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Games with branching storylines/multiple ending?
revolutionary bean
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So i had my seasonal craving for a game with a good branching storyline and thus I decided to replay Dragon Age for the third time. I had a lot of fun playing with the dwarf origin up until the Fade when I thought, I can't go through this horrible place again.
Just no way in hell do I have to clear that round circle of hell again, just couldn't do it.
But still I craveth for a game with a branching storyline.
I'm pretty sure I've played them all, from all the blockbuster (Mass Effect, Planescape Torment, BG, NWN, Persona, Deus Ex, Fable) to the obscure (Way Of The Samurai, Alter Ego, Jade Empire).
I was hoping that maybe someone here can help me recommend one that I haven't played before, because linear games just don't do it for me anymore.
I don't have a lot of hopes though, knowing how few these sort of games are out there
Just no way in hell do I have to clear that round circle of hell again, just couldn't do it.
But still I craveth for a game with a branching storyline.
I'm pretty sure I've played them all, from all the blockbuster (Mass Effect, Planescape Torment, BG, NWN, Persona, Deus Ex, Fable) to the obscure (Way Of The Samurai, Alter Ego, Jade Empire).
I was hoping that maybe someone here can help me recommend one that I haven't played before, because linear games just don't do it for me anymore.
I don't have a lot of hopes though, knowing how few these sort of games are out there
revolutionary bean on
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the way to go
The story really carries the game (which is code for the gameplay is a little rough/difficult to get used to).
I remember playing the game a long time ago but I can't remember it having a branching storyline?
Edit:
Man, finished it a couple of times chainshotting everyone to bits. Great game, the sort of exactly what I'm looking for.
As far as your Dragon Age problem is concerned, there are mods that let you simplify the fade or skip it all together
PS3, man.
Actually, I can recommend a lot more off the top of my head:
-KOTOR
-KOTOR 2
-Heavy Rain
-Indigo Prophecy
-Vampire: Masquerade
I think I've played through all the branching storyline games and now I'm running on empty.
Edit: I googled up Chrono Trigger ending and it seems the endings are all based on when you fight the last boss. That sounds like an arbitrary way to a multiple ending for me, I need something more complex with personal choices that leads you to different branches of the storyline not just "if you do this you get a if not x" sort of branching storyline, if you get my meaning.
I will now kill myself for not coming up with anything better.
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Also, because a remake was just anounced, what about Tactics Ogre:LUCT?
That always seemed sort of cheap to me.
It was a little more variable still in the Mass Effects, but also less at the same time. The endings are the same, the people were different.
Sounds a good game but too much bother to get a copy.
lol wut?
Yea can't believe they're not coming up with a sequel. And I'm done with Tactics Ogre.
Come on guys, this is the only game I have left in my library that has a semblance of multipath in it and i don't want to play it because it's shit
Edit:
Sounds cool, I'll try it out.
Man I loved that game series to death, I played the first (vga) and fourth (fifth?) game, only class worth playing as was as thief though
Tactics Ogre LUCT comes to mind for obvious reasons. Covenant of the Plum as well. Guardian Heroes and Star Fox 64 I guess if we're scraping the bottom of the barrel.
Actual real branching arcs are more of the realm of visual novels and their ilk. There are some great ones out and translated these days too. Shameless self-pimping.
I'd take a simplified sort of "branching" (even if it's just dialogue branching) rather than none at all!
Do you mean those hentai games/novel in the realm of Fate/Stay night? Hell, I'd be willing to try out a few of those even though I thought Fate/Stay was a bit verbose..
Aselia's a good one to start with, and only the PC backport of the PS2 version is translated (IE, no porn). The gameplay can be... a tad repetitive though which kind of breaks the whole "replaying it for the different branches" thing. Alicesoft makes awesome SRPGs, the best two of which are pretty much translated, although they uh... well... they're Alicesoft. The other decent translated VN games with actual game to them right now are by Leaf, which don't branch at all and are at least as needlessly verbose as Nasu's stuff. Also self-pimping, but Galaxy Angel's a decent, if overly saccharine and easy RTS, although it's another one of those "doesn't really branch" games that just substitutes a number of scenes in a couple chapters depending which branch you take. And it's kind of old and ugly. The second and third games in the trilogy (not translated yet) are much more of true branching games and look much better.
Seinarukana (Aselia's sequel with a much MUCH improved battle engine) and Yumina the Ethereal (also by Aselia's team after they formed a new company) are also in the works, but probably won't be out for another year at least.
Nobody really bothers with branching paths anymore, and you'd be better off going to CF to scratch that particular niche.
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Maybe something like Heavy Rain is the closest thing to come out these days, and even that has a lot of stuff you have to see regardless.
You could try a more open-ended game, like Darklands or Star Control 2. You've got a lot of choice, but even then you still have to follow the main story eventually.
I would say Way of the Samurai is the best example of a branching storyline I can think of, but you've already played those.
How does the story not change? Seriously.
While the story stays linear in the sense of that there are no totally branching paths you influence it immensly in Alpha Protocol. The only moment where you really can't control the outcome of a situation is in the museum mission. And even there you have the chance to bring a major charachter of the game into fighting you who just as well can live through the game.
The Witcher - you have a choice of alliance (and staying neutral), and this certainly does affect the story.
Iji - is just an excellent (and free!) game in it's own right, has a few minor branch points and responds to your playstyle.
Visual Novels and their ilk - will probably all have the problem of being 'a bit verbose' since they're all essentially over-descriptive novels. Fate/Stay night would probably take 25-30 hours to explore the 2 major storylines and multiple endings.
Quest for Glory II remake - you say you haven't played this one, and it's been updated to look and play much more nicely.
And finally, something different - if you even vaguely liked 'Choose your own adventure', try Lone Wolf - a massive series of gamebooks published in the 80s and 90s with a single, persistent player character. With each book you'd gain more equipment, skills and allies - and some events and obviously items would persist between books. Most of the choices were obviously in the short-term though - branches rapidly re-connect. But importantly, the entire series of 20+ books has been put up online with the author's blessing, for free.
First of all. Couldn't you tackle different time periods in any order?
Most of these endings involve you beating lavos without ever visiting certain locations. Also you can get all of these endings the first time. (If you grind to death)
Also it branches already during midgame in the form of when you tackle different worlds and there are several sidequests that influence the world and have consequences.
CT has much choice actually. It isn't a great example for "branching" though.
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But my recommendation is Dark Saviour for the Saturn. The game play pretty much sucked, but I loved the story and seeing how tiny things changed the playthrough.
Guardian Heroes, also for the Saturn (and to a lesser extent, the GBA sequel/thing) has loads of branches.
- Alicesoft "games"
- QFG 2 Remake
- Lone Wolf books
- Devil Survivor
- SMT Nocturne/Lucifer
- IJi
Games that I'm willing to try out but is just too much of a pain to get:
- Colony Wars
- Dark Saviour
- Guardian Heroes
- Blade Runner
Games I've played/finished:
- Fallout
- Masq (Amazing game, I wished the guy who made it a lot of luck but I don't think he has any projects going on in the future which is a huge shame)
- The Witcher
- All translated Grownlanser game (pretty sweet game)
In which game? I had forgotten about the alliance thing in The Witcher. That changes things, but I wouldn't say it represents a branch in the story. It just inverts the allied/enemy sides. You still play through the same story.
It's the same with AP. You can do things differently, like kill that one guy in the museum or not kill him, but that's all that changes. The story stays the same. If he lives, you only see him again for a moment, and if he's dead you miss that 5 second interaction. That's not really branching.
edit: Oh yeah, Masq was great for branching storylines. One of the best I've played.
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And how is that any different from Heavy Rain? You fuck up the QTE you don't. Means certain thing doesn't happen or does.. The story is always the same. Same with Masq.
Seriously I need an answer. In Alpha Protocol you have a tremendous influence on charachters around you, how things play out etc. I didn't say it's a good example of "branching". It has however waaaaaay more consequences than "some dialog changes".