Story vs Gameplay

[Goro]

Which is more important to you in a video game, the story or the gameplay?

Would you rather a game with great gameplay but with a terrible story like Dead Island or would you rather a game with a great story and terrible gameplay like The Walking Dead?

[WuTangJase-]

Good gameplay

[Parker]

Ideally I'd like to have a game with a great story and great gameplay but if I had to choose between the two I'd go for gameplay. I adored The Walking Dead but once you play through it once or twice there is really no reason to go back and revisit it whereas a game with great gameplay will be fun to play for years to come. 

 

 

Parker

[MrManBuz]

If I had to make a choice it'd be gameplay but personally I find narrative just as important.

[nenugalimas]

Gameplay is really what gives a game its replayability, therefore im going with gameplay.

[UndreyVITA]

Gameplay is much more important, as Parker said, if the story is the main priority then you have less incentive to go back to it. People can just go to YT and watch the story, they can't play the game unless they buy it.

[PSNP is crap i left]

If i had to choose it would be gameplay. I mean what would a game be without good gameplay? Story doesn't matter unless the gameplay is good.

[xVolloxx]

Depends , some games have good gameplay that carry the story and others have good story to get you 

through the terrible gameplay , though if i had to choose i'd go with Gameplay . 

[Lbones007]

This interesting debate is brought up sub textually in the excellent indie game "Hotline Miami", which has incredible gameplay and a bonkers story that is really there to hold up the real meaning that it is trying to get across, now if you look at another video game which does the exact opposite, say "Spec Ops: The Line", Spec Ops has a really well written story, but the game is very run of the mill and boring. I suppose I enjoy both, because I love stuff like Spec Ops and The Walking Dead, and I love Hotline Miami and Team Fortress 2.

[DrBloodmoney]

You can skip bad story (usually). You can't skip bad gameplay tho!

[Yami]

I am I realy the only one who'd go with story ? IMO if a story is good enough it'l make you forget/ accept how bad the gameplay is. Of course there are exceptions on every rule so.

[amebapiko]

Depends on the game but surely the main factor that is the basis for everything is gameplay. Look at ARMA III. 

[PF_BLACKHAWK]

95% of the time I would say gameplay is more important.

[StrickenBiged]

You can skip bad story (usually). You can't skip bad gameplay tho!

 

Ah, you obviously didn't play the Alone in the Dark reboot...

[Xxleonardo97xX]

Gameplay and here's why:

 

-Would you play a game with terrible controls, or very hard on EASY, full with glitches, cheap bosses, terrible frame drops etc, just to see the story unroll? 

 

Of course no one will do that

[damon8r351]

I prefer good narrative, but I can go either way. I think if you lack in one area, you damn well better make up for it in the other area. For instance, I've played a game with terrible gameplay, The Walking Dead, but it held my attention because I wanted to know what happened next. And I've enjoyed Borderlands despite 90% of the story being told in the text of the mission briefings, because I've enjoyed setting people on fire as Lilith or headshotting bandits with my sniper rifle.

[Kurikara__]

For me it depends on the game. But I mostly go with how the trophies for the game are.

[Bucknerd]

90% of the time I'd prefer good gameplay but there are few franchises where story is equally important.

For games like that I'd rather the narrative shine. For example I'd be devastated if Persona 5 had a horrible story though the story is arguably part of the gameplay for the last two games. So... I suppose everything comes full circle to gameplay?

Edited May 28, 2014 by Bucknerd

[JaM]

I am I realy the only one who'd go with story ? IMO if a story is good enough it'l make you forget/ accept how bad the gameplay is. Of course there are exceptions on every rule so.

not anymore...

 

I'd say story.... TWD's flaws were forgivable just to see how the story unfolds... somehow it is one of my main reason for making me go through and finish the game... *staring at Dokuro*

[fabmorais_2011]

Some 10-15 years ago I would say story, but as I matured even the best stories on videogames, (especially RPG-wise, which is my favorite genre) seem somewhat lame, if not laughable, to me with honorable exceptions outside the realm of RPGs (interesting enough, I found the gameplay on TWD fitting and not at all bad, and the story is better than the show or even the comics IMHO). Nowadays is gameplay all the way for me, can't stand broken mechanics for the sake of "good story" any longer.

Edited May 28, 2014 by fabmorais_2011

[PREDRAG-K]

Gameplay is always #1. Obviously you would want a game that has both, but you buy video games for the gameplay.

For example, I could watch a playthrough of The Walking Dead on YouTube, and get the exact same satisfaction as someone who played it. I can watch a playthrough of Dead Island on YouTube, but I won't get the same satisfaction because that game shines in the actual gameplay. I would need to actually play it myself, to enjoy it.

[Mog]

A combination of both, but if i had to choose one it'd be gameplay. Ages ago i didn't know english so i played all those ps2 games for the gameplay since i had no clue what was going on in the story.

[willmill97]

I'd take a great story over a slow roast on a spit any day of the god damn week.

 

(I want to see how many got that reference)

[Goro]

This is too tough of a decision for me, i just can't make up my mind.

[stitchesnscars]

Stories in games have always been bonuses to me never a necessity, even in an rpg where the story plays a larger part than most but if the combat stinks are you going to continue to play it? I think younger generations have grown up with more intricate stories and have come to expect it now in their games but coming from the nes, snes and genesis days story never really mattered. Like others have said the telltale "games" are good but I personally don't like calling them games ( I'll admit I abuse them for their trophies else I'd watch them on YouTube).

Besides if you are depending on your games for stories I would invest more time into books and movies, both are significantly cheaper and are usually where most of the good game stories come from.

Gameplay is always #1. Obviously you would want a game that has both, but you buy video games for the gameplay.

For example, I could watch a playthrough of The Walking Dead on YouTube, and get the exact same satisfaction as someone who played it. I can watch a playthrough of Dead Island on YouTube, but I won't get the same satisfaction because that game shines in the actual gameplay. I would need to actually play it myself, to enjoy it.

Could not agree with this more.