[foinker]

Yes the writing is often an afterthought and besides the point, but most of the games people are listing here are kind of proving the author's point, especially BG3. Games with great stories sell better and have a longer shelf life than games with bad stories, so there's no reason not to invest in quality writing. Look at what's happening with Starfield.

[j4yav]

When my tentacle friend showed up with his shirt off and tried to seduce me, the latest in a long line of everyone I met trying to bang me, I knew I was in the presence of greatness. Kidding aside I wouldn’t say bg3 was any better than pulp dnd books I read as a kid. They did that style well, and I enjoyed it, and I think it’s more or less what the audience wanted. It’s no Kubrick or Scorsese tier story, though, let’s be real.

[foinker]

It was a pretty horny game, no question, but I think when people say BG3 has a great story, they mean that the combination of non-linear story, huge cast of oddball characters, lively and interesting settings, little side story beats sprinkled around which makes your playthrough a little different from your friends, vocal performances, mood, animation, sound design and the actual gameplay mechanics all came together into an experience that people really really connected with. It doesn't have to be Kubrick, but I think the author's point is that narrative AAA games disproportionately suffer from bad writing which harms the perception of the games' overall quality, and that writing is actually a worthwhile investment.

[j4yav]

I liked the game, it was a lot of fun. It really came together like playing out one of those pulp Forgotten Realms books I had, which was really cool. I guess all I was trying to say is that those weren’t necessarily great writing, even though I loved them.