Narrative vs. Mechanics

I've always been a real fan of the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic games. Probably the most excellent use of the Star Wars licence in a game. The second was similarly brilliant in my opinion. Even moreso. I have played KOTOR 2 over and over more than any other game. The tweaks to the gameplay, the ability to further customise lightsabres and robes and armours, made it a much deeper experience. All who disagree with me on the matter of its supremacy to its prequel do so with regards to its story. As the game was rushed into release, much of its original content was cut, and the last few hours of the game were evidently devastated with regards to narrative.

The first game, on the other hand, presented a much more solid, Star Wars-based storyline with a similar feeling to the original movies. The villan was arguably more well developed than most of the villans in the sequel, the characters felt much more like Han Solos or Leia Organas than Disciples or Bao-dur (whatever he was). The twists in the first one were more thoroughly thought out than in the second.

It has been argued that narrative isn't that much of an important consideration in game development if the core gameplay is solid enough. This is the basis for my own favouritism of its gameplay. However, it would seem that the larger target market of the series found narrative far more important. As such, any sequel for the game would probably need to hone in on this narrative component.

This isn't the only game where narrative is a determining factor in a purchase or a defining aspect of design. BioWare's later release, Mass Effect and Metal Gear Solid are examples of games designed around this narrative niche in the market, with some excellent gameplay mechanics to boot also. Enter The Matrix, on the other hand, was a game with fairly average gameplay that people bought just for the Matrix-related narrative. The classic example of Final Fantasy is also somewhere this holds true. While the core camplay has not changed too much over the past few years, the story is always something new, and this keeps their fanbase coming back for more.

Narrative has now become an equal, if not more important aspect of game design in some cases. Any development in the current market may want to consider the power of narrative if their gameplay ideas aren't so revolutionary.