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Video games on which you actually stop to read the Lore
- Thread starter AllMight1
- Start date
Destiny. The lore was incredibly good. If only it was in the actual game lol.
FFXIII lore was good too.
FFXIII lore was good too.
Definitely The Last of Us 1 and 2.
But I do this for pretty much everything, because I usually don't play games I'm not interested in, lol.
But I do this for pretty much everything, because I usually don't play games I'm not interested in, lol.
This!! Love it! Hope they bring it back in MP4 . Scanning the world was so much fun and interesting.
All of them...
When i put my hard earned money into a game, i make sure to not devalue the purchase by skipping lore. (incidentally, elder scrolls games last me a long time).
I go the extra mile in some games by looking for community research (like the souls games), or expanded universes things i might be unaware of that were explained in novels (like some of the old starwars games)
When i put my hard earned money into a game, i make sure to not devalue the purchase by skipping lore. (incidentally, elder scrolls games last me a long time).
I go the extra mile in some games by looking for community research (like the souls games), or expanded universes things i might be unaware of that were explained in novels (like some of the old starwars games)
Biggest one for me is Mass Effect. I've read the entire codex multiple times and give most of it a look when I replay the games.
I read almost everything I found in Deus Ex HR, and the whole codex in FFXIII (which in this case is important to understand the story).
I'm just a sucker for sci fi lore. I can't bring myself to read stuff in heroic fantasy games, I simply have no interest in that. Dragon Age Origins, and now Kingdoms of Amalur, I play through them but skip all the books/codex entries. Only in Elder Scrolls I read a little bit.
I read almost everything I found in Deus Ex HR, and the whole codex in FFXIII (which in this case is important to understand the story).
I'm just a sucker for sci fi lore. I can't bring myself to read stuff in heroic fantasy games, I simply have no interest in that. Dragon Age Origins, and now Kingdoms of Amalur, I play through them but skip all the books/codex entries. Only in Elder Scrolls I read a little bit.
Forgot about TLOU 1 and 2. TLOU 1 I found more interesting though and it's one of those games where I feel like most people I talk to read a lot of the letters.
When I started playing Oblivion I got wrapped up in the lore of Elder Scrolls for a long while. That continued on for me when I started the Fallout 3, I would hit the wiki up and just zone out for hours. Final Fantasy Tactics being one of my favs I really enjoyed getting into the lore of FFXII.
Also Dragon Age: Origins was one of the most aesthetically pleasing games to play/read!
Edit: [Had to add Mass Effect also, Bioware is great!]
Also Dragon Age: Origins was one of the most aesthetically pleasing games to play/read!
Edit: [Had to add Mass Effect also, Bioware is great!]
How were you able to stay sane after reading all those random books in the witcher?
Control
Soulsbornekiro games, I think Sekiro was the first one I played while religiously reading every item I got, and I enjoyed the game a lot more for it.
Blasphemous also had a lot of great bits about the world's characters that made the experience much better.
Mortal Shell was the last one I played and I read most things there too.
I did it too with metroid prime, I scanned everything I could but it felt more like an obligation most of the time. That being said, I did enjoy some of what I read about the pirates. I do have one question though: are we meant to believe their species is literally space pirate? Like they're born as evil inter-stellar gremlins that love to gank stuff? No other game has posed a more difficult question
Soulsbornekiro games, I think Sekiro was the first one I played while religiously reading every item I got, and I enjoyed the game a lot more for it.
Blasphemous also had a lot of great bits about the world's characters that made the experience much better.
Mortal Shell was the last one I played and I read most things there too.
I did it too with metroid prime, I scanned everything I could but it felt more like an obligation most of the time. That being said, I did enjoy some of what I read about the pirates. I do have one question though: are we meant to believe their species is literally space pirate? Like they're born as evil inter-stellar gremlins that love to gank stuff? No other game has posed a more difficult question
Soul Sacrifice Delta
The lore about each monster is either a different take on a classic fairytale or it's own new fairytale.
The lore about each monster is either a different take on a classic fairytale or it's own new fairytale.
Remember when manuals were big and meaty? I've read the Starcraft manual dozens of times because of the lore and backstory that was in it.
My favorite in-game databases were in the Xenosaga franchise. A bunch of acronyms and technobabble but I loved how they tried to explain every little thing. It really adds to the worldbuilding. Also,
My favorite in-game databases were in the Xenosaga franchise. A bunch of acronyms and technobabble but I loved how they tried to explain every little thing. It really adds to the worldbuilding. Also,
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The Last of Us Parts 1 and 2
Souls games (including and especially Bloodborne)
Metroid Prime
Bioshock 1
Souls games (including and especially Bloodborne)
Metroid Prime
Bioshock 1
Pikmin. The Piklopedia and Ships Log were my absolute favourite things in 2, and made a big contribution to it being one of my favourite games ever made. The former's addition to 3 Deluxe already made me like it more, but it still doesn't measure up to 2
I generally hate when games have lore dumps via journals/audio diaries/menu encyclopedias. 😤
I want to play the game not read it. 😤
I want to play the game not read it. 😤
I'm like that too but it sucks in MMOs because randos tell me to hurry up in quests or they leave making me skip all the flavor text and cutscenes.
Remember when manuals were big and meaty? I've read the Starcraft manual dozens of times because of the lore and backstory that was in it.
My favorite in-game databases were in the Xenosaga franchise. A bunch of acronyms and technobabble but I loved how they tried to explain every little thing. It really adds to the worldbuilding. Also,
I forgot the Xenosaga lore existed. Thanks for sharing that funny entry.
Same thing happens to me with heroic fantasy games that take themselves seriously, and I actually tried to think why that big of a difference between sci fi and this genre exists in terms of the interest they create in me. The best answer I could come up with is that with sci fi your mind "opens up", or is interested exploring explanations about the future as long as those are plausible (plausible to oneself at least!) I don't think it's easy to get that with heroic fantasy, because you already tend to know that what they are presenting you doesn't work.
Of course there are those types of games that still hook me, such as The Witcher, but that's mostly because its focus on psychology and the exquisitely crafted world around it. Or full on fantasy titles such as Baten Kaitos or the Tales series, but you clearly know that there are no fake real elements in them that your mind knows doesn't work.
Of course this is just how that genre affects me, would love to know what fans of something like Skyrim get out of it!
+1 for Soul Sacrifice Delta. Every single tale is fantastically imaginative.
Also I loved the background story of Total Annihilation: Kingdoms as a kid.
Also I loved the background story of Total Annihilation: Kingdoms as a kid.
I'mma tell you a secret, and it's gonna cost me all my street cred.
I don't actually read Soulsborne lore. I go to YouTube videos and let guys with sexy accents read them to me. Fuck reading that shit in-game, I got hollows to smash.
I don't actually read Soulsborne lore. I go to YouTube videos and let guys with sexy accents read them to me. Fuck reading that shit in-game, I got hollows to smash.
Almost none. If I manage to squeeze one hour or two of gaming I won't spend that time reading books in a game. If I grab some document in a game and it's several pages long it can go fuck itself, sorry for whoever wrote it.
I'll read books in my bed before I go to sleep, but I won't stop the action of a game just to read.
I'll read books in my bed before I go to sleep, but I won't stop the action of a game just to read.
Compared to for example the games from the TES saga, books in the Witcher games are really, really short.. at max they are like one-two pages long.. compared to 50 pages long books in the TES games
Most of them. I have a preference for sci-fi so Horizon Zero Dawn was really fascinating for me.
Mass Effect Andromeda's codex is excellent and a much needed refresher after spending so much time away from the series. It's incredible how much of the lore remains relevant even in another galaxy.
It'll probably be easier to list the games where I haven't read that shit. I actually think most games do them well because they're well written and/or add to the story. However, I think if you aren't stopping to read notes or whatever in survival horror and immersive sim games, you aren't even playing them.
The only developer that is consistently terrible at them is Ubisoft. You can tell that they got an intern (likely via harrassment) to write them and they're all filler.
The only developer that is consistently terrible at them is Ubisoft. You can tell that they got an intern (likely via harrassment) to write them and they're all filler.
Quantum Break and Control. Remedy are masters in making text logs interesting to read. I don't think there's any other game where I thought "Oh man, I missed a text log here? Bummer".
Interesting take, I think for me it's because in general I've always been very interested in science, technology and futurism, while I have little interest in history. I supposed that translates to my interests in fiction.
Definitely the first Mass Effect.
Everything in that game, from the technology, the politics, the races, to the physics of how things work and even the chemical materials of simple things such as walls, is masterfully explained in its codex entries.
It hurt me to see how the sequels didn't even care about all that lore. Thinking about the stories that could've been told in a universe with that level of care and detail, and what we actually got in the end kind of makes me mad.
On the topic, I always read everything the game puts in front of me. Like, I read all the books and letters in The Elder Scrolls or The Witcher, Dragon Age, or all the diaries and reports in Kingdom Hearts, hundreds of emails and interviews in Death Stranding, with the intent of not only learning more about the game's universe and its story, but also to find interesting tales. You can find some fantastic stories (or poems) in The Witcher 3 and Dragon Age Origins books. Both Torment games also had fantastic stories hidden not in the books you find, but in optional conversations that you can have in every corner of the game.
Everything in that game, from the technology, the politics, the races, to the physics of how things work and even the chemical materials of simple things such as walls, is masterfully explained in its codex entries.
It hurt me to see how the sequels didn't even care about all that lore. Thinking about the stories that could've been told in a universe with that level of care and detail, and what we actually got in the end kind of makes me mad.
On the topic, I always read everything the game puts in front of me. Like, I read all the books and letters in The Elder Scrolls or The Witcher, Dragon Age, or all the diaries and reports in Kingdom Hearts, hundreds of emails and interviews in Death Stranding, with the intent of not only learning more about the game's universe and its story, but also to find interesting tales. You can find some fantastic stories (or poems) in The Witcher 3 and Dragon Age Origins books. Both Torment games also had fantastic stories hidden not in the books you find, but in optional conversations that you can have in every corner of the game.
Did with Witcher 3 - and then went on to read the books (still in-progress), watch the show, etc.
But that's rare. I tried in Elder Scrolls games and it's just too fucking deep with extra-high fantasy stuff.
But that's rare. I tried in Elder Scrolls games and it's just too fucking deep with extra-high fantasy stuff.
I always do except for a few games. TES games books were a little too much for me. Always love me some lore. Last one I really liked was DOOM Eternal