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Notes -
writing in games is a bit harder to nail because it also has other expressions - it is heavily interwind with the worldbuilding and art direction.
Planescape Torment, Fallout: New Vegas, Fallout 1&2, God of war (2018), Portal, (Portal 2 was also brilliant in parts - mostly the old world), Kotor, Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodline, Legacy of Kain Soul Reaver and Soul Reaver 2 (defiance was shit, blood omen 2 was strange), Dragon Age: Origins, Silent Hill, Red Dead Redemption, Witchers, Batman Arkham Assylum and City, Riddick: Escape from butcher's bay (the final act was a bit weaker though) and many more. I would also throw Saints Row IV and Leisure Suit Larry love for sail in the mix. Any quests of old.
I think for any piece of writing, the big things for me are: characters that are well rounded and have a stake in the outcome, a universe that acts like the rules of the universe are sensible and doesn’t have specific things that only heroes can do without explanations that make sense, world building that’s fairly consistent and thought out, a plot that moves on its own logic without too many coincidences or people doing things ‘just because’, and consequences both for character (or player) choices or world events.
But really most movies and TV shows cannot do this, so it doesn’t shock me that game writing sucks as well. I feel like the general writing ability of professional screen writers and game writers has fallen off lately.
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