'ello.

I'd like to ask you guys to enlighten me on games that have a truly great storyline - I'm already aware of stuff like Deus Ex and Planescape, but I just realized that that's where my knowledge of real quality story stuff in video games ends. Mind lending a hand?

Definitelly Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers!

-Sacrifice
-Gothic
-Fallout 1&2
-Sacred
-Giants: Citizen Kabuto
-Disciples 1&2
-Arx Fatalis
-Soul Reaver 1&2


Just a short list:P Sacrifice has the best story of that list, BTW.

You sure those are grands story-wise? I'm little tired of bearable and "eh" stories, I really want something special and unique. It does look interesting, the summary of it isn't very exciting, but it's seems to be extremely well accepted, first impression may fool - I'll be sure to play that thing.

Honestly the story from Fallout 2 isn't that great. It's an excellent game, but its strength comes from other areas. Fallout 1, however, is pretty epic.

I'd say Morrowind, for certain values of "story." The main plot is a tad generic, but there's so much background lore that the story is amplified simply by accumulated history. The well-crafted atmosphere also helps in that department. It's possible to totally ignore the story, though, so it might not be what you're looking for.

Seriously - I know what I saying ;) If you don't like it I will refund it to you. Don't be afraid to use a solution sometimes, because some puzzles may be very tricky. Also controls may upset you...but the story and atmosphere makes the game worth it! It's better then any detective-mytery books. I will remember it to the end of my life!

Give the Phoenix Wright games a shot, starting with the first one on the DS - they are largely focused on conversation and disentangling each murder case. There is no less than five entries of the series in English, so you would have plenty of story to enjoy. Turned-based strategy games like Final Fantasy Tactics and Ogre Battle: Knights of Lodis are often loaded with political intrigue and whatnot, if that suits your fancy.

Here on GOG, Betrayal at Krondor may suit you, though it is a bit aged in terms of interface and graphics. The Ultima VII collection should also have a great deal of text and storyline. I also recommend "Star Trek: 25th Anniversary" and "Judgment Rites", which are some of the best adventuring games out there with copious amounts of text and speech. Unfortunately, neither is available on GOG.

To sum up:

TURNABOUT COURTROOM
Phoenix Wright - Ace Attorney (DS)
Phoenix Wright - Justice for All (DS)
Phoenix Wright - Trials and Tribulations (DS)
Miles Edgeworth - Ace Attorney Investigations (DS)
Apollo Justice - Ace Attorney (DS)

GOG RPGS
Betrayal at Krondor
Ultima VII Collection

DOSBOX
Star Trek: 25th Anniversary
Star Trek: Judgement Rites

Warcraft 3
Still Life
Syberia
Metro 2033
Planescape Torment
Penumbra
Starcraft 2
Diablo 3

(story is not all about dialog, if you're after dialog, go talk crap on Facebook)

EDIT: I've heard Mass Effect has a great story, but haven't played it.

Call me crazy but I loved Morrowind's story... it was all told in dialogue and optional reading, but it was epic and different.

Other than that my favorites have been mentioned already, Deus Ex, Fallout, etc.

Those games i told you about all have exceptional storylines, except for Sacred, which would just be in the "good" category. Buy Sacrifice first, then Soul Reaver 1&2, then Gothic. Trust me, this is what you're looking for.

Oh, that's a nice bit of games that I'd like to try. I've already played games like Fallout, Syberia, Gothic and Morrowind and sure, they all were great, but their stories never gripped me as hard as I wanted them to. Metro 2033 has been recommended to me from various sources and it does look like my kind of game. I'll be sure to try that, the Gabriel Knight, Phoenix Wright and Sacrifice.

Thanks for and keep 'em coming if you have any more.

Planescape, Ultima VI and VII have already been mentioned, but I'll also add Outcast. Don't let the action fool you, the story is solid and puts to shame other action titles (and those from other genre). Perhaps the Witcher series if you can accept a more action-RPG structure. The Longest Journey has a powerful story to tell and Syberia also isn't too shabby (the ending of the second one leaves much to be desired from the non-existent third instalment). The Last Express has a wonderful and excellently told story, but the sale has already ended. Still a great experience. Some also add Beneath a Steel Sky, it's free, go check it out. If you like space shooters, take a look at the Wing Commander series, the third and fourth instalment are considered the best the genre and FMV titles have to offer.

Remember the Soul Reaver series.

Tex Murphy series would be a good option too

Morrowind. Yes, there are genericisms there, but I still liked the story and especially the way it was told. Also, the way it was not told, namely the in-game books and dialogue that subtly revealed more about the culture of the Dunmer and the Ashlanders and all that.

Still Life is also pretty interesting. It's technically speaking the second game in a trilogy but there's a reason for the name change. You won't miss much by not playing Post Mortem which is a pretty generic and boring game. A few decades separate the events between the two games, so that helps too. I've heard that Still Life 2 isn't too great, but that's something I have yet to verify myself.

Mass Effect 1 has a good story. The PC port is also well done. Mass Effect 2 has good characters (as does 1) but pretty much no story whatsoever, you're just running around gathering people for whatever the hell happens in ME3. The PC port is atrocious. I would recommend against playing ME2, despite the great MetaScore and all. It's the most disappointing game I've ever played.

Neverwinter Nights 2 is a good game with a too-long beginning. The story is alright but not great, which is mended by the Mask of the Betrayer expansion. Knowing the basics of D&D would help greatly, though, otherwise you might get your ass handed to you because you have no idea what you're doing wrong. Becomes particularly important in MotB when your level will be nudging 40.

Then there's The Witcher and its sequel. This being GOG, you should buy them at some point anyway, so enough of those.

If you're into Doom-era shooters, there's the Marathon trilogy which you can download legally here. It's a bit like Doom and such, but with a storyline that works properly. Also the first FPS with reloading and dual-wielding.

Also, Grim Fandango, or so I've heard. I'll play it during the summer. Good luck finding a copy, though.

That's two adventure games, three first-person shooters and six RPGs. And about 1000 hours.