Video Games with Great Writing

I'll often talk about the stories in video games, but sometimes a great story can be marred by long, boring exposition dumps or awkwardly translated dialogue. On the other hand, there are games that have cliched plots but are saved by excellent writing. With that in mind, here's a list of some of my favorite games with great writing. Just to be clear, we're only dealing with actual words that were written for the game, including dialogue, cut-scenes, journal entries, item descriptions, and flavor text.

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

I've already written a review of the storyline in the first Uncharted game, but the second installment is by far my favorite (having not played the 4th one yet) and one of the biggest reasons is the superb writing. The character dialogue is alternately snarky, sweet, or menacing in both the cut-scenes and during gameplay, and I always play with a smile on my face as I enjoy this robust adventure. I should also mention that this game has the best ending of any game I've played, mainly because of the terrific banter after the climax.

Skies of Arcadia

This is another game that I'll play over and over again. Despite it being an older Japanese RPG, the translation of this steampunk sky-pirate adventure is top-notch. Even without voice acting, every character is distinct and interesting. One of my favorite things to do is to recruit my crew and then regularly go to each crew member and get their reactions to what is happening in the main plot. The villains are also varied and interesting, and are lovably despicable in their own way. This is a great game!

The Pandora Directive

The best in the Tex Murphy series of digital capture adventure games, this noir/sci-fi game has amazing writing. All of the item and setting descriptions are narrated by Murphy, a kind of vulnerable Humphrey Bogart character with a wry sense of humor. Depending on how you play the game, the writing will either lean towards a dark, despondent tone or a bright, optimistic one. Whatever your preference, you can be sure that the writing will reflect it in a deliciously immersive way.

Final Fantasy 12

This is my favorite Final Fantasy game, and one of the major factors for that is the writing. While I'll admit that I'll often end up skipping the one-sentence comments from random townspeople after a few hours, that's mainly because I'll get overwhelmed trying to hear what every citizen in every town has to say about the advancing plot. What sets the writing in this game apart is its slightly exotic voice. Every creature you encounter has a lengthy description you can unlock as you slay more of them, all written with an in-universe tone that is equal parts compelling and fascinating.

Wizardry 8

I went back and forth about including this game on the list, as I was worried I would be biased towards this game as I just started playing it again. What convinced me to mention it was last night's gaming session after I realized that I had spent several hours in conversation with a variety of characters and hadn't skipped a single line of dialogue. My favorite writing in this game are the playable character reactions. Despite this being a "build-your-party" game, the voice-sets you can choose for your characters are more than just "My weapon doesn't work!" exclamations. Depending on the personality and voice you choose, you hear all kinds of colorful comments from your team as they talk together throughout the epic storyline.


Thanks to Randall from my Guild of Adventurers for suggesting this week's subject.