How important is the storyline?

[Flibbs]

Posts in this thread http://www.theoldergamers.com/forum/...fe-series.html, about the storyline in the HL series got me thinking about this.

Some people said the HL series is more enjoyable if you know the story line. i.e. play from first to last in the series. For me this isn't the case. I couldn't care less about the storyline in FPS games. I skip the cut scenes and jump straight into the action.

I guess my approach is sort of mercenary. Give me a gun and point me at the bad guys. I don't care why I'm doing it.

So I guess my question is are there others like me or do you think the storyline is important?

[ColdCamV]

You gotta have a borderline of it...they has to be some sort of story or plot otherwise you gotta start wondering "wait..what am I ment to be doing again?" but if its too much storyline and not enough action you get bored of it coz its just cut scene after cutscene after cutscene. So in my mind I too like to get down to the nitty gritty and have the "kill as many as i can as fast as i can dont stop shooting till your outta ammo...then throw the gun and start punching on" mentality but I do enjoy a tad of storyline somewhere in the game.

[Reoh]

I like games with storyline.

But then again, there's games like TF2.

[Ned]

Good Thread... I like what ColdCamV is saying !!

[ColdCamV]

Well its the truth but thanks for the compliment haha

[Major Conspiracy]

when i started gaming i was playing battlefield 1942, no real storyline, just jump and and kill the enemy, same with bf2 and 2142, then i was introduced to COD at the great southern lan, and i thought meh! same sort of thing ..... until .... i played the single player. i bought COD4 hot off the shelf, played single player so as i could get a feel for the game, not much difference to bf series (key usage) tbh. i quite enjoyed the storyline for it, gives you a sense of where what map was where and what happened. imo i like the storyline, the better i enjoy the single player, the better i will enjoy the online side of things. i also agree with coldcamv, too much sorta kills it, loading too much or too often gets too boring too quick.

[Spectre8]

I guess its kinda like pr0n Some like a good story, others are just in it for the fun

But just like pr0n is of the "entertainment" industry, so too are feature films. Some are subtitled, some are arthouse - and all too many are holywood schlock But I go see films of all sorts - I just alter my expectations to suit the material, and I'm almost always happy!

If I was a multi-player shooter, story is of no consequence. If it's an RPG - then the story is an absolute must. I'm really enjoying EVE-online, but the story there is (at the moment) of no consequence. I don't care for the back story - I just want to make some cash, to buy bigger ships!

For me it's not so much what the story is - it's how it's implemented, and if it has any real relevance to what's going on. RPG's are fundamentally about telling the story - so yeah, it's important. FPS's are about not dying, and landing headshots - so no, the story isn't really important...

But as Major C said, the COD4 single player story is utterly brilliant, and really (really!) draws you in! It creates a sense of importance and urgency that you just can't achieve without a solid and compelling story. Sure it doesn't carry over to the multi-player side - but that's about headshots and knifing!

[ColdCamV]

Originally Posted by Spectre8

I guess its kinda like pr0n Some like a good story, others are just in it for the fun

But just like pr0n is of the "entertainment" industry, so too are feature films. Some are subtitled, some are arthouse - and all too many are holywood schlock But I go see films of all sorts - I just alter my expectations to suit the material, and I'm almost always happy!

If I was a multi-player shooter, story is of no consequence. If it's an RPG - then the story is an absolute must. I'm really enjoying EVE-online, but the story there is (at the moment) of no consequence. I don't care for the back story - I just want to make some cash, to buy bigger ships!

For me it's not so much what the story is - it's how it's implemented, and if it has any real relevance to what's going on. RPG's are fundamentally about telling the story - so yeah, it's important. FPS's are about not dying, and landing headshots - so no, the story isn't really important...

But as Major C said, the COD4 single player story is utterly brilliant, and really (really!) draws you in! It creates a sense of importance and urgency that you just can't achieve without a solid and compelling story. Sure it doesn't carry over to the multi-player side - but that's about headshots and knifing!

Well said Spectre

[Mysterio3]

for shooters, its not very important. i only ever bother to play the single player for the achievements or when my net speed gets throttled from too much online gaming :S
but from all the campaigns i've played, its always the same old hollywood storyline of the hero slowly but eventually beating the bad guys. its all fairly similar and very predictable.

[Pazita]

I like to play games which has a good storyline. I like to see little clips in middle and listen to the convo so on.
But it should be a action packed game or else it would be very boring.