3. Mass Effect Series

Mass Effect let’s play from Mr. Odd

Commander Shepard will go down as one of the best heroes in video games. This is due mostly to the story that backs them up as they travel the universe. Nearly every piece of their story is built wonderfully around them and their crew.

I think it’s the characters and the relationships that really focus how well this game plays out. There are a lot of things that happen. Actions and events that give rise to different outcomes. In the end it’s how Shepard interacts with the people in their crew that makes this story.

While I think the relationships are the most important part, the story itself is still very good. Every challenge you face comes with hard choices. This includes several moments of who to sacrifice and when to do it. The story also features several nice twists that can catch you flatfooted if you miss the subtle clues that things are coming.

While I will admit that the game drops the ball right at the end if you only play the core story. There are a few pieces of DLC that can be used to fill the ending out a bit. For a more satisfying ending I would recommend the Citadel DLC that came out for the third game. It includes a fun mission where everyone is involved instead of the typical two helpers you normally get to choose. It also ends with an amazing going away party that lets you give everyone a nice send off. I think this DLC helped temper the lack luster ending for me. There’s a group photo taken at one point during the game that I still want as a framed image on my game room wall.

Shepard and some of their crew as they get ready to move out on a mission. Each crew member comes with different strengths, abilities, and powers. This makes choosing the right people for the job as important a decision as what things you’ll do once you get there.

A wide variety of enemies are featured throughout the series. Some more powerful than the last. It makes keeping yourself safe behind cover a necessity.

2. Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons

Brother’s: a Tale of Two Sons let’s play from PewDiePie

There are few games that I think really show the idea of video games as art. Brothers: a Tale of Two Sons is one of them. With a beautiful graphic style and moving story, Brothers finds itself in a class all its own.

The story for the game is simple. Two boys must go into the wilderness to find a cure for their dying father. They encounter challenges, monsters, creatures that help them, and people that they can help as they travel.

Even though the story is simple it is still expertly told. A feat that is made even more impressive by the fact that there is no dialogue in the game. With characters who never talk the game manages to never be confusing. There was no point where I didn’t know what was happening or what I had to do next.

Using an innovative system where you control the brothers at the same time using a separate thumb stick for each brother. Several puzzles require you to move them at the same time in conflicting patterns. The system takes a little while to get used to but the mechanic reinforces the feeling of cooperation that is one of the games major themes.

However, the real strength of this game is how the story and the relationship between the brothers. Every interaction with the world and the environment feels earned. Brothers has some wonderful moments and is worth your time.

Puzzles are solved in a lot of ways in the game. It almost always revolves around the two brothers working together.

Even this quiet moment at the beginning of the game show a wonderful world and the closeness of the two brothers. There are several places throughout the game that will give you a chance to stop and enjoy the view that has been set out before you.

1. Life is Strange (and the prequel)

Life is Strange let’s play from Jesse Cox

Life is Strange is the story about a young girl who suddenly discovers she can rewind time several minutes and change the outcome of events. Maxine “Max” Caulfield is a photography student at the Blackwell arts school. She’s quiet, shy, doesn’t have a lot friends, has managed to get on the bad side of the schools mean girl, and is unsure of herself.

The story starts slow. It introduces most of the characters and they are displayed in fairly typical fashion. Victoria is the mean girl, Kate is the quiet Christian who gets picked on, Elliot is the boy with the crush on Max, then there’s the skater, the science geek, Victoria’s minions, and the cool kids in the cool club. As the story progresses each of these characters is given more. They each get fleshed out and shown to have depth. In a story where they could easily have just dismissed the second and third tier characters Life is Strange takes time to flesh them out. Sure, some characters get more of an arc than others.

The story also gets to move away from simple problems. You go from how you deal with a bully to saving someone’s life in the first few minutes. You go from seeing posters of a missing girl to trying to solve the mystery of what happened to her.

The real heart of this game is the relationship between Max and Chloe, her oldest friend. The dynamic between these two characters it what drives this game. Some of the decisions I made were done specifically because of how it affected these two. The love and history between these two characters is something that moves this story forward. Fleshed out even further by the prequel you get to see why Chloe is so broken. You also get to watch why Max feels so responsible. Some of the decisions made in this game hurt me deeply because of how it effected them.

This game is one of my top three favorite games of all time. I can’t wait until my niece is old enough to play these so I can share them with her. There aren’t many games that have affected me the way Life is Strange does. There are several places in this story where I straight up ugly cried. I streamed it on my own YouTube channel and you can hear me agonize over a conversation at the end of chapter two. Life is Strange and the prequel, Before the Storm, broke me in the best way possible. I love these stories so much that I still watch other people’s let’s play videos just to see and hear their reactions.

This story is fantastic. I know there is a Life is Strange 2 coming soon and I’m deeply hopeful that it will be in my hands before the year is out. Even if you don’t play it yourself, this story is so good I recommend you at least watch someone else play it. That’s how I started. Of course, I got to a point where people kept making decisions I disagreed with and I had to play it myself just to get Max to do the right thing. I suppose I should warn you, I know a couple of people who started that way before they started playing themselves. If you think it might be for you but you’re not sure, episode 1 is free on steam. Take the time, try it out. I think you’ll find it’s worth the time.

Even a quiet moment between Kate and Victoria reveals a deep layer of storytelling. These small side moments keep the story focused on the hazards of life in high school.

The focal relationship of the main game Max and Chloe are the relationship that keeps all of the games coherent and alive. What happens between these characters is what keeps you engaged.

There you folks. That’s my list of 20 games with the best stories. What do you think? Are there any other great story games I missed?

Let me know in the comments down below.