GameSpot - Writers Guild Award goes to...

[BoboTheMighty]

Surprising honestly… haven't played Tomb Raider (yet), but it doesn't seem to "stand out" or rely on writing as one of it's strengths.
From player feedback, I get the impression that it's weaker than previous one, which did adequate job: no more, no less. ( Damn shame they ruined it with no Sam&Lara kiss in the end…)
I'm playing Game of Thrones right now ( just done second episode) and unless it takes a big dive later on, it's way better than most titles here.
Pillars was good, but too…bland…if that's the word for it. Lacking in that wacky charm that older games had, even if it was coming from simply bad or cheesy writing.

 

[rune_74]

Just as an aside, the last of us is phenomenal. I know it was a previous winner but it deserved it.

 

[six]

Well she sure didn't win it for the writing of that game!
I think she can do better than shown but common it's not like a tomb raider game will ever get the chance to show off the skill of even a decent writer.

 

[sakichop]

I'm surprised so many here completed ROTR. I don't typically look to video games for great stories or writing as it's usually pretty meh.

I didn't play tomb raider, witcher 3 or any game last year with a good story so I couldn't say.

 

[Archangel]

Mainstream awards usually don't go to RPGs just like how Oscars are rarely given to comedy movies black people. Plus you have to account for the voters various ages and tastes.

I think this is more fitting comparison.

 

[Deleted member 18181]

lara's screams, groans and moans were so sexy, probably the decisive factor :lol:

 

[joxer]

I've tried to stir the pot mentioning MGS5, but to my surprise noone added that there are also awsome stories from indies.
The thing is, there are quite a few indie games out there that definetly deserved to be nominated.

Who won doesn't matter much in the end as it only reveals the taste of a few people who decide. The only sin I see here is not nominating quality stories just because, dunno, those games didn't sell million+ copies or something.

Will the story in Tomb Raider 2 be something I'll also think about as the best, dunno yet. Didn't buy the game yet. Reason - season pass.

 

[Wisdom]

I've tried to stir the pot mentioning MGS5, but to my surprise noone added that there are also awsome stories from indies.
The thing is, there are quite a few indie games out there that definetly deserved to be nominated.

They prolly didnt even fit the criteria to be nominated.

 

[joxer]

And criteria was… ?

Another thing I also wonder is if those writers actually played any of (non)nominated games or judged the material from a written_on_paper source in which case no RPG with choices and consequences will ever win it as it will be superconfusing.

 

[Alrik Fassbauer]

This is the problem with political correctness and corrupted feminism. Rhianna Pratchett is "best known" according to the web for writing Heavenly Sword, Mirror's Edge, and both new Tomb Raiders. All four of those are female protagonists…coincidence? I hate to say, but it is most likely she got those jobs because she is a woman…which is kind of sexist…to say a woman can write a woman lead better. Now if her writing of women characters was brilliant, then that would be another story. But all those games…are…very generic in the writing.

Me, as a man, I wouldn't dare to write female protagonists. Why ? Simply because I don't know in how far they differ from me in their perception, in how they see and consider things, in the way they feel about things.

There are enough books out there trying to get this riddle solved ... But no-one really gets it.

 

[Brumbek]

I've tried to stir the pot mentioning MGS5, but to my surprise noone added that there are also awsome stories from indies.

I adore MGSV, but I honestly can't remember one single line of dialogue from the game. The gameplay and story ambience is amazing, but the actual story and writing I don't find very award-worthy. And I'm a HUGE Metal Gear fan who considers MGSV one of the best games ever.

I'm surprised so many here completed ROTR.

In fairness, I haven't completed it. I've watched several chapters of it, partially because I was told the story was even worse than the first one and was curious about that.

The Witcher 3 surely has a better story and it's better all around, but saying the award winner won only because she is a woman? Ugh. Pretty lame award choice, though.

That's the problem with giving an inferior game the award. We are left to speculate on the reason for the award. If it surely isn't quality...then it has to be something else. Political/social/gender reasons are not a stretch.

We know that many "enlightened" folk are deeply offended by Witcher 3's use of prostitutes. And we know they also love finding a female writer they can give awards to simply because she is "breaking the glass ceiling" and breaking up the "good old boys club".

I'm just speculating here...but my brain refuses to accept that a group of professionals could actually believe this new TR game is better written than Witcher 3.

 

[Zloth]

Tomb Raider? Seriously?? I haven't played the second but the first's writing was really weak. It was easily predicted and used extremely over-used character types that seemed to come straight out of an old 80's slasher movie.

I'm afraid the gender call-out may actually be valid in this case. Looking back through the list on Wikipedia, the number of games with a female lead character and/or lead writer seems high for a male dominated industry. There have only been 8 awards, though, so I wouldn't condemn them yet. It's just looking a bit dubious.

No RPGs on the list is more significant. These things seem to go by the publisher submitting a script. That might work out a lot better for a nice, linear game like Uncharted or Tomb Raider than an RPG where you're got multiple stories going in parallel.

 

[Brumbek]

Me, as a man, I wouldn't dare to write female protagonists.

Writing female protagonists is easy! Just follow the new Tomb Raiders' example of vapid exposition instead of realistic dialogue!

Is there a big mountain ahead? "I'm not turning back."

Is there climbing ahead? "Climbing again, great."

Lara's logic for getting to someone: "Damn it, he can't hear me. I have to get to him. His signal's just over there."

Her doctor skills: "Yeah, but you need… you need bandages, morphine, antiseptic…"

Lara's dialogue in both games is expositional, literal phrases that describe what she's doing. Rather than speak like a real person, she says what the player is going to do. That is BAD writing. Period.

So either Lara is a DULL person (she was sassy and smart in the old games), or the writer just isn't capable of giving Lara any personality beyond "tool to progress the story".

Sigh, then there's Witcher 3, which respects its audience. It lets NPCs speak about the world, regardless of whether the player understands or not. It thinks its players are smart enough to figure things out for themselves. This is why Witcher 3 is well-written: it engages the reader's critical thinking skills.

DISCLAIMER: I have done creative and technical writing professionally, so I take this stuff seriously. I may be a writing snob, but only because I care.

 

[Ryder]

DISCLAIMER: I have done creative and technical writing professionally, so I take this stuff seriously. I may be a writing snob, but only because I care.

You can't be very good at it then if you think Witcher 3's writing is better than Tomb Raiders. I have completed TR 3 times already and I am enthralled, encapsulated if you will, in the game and that is because the story is so well written. It keeps me sitting on the edge of my seat the whole way through. As for W3, what drivel, could only play it for 20 or so hours and I found myself losing interest because there is nothing there that keeps me wanting to play on. Boring big time if you ask me.

So Brumbek I'm afraid the winner was well deserved and you don't know what you are talking about. Please note however that I have not played either game and I only wrote that to get your blood boiling for a minute or two as I wanted to annoy you, whoever you are. Carry on been passionate, love your work.

 

[Grifman]

Rise:
Lara: "The Lost City is up there, somewhere."
That other guy: "That's gonna be a hell of a climb."
Lara: "I'm not turning back." [said with Lara's over-acting VO]

You're being silly. I can rip 3 lines of dialogue out of any game and make the game look bad. I'm certain I could go find a 3 line exchange of dialogue from TW3 and make it look bad.

I don't know whether ROTTR is better than TW3. I've played ROTTR and loved it and thought the story very well done and I've heard great things about TW3 (have it but haven't had time to play it yet). But I recognize a unfair example when I see it.

 

[Grifman]

Lara's dialogue in both games is expositional, literal phrases that describe what she's doing. Rather than speak like a real person, she says what the player is going to do. That is BAD writing. Period.

It's as if you haven't played the game at all. When engaging in dialogue with NPC's and in the cutscenes, Lara talks quite normal and has regular conversations. Lara is expositional when she is by herself. Like a lot of people, Lara talks to herself (which I note is generally a sign of intelligence as a lot of smart people are known to have done this). She makes comments about the problem facing her and how she might solve it. But these are just player "barks" and hardly the basis for any award.

There's also more than just Lara's conversations with others that go into writing. There's the crafting of the overall story, there's tons of very interesting documents, tapes, logs which tell mini-stories about various people involved with the Remnant and Trinity.

Again, I don't know if ROTTR should have won the the award. I just know your examples are all flawed.

 

[Grifman]

Tomb Raider? Seriously?? I haven't played the second but the first's writing was really weak. It was easily predicted and used extremely over-used character types that seemed to come straight out of an old 80's slasher movie.

And since the award was for ROTTR and not TR, all of the above commentary is irrelevant.

 

[Grifman]

From player feedback, I get the impression that it's weaker than previous one, which did adequate job: no more, no less.

You must be talking to the wrong players. The Steam Rating is 91% for ROTRR vs. 95% for TR. Yes, it's lower but not by much. Metacritic is 87% vs. 86%. Neither is merely "adequate".

 

[BoboTheMighty]

You must be talking to the wrong players. The Steam Rating is 91% for ROTRR vs. 95% for TR. Yes, it's lower but not by much. Metacritic is 87% vs. 86%. Neither is merely "adequate".

Eh, I was talking about the writing. Lara looks sexier, no doubt about it.

 

[Soulbane]

Rise of the Tomb Raider???? *checks if it's April 1 yet*

No, just no. I've watched a full Let's Play of it, and not only does it completely rip off Lost's story, its delivery is pretty awkward, too. Good voice actors all around, sure, simple and fast-paced story, yea, but nowhere near the writing quality of dialogue from the Witcher 3 (or any other game from the list, really). Take only the DLC (Hearts of Stone), it alone has more memorable, more heartbreaking, more intense, and more realistic dialogue and characters in its side quests! Some of the dialogue and scenes resonate with you a long time afterwards, even make you meditate on the issues tackled by the game's story.

Bah, whatever, this Writers Guild has just become irrelevant.