Old_Fan

Some of these I absolutely agree with, like Mass Effect, GoW, Cyberpunk (though I'd still argue The Witcher 3), etc. However, there are some things that really hurt the credibility of the article. First, it's strange that these are all relatively recent, mostly big-budget, Western releases. Seriously, no JRPGs? (Nier is it's own beast.) No indie gems? Nothing from more than a decade ago? (I know Mass Effect is older, but that's the Legendary Edition from a few years ago.)

And second, TLoU2? Seriously? I agree it's an ambitious undertaking, but the writing was a complete mess. (I say this as someone that supports diversity and inclusion.) The narrative direction, the pacing, the narrative break, the characterization, the attempted justifications... They were all completely FUBARed, I believe is the term. I know the story worked on some people, but it had the polar opposite effect on others. But even then any self-respecting fiction writer will tell you the simple structure and execution of the writing is atrocious, down to its nuts and bolts. If you were going to include one game from the franchise, it should have been the original. The gameplay of both are on par, but the writing in the first game is leagues better than its attempt at a sequel. (Not to mention that even the Uncharted games have better writing if you were determined to have a Naughty Dog game.)

I know you can do better. Seriously. I believe in you.

I know a lot of people love FromSoft games and piecing the story together as a community, but I can't endorse a FromSoft game as a "masterclass in storytelling." Don't get me wrong, the games do a lot of things well, but it isn't storytelling. They have some solid environmental storytelling, but there's very little narrative. The main quest is paper-thin, and the backstory isn't told so much as drip-fed entries from a lore bible that was never properly turned into a narrative. And maybe that was the best decision, because it encourages community engagement and helps maintain their position in the cultural zeitgeist. But as a voracious reader and a hobbyist writer, I don't think you can call it a "masterclass in storytelling" when you need your players to write the story for you.