Opinion: We're So Sick of Saving the Bloody World

I dont personally find this any more frustrating or overused as I find "Indy" titles that copy the same formulaic approach to side scrollers.
But it is always nice to see games take risks, try new things and be bold with it.
I much prefer a good story with many unique elements than any "tried and tested" series.

This is why fallout will save us from, well, saving the world! The world is already ruined and if you like you can run around killing the rest of humanity! Or you can go on some missions to, err, save what is left of humanity I suppose, lol. In all seriousness it does get old at times, but as I have always said: Go Big Or Go Home!

Totally agree. I think I've saved the world about 100+ times in my life. And when you aren't saving the world, you are saving a princess... or time itself... or yada yada.

Change it up devs. Make it so we are trying to stop the eradication of pink construction paper! I think that would make for an excellent story line in the next Call of Duty game.

Call me crazy, but I prefer destroying worlds to saving them. That's why Just Cause 3 is looking like my dream game

There are a lot of things I want from video games but first on my list is just better story telling/writing.

@get2sammyb I know, Im just saying as an example.
I meant it as this doesnt bore me or whatever anymore than any of the other often mundane practices in the games industry.
Not trying to start an argument.

Problem is when companies try to do something different, it either falls on its a**e or they c**k it up with micro-transactions.

Plus the monotonous collecting that open world games seem to have to include to justify whatever it is they are doing, just feels lazy. What was it? 700 items to collect in the new Assassins Creed? Would rather watch some godawful StrictlyComeVoiceFactorTalent to be honest and I hate them shows.

I disagree completely with the sentiment of this article. In my 34 years, I've saved a multiverse worth of worlds without growing tired of it. Smacking down evil, especially if the villain is well written, never gets old. That being said, I understand that everyone has their own tastes. I don't mind at all if others want something different. The gaming market should be big enough to accommodate all types of gameplay.

Step back and take a look at the medium which we love: we watch ADD afflicted YouTubers in our droves, we go gaga over the latest flashy trailer for Shooty Bang Bang 17, and we're always so busy looking forward to the next thing that we forget about the here and now - @get2sammyb

That's not the pushsquare audience though is it? You may want to change ADD to over eager as well. Its a bit unfair to box people in with a medically treated condition with egotists such as stampylonghead and pewdeypie.

I agree with the subject, and as @Bad-MuthaAdebisi said we need better writing. The biggest problem for me is Hollywood and the movie industry - they seemingly ran out of ideas ten years ago. The comedy isn't funny, the characters are clichéd and the topics are dealt with cack-handedly.

@ShogunRok I enjoyed the change of pace in Persona 4 and the intimacy of small-town life and the murder mystery versus the high stakes adventure of Persona 3. My favourite parts of the game were the social links and the various "mundane" scenarios the school students found themselves in. In Fallout 3 and New Vegas the world is already destroyed so the stakes are different. I loved exploring the wasteland listening to the tunes on the radio. The pace was refreshing.

I do definitely like big games where you have to save the world, but variety is nice. I have recently developed a fondness for adventure games and visual novels. Not everything has to be a Hollywood style blockbuster.

I was tired from saving the world in ps 1 era =). So my favourite games were ff10-2, breath of fire 5 and ICO on ps2. Because all of them had personal stories. And anyway, world doesn't deserve to be saved.

@get2sammyb
Because you spoiled the ending of Life is Strange for me, whilst stating first you won't, I've got something I want to tell you bout Henry and Clare which you might find interesting....

Ah wait, it's no use...their daughter would probably travel back in time to stop me anyway.... OOPS!

We need an anti-hero game.

@djmurphy21 Death Note! The Game!

I agree that we could use a more grounded or a type of game that gives us a different scenario other than saving a world wrecking calamity every now and then. However, I personally think that the problem isn't the backdrop, but being able to make a good story out of it. Saving a city? Not too bad, but as you raise the stakes it gets harder to have a story around it that makes sense. Maybe you can write a story about saving a city, but what about saving a planet? It's increasingly easier to make your narrative look more and more contrived the grander the scale.

And besides, after the world beating, what's next? Higher and higher you're more likely to go down, which isn't really bad in the context of the article, because as we know, bigger isn't always better.

@mookysam I agree, I think the duality between the shadow world and the real world in Persona is one of the best things about it - it also helps the game keep a really nice pace. Like I said in the article, I guess it's all about balance. If everything's just go, go, go in a game that's reasonably lengthy, it gets tiresome. You need some of the more laid back parts to make saving the world seem worthwhile.

If the stakes are too low what keeps a person in the game? What is the motive? You better have some seriously enthralling gameplay or a story that makes players like and hate characters sufficiently and want to see what happens.

I hated the bond film "quantum of solace" because the stakes were 60% of the water in Bolivia would be owned by a private business entity who wanted to double the price, Those stakes suck and I didn't feel all that elated over the conclusion that 60% of their water would remain relatively affordable.

I do not mind the "saving the world" type of games as long as it has a great story and I have fun playing it. I really have not played many games of this nature though. When I look at my collection of games played, I have about a dozen games of me actually playing this form. A lot of the AAA games details themselves around saving a town, city, village, country, or world. I do understand this. There is a thirst for this genre of gaming. I mean, who would not want to save the world and if there is a possibility for doing it in games, why not take advantage of that. I'm going to be honest and say I have never played a full run-through of Battlefield and never have I ever played CoD. I think those type of games revolves around saving the world.

The industry floods games that want you to save the world. It's just a matter of what you enjoy playing. I am not tired of playing games where you have to save the world just yet.

Last Of Us is a good example not having to save the world. Joel just wanted to get rid of Ellie, than ends becoming attached to her and they share awesome moments in the game and just end up together and happy.

Yes it has a grand finale but the ending is very open ended.

I agree with @Bad-MuthaAdebisi about the need for better story writing. I myself love a good story and I must agree that I have saved the world many times in the past. The issue is (like Sammy has already said) that it seems to have become the go to script for the majority of the game. I have just finished Uncharted and even though the ending is pretty weak, it did not end in me saving the world - it ended in me just getting off the damn island alive (very similar to what Tomb Raider did). Like I said, not a great ending but different enough to make it count.
We went through a phase of major blockbuster movie style scripting but now where we currently are feels lazy. I feel like developers have three dice they role - the 1st has Open World on all sides, the 2nd has Save The World on all sides and the third one is the Character's Quirk.
It has been a long while since a game's story has blown my mind - maybe The Last of Us was the last one. Next to the Bioshock series, TLOU is story writing at it's best.

I am the ultimate alpha cat, and I am tired of saving the world.

This is one of the reasons why The Last of Us felt so fresh, so honest, so mature.

The world's gone to zombie hell and you're on a road trip to save mankind. So far so standard. Except you don't save mankind. Joel and Ellie aren't those kinds of heroes and TLOU isn't that kind of story. Like other great modern stories, such aa Breaking Bad, it has too much integrity to slap on a cheap happy ending.

But you do save the girl. And just as importantly, she saves Joel, a man who had nothing to live for. It's a small accomplishment, in the grand scheme of things. But all the more personal and touching for it.

The Last of Us got its characters and storytelling spot on. The torture scene with Joel. The giraffes. The horrible realisation that David is a psychopath. That moment Joel's eyes harden and he makes a terrible choice when confronted by Marlene in the car park.

And that magnificent, downbeat, ambiguous, perfect ending.

A lot of the credit goes to the wonderful actors, but also to the brilliant writers.

Ultimately it's a third person action game that isn't about the action. It's about love, loss, survival and redemption. In the 90's we used to hear a lot about games becoming "interactive movies", which in practice meant grainy, cheesy FMV scenes like in Night Trap. TLOU was a sublime fusion of gameplay and storytelling. It was an interactive movie in the most excellent sense.

@get2sammyb can we get a discus like reply system for the comments? it's easy to not reply to someone because it only goes to emails. also please?

I agree that there has to be a motivation to stay in the game, a reason for your quest, whatever it is. Having just finished dark souls 2, I'll give it a nod for being an amazing game where your initial motivation is not becoming hollow. And there is even a plot if you pay attention . But other games like Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons just failed to keep my interest long because ultimately I often just want to let of steam by shooting stuff, not have an emotional experience.

I agree, more personal stories please

This calls for a remake of Destroy All Humans!

@sonicmeerkat What's the motive, if not saving the world? For most people in real life, saving yourself, or maybe your friends and family, is enough to keep you going. Games don't have to go big, they just have to go home - if they can make you honestly care about even one character, it's enough.

Or their gameplay could just be fresh and fun. Either works.

Also, Costume Quest FTW

Although there are an abundant amount of games that take place in a post apocalyptic world, very few actually get it right. I generally avoid most of them, but fallout is a shining exception to what that genre and setting can be. All the major tropes in gaming are played out at this point, but there are still a select few which can use a tired setting or story and refresh it just enough to make it great. I.E. Bethesda with Fallout.

This is why I miss the DotHack games. Why save the world when you can save "The World"

what happened to EVIL people in this planet ? it use to lead us ,,, need a game where i can kill everyone in the story mode and make sense.

@ShogunRok One thing I really liked about Persona 3 and 4 was how the characters shadow selves juxtaposed with their real selves. The themes of the TV shows and dungeons were also interesting. The first few hours of the games were slow paced but once it passed that hurdle I really enjoyed how hey were structured.