. Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
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