Profile and use an example of how each genre uses storytelling and how it accommodates it’s gameplay type:
First Person Shooter (FPS)
The first person genre uses storytelling by putting the player in the body of the character they are, you see what they see and act as though you are them to an extent. It's a way for developers to make a character that shares an experience with the player but not in a sense that there is two people, it gives it in a sense that there is only one and makes it out as though the player is now that protagonist, any memories they have will be shared with the player as though it is the player's memories and things like that. It gives the sense of a second life or reality in a way. Due to it being first person the gameplay in the games feel different to other genres because if a character looks at you (the player) it feels as though they are addressing you and not some fictional person. Some examples are:
Call of duty
Call of duty is a big franchise known widely for its use of the FPS (and repeated yearly games.) Although its storytelling has gone downwards in recent years they use to have a highly good way storytelling and getting its story across by using the FPS concept. If we look at Call of duty world at war then we can see this fantastic story that could only be expressed in first person, this is because the game makes you feel like a soldier fighting for the allies. The gritty environment that is placed helps to visualise how bad it was to be a soldier in the war and the acts of heroism such as charging across a battlefield being bombarded with mortars makes the player feel pumped and prepared for battle. A great moment from the world at war game is the final act where you have to plant the flag upon the Reichstag, this is due to the fact the layer gets to finish the war themselves through plating said flag, however, they are ambushed and almost killed getting shot by a german soldier. Due to the blood around the edge of the screen and the sounds becoming distant it feels as though you will die making the entire scene intense but thanks to a fellow comrade known as Reznov you survive and he speaks to the player helping them so plant the flag down making for a relieving and memorable ending to a game.
Bioshock
Bioshock is another great use of first person shooting to get its themes and story across. Due to the gritty world of rapture the player gets to experience this intense, mysterious, dark filled, abandoned dystopia. The first person aspect again allows for the player to feel as though they are the player in the game, they get to experience the intense feeling of claustrophobia and isolation as they explore the gritty rooms and hallways of rapture. They can also see inside the mind of the protagonist during one point in the game where he has a sudden realisation and flashbacks begin to appear, the flashbacks appear as though you are experiencing them and the way that they are done can only be seen by a FPS. As for the combat, it is heavily based on guns and plasmids with the player using their left hand to use an elemental effect such as fire and the right hand to use weapons like a pistol or machine gun because they are each situated to a hand it shows the player which controls will be used for which attack.
Mirror's edge
Mirror's edge is a fantastic game that differs hugely from the two previously mentioned game, this is due to the fact that it concentrates less on being a shooter and more on being a platforming however, it still contains aspects of shooting in it. The player will take control of someone known as faith and run around the rooftops of gigantic buildings. The fact that the game centres around parkour allows for the player to perform acts in first person that hasn't really been done in many or any other games. The bright colours placed on the white background bring a contrast into the mix for the player to see giving amazing contrasts of scenery as the player looks across the city.
Third Person Shooter (TPS)
Third person shooters give the player the aspect of controlling someone that they are not, the difference between firs and third is that the character they see before them is the character that they are. They aren't inside of the characters head or placed in their shoes, they are like a ghost that follows the protagonist around. When the character is spoken to then it is that character that is spoken to, it doesn't give the player the feeling of involvement on the same level as a first person shooter. However, it allows the player to feel as though they are sharing an adventure with a friend or someone close. It takes away the isolation side and gives this new world of there being this character who you accompany as the two (or more) of you traverse through this story. It gives a new bond of attachment between the player and the character.
Ratchet and Clank
Ratchet and clank is a sci-fi third person shooter based around two character: Ratchet and clank. Ratchet is a lombax and the last of his kind, Clank is a defective robot created by mistake. These two are bound together because of the ability that one character has that the other does not. Ratchet is the fighter of the the two and will use his array of arsenal to fight hordes of enemies whilst Clank is the brains of the operation forming plans and being reliable in scientific areas such as fixing spacecrafts. They are unlikely hero's who are paired together by chance and must save the solar system by countless enemies who pose a threat to the world's they live in. As the games progress the stories become more involved making the player feel a bigger bond with both of these characters and experiencing the character development between the two characters themselves. As for the platforming you get to experience a whole new feel to it then first person, you can see a more wide open view of the environment and get to stop any attacks happening from behind the protagonist.
Last of us
The last of us is a survival horror game centring around two characters known as Joel and Ellie. Joel is a middle aged man who lost his daughter when the outbreak first happened, since then he has kept with one person whom he truly trusts which is Tess. Ellie is a teenage girl who was born during the outbreak and so has no memory of what it was like before the world was sent into the apocalyptic world. The character development in this game is massive and creates a story that is emotional throughout the entirety. When Joel first meets Ellie he is very bitter towards her and doesn't want much to do with her, this can be because of how his daughter was killed at the beginning of the game that he wishes not to get close to her. Ellie has quite a carefree nature and wants to be treated like an adult by Joel who only sees her as a kid, as the game goes on you can see her side of innocence as Joel teaches her and tell her stories about what it was like before the outbreak began, by the end of the game they have formed a bond of which Joel feels as though Ellie is a daughter of his own. He becomes so attached that he won't sacrifice her in order to save the world from being infected, this kind of story can only be told through third person because first wouldn't be able to express the character development and boding in the same way that third allows for it. Also the players themselves get attached to the characters and share multiple feelings along the way as they see the characters they have come to love and understand get put through trials of pain and moments of happiness and relief.
Uncharted
Uncharted is a action adventure platform game that centres around the main character of Nathan Drake. A young adult male who treasure hunts and risks his life to find myths based on ancients temples or riches. He is accompanied by a range of characters such as Victor Sullivan, Elena Fishser, Chloe Frazer and more. This game relies heavily on its use of platforming to express dynamic worlds to the player, the developers has the player scaling up gigantic buildings, cliffs etc. and showcases beautiful worlds for the player to visualise. The emotions in this game are highly based on comedy and the bond between Nate and Elena as they are the love interest of the series. The quick witted humour of characters as they share conversations with each other make the player immediately like them and gives a nice happy atmosphere of emotions. This game can be compared to the mirror's edge game because both are opposite ends of the spectrum that offer very similar mechanics. The parkour and free climbing abilities in both games are highly similar with both sceneries being outstanding yet both are completely different in how they portray their stories and emotions. If you look at the descriptions of both games that I have given you can see why they give a different feel yet it is quite astounding how one genre of game can make you feel certain emotion while another can convey different emotions even if they have highly similar way of gameplay and mechanics.
Roleplaying Game (RPG)
Role playing games can come in many forms, they usually allow customisation for the player and each participant assumes the role of someone usually in a fantasy or science fiction setting. The difference between this and the other genre of games it the fact that the stories made for these characters aren't set, they are made up by the player and each play through can change widely depending on the options, missions, equippable loot etc that the player has control over.
Final fantasy VII
The final fantasy series are massively known for their huge expansive worlds and stories, they are part of the JRPG genre (Japanese roleplaying game) and use turn based combat for its fighting scenes. Final fantasy VII uses a range of techniques to get its story across and makes the player feel a bundle of emotions as they play through the game. You take control over nine characters who are fighting to save their planet from being destroyed, each character has a backstory that motivates them to fight for the planet and as the player plays through the game they will get attached to each character and become connected as they progress. There will be missions and submissions that revolve around the nine characters allowing the player to understand them and their feelings further thus allowing for a more connected bond to each individual character, some of the actions that the characters will make will have the player hate them while other actions they commit in the future could have the player like them and understand why they committed the previously hated action. As for the main character (Cloud) he is shrouded by mystery and sadness and as the player progresses through the game they start to understand why he acts the way he does and has the personality he does.
Fallout 4
Fallout 4 is a different styled RPG to final fantasy and is based in a first person format however, it has more elements to do with Roleplaying that is classed as an RPG. The story of fallout 4 is that you are either one of the parents (it is your choice) and nukes have started to reign down upon where you live. You must find shelter in a bunker which cryogenically freezes you and your family. During this time the chambers begin to malfunction and you witness the death of your second half whilst watching your son get taken away by the same murderers. The game revolves around finding your son in the expansive world of the wasteland, along the way you will meet companions who you cam form relationships with the more time you spend together. Fallout utilises the use of this destroyed world to convey dark and gritty environments and stories for the player to experience whilst throwing in a hint of humour from time to time. You can complete side quests for characters to ear loot and level up your character allowing them to take on harder enemies and explore more dangerous areas that were previously un-explorable. The player has full control over what they will do whether it is partaking in side quests, the main quest or just looting they can do it to their own free will. This allows for the player to get attached to their character and for them to feel as though they are controlling this protagonists life to the suiting of their choices, they can choose to be evil or good and are not bound by any sort of lineage.
South park: the stick of truth
South park is a comedy RPG based upon the TV series, mainly the three black Friday episodes (this is where the whole fantasy element is spawned from.) The player takes control of a "new kid" who has just arrived in the neighbourhood, moving into south park to escape his forgotten past. The game centres around helping the south park characters protect the stick of truth and uses full south park humour and writing to portray the whacky adventure that the player will participate in. The player can explore the town of south park and take part in multiple side quests or main missions, the main emotion that this game tries to convey is comedy. If the player is already a fan of the TV series they will already have bonds with certain characters both liking and disliking them, the game however, allows you to interact with them out of your own free will making those bonds become stronger as you feel like you are part of the comedic antics that happen in the town.
Fighting
The fighting genre tells its story by using a range of characters, If you play a fighting game you will understand a lot of its story is told using cutscenes. They will usually start off with a few characters on either side of good and evil to build up this story of a gigantic battle between both sides with all characters. The usual aspects of fighting games is the actual fighting itself so developers will concentrate less on the stories to be told and more on the mechanics and visuals of the game to then place in the story last.
Street fighter
Street fighter has a had a story wrapped in theories and less hooked on a story mode except for street fighter 5. This is the first game out of the whole series to have a story unraveled in cinematics. If we look back at the old games the story is there the players just need find it, then they need to put them into chronological order of what makes sense but with street fighter 5 the story is told directly to the player from the developers. In this game the story is revolved around each individual fighter and their stories so it will only follow the character that you have chosen, the stories will converge at points in the game but you will stay playing as the character you have chosen. The cutsceens will also differ depending on who won and the story will continue to progress from there. How it works is the characters meet in cutscenes and converge in conversation, they will then fight in the usual fashion which is where the player will take control. So the story is mainly progressed by cutscenes and the fact of the player winning the fight.
Tekken 6
Teeken differs widely when telling its story from other fighting games. They base levels around the combat mechanics of the game allowing for full 3D exploration instead of it just being a left and right screen fighter. Its multiplayer is based around the left and right fighting but the story mode has levels that can be run around fighting a number of minions in missions instead of just fighting bosses or other main characters. Tekken 6's story follows Jin Kazama and starts where the previous game ended. Due to it being a fighting game it deploys enemies that are harder to defeat then regular games allowing for the player to act as if they are fighting a boss but without it getting as repetitive or as hard. There are very few games who follow this way of storytelling in the fighting genre and Tekken does it in a unique way that allows the player to become bonded with its characters and story.
Injustice Gods among us
Injustice Gods among us takes the DC universe and creates an entirely new story where Superman is the bad guy. The game uses 2.5D environments for the player to fight in and uses the main character against main character fighting system to get its story across. The only difference in this game is that instead of their being multiple character stories for you to complete like street fighter, you play through the story and swap between characters depending on where you are up to in the game. At one point you could be playing as the flash and be fighting green arrow and in the next level you could be fighting as batman against superman. This is because the story needs to revolve around how Superman enslaved the world with his new government. The story is about how batman is teleports Superhero's from another universe to help take down superman and bring freedom to the world.
Sport
There isn't much storytelling to be found within the sports genre of gaming, the only story related mode in sports game is the career within which you will customise a new character and build up their success in the the sports industry.
FIFA
Fifa takes football and makes it into a video game, its one of the biggest sports game in the world and has multiple story modes attached to it. The story modes don't tell a story of any kind with emotion or characters but instead put you into roles in the football industry. An example of this can be seen in the career mode, you can either choose to be a manager, player or both. You will choose the team you wish to be a part of and commence your career. If you are the manager you will look over the team, buying players from other teams to play in yours, swapping players positions and putting players on substitution or the starting 11. If you are the player you will take control on the pitch and will get moved around according to the manager's (AI) decision. As you can tell choosing the both option is taking over both rolls. The story mainly revolves around the game and will last like a normal season of football placing for your team to get as many wins as possible by the end of the season to the win the cup.
NBA
NBA is a basketball game that obviously takes the way real life basketball is played and places it into a game. For the story mode, in NBA 2k16 there is more a story involved then regular sports game. This game has you create a character and lets him play matches as he would. The difference between this and most other sports games is the fact that NBA has cutscenes and tries to tell a story about how you the player work your way up from playing street matches and league matches in your town to major league matches and playing for famous teams. The story is centred around the mechanics of the basketball game and less upon the actual story but this has to play a vital role in the fact that it needs to be there for there to be a story.
UFC
UFC takes the caged fighting in real life and places it into a game. The story that takes place in UFC is very simple, it is a career based story like FIFA except instead of starting off in any team you want you have to work your way up the ranks from being a small league fighter to going onto big fights. The higher the league you go the harder the game gets making the player have to learn new tactics and switch up their style of play to beat the tougher opponents.
Strategy
Strategy games are mind based games in which the player has to use uncoerced and autonomous decision based skills come into play. They must think smartly and successfully to win games as there is usually two teams pitched against each other with a base and an army. They must protect their own base whilst also attacking the enemies base using their army to both defend and assault. Along with these strategic based games can come stories that can be spanned by using the element of making the player feel as though they are a commander who must protect their own kind while attacking enemy empires and capturing territory for their own.
Halo wars
Halo wars is a prequel to the game halo combat evolved. It tell the story of how the UNCS are having to fight a group of enemies known as the covenant. The player will take control over tanks, vehicles, soldiers, bases of different kinds (e.g. armouries and things like that) as they fight the enemy team. The story is about trying to stop the covenant from spreading and becoming more powerful so the player will command the UNCS and come up with strategies on ways to fight and take down the covenant.
XCOM
XCOM is a game series about a team of soldiers who fight against enemy aliens and stop them from taking over planet earth. This game has objectives for each of it's levels. Instead of having to just take out or capture an enemy base they will have you going through missions such as wiping out every enemy in the area, securing an objective etc. They let the player have full control over the gameplay and so that they can use the best and most beneficial tactics for themselves to complete the missions. The story is told through cutscenes and not through gameplay although that helps to convey across to the player that there are teams of 1 to 6 humans or robots who will go out and complete objectives.
Simulation
Simulation based games are there to allow the player to feel as though they are doing something or living this certain life or non fiction without actually having to do it or that cannot be achieved and can only be simulated. It allows for stories to be told through the perspective of the player and is not bound by many elements that stop the story from being what the player wants.
The sims
The sims is a huge simulator franchise that allows the player to do whatever they want. The basic practice or simple explanation of the game is that you are supposed to create a life for AI's that could be reflected as your own. You design the character's appearances, determine who will get married, what house they will live in, what job they will get, what they will eat and basically play God. This allows for an infinite amount of stories to be made and each one made by the player, they are allowed to do anything they want.
Goat simulator
Goat simulator lets the player get a glimpse at life if they were to be born a goat. It is only a simulation to the point of playing as a goat since the whacky antics and crazy things you can make the goat do are quite unrealistic. However, they don't need to be realistic to be simulators, they only need to bring gameplay elements that help the player simulate what it would be like to be a goat. The story involved in goat simulator isn't necessarily a story itself but more objectives that you complete by using power ups and your own skills. How you take of the problems or objectives is completely up to the player and anything done in the world is influenced by the players actions. They can do whatever they like such as blowing up gas stations or head butting people which drives the story of causing as much mayhem as possible (which is accompanied by a points system.)
First Person Shooter (FPS)
The first person genre uses storytelling by putting the player in the body of the character they are, you see what they see and act as though you are them to an extent. It's a way for developers to make a character that shares an experience with the player but not in a sense that there is two people, it gives it in a sense that there is only one and makes it out as though the player is now that protagonist, any memories they have will be shared with the player as though it is the player's memories and things like that. It gives the sense of a second life or reality in a way. Due to it being first person the gameplay in the games feel different to other genres because if a character looks at you (the player) it feels as though they are addressing you and not some fictional person. Some examples are:
Call of duty
Call of duty is a big franchise known widely for its use of the FPS (and repeated yearly games.) Although its storytelling has gone downwards in recent years they use to have a highly good way storytelling and getting its story across by using the FPS concept. If we look at Call of duty world at war then we can see this fantastic story that could only be expressed in first person, this is because the game makes you feel like a soldier fighting for the allies. The gritty environment that is placed helps to visualise how bad it was to be a soldier in the war and the acts of heroism such as charging across a battlefield being bombarded with mortars makes the player feel pumped and prepared for battle. A great moment from the world at war game is the final act where you have to plant the flag upon the Reichstag, this is due to the fact the layer gets to finish the war themselves through plating said flag, however, they are ambushed and almost killed getting shot by a german soldier. Due to the blood around the edge of the screen and the sounds becoming distant it feels as though you will die making the entire scene intense but thanks to a fellow comrade known as Reznov you survive and he speaks to the player helping them so plant the flag down making for a relieving and memorable ending to a game.
Bioshock
Bioshock is another great use of first person shooting to get its themes and story across. Due to the gritty world of rapture the player gets to experience this intense, mysterious, dark filled, abandoned dystopia. The first person aspect again allows for the player to feel as though they are the player in the game, they get to experience the intense feeling of claustrophobia and isolation as they explore the gritty rooms and hallways of rapture. They can also see inside the mind of the protagonist during one point in the game where he has a sudden realisation and flashbacks begin to appear, the flashbacks appear as though you are experiencing them and the way that they are done can only be seen by a FPS. As for the combat, it is heavily based on guns and plasmids with the player using their left hand to use an elemental effect such as fire and the right hand to use weapons like a pistol or machine gun because they are each situated to a hand it shows the player which controls will be used for which attack.
Mirror's edge
Mirror's edge is a fantastic game that differs hugely from the two previously mentioned game, this is due to the fact that it concentrates less on being a shooter and more on being a platforming however, it still contains aspects of shooting in it. The player will take control of someone known as faith and run around the rooftops of gigantic buildings. The fact that the game centres around parkour allows for the player to perform acts in first person that hasn't really been done in many or any other games. The bright colours placed on the white background bring a contrast into the mix for the player to see giving amazing contrasts of scenery as the player looks across the city.
Third Person Shooter (TPS)
Third person shooters give the player the aspect of controlling someone that they are not, the difference between firs and third is that the character they see before them is the character that they are. They aren't inside of the characters head or placed in their shoes, they are like a ghost that follows the protagonist around. When the character is spoken to then it is that character that is spoken to, it doesn't give the player the feeling of involvement on the same level as a first person shooter. However, it allows the player to feel as though they are sharing an adventure with a friend or someone close. It takes away the isolation side and gives this new world of there being this character who you accompany as the two (or more) of you traverse through this story. It gives a new bond of attachment between the player and the character.
Ratchet and Clank
Ratchet and clank is a sci-fi third person shooter based around two character: Ratchet and clank. Ratchet is a lombax and the last of his kind, Clank is a defective robot created by mistake. These two are bound together because of the ability that one character has that the other does not. Ratchet is the fighter of the the two and will use his array of arsenal to fight hordes of enemies whilst Clank is the brains of the operation forming plans and being reliable in scientific areas such as fixing spacecrafts. They are unlikely hero's who are paired together by chance and must save the solar system by countless enemies who pose a threat to the world's they live in. As the games progress the stories become more involved making the player feel a bigger bond with both of these characters and experiencing the character development between the two characters themselves. As for the platforming you get to experience a whole new feel to it then first person, you can see a more wide open view of the environment and get to stop any attacks happening from behind the protagonist.
Last of us
The last of us is a survival horror game centring around two characters known as Joel and Ellie. Joel is a middle aged man who lost his daughter when the outbreak first happened, since then he has kept with one person whom he truly trusts which is Tess. Ellie is a teenage girl who was born during the outbreak and so has no memory of what it was like before the world was sent into the apocalyptic world. The character development in this game is massive and creates a story that is emotional throughout the entirety. When Joel first meets Ellie he is very bitter towards her and doesn't want much to do with her, this can be because of how his daughter was killed at the beginning of the game that he wishes not to get close to her. Ellie has quite a carefree nature and wants to be treated like an adult by Joel who only sees her as a kid, as the game goes on you can see her side of innocence as Joel teaches her and tell her stories about what it was like before the outbreak began, by the end of the game they have formed a bond of which Joel feels as though Ellie is a daughter of his own. He becomes so attached that he won't sacrifice her in order to save the world from being infected, this kind of story can only be told through third person because first wouldn't be able to express the character development and boding in the same way that third allows for it. Also the players themselves get attached to the characters and share multiple feelings along the way as they see the characters they have come to love and understand get put through trials of pain and moments of happiness and relief.
Uncharted
Uncharted is a action adventure platform game that centres around the main character of Nathan Drake. A young adult male who treasure hunts and risks his life to find myths based on ancients temples or riches. He is accompanied by a range of characters such as Victor Sullivan, Elena Fishser, Chloe Frazer and more. This game relies heavily on its use of platforming to express dynamic worlds to the player, the developers has the player scaling up gigantic buildings, cliffs etc. and showcases beautiful worlds for the player to visualise. The emotions in this game are highly based on comedy and the bond between Nate and Elena as they are the love interest of the series. The quick witted humour of characters as they share conversations with each other make the player immediately like them and gives a nice happy atmosphere of emotions. This game can be compared to the mirror's edge game because both are opposite ends of the spectrum that offer very similar mechanics. The parkour and free climbing abilities in both games are highly similar with both sceneries being outstanding yet both are completely different in how they portray their stories and emotions. If you look at the descriptions of both games that I have given you can see why they give a different feel yet it is quite astounding how one genre of game can make you feel certain emotion while another can convey different emotions even if they have highly similar way of gameplay and mechanics.
Roleplaying Game (RPG)
Role playing games can come in many forms, they usually allow customisation for the player and each participant assumes the role of someone usually in a fantasy or science fiction setting. The difference between this and the other genre of games it the fact that the stories made for these characters aren't set, they are made up by the player and each play through can change widely depending on the options, missions, equippable loot etc that the player has control over.
Final fantasy VII
The final fantasy series are massively known for their huge expansive worlds and stories, they are part of the JRPG genre (Japanese roleplaying game) and use turn based combat for its fighting scenes. Final fantasy VII uses a range of techniques to get its story across and makes the player feel a bundle of emotions as they play through the game. You take control over nine characters who are fighting to save their planet from being destroyed, each character has a backstory that motivates them to fight for the planet and as the player plays through the game they will get attached to each character and become connected as they progress. There will be missions and submissions that revolve around the nine characters allowing the player to understand them and their feelings further thus allowing for a more connected bond to each individual character, some of the actions that the characters will make will have the player hate them while other actions they commit in the future could have the player like them and understand why they committed the previously hated action. As for the main character (Cloud) he is shrouded by mystery and sadness and as the player progresses through the game they start to understand why he acts the way he does and has the personality he does.
Fallout 4
Fallout 4 is a different styled RPG to final fantasy and is based in a first person format however, it has more elements to do with Roleplaying that is classed as an RPG. The story of fallout 4 is that you are either one of the parents (it is your choice) and nukes have started to reign down upon where you live. You must find shelter in a bunker which cryogenically freezes you and your family. During this time the chambers begin to malfunction and you witness the death of your second half whilst watching your son get taken away by the same murderers. The game revolves around finding your son in the expansive world of the wasteland, along the way you will meet companions who you cam form relationships with the more time you spend together. Fallout utilises the use of this destroyed world to convey dark and gritty environments and stories for the player to experience whilst throwing in a hint of humour from time to time. You can complete side quests for characters to ear loot and level up your character allowing them to take on harder enemies and explore more dangerous areas that were previously un-explorable. The player has full control over what they will do whether it is partaking in side quests, the main quest or just looting they can do it to their own free will. This allows for the player to get attached to their character and for them to feel as though they are controlling this protagonists life to the suiting of their choices, they can choose to be evil or good and are not bound by any sort of lineage.
South park: the stick of truth
South park is a comedy RPG based upon the TV series, mainly the three black Friday episodes (this is where the whole fantasy element is spawned from.) The player takes control of a "new kid" who has just arrived in the neighbourhood, moving into south park to escape his forgotten past. The game centres around helping the south park characters protect the stick of truth and uses full south park humour and writing to portray the whacky adventure that the player will participate in. The player can explore the town of south park and take part in multiple side quests or main missions, the main emotion that this game tries to convey is comedy. If the player is already a fan of the TV series they will already have bonds with certain characters both liking and disliking them, the game however, allows you to interact with them out of your own free will making those bonds become stronger as you feel like you are part of the comedic antics that happen in the town.
Fighting
The fighting genre tells its story by using a range of characters, If you play a fighting game you will understand a lot of its story is told using cutscenes. They will usually start off with a few characters on either side of good and evil to build up this story of a gigantic battle between both sides with all characters. The usual aspects of fighting games is the actual fighting itself so developers will concentrate less on the stories to be told and more on the mechanics and visuals of the game to then place in the story last.
Street fighter
Street fighter has a had a story wrapped in theories and less hooked on a story mode except for street fighter 5. This is the first game out of the whole series to have a story unraveled in cinematics. If we look back at the old games the story is there the players just need find it, then they need to put them into chronological order of what makes sense but with street fighter 5 the story is told directly to the player from the developers. In this game the story is revolved around each individual fighter and their stories so it will only follow the character that you have chosen, the stories will converge at points in the game but you will stay playing as the character you have chosen. The cutsceens will also differ depending on who won and the story will continue to progress from there. How it works is the characters meet in cutscenes and converge in conversation, they will then fight in the usual fashion which is where the player will take control. So the story is mainly progressed by cutscenes and the fact of the player winning the fight.
Tekken 6
Teeken differs widely when telling its story from other fighting games. They base levels around the combat mechanics of the game allowing for full 3D exploration instead of it just being a left and right screen fighter. Its multiplayer is based around the left and right fighting but the story mode has levels that can be run around fighting a number of minions in missions instead of just fighting bosses or other main characters. Tekken 6's story follows Jin Kazama and starts where the previous game ended. Due to it being a fighting game it deploys enemies that are harder to defeat then regular games allowing for the player to act as if they are fighting a boss but without it getting as repetitive or as hard. There are very few games who follow this way of storytelling in the fighting genre and Tekken does it in a unique way that allows the player to become bonded with its characters and story.
Injustice Gods among us
Injustice Gods among us takes the DC universe and creates an entirely new story where Superman is the bad guy. The game uses 2.5D environments for the player to fight in and uses the main character against main character fighting system to get its story across. The only difference in this game is that instead of their being multiple character stories for you to complete like street fighter, you play through the story and swap between characters depending on where you are up to in the game. At one point you could be playing as the flash and be fighting green arrow and in the next level you could be fighting as batman against superman. This is because the story needs to revolve around how Superman enslaved the world with his new government. The story is about how batman is teleports Superhero's from another universe to help take down superman and bring freedom to the world.
Sport
There isn't much storytelling to be found within the sports genre of gaming, the only story related mode in sports game is the career within which you will customise a new character and build up their success in the the sports industry.
FIFA
Fifa takes football and makes it into a video game, its one of the biggest sports game in the world and has multiple story modes attached to it. The story modes don't tell a story of any kind with emotion or characters but instead put you into roles in the football industry. An example of this can be seen in the career mode, you can either choose to be a manager, player or both. You will choose the team you wish to be a part of and commence your career. If you are the manager you will look over the team, buying players from other teams to play in yours, swapping players positions and putting players on substitution or the starting 11. If you are the player you will take control on the pitch and will get moved around according to the manager's (AI) decision. As you can tell choosing the both option is taking over both rolls. The story mainly revolves around the game and will last like a normal season of football placing for your team to get as many wins as possible by the end of the season to the win the cup.
NBA
NBA is a basketball game that obviously takes the way real life basketball is played and places it into a game. For the story mode, in NBA 2k16 there is more a story involved then regular sports game. This game has you create a character and lets him play matches as he would. The difference between this and most other sports games is the fact that NBA has cutscenes and tries to tell a story about how you the player work your way up from playing street matches and league matches in your town to major league matches and playing for famous teams. The story is centred around the mechanics of the basketball game and less upon the actual story but this has to play a vital role in the fact that it needs to be there for there to be a story.
UFC
UFC takes the caged fighting in real life and places it into a game. The story that takes place in UFC is very simple, it is a career based story like FIFA except instead of starting off in any team you want you have to work your way up the ranks from being a small league fighter to going onto big fights. The higher the league you go the harder the game gets making the player have to learn new tactics and switch up their style of play to beat the tougher opponents.
Strategy
Strategy games are mind based games in which the player has to use uncoerced and autonomous decision based skills come into play. They must think smartly and successfully to win games as there is usually two teams pitched against each other with a base and an army. They must protect their own base whilst also attacking the enemies base using their army to both defend and assault. Along with these strategic based games can come stories that can be spanned by using the element of making the player feel as though they are a commander who must protect their own kind while attacking enemy empires and capturing territory for their own.
Halo wars
Halo wars is a prequel to the game halo combat evolved. It tell the story of how the UNCS are having to fight a group of enemies known as the covenant. The player will take control over tanks, vehicles, soldiers, bases of different kinds (e.g. armouries and things like that) as they fight the enemy team. The story is about trying to stop the covenant from spreading and becoming more powerful so the player will command the UNCS and come up with strategies on ways to fight and take down the covenant.
XCOM
XCOM is a game series about a team of soldiers who fight against enemy aliens and stop them from taking over planet earth. This game has objectives for each of it's levels. Instead of having to just take out or capture an enemy base they will have you going through missions such as wiping out every enemy in the area, securing an objective etc. They let the player have full control over the gameplay and so that they can use the best and most beneficial tactics for themselves to complete the missions. The story is told through cutscenes and not through gameplay although that helps to convey across to the player that there are teams of 1 to 6 humans or robots who will go out and complete objectives.
Simulation
Simulation based games are there to allow the player to feel as though they are doing something or living this certain life or non fiction without actually having to do it or that cannot be achieved and can only be simulated. It allows for stories to be told through the perspective of the player and is not bound by many elements that stop the story from being what the player wants.
The sims
The sims is a huge simulator franchise that allows the player to do whatever they want. The basic practice or simple explanation of the game is that you are supposed to create a life for AI's that could be reflected as your own. You design the character's appearances, determine who will get married, what house they will live in, what job they will get, what they will eat and basically play God. This allows for an infinite amount of stories to be made and each one made by the player, they are allowed to do anything they want.
Goat simulator
Goat simulator lets the player get a glimpse at life if they were to be born a goat. It is only a simulation to the point of playing as a goat since the whacky antics and crazy things you can make the goat do are quite unrealistic. However, they don't need to be realistic to be simulators, they only need to bring gameplay elements that help the player simulate what it would be like to be a goat. The story involved in goat simulator isn't necessarily a story itself but more objectives that you complete by using power ups and your own skills. How you take of the problems or objectives is completely up to the player and anything done in the world is influenced by the players actions. They can do whatever they like such as blowing up gas stations or head butting people which drives the story of causing as much mayhem as possible (which is accompanied by a points system.)
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