Games with The Best Stories

I love solid mechanics and gameplay. If you can give me a good game I'm on board. However, what I love more than that is a good story.

If you're like me and you want to exerience a game on a visceral level then these are a couple of stories I love in gaming. 

20. Mafia 3

Mafia 3 Let’s play from CohhCarnage

Murder, betrayal, and revenge are center pieces for the tale of Lincoln Clay. Home from the Vietnam War and looking to put his violent past behind him Lincoln is pulled into the underworld of New Bordeaux. After learning that his brother is in debt to the mob, Lincoln volunteers to help ease his debt by robing the Federal Reserve. This sets off a chain of events that will change the face of organized crime in Louisiana.

Set to the backdrop of 1968 Louisiana, Mafia 3 tells a tight story with tons of flavor. Filled with wonderful music, colorful characters, and a few exciting set pieces that keep the story moving. However, a vicious grind and bad enemy AI is going to keep this game at the bottom of our list. There are great moments. Those moments come a bit too slowly for my taste.

Lincoln deals bayou justice to those who stand in his way.

Mafia 3 features a wide array of weapons that you can use to confront all sorts of situations.

19. Telltale Games Walking Dead Series

Walking Dead let’s play from Gamer’s Little Playground

What happens in a world of Zombies when Rick Grimes and company aren’t there?

That’s the question Telltale Games seeks to answer with their long running Walking Dead series. Based on a comic book and a TV series, the Telltales Games Walking Dead franchise covers four games with a fifth and final instalment rolling out later this year. Walking Dead focuses on the hard choices you have to make to survive the zombie apocalypse.

Decent story choices keep this game going. There are some dark moments that have real emotional kick. Unfortunately, some spotty voice work and a couple of events and outcomes that feel forced muddy this otherwise good game.

For the most part, the game is good and the story engaging. It’s sad there are just a couple of places that break the immersion.

Lee and Clementine are two of the principal characters from Season 1. Creators used their relationship to focus the family theme that was so important to the game into the forefront.

A well-built conversation system with lots of options helps to give players more control over the story and its outcomes.

18. Kingdom Come: Deliverance

Kingdom Come: Deliverance let’s play from ESO

Medieval Europe brought to life. Kingdom Come focuses on taking you on an adventure following Henry, the son of a blacksmith. In a nice change of pace, you get to play an average citizen. You are not the chosen one, favored by prophecy, or picked by the gods. You are in fact, a guy living his life when forced by circumstance to head out on adventure.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance uses realism as its selling point. While not a perfect simulation of life in the 1400’s, the game tries to get as close as possible.

Kingdom Come is packed full of historic information and educational write ups. Pass the tanner, the blacksmith, or the armor smith and you’ll get a huge entry in your journal that will tell you about life in these trying times. If you’re fascinated by the dark ages and everything that went with it, this game may be what you’re looking for.

Henry speaks with his father. The conversation system in the game sets up lots of options and ideas that will help focus the gameplay later on.

Featuring beautiful settings help keep the players invested in the game world. Everywhere you go you will be met with rich settings filled with color.

17. The Wolf Among Us

The Wolf among Us let’s play from PewDiePie

There’s been a murder amongst the fairy tale creatures living in New York and the Big Bad Wolf is on the case. Based on the popular Fables series of graphic novels. The Wolf among Us follows Bigby Wolf, the town sheriff as he follows the clues to find a killer. The game features a fantastic supporting cast of characters such as Snow White, Ichabod Crane, and Jack.

Like all Telltale Games, this fantasy story teller rolls out in episodes with a focus on keeping the story going. Because it’s a mystery I’m not going to go too far into the story. The choices feel impactful and different events can come up based on past decisions. Character interactions feel earned.

A rare moment of peace for Bigby and Snow. These brief moments of character help build emersion in the game and build a connection to the story.

Even quiet moments highlight how deep the world of Fables is. A simple moment with a fairytale family shows how much thought as been put into updating these characters.

16. Baldur’s Gate 2

Baldur’s Gate let’s play from Kart Gaming

It’s hard to ignore the classics. Baldur’s Gate 2 is one of those games often spoken of in hushed whispers. I think it’s fair to say that Baldur’s Gate had a long lasting effect on the gaming world that has extended far beyond the scope of this small game released in 2000. With sweeping story that hits on some of Dungeons & Dragons most iconic characters and monsters. 

I think the characters are what really keep this game floating around people’s memories. There are few people who have completed the story of Baldur’s gate and don’t draw a smile at the names of Minsc and Boo. It’s that love of character’s who are well formed and fleshed out that keep this game coming back into people’s memories.

One of the many load screens that feature the deep rich art famous in Dungeons & Dragons.

Baldur’s Gate 2 makes your decisions matter with several dialogue choices.

15. Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor

Middle Earth: Shadows of Mordor let’s play from GhostRobo

Mormog the Surgeon is a bastard. I cannot begin to explain just how much I hate him. If you’ve ever played Middle Earth: Shadows of Mordor then you most likely have a similar reaction to someone I’ve never seen. This is because the nemesis system in Middle Earth helped build a thriving world filled with horrible jerks.

For me the king jerk was this little orc who killed me early on in the game. Mormog. He would begin showing up at random points whenever I was fighting other orcs and kill me. By the end of the game I was actively angry whenever he showed up. It will be a long time before I forget Mormog the Surgeon.

Of course the nemesis system isn’t the only thing in the game. The story behind the gameplay is quite solid. It does stray from the original Lord of the Rings canon so if that will upset you, you may want to avoid this one. That said, I had a ton of fun here. I loved the adventures, the history of every weapon, and the various characters you run into.

Those long missions where you are forced to follow Gollum and just wait for that other shoe to drop as he betrays you. There are great moments in this game but I’m not sure how much of its story and how much is the Nemesis system. That’s why it’s back here at 15.

The inner workings of the Nemesis system. Every decision and attack changes how the various commanders in the orc army react, grow, change, and even murder each other.

An easy to master combat system lets you face off against large numbers of foes without feeling outmatched. Even with that it balances it well with a challenge level that makes you feel as if you’re never safe.

14. The Darksiders Series

Darksiders 1 let’s play from Scribe

The end of the world has come. The seven seals have been broken and humanity is doomed. War, the first rider of the Apocalypse, comes to Earth to collect the souls of the fallen. Unfortunately, the seals haven’t been broken, the end isn’t here, and he’s been accused of starting the end of times.

The Darksiders series focus on what happens after the war between Heaven and Hell is set off accidently.

You play War in the first game and Death in the second. Both riders are trying to prove War’s innocence. You battle your way through multiple worlds. You combat angels, demons, and lords of darkness as you solve the mystery of who started the end and why.

War stands ready to fight with his massive sword at the ready. This is just one of the many weapons available to War as he slaughters his way to the truth.

Death prepares to unleash a flurry of attacks with his twin axes. Death’s combat style is faster and more mobile than War’s. It is still just as devastating.