What next? Going to throw in..THE GAME? Which, by the way, I just lost. xD

Let’s see what game you think has the best story, Brent? ..A NIGHT ANGEL VIDEO GAME, you say? *Shot*

As for video games, I concur with Bioshock and can’t wait for Bioshock 2: Electric Boogaloo (subtitle still in the works…)

OK perhaps it’s not the most adult, or particularly emotionally subtle in the world, but it’s bare-faced honest of what it does with characters I think is charming. The plot is pretty complex with enough shock/horror moments. A number of characters go through significant genesis. I don’t think the charm of its settings will ever be matched as the ‘adult’ world and the ‘family’ world, in all types of media, very noticable in film, diverge (when was the last family film you saw that didn’t have 1 stupid character who was only there for comic relief???).

Moreover than anything else, in my opinion, it’s the atmosphere that makes the story so wonderful. It has a very real ‘feeling’, not of any particular emotion but a permeating awareness of depth and reality so few games have. To make the fantastical believable is the aim of any fantasy writer, and to do that with a real focus on characters and societies, without smothering the whole thing in heavy-handed emotions (It does a bit at the end I grant you but you’re addicted by then), and then to lump that uncompromising view on technology all FF games have into the mix, is a real achievement. I’m getting all misty just thinking about it.

That blend of tech and magic the final fantasy series produces gives any story within it such strong foundations, and FF8 is the best balance. There will be a load of FF7 fans polishing rifles now, but I played FF8 first and there’s always something special about that first time……*sigh*

Bioshock has another good story and a brilliant steampunk setting. I’m curious what the upcoming Bioshock novel will be like. If it captures any of the spooky creativity of the game, then it will be a wild ride.

Very classy.

Go Brent!

ps. now if you only had a blog or twitter account…