Halo Reach and Interactive Storytelling
Dearest friends, you might be wondering why I was absent today. You also probably didn't notice at all, but the truth is... Halo: Reach is just too good, at least from my perspective. However, from what I've heard and from my experience, it does lack in the interactive storytelling department. Let me tell you why:
First of all, the game is supposed to be a prequel, yet all the weapons and technology are far more advanced in this game than in the original Halo. According to CalitReview.com, the story takes a very linear path--- "Defend this position, then go here and press this button. The impact of your actions has little to no effect on the war surrounding you." I found this tidbit to be important since our class is called INTERACTIVE storytelling, meaning we want stories that engage our attention and aren't afraid to branch out without losing the story. Apparently, Reach didn't reach this point, but what do I know? I'm not usually the one to play the campaign when there's an online multiplayer mode ready. Critics seem to be at odds with each other as IGN states in its review, "The result is one of the most complete, fully-featured packages you'll find in gaming." I guess you'd have to play for yourself to decide, but at least the multi-player mode at least is as brilliant as ever. All the new features and play modes call for endless playing at unreasonable hours. On the other hand, it does have its drawbacks. It was so good that I could not make it to class this morning. I must also add that our group was working hard on the storyboard and once we completed that, Halo took over. Valid reason, right? I give my sincerest apologies probably on behalf of Ahmar too.
Overall, the game gets me pretty excited yet really tired in the morning. Until next time...
First of all, the game is supposed to be a prequel, yet all the weapons and technology are far more advanced in this game than in the original Halo. According to CalitReview.com, the story takes a very linear path--- "Defend this position, then go here and press this button. The impact of your actions has little to no effect on the war surrounding you." I found this tidbit to be important since our class is called INTERACTIVE storytelling, meaning we want stories that engage our attention and aren't afraid to branch out without losing the story. Apparently, Reach didn't reach this point, but what do I know? I'm not usually the one to play the campaign when there's an online multiplayer mode ready. Critics seem to be at odds with each other as IGN states in its review, "The result is one of the most complete, fully-featured packages you'll find in gaming." I guess you'd have to play for yourself to decide, but at least the multi-player mode at least is as brilliant as ever. All the new features and play modes call for endless playing at unreasonable hours. On the other hand, it does have its drawbacks. It was so good that I could not make it to class this morning. I must also add that our group was working hard on the storyboard and once we completed that, Halo took over. Valid reason, right? I give my sincerest apologies probably on behalf of Ahmar too.
Overall, the game gets me pretty excited yet really tired in the morning. Until next time...
Comments
I think one reason some people accept novels and films as valid storytelling mediums, but not video games, is that game developers are often unafraid to make little sacrifices to the story (like the anachronistic guns) for the sake of the gameplay. And I can't blame Bungie for their decision, because ultimately, I think it is a perfectly valid trade-off if the game will be more fun as a result.
I remember Hideo Kojima also promising, when Metal Gear Solid 4 was in development, that your actions would have an effect on the battlefield and could sway the tide of war in one direction or the other. Ultimately this didn't really amount to much aside from some scripted events in the early parts of the game that did not have any real effect on the overall course of the story, which I think emphasizes how difficult these variances are to pull off on a large scale. To meet those lofty goals you would have to essentially script and implement completely divergent scenarios either in real-time or with a large amount of pre-set variables.